Junkyard Dogs and Chainsaw Artists

I feel a little like a roving reporter when I'm going on day trips with the hubby finding parts for restoring old cars.   These trips always produce fodder for my blogs.  We come across some interesting stuff checking out the highways and byways of the Carolinas.  You just have to dig deep and get off the main drag to find it.  This was a trip we took in mid-May.  First stop was to be a junkyard in Thomasville, NC, to pick up an engine for a car that hubby is restoring, but we both love Main Streets in small towns, so we detoured off the GPS's beaten path.  It was our lucky day!  Main Street was teeming with activity.  There was a Chainsaw Artist competition right in the center of downtown creating a major traffic jam so I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the truck in the middle of the street, leaving Henry to deal with traffic and find a place to park.  Twelve of the top chainsaw artists from around the country were participating in this event.  For those of you who don't know about chainsaw art, it's simply taking a large log and carving something out of it with chainsaws - starting with a large chainsaw and using smaller ones for detail, combining the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.  It's a rare but growing form of art that takes an artist's eye and a keen imagination to envision the final piece of art.  I got my camera ready and started shooting.

I loved this "Newspaper Carrier" bear.  He was the first to catch my eye.

Logs like you see in this photo are all they have to start with - and of course their tools.

Curious dogs - maybe they're guarding their owners tools while he's away from his tent.

Nice horse and bobcat.

Ooh!  I love this - using the chainsaw art as a form of advertising your business.  An aviator bear advertising an airport and a lean pig advertising a BBQ.

This little guy has a beach blanket and a rose - ready to take you for a stroll down the boardwalk.

Here's Chap Nelson from Gray, Georgia.   He's done a great piece of art for a zoo, don't you think?

My British friends will love this bulldog.

I loved this mother raccoon - hiding her kittens in a hollow tree.  This sculpture was done by the artist in the picture below.

Thomas Bland of Reidsville, Georgia standing beside his sculpture.

Wouldn't this be cute in a rustic cabin bathroom?

I don't like snakes but love the detail on this one.

Now that's a big gun.

A throne?  This chair is so detailed!

An artist at work

And finally - this little guy was a little intimidated by the three dogs in the wagon.  He was not going along for the ride.

 This little side excursion was worth the ride.  When we got to our destination, I took a couple photos of a nearby old mill building that was overgrown with vines.  Makes for some interesting pictures, don't you think? 

And to make good on the title of the blog, how would you like to meet up with this fellow in a junkyard office?  The picture isn't very clear and it's difficult to see how he's snarling, growling and generally trying to scare me to death.  He was successful in the scaring me to death part.   Even though there was a window between us, he looked big enough to crash through it, so I kept my distance.   This picture was taken in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

This office belongs to you big boy - I want NO part of it!