algonquin mill festival-2012

        the algonquin mill festival was last weekend and i had a great time carving as i could for the throngs of people who visited the festival . at one time while carving i looked up to see maybe 100 -150 people watching me carve . i was quite impressed with my self till i realized they had a backup in the port a jons we were adjacent. to. need to make me a pay per jon with  luxury with accessories like extra plush toilet paper , foot braces to assure that when giving extra effort to dislodge that you don't slip out the door in front  of a crowd. with your pants down  around your ankles. maybe an attendant to hand out towel's , and tidy up after the old men leaking all over the place. maybe give them a whole pee wall to hit. i digress. anyhow thanks to a shortage of jons i drew the biggest crowd ever for viewing my carving. thank you all for supporting me in my efforts as i try to live up to half your expectations of me. thanks again. 

     this festival is not about me but is a lot more about lost heritage briefly regained in the nature painted hills of carroll county in ohio. vermont and maine would be hard pressed to shine any brighter than carroll county shines each fall when the algonquin mill festival comes alive . crafters and volunteers begin to ply their crafts demonstrating forgotten trades. blacksmiths and forging , canning , weaving , cane pressing  are among the trades used in pioneer days to make living easier. the mill was originaly used to grind flour and farmers were drawn to the mill to sell and exchange products in pioneer times. this is all set in the hills at a time of year when the hills are at their best color. and mother nature blessed us with 3 days of dryness to allow it to happen. 

    fellow carver was kevin thompson and i are seen carving together in the above pics. i enjoyed carving with kevin and hopefully will be carving again together . a favorite thing i like to do at this time of the year is to carve a pumpkin with a chainsaw. i know over kill but principal is the same. parts and pieces fly as i lobotomize a pumpkin for a waiting youth to take home for free. bits and pieces of pumpkin fly in the breeze as the laughter subsides. oh well i had fun anyhow.