Dave Haldiman

@opposablethumbs

Must have liberal democracy and progressive policies. Nature is my church. Science, art, humor, Tao, kindness, acceptance. Ret'd ad producer and motion camera. Here to learn, laugh, meet, interact, care. And to fight the MAGA oligarchy and AI.

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Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· 26d

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· 27d

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· 29d

This was along a stream near Nashville, TN taken around 1982.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jul 12

A chalice made from Wisconsin red cedar and clear epoxy resin. Five inches high. #Woodworking #Woodturning #Art

A chalice shaped, lathe turned piece, made from red cedar and clear epoxy resin. The cedar has many streaks and waves of dark reds, magentas and yellowish tan. The resin has formed its own streaks, revealing gaps and knots in the wood.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jul 10

Burls are a tree's reaction to infection by bacteria, fungus or virus. The tree can continue to grow for many years, as it's burls create fantastic distortions in the wood. This bowl was lathe-turned from a cherry burl. Nine inches wide. #Woodturning #Woodworking #Nature #Trees

A round bowl made of cherry burl wood, with wild patterns of various browns and tans in the wood.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jul 9

A photo of a box of Captain Crunch's Caunck Crunch cereal.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jul 3

Are these swans captive or free? In the hills above Malibu, CA, late 1980s #BirdOfTheDay #Swans #Photography

Two adult swans and their three cygnets have paddled up to the camera and seem to be posing, with their wings swept up and back, and their heads turned. The pond's surface is smooth, reflecting trees off-camera. But there's a net almost enclosing this part of the pond; the adults are at an opening that might or might not allow them to leave the pond.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 29

Sir Baxter the Vigilant, dedicated to protecting raspberries from marauding bands of ravenous chipmunks. Good boy. #Dogs #Gardening

On an aged wooden bench there sits a bowl of around 4 dozen freshly-picked red raspberries, close to the camera. In the near background, a few inches from the bowl, a fuzzy-haired gray and white mutt stares into the yard, as if keeping watch over the berries.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 28

Table boat, spalted hard maple, 16" long. From a decaying log left at a free wood bin last year. I cut away the softest bits and gradually carved the core as the wood slowly dried (it stunk). Spalting patterns are made from fungus in the sodden wood. #Woodworking #Nature

Photo of a hand-made, double-prow boat, 16 inches long, carved from spalted hard maple. The sides are about 3/8 inch thick and sanded very smooth. It's finished with semi-gloss polyurethane. There are elaborate patterns in the wood made from fungus that grew throughout the wood-soaked log from which this was made. Also, small grooves and spots made from insect larvae.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 21

And the second of two. Challenging indeed.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 21

Here's the first of two selections from the 2x4 challenge exhibit. Loads of creative variety and inspiration in a small exhibit.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 17

Thank you, Laura. I've got a couple of pix but I'll take a few more the next time I'm there. Bax's Backyard Barkathon is getting a bit better under control. He's such an eager, alert fellow. Here's a pic of him bravely taking shelter in the basement with me during a tornado warning (no twister).

A close shot of my scraggly, undeniably cute mutt, Baxter, on a basement couch. He looks concerned, as there had been plenty of thunder booms that evening. Also, he could be modeling the "before" picture of a dog shampoo ad.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 16

The local creators space, where I putter around, had a challenge event - make something out of an 8' 2x4. Here's my attempt. It's meant to be a tribute to spring and trees (zipper going downward). But it could also be about trying to hide the algae in the Mall Reflecting Pool (zipper upward).

Titled "Season of the Trees," this is a wall-hanging sculptural piece made from a single, eight foot 2 by 4. The bottom part is a vertical wooden zipper over a brown-stained piece of wood. It "opens" to a spreading wedge of blue-stained wood over which are set many freely-shaped ovoid wooden blobs colored with two shades of green. This is meant to be a leafed-out upper portion of the tree. 26 inches tall.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 11

Here's a viewing pic that's not made for downloading

A yard sign that reads "Do You Like Butterflies? And Bees and Moths? There aren't many around here any more. Please, do not spray pesticides on your lawn. If you need weed-killer, just spot-spray them. Spread the word. Thank you."

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 9

🤣 Mine:

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Jun 4

"So an impala, a wildebeest and a zebra walk up to a watering hole . . ." That one always slays 'em, heheh. (photo thanks to) www.popsci.com/environment/...

A photo featuring two female lions and a little cub, all with their mouths open and eyes squinched, as if laughing.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 25

Stunning! Someone wearing this surely rocked the red carpet at the Sekhmet* Gala. *Ancient Egyptian Goddess of War and Healing

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 25

My dog has a mowhawk or mullet, depending on my mood and his tolerance.

A close up photo of a mutt looking at the camera, a long growth of hair on his head teased into a mowhawk.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 21

... epoxy resin included in the bowls, to which I'll add some color (I like green or blue for cherry). But that'll be a while. Roughly hollowed, the pieces will have to dry - 2/3 years of sun/air drying or maybe 8 mo. in a drying kiln. Meanwhile, here's a smaller cherry burl bowl from last year:

Photo of a curvaceous, free-form, hand-carved cherry burl bowl. Some bark has been left on part of one side. The burl grain makes swirling patterns in the wood. Finished with semi-gloss polyurethane.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 21

So, two big pieces, roughly round, good for bowls that keep the natural contours/exteriors. Chisel off bark, evict a few carpenter ants. Start with a big drill bit, then chisels and mallet, finding plenty of softer wood inside, some in pockets, some in grain patterns. That'll mean lots of ... (2/3)

A photo of two large, approximately round, rough chunks of cherry wood on a much-used work bench. Both have many knobs of burl wood. One has been very roughly and somewhat carved out, in preparation to become a bowl someday.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 21

I've been asked about the process when making things from wood. Here's an example - some clumps of burl from a large cherry log that lay on the ground for a while, so there's some decay, which can make things interesting. First, cut up the log and see what's in there (1/-):

Photo of four pieces of wood cut from a cherry log. A bit of burl and some decay are visible.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 18

A flying saucer at a high altitude above the Earth.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 12

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 10

A new candle holder made from a cherry branch with some burl, plus some lime jello. Okay, it was clear resin with green pigment. Nine and a half inches tall. #Woodturning #Woodworking

A nine and a half in tall candle holder for three inch candles. The base and top are circular, made from cherry wood. The column is fluted, made from cherry wood with burl and translucent green epoxy resin.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 7

A couple of classroom maps from the 1950s seen on a coffee house wall the other day. Rather obsolete, methinks.

Photo of a classroom map from the 1950s, titled "World-Relations Climate." It shows all the oceans and continents, except Antarctica, with currents and climate regions defined with colors, arrows and lines.

Photo of a classroom map from the 1950s, titled "World-Relations Temperature." It shows all the oceans and continents, except Antarctica, with lines and colors defining temperature regions.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· May 2

Baxter's still new to the neighborhood, here meeting the local fauna. #Dogs

A salt-and-pepper colored mutt pauses during a walk on a sunny morning. He's pushed his head through a short, white, ornamental picket fence and is fascinated by small, ornamental deer that appears to be looking back at him.

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Apr 28

Dave Haldiman@opposablethumbs· Apr 24