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| The original of Haus and Home, a 12x20" oil on canvas, is one of my favorite paintings by Jim Rataczak; appropriately, it resides on my parents' fireplace mantle (in the "Kraus Haus" where I was raised) |
Tomorrow marks the opening of the main duck season on Lake Erie. While weather was unseasonably cool for the first "half" of this season (which closed on October 28th) -- a good thing for waterfowlers -- this is the stretch that all camo-laden comrades of the duck blind eagerly await.
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| Wood duck still life; 8x14" oil on canvas by Jim Rataczak |
Once again, life will keep me out of the marsh for opening day -- and more likely for all of opening weekend. I've yet to sit in a deer stand. I'm just at a very busy point in life right now.
But I do have the vision of a solitary pair of wood ducks, much like those pictured above, swooping in front of our "#15 blind," just as my brother and I were loading our guns to start a morning hunt. It was a full two weeks ago now already, and it was one of only two chances I've had thus far to get in a blind this season. But my first shot connected with the lead duck (not a bad way to start a season). Duck activity the rest of that morning was pretty quiet (I only took one more shot, and Phil never connected with a bird). But we had a great time sitting back and catching up. After all, that's really what all of this camouflage is about.
ASIDE: The artist featured here is a dear friend. Jim Rataczak (www.jimrataczak.com) is married to my first cousin, Joan, and they served as an integral part of my "Minnesota family" while I attended college -- all the sudden lots of years ago now. I will forever cherish our shared time around their table and in the field. Whether it was chasing grouse, sneaking after northern pike by canoe, or just exploring recent and in-process projects in Jim's home studio, I always felt -- and feel -- welcome.
Jim is a purist who paints with the utmost integrity. His subjects -- almost exclusively birds -- are true because he witnesses and sketches all of them in the field, only to be fully captured in the studio. He is a keen observer. He is biologically trained, formally with a Masters in ornithology, and his God-given talents are meticulously communicated to anyone lucky enough to see his award-winning work. His land ethic and understanding of natural processes is only matched by his deep appreciation for the natural world. While he resides more than 600 miles away, I'm trying to twist his arm (not too much twisting required) to get him to Standing Rush. I'm keenly interested in making prints of a commissioned piece -- WHICH HE HAS AGREED TO! -- and perhaps one or two of his incredible field watercolors, available as prints. (Check out his website for examples.) They will help us carry out our mission, and help put me back in the blind . . . even when I can't be there in person.
PROJECT UPDATE:
Here are several project photos since my Halloween update. As anticipated, we lost a handful of days due to weather. Reports from as little as a mile away suggested up to 5" of rain in 24 hours late last week. We might of gotten more like 2" in the marsh, but it was plenty enough to cause delays and make for a muddy mess.
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| The structure from the marsh side after nearly a week of drying time after last week's rain (Mike welding away in the background, middle) |
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| This photo depicts both the sheet pile cap installation (foreground) and the preparation for the dike crossing bridge pour (step-down in the steel in the background) |
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| Another perspective of what will soon be a poured concrete deck across the newly installed steel sheet pile channel |
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| The structure from the bay side -- no photo can capture the amount of work it has taken to trudge through all this mud to get ready for what we hope will be next week's concrete pour |