Got Gourds???

Why yes I do!!  The farm just down the road from the gourd festival specializes in every size and kind you can imagine.  There were huge bins just waiting for you.  You pick, they measure and price.  How could I not snag a few to play around with, using my brand spanking new wood burning tool.

There's wood burning and then there's WOOD BURNING.  If you're going to make beautiful art, you need the right tools.  I can't wait to get started, but that requires the cutting tools mentioned previously.  No worries, they are on order!!

Back to the gourds, here's a sampling of the work you can do on a plain gourd.  The one on the left is decorated with pine needles.  I tried that once ... it's WAY beyond me.  It requires too much patience and finesse.

I rather imagine making something like this requires the same.  The variety of images carved into these gourds is amazing.

With all the cutouts, this one must have taken hours and hours just to carve ... let alone to paint!  What a showstopper!

Sorry these pictures are not the best.  I decided to ditch my big camera due to the weight.  I'll know better next time.  iPhone pictures just don't do them justice.

From beautiful flowers to Southwest Indian to Alaskan Indian designs, it was all there.  Did you hear that thunder?  Sometimes it was hard to hear due to the thunder gourds being tapped.  

Last year I found one in the little town of Saint David.  Tap the spring coming out of the bottom and it sounds like thunder, thus the name.  They were certainly a popular item, although Lynn and I both thought ours were MUCH louder.  Least I think that's what she said ... I couldn't hear very well.

For the most part, prices were not near as exorbitant as I expected.  There were several I would have purchased for my house, but I chose to spend the money on the tools to make one ... or a dozen.

On the other hand, this fabulously designed gourd ran $295.  For that price I can have everything I need to make a hundred.  Guess what everyone's getting for Christmas???

Unfortunately the day came to an end and we never did catch up with Jan and Bill.  We stopped in for lunch at Mimi's cafe before heading home.  I spent the rest of the evening watching YouTube videos about how to carve and burn, most of which will be done OUTSIDE so I don't burn my house down!!

I'm already making plans for next year's event.  I think I'll take my rig if I can find a place to park.  

In the meantime, I've got a new microwave and some new recipes, along with the lost brownie lava cake recipe.  I'll share those tomorrow.