Totem Pole Carving in Ketchikan, Alaska

After our delicious crab early lunch, we headed over to check out some totem pole carving at the Alaskan Rainforest Sanctuary.

https://www.alaska.org/detail/rainforest-sanctuary-totem-park-eagles

We walk over to the totem carving shed to see this beauty in progress.

The Totem artist explaining what step he is on now.

He says the whole process will take him about 4 months and he is 3 months into it right now, and this is his first independent project, but has been an apprentice for many years now.

What his final project will be. Notice the hidden Mickey in the corner of this picture!

David and I are both amazed and while we have no real artistic capabilities, we feel inspired. This totem is planned for the raptor center, which is next door and where we are headed next, the bird sanctuary.

29 responses to “Totem Pole Carving in Ketchikan, Alaska”

Pete

September 22, 2019 at 10:19 am

Such amazing things to experience. Before I was six years old, I wished to see narrow gorges flanked by high, snow-capped mountains and filled with the deepest, bluest water. With steep green trees. In later years, I recognised this in pictures and even more later wondered if I reincarnated. Where did this fixation come from? We had no similar pictures or even television.

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 22, 2019 at 10:26 am
  
  Maybe? Alaska is these things for sure. It is a frontier like no other. I grew up on a working farm with plenty of forest and wildlife, spent many hours just hanging out in the wild, but I never felt this peace like there is in this untouched feeling location. Once your healed up, maybe see if you can get a Virtual reality glasses and check out some videos of the Alaskan rainforests and Glacier Bay. We think that would be the closest you could go instead of being there.
  
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  1. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 12:07 pm
    
    Great idea. Heal, dig up a few dollars and fly. Or wade the pond.
    
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  2. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 12:35 pm
    
    That would be wonderful. We really want you to go!
    
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  3. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 1:18 pm
    
    I so wish……but it will need a real miracle.
    
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  4. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 1:27 pm
    
    We believe in miracles!
    
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  5. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 1:30 pm
    
    Yep. Where I am, several miracles each day brings mere survival, let alone travel. Life happens in different ways to some.
    
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  6. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 1:33 pm
    
    Pete, your right. After what health scares you have had, you have seen miracles for sure. So dream big. David and I do all the time.
    
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  7. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 1:44 pm
    
    Yes, but you live where opportunities are. I am where men of my race have been excluded from careers since 1994, disability claimed what wealth was accumulated and hospital seemingly tries to kill. It is a miracle that I’m still around. Few will be able to comprehend.
    
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  8. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 2:17 pm
    
    I wish I could say come to America, but as I’m sure that would be a huge trek for you. There is for sure opportunities here, and I’m ext6grateful for that. But I have also made my own way fighting all the time in the earlier days of my career. Women were not welcome in physics when I started and I was and still am sometimes berated. Now Dave, he says to tell you, hang in there, we might not understand, but we have hope and that’s valuable and you should too
    
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  9. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 2:20 pm
    
    Hope is what really matters in life. I rather share with others, the beauty on my doorstep. Drooling is luxury.
    
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  10. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 3:55 pm
    
    Yes, agreed. I lost your ebay questions, so answering it here…. check out what others are selling, look around the house. There are a ton of videos on how to sell on ebay, when I was divorced I sold all kinds of things on ebay to make ends meet – some people sell full time, buying stuff at garage sales or thrift stores and reselling.
    
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  11. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 4:01 pm
    
    Sure, yet one needs to first have something that can be sold……
    
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  12. David & Laura Speer
    
    September 22, 2019 at 2:18 pm
    
    Also we both said, have you tried selling thing on the internet, like ebay???
    
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  13. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 2:21 pm
    
    What should I be selling? Also, after 9/11, it is hard to do banking and even PayPal is a real challenge here.
    
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  14. Pete
    
    September 22, 2019 at 2:22 pm
    
    I had almost no internet access until two or three weeks ago. At least progress is being made, albeit slow.
    
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Outosego

September 22, 2019 at 11:43 am

Liked and shared. Thank you. Wonderful Totem.

Totem Pole Carving in Ketchikan, Alaska
__

click on David and Laura : https://t.co/ybflqayp4t via @wordpressdotcom

|#travel #trip #cruise #visit #Alaska #totem|

— Outosego (@outosego) September 22, 2019

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 22, 2019 at 11:51 am
  
  Thanks Outosego!
  
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heavenstobetty

September 22, 2019 at 12:59 pm

Oh, I really like unique artwork! I like how you see such a nice variety of things on your vacations. Nature, Art, food, etc… Thanks for taking us along with you on your adventures!

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 22, 2019 at 1:23 pm
  
  Well you guys do to – candy, salt lakes, weather stations(lol), just recently even. So were two birds of a feather.
  
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ayesha

September 22, 2019 at 2:47 pm

This looks awesome! 😀

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ourcrossings

September 22, 2019 at 3:08 pm

Wow, this looks absolutely amazing – your trip is just getting better and better! We had a chance to see totem poles for the very first time in Vancouver and while travelling to Calgary and every single one of them were incredibly beautiful!

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 22, 2019 at 3:50 pm
  
  They are beautiful and we are thinking about giving it a try at making one, it wont look like one of those, but figured lets try it and see. Going to work on it until the winter. If it is good, we will post it, if it is not, then —- I will never mention it again, ha!
  
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ourlittleredhouseblog

September 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

This is so cool. I love anything that is made from wood. Wish I could carve but I know I have splinters everywhere.

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 22, 2019 at 3:47 pm
  
  Were thinking of trying one, we have a tree that has to come down and going to give it a try.
  
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Chrisssie Morris Brady

September 24, 2019 at 10:01 am

Fascinating!

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 24, 2019 at 11:24 am
  
  It was really cool Chrisssie!
  
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lovehateexperience

September 27, 2019 at 3:52 pm

Kool! You hardly see totem poles anymore. I thought they were extinct…lmao! It was funny when I looked up totem poles the first ones I see is made in Alaska.😂💯👍

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1. David & Laura Speer
  
  September 27, 2019 at 4:47 pm
  
  David and I are going to try and make a mini one, but on a tree that we have to cut down, if its decent, I’ll post it
  
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