The bottom, shorter one he made for me. The top one is the one he is working on for himself. He does a GORGEOUS job!! 
The whole time he was on vacation with Glenn he worked on them. He finished up one he had already started for Glenn, the two of them refinished two that Mila already had that Glenn brought her from Alaska 25 years ago. They made one for their sister Sharla. Busy guys!!
"Relaxing" with his diamond willow and dremel tool.
In sinks canyon, he had all of these hung over a tree limb while the varnish dried. 
He would sand it till it was just soft to touch, then put on 5 coats of varnish, sanding between each coat. He does such beautiful work with wood.
He got Glenn involved. Glenn is stripping the bark off the willow.... that's the first step.
The whole time he was on vacation with Glenn he worked on them. He finished up one he had already started for Glenn, the two of them refinished two that Mila already had that Glenn brought her from Alaska 25 years ago. They made one for their sister Sharla. Busy guys!!
"Relaxing" with his diamond willow and dremel tool.
In sinks canyon, he had all of these hung over a tree limb while the varnish dried. He would sand it till it was just soft to touch, then put on 5 coats of varnish, sanding between each coat. He does such beautiful work with wood.
He got Glenn involved. Glenn is stripping the bark off the willow.... that's the first step.Laurence is hand sanding. 
Glenn with his finished walking stick. Laurence put a compass in the top of it. He says that way Glenn can always find his way west......
Mine hanging to dry on our deck.
Glenn with his finished walking stick. Laurence put a compass in the top of it. He says that way Glenn can always find his way west......
Mine hanging to dry on our deck.The very last thing he did to mine was to lace a piece of deer hide around the area where I will be holding it. It should make it easy on the hand.
They are gorgeous. However, now he has a problem, I think he is out of willow. I think you can get them in Alaska or Northern Montana. The better ones come from Alaska. Road trip anyone?????
Just outside Lander Wyoming is a canyon called Sinks Canyon. Sinks Canyon is so named because the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie (pronounced Po-Po-zsha), a rushing mountain river, flows out of the Wind River Mountains and through the Canyon. Halfway down the canyon the river abruptly turns into a large limestone cavern, and the crashing water "sinks" into fissures and cracks at the back of the cave. The river is underground for 1/4 mile until it emerges down canyon in a large calm pool called "The Rise" and then continues its course into the valley below. Where the water goes while it is underground is unknown. The sinks narrow to small, unexplorable log and rock jammed fissures. The Sinks and Rise occur in the thick, easily eroded off-white Madison Limestone formation. 
For many years it was unproven that the water flowing into the Sinks was the same water flowing out at the Rise. Dye tests have proven it is the same water but have revealed other mysteries: it takes the water flowing into the Sinks over two hours to reappear at the Rise. Geologists speculate that while underground the water circulates up and down and through many narrow, winding passages and pools until it resurfaces. It was also discovered that more water flows out at the Rise than goes in at the Sinks. The additional water may be coming from underground springs or other sinks formations in the area.
Uncle Glenn's FIRST time shooting this gun ever!! 
We started out showing a few of the dragline buckets that aren't in use. This is a little 40 yard bucket, with Laurence and Glenn.
The top of one of the draglines viewed from the wall of the pit. The boom of the dragline is about 325 feet long. Longer than a football field. 
We got to go on one of the draglines. The operator was GREAT!! So willing to let us ask any questions, take pictures and just hang out. They take a bucket full of dirt from the bottom of the pit and put it up in a "hill" on top. This bucket is a 65 yard bucket. 
Glenn and Laurence with the Kress hauler. Glenn says that the tip of his fingers is about 8 feet. The haulers hold 200 tons of coal, and they go down the haul roads at about 50 mph. You definately stay out of the way!!