Another day, another journal note, another perspective.
This paddle has been carved from an old willow tree that had been growing on the edge of the beach at Whalebone Cove. Civilization in the form of an excavator has encroached on the cove. For at the least one hundred years the willow tree roots had been relating to those whale bones. I could no longer locate the whale bones that I had seen entwined in the roots of the willow tree. The tree with its roots had been removed to a burn pile. From high on the burn pile I pulled out a large piece of that willow tree. This wood piece probably weighed forty kilograms and from this piece I was going to carve a lightweight paddle. I found this concept to be rather humorous. The burn pile has since become flame, smoke then ash. The bay now has a road to its shore. The whale bones that remained have been buried. A special paddle has evolved. This is no ordinary paddle.
Months after the carving of First Paddle someone mentioned that the blade of the paddle had a resemblance to the fin of a humpback whale and I agreed that it did. There were noticeable indications of the essence of whale in both paddles, including Double Paddle.
