Aquarium Old West Town

More fish tank art. The jail has a big hole blasted out of the cell wall so the little fishies can swim in to hide from the bigger fish, the bars are cut open so they can be seen behind bars. Speaking of bars there's one right across the road the smaller fish can go in through the swinging doors, and the windows are also cut out. There are peek holes cut in the back walls so you can see inside.

Aquarium Politician

Everyone has a favorite Politician they would like to see in their fish tank wearing cement shoes. Maybe it's a lobbyist, or a lawyer, or an insurance exec... there's so much corruption these days you might need 3 or 4 swimming with your fishies.

Beaver has a seperate tail that can adjust to uneven ground. There is a sort of trailer hitch on beaver and an opposing slot in the tail. Beaver is 21" long.

Fire day

Many new Items are being fired today, there will be pictures tomorrow. Until then here's Waggy, the Top Cat on the mountain.

Wildflowers

The wildflowers are just starting to emerge this spring. Here are some examples, The rare Calypso Orchid, is common here on the mountain. Coral Bells are in the grove near the stream under a canopy of Maple, Alder, and Ash. Fairy Bells are a bit upstream by a natural spring, with a few Fir trees mixed in the canopy. The season has just begun, there are lots of varieties that are still to show.

Sheeple

Sheeple seem normal enough, but upon closer inspection you might notice there are some telltale signs of...well they're not too bright. Sheeple have eyes that are so close together that after a few more generations they will completely pass each other (evolution), they have sheepy ears, and hideously huge front hooves, no I mean hands, they are so big because they can clap louder. As a matter of fact that's what Sheeple do best, clap louder. Sheeple really can't talk, they naturally make a very affirming "Yep,Yep" sound, but they can be taught, like a parrot, to repeat short 3 or 4 word phrases, you know like "four more years" which they chant with glee. Sheeple will always agree, very loudly cheering to anything at all, that has been amplified. A small group of Sheeple is called a rally, and a very large group is called a convention. A convention of sheeple can be photographed at a certain angle, to make it appear to the TV camera, to be a vast cheering crowd, but when the show is over and all the people leave the hall, handlers send in dogs to herd the Sheeple into sort of corral in the basement. Sometimes the handlers like to have a little fun with the Sheeple, when they are in their corral a handler will open the door just a crack, and whisper "flip flop" inside. The Sheeple start saying.. Flip Flop, Flip flop, Flip flop...and it just moves across the room, pretty soon the whole corral is jumping up and down excitedly chanting Flip Flop, Flip Flop, as they bounce into each other, and they run into the walls, until half the Sheeple fall down, still chanting until they are totally exhausted. Sheeple are 9" tall, 4" wide, and 6" deep. This limited edition glazed stoneware piece is by JEFF FORBES. it is signed, numbered, and dated. For more information about the artist or this piece contact toth621@netzero.com. Also check the ebay store Cat Mountain Arts for more art by me, Jeff and my sister Kari. Search 12ART for the best art on eBay!

Beaver

While I wait for the tapir mold to dry, I'll move on to Beaver. I live close to the Oregon State University where the mascot is the Beaver, and I have always wanted to do one. I went to a Football game at what was at the time Parker Stadium in the early eighties, and in the courtyard outside the stadium was a sculpture of a Beaver, that was the only time I saw it but I remember being impressed by it. There are a couple of beaver ponds along the way on my mountain bike rides, and on the rare occasions I have seen the Beaver on land, they always seem to be striking this pose, holding their hands together while bobbing their head up and down, and kind of beavering their yellow teeth. I think they really couldn't see me very well. I put sort of a trailer hitch on beaver so I can notch the tail, so it can lay in multiple positions, rather than just sticking straight out.

Golden Poison Dart frog

The Golden Poison Dart Frog. This little fella next to a water feature or on a mantle or shelf may seem gentle and kind but, to an ant it is a monster. After devouring poor helpless ants, somehow froggy boy consentrates the poison from the ants tiny little stingers, making his skin so poisonous that the natives of Central America would rub the tip of their blowdarts for hunting, and such.

Beer

Here on the mountain there is a small brewery that I make the best beer in the world. It is small by brewery standards but for a homebrewer it is huge. I brew 6 kegs at a time, it takes about a week to complete the ferment. It was brewed on the same day the swallows returned, so it is called Swallow. it is a nice bitter red ale about 6.2% .

150 lbs 2-row
20 lbs munich
20 lbs vienna O.G. 1.054
12 lbs 80L E.G. 1.005

Mash temp 152 90 min

1.5 lbs nugget hops
1.5 lbs cascade hops

White Labs - California ale yeast started in a 1.030 wort