this is the full length view of Old Timer before I embedded the Sacajawea Dollar.

This is the first stick I picked up with intent to make a staff-September 07. I was walking a friend's property for hours one day, evaluating constantly. Nothing grabbed me at all-until almost time to leave. In a thicket, I spotted a gnarled and dying oak tree-with this beautifully vine-twisted section. I had to see through the ugly-and in that moment knew I had something. I hacked it off with the hatchet and was surprised that it was substantially dry-that section of the tree had already died. I had to unwrap the vine from the twists.

I made every mistake you can make on this one. I was hacking the nubs off with a hatched and split the side so bad I almost threw it away. But when I grabbed that portion-it turned out to be a pervect handle. I didn't like the "honey pine" stain that I used and almost stripped it down but after a few weeks it settled and looked awesome.

The thing from the outset had a Native American appeal to me, and at that time I had been reading some early American literature. Thus, the Old Timer became a memorial to Sacajawea!