Canoes and band music

This morning, Nancy showed me a book of the most remarkable wood carvings: masks, totems, marionettes, and other art pieces, by a man named Duane Pasco. This man, according to Dick, is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about original native designs and practices.

The following are photos taken at his studio today.

One of Duane's assistants working on an 11-person (rowers) canoe made of pieces of cedar.

Totem

Another totem

One of three canoes carved from a large piece of wood.

Another carved canoe

The third carved canoe

All three, lined up.

I felt really privileged to see this work being done. I learned a lot even just skimming through the book, too, about Native American legends and the spirits that live in them, whom he brings to light through his carving. Dick and Nancy are very active with the Native community here, and Dick helped to carve one of the pictured canoes.

It was another young children day at the house, so Remy and I tried to play it cool and stay out of the way. I really enjoy intelligent, curious, articulate children, though. I would have loved for William to choose a name for me, but he either had trouble remembering my name, or it sounded too much like his mom's -- Markee --so he called me "hey", and I learned to respond to it and gladly, because there was always some interesting observation or question following the "hey."

Mid-afternoon, I decided to try to find a second hand store where I could get another pair of shorts. I only brought one with me besides the biking shorts, and I was feeling the need for some more appropriate clothing. I found a shop in Poulsbo, but I ended up getting a shirt. No shorts. Then Remy and I found the Petco. I thought I'd replace his bike basket and get his nails trimmed, but this Petco was apparently too small to carry bike baskets, and their rules are so strict that an official letter averring his positive rabies vaccination status per a titre done 2 months ago was not sufficient because their computer program requires an expiration date. Tomorrow or sometime soon, I will look for a local grooming salon that will do his nails. That's what always worked in W Michigan.

Nancy and Dick left for the library about 5:15 for a pre-concert reception that started at 5:30. Nancy plays with The Hometown Band, a group of about 35 (or so) adults playing for fun. Tonight, they presented the first concert in the new Kitsap Regional Library, a really remarkable community building housing boys & girls clubs, a senior center, and other important elements along with the library. 

The band opened and closed with Sousa, and in between played a nice variety of fun and serious pieces. Like most bands of this kind, some things were really tight, and others not as much; but all in all, a fun time was had by all of the approximately 65 attendees, and by the band members, too, I think.

We have had some lovely, sunny weather the past couple of days. Tomorrow says cloudy, but we're hoping to get out and do some hiking and/or kayaking tomorrow. I'll let you know.