The Last Cask - Wind in the Willows
Toad, Rat, Mole, Badger, Otter...
Our neighbor, Larry Brown, visited us often while we worked in our garage creating The Great Sea Monster Cask; he liked popping in to see the progress and cheer us onward. We liked his visits. One day he saw me looking at the next blank cask end and asked, why not Wind in the Willows? I call myself Toad. We call our home Toad Hall. There are cartoons of my life as Toad; it was a natural.
A New Method
With the large hole at the bottom, this cask end needs a different approach. The characters from Wind in the Willows will each be carved in three-quarter inch thick Linden and painted. Once they are ready, I will carve and exact spot for each and "sink" it directly into the cask end to a depth of about half an inch. Suitable scenery from the wild wood will be carved around them to glue the entire face of the cask together into a colorful singular homage.
Wind in the Willows is nearly finished!
It is May 2025, and the last cask is nearly finished. Painting is drawing to an end and only the protective coat application is still waiting.