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The Oracle of Cougar Creek
It was the sun reflecting off the huge blade, in the small clearing ahead, that first caught my attention. The forest path meandered along side the creek and had gradually widened until it framed an incredibly wrinkled old man. He had a large chunk of wood standing as high and wide as himself in front of him, coming to life with every knife slash.
The fluidity of his movements bespoke decades of practice and made me stop in wonder. Although the carving was one he'd barely started, already the crude shape of a mighty grizzly was plain to see. I could not believe the strength and the gracefulness of this old man, he looked about …show more content…
He radiated a strength and calmness that was immediately apparent and almost palpable. Perhaps the gentle gurgle of Cougar Creek and the picturesque surrounds added to my feeling of entrancement.
He continued to wield wonder on the wood and swapped to a smaller blade to do more detailed work around the grizzly’s snout. I envied his deftness and expertise and did not want him to stop. The transformation that was happening to that chunk of wood, was magical. However, I really wanted to speak with the wrinkled old prune.
“Grandad, you get better at that every year”, I said. He threw down the knife and grabbed me in a bear hug which only cracked four ribs. “Well, stick my face to a fence post! Thought you'd got lost Son”, he exclaimed.
More than anyone, Grandad had taught me about life, love and laughter. He led by example and instilled integrity, strength, honesty above all and the old code of the west - respect, honour and staunchness. He gave cooking lessons and had even broken me out of my nail biting habit. His philosophical approach, calmness and ability to seize a solution to any problem, was awesome. A talent only matched by his incredible artistic
The Oracle of Cougar Creek
It was the sun reflecting off the huge blade, in the small clearing ahead, that first caught my attention. The forest path meandered along side the creek and had gradually widened until it framed an incredibly wrinkled old man. He had a large chunk of wood standing as high and wide as himself in front of him, coming to life with every knife slash.
The fluidity of his movements bespoke decades of practice and made me stop in wonder. Although the carving was one he'd barely started, already the crude shape of a mighty grizzly was plain to see. I could not believe the strength and the gracefulness of this old man, he looked about …show more content…
He radiated a strength and calmness that was immediately apparent and almost palpable. Perhaps the gentle gurgle of Cougar Creek and the picturesque surrounds added to my feeling of entrancement.
He continued to wield wonder on the wood and swapped to a smaller blade to do more detailed work around the grizzly’s snout. I envied his deftness and expertise and did not want him to stop. The transformation that was happening to that chunk of wood, was magical. However, I really wanted to speak with the wrinkled old prune.
“Grandad, you get better at that every year”, I said. He threw down the knife and grabbed me in a bear hug which only cracked four ribs. “Well, stick my face to a fence post! Thought you'd got lost Son”, he exclaimed.
More than anyone, Grandad had taught me about life, love and laughter. He led by example and instilled integrity, strength, honesty above all and the old code of the west - respect, honour and staunchness. He gave cooking lessons and had even broken me out of my nail biting habit. His philosophical approach, calmness and ability to seize a solution to any problem, was awesome. A talent only matched by his incredible artistic