Nature Challenge - Walk softly and carry a big stick!

Getting inspired by nature

It has officially been 10 days since we launched the Nature Challenge at Inspire...Imagine...Invent! With the sun shining and the warm weather still with us, it's the perfect time to get out there and connect with nature and inspire new ideas and thought patterns.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to see some friends. who stay at a family campground just outside of Arthur, Ontario on weekends.  It's a beautiful spot, surrounded by broad-leaf forests, mixed with fir trees, little rivers and creeks teeming with tadpoles and other little life.  A perfect place to take the kids for a nice hike!

I brought my walking stick for the trip so we could hike on the nearby trails.  We used to do a lot of hiking and cave explorations on the Bruce Trail when I was a kid.  My walking stick is the perfect height and weight for me and has finger "holes" in ideal places...but they are naturally there.  My dad made my walking stick for me for my 40th birthday last year, and he did not artificially install them!  Having my walking stick really helps improve my enjoyment of the outdoors and walking because my kids have endless energy and I like to at least try to keep up.  Having the stick to lean on when going through rough terrain or just to lean on when I get pooped is amazing - sorry I'm "old" now!

Even Daisy worries Josh doesn't know he's not the dog sometimes!

Dad has been a nature lover my whole life, and likely his whole life too!  When he retired last Fall, he started spending a lot more time in parks and other natural settings with Daisy; his adorable Beagle-Sheppard.  Because he lives in Mississauga, he often ventures to the lakeshore and the parks along the lake.  Some areas are more attractive than others, but it was actually some of the less attractive spots he found true inspiration!

While playing fetch with Daisy on the beach one time, he picked up a random piece of driftwood to toss for her.  Before he could throw it, he noticed how light the stick was and long, he noted the placement of the leftover branch nubs and knots, the aesthetic qualities of the wood and the grain.  It got him imagining...

Of course, what he picked up was a grayed out, obviously "dead" piece of driftwood.  To most, this would be a toss-away or set for the fire pit.   But my dad saw something else, something beautiful and decided to take it home.  After many, many hours of painstakingly whittling, smoothing, polishing, lacquering, drying and so on, my beautiful walking stick was born!

That was last year.  Since then, he's started taking special requests.   In fact, our friend in Arthur is waiting for hers, right now.  As a special request, he'll be adding a leather strap for a handle loop for aesthetics as much as convenience.  The middle below is a picture of her stick in progress.  My finished stick is shown in the image on the right (but I don't think this picture does it justice!)

Restoring the natural beauty, one step at a time!

These days, my dad spends hours looking for suitable trees and branches for creating his walking sticks.  What started as a random game with Daisy has turned into a great hobby and potential business for my dad!  To a tree-hugger like me, the best part of all is that he is finding a use for what would otherwise considered be "waste" or firewood.

Every walking stick he makes has been wrought from fallen branches or trees, driftwood and other non-green sources of wood - deadwood, in other words.  No tree has been harmed in this creative process, but the natural beauty of the wood is carefully restored and showcased - that's a beautiful thing!

Until next time:  Inspire...imagine...invent!