How I started.

[BobM]

From an early age I recognized that I loved birds. My earliest childhood memories are of a determined 4 year old using a cardboard box trap and some bread to capture the neighborhood pigeons. Later when my Dad was
Stationed to Griffis AFB as senior recruitment officer we moved to a
1800’s style farm house and 5 acres with a creek and Oneida Lake across the street down the lane. It was a kids exploring paradise .There was abundant game ,deer and grouse ,rabbits and waterfowl all within a few minutes walk or bike ride.
Across the street from my house was an elderly woman named Helen Salisbury who was homebound and I did many chores for her to make what she called pin money. I never knew what pin money was but she had a lot of chores for me and I mowed lawns, raked leaves, picked up sticks,shoveled snow, fetched her mail from the box at the road .I hung storm windows, dug holes,filled holes, filled bird feeders and cleaned up the shoreline in front of her house .
When I would take a break from chores she and I would sit in her front room overlooking the Lake and I would ask her about birds and nature.
One day I asked her if I could look into the decoy shack as she called it .Her husband use to carve his own decoys when he was alive and the shack was locked up since he died . She allowed me to look in there and what a find. Inside that shack was a time capsule from 1957 when George  Salisbury passed away at his carving bench and Helen closed up and locked the decoy shack that fateful day. I can  still smell the musty air and see the dim light filtering through the dusty spider webbed window panes of glass. On the bench an ashtray of chesterfield butts and their were half finished decoys and holding jigs .The shelves held old paint cans and solvents.The wooden vise had a head secured in it on a holding jig with wood shavings cluttering the creaky floor . Old rasps and files hand cutting knives and draw knives it was decoy carver heaven.Sitting on a shelf was a dusty old worn goldeneye decoy of days gone by . I held the decoy and admired the beauty of its form the paint was worn and dulled by the years of dust  .I turned the decoy over and saw the prominent decoy makers mark which read :

Stevens Decoy Company.

Weedsport,N.Y.


Helen allowed me to visit the shop and just look from time to time but always left it as it was when closed up.Capturing Georges last day working on his decoys.
I treasure the memories of our visits and now that Helen has  passed I credit her
for fostering a sense of conservation and love for nature that inspired me to pursue carving birds and decoys still today.

I remember one day I showed up to mow Helens lawn it was thursday and I mowed every thursday during the summer . When I reached my half way break point I knocked on the door and Helen invited me in to meet her friend Roger from Jamestown who was visiting from out of town. We sat at the rug weaving table and talked about birds for an hour or more .I remember how Roger was so smart and traveled and seemed to know everything about birds.When the break from mowing and my visit with Roger and Helen  was over I thanked him for the gift of the book he gave me The World of Birds on the inside cover he signed

Roger Tory Peterson.    

Hunting and fishing was a a way of life  at our house while grouse was king I often jumped mallards on the creeks and rivers . Trout fishing on the small creeks and rivers was great and Oneida lake was a bounty in walleyes and perch. In the spring with the ice out we fished for brown bullheads and caught them by the bucket full. I love deep fried bullhead . We made poor mans lobster by boiling perch fillets cut into chunks and the pike was white flaky bites of heaven.
I hunted and fished all around the lake and the backwoods  and we always had game in the freezer . Having to dress the game we harvested for meat I learned a lot about anatomy of birds and fish . Little did I know later this would come in real handy when carving birds and duck decoys in wood and cork .
I remember my brother Paul had carved a duck decoy and I commented on how I liked it .
He told me about a contest where decoys were floated in a tank and judged best . He said they looked so real you would  swear they were taxidermy. I set my sights to find out more about this art form called Decoys.
Long story short my wife bought me a copy of Bruce Burks Game bird Carving and I was hooked .I read the book over and over and dreamed about carving birds . Finally I bought some hand tools and some basswood and carved my first duck decoy a bufflehead from the Burk book. That was 1986 I still have it today the book, the decoy, and the wife .
I estimate I have carved over 2500 birds and decoys since that first primitive bufflehead I continue to carve today and I expect to be carving decoys till the day I meet up with Helen Salisbury that old lady from my youth and catch up on the birds I seen.

R.J.Mitchell

[Mike F.]

