Reindeer ornament

This past week I went out to look for some cottonwood bark along a creek where there is a lot of cottonwood. It is a narrow road with step banks at times to get there. At the creek where it crosses the road was a dead tree with bark on it. I was able to harvest some bark from it. Then I crossed the creek and drove on a grass covered road that ended at the railroad tracks. The tracks follow along the creek, so I walked along the tracks where I saw a cottonwood that had no bark except at the top there was some bark. I had to go though some brush and then some high grass to reach the tree. The bark had come off the tree and was on top of the grass, so I was able to get some very good bark to carve. At home I had to see how good the bark was so I carved a folk-art reindeer and a small house. This is one of the cases that something dead comes to life. The bark is gray and hard on the outside layer, once carved through that layer it is easier to carve and it has the beautiful shades of brown. On the reindeer you can see the layers of the bark. It is 5 inches tall and 1 inch thick with a red stick pin for a nose. The house is 5 1/2 inches tall by 4 inches wide and 2 3/4 inches thick. I like the way the tree came out in this carving.