The Shape of Things to Come...

Are you like me? Do you look at clouds and see something in the formation? Does a cluster of leaves, way off in the distance, on a high tree branch resemble an animal/bird? The coffee shop specialties with design cream/froth; do they look like a fleur de lis to you? If so, I am not alone then!!

A few weeks back, when I was trekking Malaquite Beach at Padre Island National Seashore [federal park], I was nearing my 10K step total, and decided it was time to turn around to get back in the car and return home. As I watched for any other birds out along the shoreline, I too was looking at my feet at times to search for sea beans and/or shells. Whole shells; not the many broken ones seen all over the shifting sand. Then, of course, being a bit 'bird brained' I spotted a small piece of driftwood that the more I looked at it, the more I could 'see' resemblance of a hummingbird!!!

I put the piece of wood in the car's trunk and headed out of the parking lot from the visitor's center ...I finally get home, and took the piece of wood out of the trunk and placed it on Bud's work bench to dry out..

Now, this is something I have NEVER done before.  Bud has many times and I have most all his pieces from his childhood days of whittling up to his last piece he did - - a coyote sun worshiper, that he carved and I painted and dressed in Native American garb...

When the wood I brought home was good and dry, I asked Bud for one of his carving knives, and slowly started whittling away - yes, I know!...I'm not supposed to carve toward me, but I did anyway!!! The only things missing were my spittoon, rocking chair, and covered porch...

Before I go any further, yes...there ARE tropical hummingbirds with CURVED bills...the Purple Throated Carib hummingbirds [and green throated also]

I started with the beak and made it thin and pointed....if it broke off then no loss - I could just toss it and not have wasted a whole lotta time on the body ...getting close to finishing it, I realized the wings were quite a bit out of proportion, so I went in search for more driftwood on Luby Beach this time...found a perfect piece...all that needed to be done was a bit of sanding.  And then, I cut and added a 2nd thin piece for the 'other' less visible wing.  While walking that same beach, on the other side of the channel, I found a piece I could use for the base...

...I mounted it on the base, varnished it and it's now titled "BEAN" as in Carib BEAN [sea...where they are found]




Luckily, I didn't BREAK anything as I carved....KNOCK WOOD!!!!