Have a Gnarly Halloween

Some folks I was staying with on my wagon voyage across America pulled down an old shed. This tumbled out of the wall. So THAT’S where the cat ended up…. Happy Halloween! (and if you dig mummified critter pics, have you seen this jerkyfied coyote?)

Critter mummy: this one tumbled out of a North Dakota shed wall.
Critter mummy: this one tumbled out of a North Dakota shed wall.

 

More Creatures of the Lost Sea Expedition

So I’m traveling along this ancient sea bed with my mule Polly. And I’m gathering up all these amazing interviews – folks telling me what they know about this vanished sea. Only one thing was missing.

The Prairie-eye-view of Polly taking a snack break on her voyage across America.
The Prairie-eye-view of Polly taking a snack break on her voyage across America.

What did these critters look like?  Sure, I heard that a plesiosaur looked, “like a snake drawn through the shell of a turtle.” But what the hell does that look like? Continue reading “More Creatures of the Lost Sea Expedition”

Meet Polly the Mule

Polly the mule eats a piece of melon
Polly the melon loving mule. She was my traveling companion on my 14 month wagon journey across America. (Black Hills, SD)

She loves melons and cheat grass but turns her muzzle up at plums. She pulled a 2000 pound wagon 2,500 miles across America. She’s the star and equine power (she considers the term “horse” power degrading) behind the Lost Sea Expedition TV series.

Meet mule Polly. Continue reading “Meet Polly the Mule”

Tiny Wagon Door

“Can you imagine traveling in this thing?” It’s the question parents most often ask their kids when they’re touring the Lost Sea Expedition wagon, the wagon I crossed America with.

THe Lost Sea Expedition in our desert camp. Hudspeth Flats, Texas.
The Lost Sea Expedition taking a desert break in Hudspeth Flats, Texas. In the background, an almost hundred-year old stone dugout. The image is a frame grab from the Lost Sea Expedition TV Series. Look closely, and you’ll see recording equipment on a tripod. This was just coming in to summer. That’s why Polly is hanging out under the awning. One of my favorite scenes.

The answer to my question fell along generational lines. Or was it size….? Continue reading “Tiny Wagon Door”

A Graphic Impact

Call it a case of a few contributed dollars making a big impact.

Main Map of the USA from the Lost Sea Expedition.
Main map of the USA from the Lost Sea Expedition series. I built it out of 3 pine boards and painted the map myself. It’s big – 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall.  But it would look better, though, if it showed the route across America. Oh, and maybe some state names…

Thanks to two $25 donations (thanks Scott and Wendy), the layout software Graphic was added to the tools used in the production of the Lost Sea Expedition series.  That’s been a huge help. I wanted to show you how. Continue reading “A Graphic Impact”

Grace and Newfoundland Donation

Amazing how folks from all over are stepping up to see the Lost Sea Expedition series make its way to public television. Recently, we received a donation from someone in a remote Newfoundland community.

Day 1: Polly gets the grand send off from the folks at the heritage site outside St Anthony. It would take Polly and I half a year to make our way to St John's, the capital
Day 1: Polly gets the grand send off from the folks at the heritage site outside St Anthony. It would take Polly and I half a year to make our way to St John’s, the capital

I’m honored Newfoundlanders remembered the half year Polly and I spent rambling their rocky island. Continue reading “Grace and Newfoundland Donation”

Tour the Lost Sea Expedition Saturday, October 15, 2016

Your wagon tour begins here.....and goes about 10 feet. Welcome!
Your wagon tour begins here…..and goes about 10 feet. Welcome!
 Hey, let’s catch up this Saturday morning at the Lost Sea Wagon.

Yep, the wagon will be on display at Saunders Family Farms and general store outside Hickory, NC. You can squeeze inside.  Take your hand at writing at the insanely small writing desk. Say, “damn this thing is tight!!” Continue reading “Tour the Lost Sea Expedition Saturday, October 15, 2016”

Filming With a Hankie in the Snow

Mule Polly waits to be photographed in the snow.
Even mule Polly will tell you there’s a LOT of standing around during movie making. Here, she hunkers down in a South Dakota snow while I fiddle with the camera. It sure was worth it go get the footage (though arguably, Polly would have preferred a flake of hay and a stall…)

While I’m snug inside my studio tweaking on the “Lost Sea Expedition” footage, I think back on what it took to get some of that amazing footage. Especially those outdoor scenes in the rain and snow.

Okay, mostly it took a really patient mule! But somebody had to get out there and capture the footage of her marching through the hard times. Continue reading “Filming With a Hankie in the Snow”

Painted Polly and the Prairie Cathedral

Polly gets her portrait. By the Bestiaryist (Julia Carpenter). Acrylic on board.
Polly gets her portrait. By the Bestiaryist (Julia Carpenter). Acrylic on board. More of her work is at consideranimals.com

Walking across the prairie plains with mule Polly, I never imagined the Bestiaryist (aka Julia Carpenter over at consideranimals.com) would paint my trusty voyaging companion. That’s the beautiful thing of long trips. How they take on a life of their own years after you thought they were done. And then I saw it on. An amazing, colorful painting of Polly the day I sold the food from her mouth. Continue reading “Painted Polly and the Prairie Cathedral”