Cool story Bob

[DON MINTZ]

wonderful story Bob.  My first carving book was also Bruce Burks, but I loaned it at one point and it was never returned.  I believe that is the one with all the photos of bird feet in the back?

[Willy McDonald]

I love to hear these kind of stories........just excellent Bob. It's amazing how many stories like this will go untold because most of the young folks won't care until they reach our age and this kind of history starts to mean something and by that time......well you know.

Willy

[Scott Klecka]

I wish I had that kind of story.  I might just have to make one up.  Great read Bob.

[BobM]

Ill bet you could come up with a doosie Scott.
One day I went to deliver Helens mail she told me of a big wasp nest in the garage that needed to go.These wasps were huge yellow wasps I dont know what kind they were but they were bad mean and aggressive,The dang bees were 2 inches long .They had made a paper nest the size of a medicine ball in the rafters above the garage.I waited till Night and carefully covered the nest with a sack and threw in a bug bomb and tied it off. There were over a thousand wasps in the bag when it was all over .In the garage under a cover was Helens car she was too old to drive it anymore and it sat under cover for years .One day I showed up all proud of my new drivers license look Helen I got my license now I can drive you to the doctor or to the market .She laughed and said she wasnt leaving the house but there was a present for me in the garage .What is it? Helen said go look under the cover in the garage as she tossed me a set of keys.
I couldn't believe it she gave me that car in the garage as a  present for battling those bees.I went out to the garage and took off the cover of my first car a 1955 Chevrolet station wagon. I was in a daze of disbelief.Now I had to get groceries and run errands but that car will always be in my memories of Helen.

[BobM]

I remember Helen had 3 Labrador retrievers .Inky Ebby and Sootie .Inky and Ebby were sisters and Sootie was Inkies daughter.The 3 labs were the friendliest most loving labs I ever saw .Inky loved to roll in dead fish she would stink on most days .When I would come to visit or do chores the 3 dogs would mob you with love they were always glad to see me and they would clobber me with their tails ouch.Sootie was a fisherman of the 3 she learned from ebby how to catch suckers in the spring when they come up the creek to spawn .She would bring you a fish if you didn't take it she would have her feelings hurt.One day I had to bury inky behind the decoy shack Helen was crushed but recouped by showering the 2 other girls with more affection.She had a shrine to Inky ,her collar ,and her picture  in the sitting room and I always say a prayer for inky when I think of her . Next to pass away was Ebby she had heart issues and she lived a good long life and was a good companion to Helen.Sootie was lost when Ebby passed away and she wouldn't fish anymore but she still was a good companion and Helen was getting tired now she talked to those dogs like they were human and they knew what she was saying to .About 5 years later Sootie died like her aunt Ebby she passed peaceful in her sleep when I arrived with the mail Helen was a basket case of tears and asked me to bury Sootie along side her mother inky and her aunt Ebby .I did I cried the entire time I dug the grave  and covered my dear friend Sootie.Helen could not bring herself to be there but she was in a different way.
Helen was dispondent she lost what was to her her family I stopped by more often to keep an eye on her as she was in failing health and the grief was tearing her up.A month passed and Helen was still sad and slipping away from wanting  to live.My dog Dutchess was a mut half shepherd half something else I don't know what but she was a good watch  dog.Well Dutchess had a litter of 8 puppys their daddy was a  beagle ,Snoopy from next door and his pups all looked like him beagles .I brought Helen a little gal pup which she immediately adopted and showered love on and from that day till her last Tippy was by her side  and she could fish for suckers just like sootie roll in fish like inky and mob me when I come to visit but the best of all was she gave Helen another reason to smile again.

[BryanD]

I never cease to be amazed at how much meaning our canine companions can bring to one's life, especially for those who have challenges with their mobility and endure long and long days.....I am haunted in a good way by the memory of some of those old southen gentelemen I grew up with and their "last companions". 

Thanks for taking my back to those places of my youth,  now lost to a change of culture, values and complexity...

[jdhuller]

great stories bob. i just kinda got into carving on my own this year, no cool story like yours. Thanks for sharing!

[Rodfather]

Bob, I think I have something in my eye. Thanx for sharing