Hackensack Minnesota

Hackensack Minnesota is home of Paul Bunyan’s sweetie.  Her name is Lucette and she guards the waterfront.

Hackensack has very little traffic unless all 300 residents are out and about at the same time, except during the Chain Saw Carving Festival when they block off downtown and you cannot find a parking spot anywhere even if it is raining.

Chain saw carvers come from far and wide to show off their work.

They carve back behind the fence, there are lots of chips flying.

I wandered around the back of the exhibit area… the area was roped off so I couldn’t get too close.

I so want this bench.  It would replace my log bench that bleeds pine sap every summer. You have to watch were you sit or grab an old towel to sit upon.  I am an expert at getting pine sap out of pants, a little skin so soft and then when the pitch has dissolved  use some dawn dish soap and very hot water to get out the skin so soft.

The lemonade gal switched to some fancy kinds of coffee, it was a cold rainy day..her lips were as blue as Lucette’s dress.  Many people were bundled up in winter outerwear.

Bears are a big thing up here in the northwoods. 

The chain saw carvers both guys and gals (there was at least one gal) are true artists.  Another lady and I decided that these bears looked too grumpy to be welcome bears…perhaps they are for people who live on the lake and have company to cook for every weekend just because they have a place on the lake:)

Chainsaw Art

Up here in the northwoods, we just may find beauty in what can be formed from a White Pine Log. I call it Art, no I do not like all of it, some of it is stiff and formal, well as formal as chainsaw art can be.

Saturday we went to a Chainsaw Sculpting Invitational that was put on by a group called Loghoggers, over at Hackensack, Minnesota. It was a beautiful day, a little windy, but warm.

The whine of chainsaws filled the fall air, the smell of pine was pungent ..very Christmasy. It began to give me a headache, much like Christmas does. I kept getting chain saw dust on my lens..and the sun was in the wrong spot, but some of the photographs turned out acceptable.

The carvers are behind a black netting, it shows up in some of the photographs. They have lots of different sizes of chainsaws. When the pieces are complete, they are painted, or wood burned and taken to a display tent. On Sunday these finished pieces were auctioned off to the highest bidder. There were a few pieces that we really enjoyed, but not enough to go back and bid on them.

Far Guy's favorite.

My favorite, I don't even like raccoons, but this little guy really had a forlorn look on his face.

I managed one photo in the tent without a bunch of people in the way. It was a fun afternoon, we opted for a snack of homemade french fries and a chocolate shake from one of the many food vendors there. There was a craft show of sorts, mainly wood stuff, we walked around and enjoyed looking at the wares. We didn't buy anything. I already have to much stuff, if I can't eat it or read it ..I probably don't need it:)