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Archives - Monthly Digest 2019 - Nov 2016 - Sep 2015 - Feb 2012 - Nov 2010 - Jun 2008 - Feb 2007 - Jan 2006 - Nov 2005 - Nov 2004 - Dec |
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Dear Friends, I am sorry I got behind on my webpage, but it was no fault of ours. The system had a problem. We will do our best to keep you better informed via the webpage. Looking back on 2019 it was not a bad year. I did well. Father Time is slowly slipping into my life. I will be 93 years young on my next birthday. My Lord has given me a wonderful gift - to create beauty in the wood carving world. I still work 5-1/2 days a week doing what I love best. I could not do this without Him. My Lord's help is an inspiration and I thank him daily. I have added new creations on the webpage. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any questions just give me a call. May God continue to bless and keep you in His loving care. Dear Friends, Well another year has passed and we will be together again soon. I always look forward to this happy event (Waterfowl Festival in Easton-MD) seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I will be 90 years old my next birthday. My Lord has Blessed me in so many ways. You will find me in my shop doing what I love to do five and a half days a week creating works of art. I think Pop Pop (Ira Hudson) would be proud that I followed in his footsteps. I could never fill his shoes. He was the master duck carver. Stop by my stand and chat for awhile. I would love to see you. May God continue to bless you and yours until we meet again. God be with you my friend. Dear Friends, At times old cars need new parts to make them run better. And so it is with our own bodies. You noticed I did not say old bodies...ha ha ha. In my 88th year, this applies to me also. I thank my Lord for caring for me all these years, through three years of war and many surgeries. He has healed me according to His holy will. I am happy to say I will see you again this coming year in Easton. I do miss good friends that I have met there over the years. When and if you come to the wildfowl show in Easton-MD drop by to say hello and chat awhile. God be with you my friends. Dear Friends, sorry I have not made contact with you for awhile. I have been busy carving. I will try to do better on my webpage. You know I do the same things but it takes longer now to do it....oh well, I am in my eighties and my Lord has blessed me and continues to be with me daily. I will be in Easton-MD on November 9, 10 and 11th at the Easton High School. Drop by and say hello. The Easton Waterfowl Festival is a great show. I will have a stand of my carvings and I will demonstrate my carvings and waterfowl painting. All of you have been so kind with lovely comments. Thanks again. Check out the webpage for some new additions. Take care my friends. Drop by to see me at the show. God be with you always. Dear Friends,At 83 years young, I am fortunate to stay busy doing what I love most: carving ducks, geese, and swans to name but a few. My Lord continues to bless me with this wonderful gift. Thanks be to God! These days people are more interested in smaller ducks, such as Teals, Buffleheads, Wood Ducks, and Blue Bills. However, there is still a demand for slick decoys as well as my antique decoys, which are carved in the style of the Old Masters. It is pure joy to carve these antique decoys and remember hunting over them as a young man in the 30s. Competitions this year include the World Championships in Ocean City MD, the Easton Waterfowl Festival, as well as other invitationals. Drop me an email sometime or, better yet, visit my shop. If you are interested in my carvings, I would welcome the opportunity to accommodate you. Take care my friends. May God grant you and yours a blessed and prosperous New Year. Dear Friends, I have been reminded that I am behind on my web page updates. I really want to thank all of you that are concerned. As a young man I planted roses in the 1950's and 60's. Now I look at them today at over 80 years of age. I stop to smell them. By now you understand where I am coming from. I am a carver, artist and I love my work. When my Savoir calls me, I will probably have a knife in my hand making another creation from wood. 2008 is around the corner as I write this. My Lord Jesus continues to give me strength and encouragement to pursue the gift He has given me. I still compete in competitive Shows - I took 2nd place in the World's Competition, a 1st Place at the Chesapeake Bay Challenge, several Blue Ribbons, a 2nd "Best of Show", and People's Choice Awards at other Shows. Forgive me if time slows me down but I will always be there for you. Drop me a line sometime, I would love to hear from you. You and yours have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year. DEAR FRIENDS, 2007 IS HERE AND I HOPE YOU AND YOURS HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR. I CLOSE MY SHOP BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS TO REMINISCE AND GIVE THANKS FOR ALL THE BLESSING I HAVE RECEIVED IN THE PAST YEAR. WELL JANUARY IS HERE, SO I AM BACK IN THE SHOP CREATING NEW CARVINGS THAT SPAN 3 GENERATIONS, SO LOOK FOR SOME NEW CREATIONS. AND YES I WILL BE GETTING READY FOR FOR THE WORLD'S COMPETITION AT OCEAN CITY (MD) AND THE COMPETITION AT THE WARD MUSEUM IN SALISBURY (MD). I HAVE SOME NEW PICTURES TO SHARE WITH YOU. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING YOU LIKE, JUST LET ME KNOW. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT '' BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER," THEREFORE, NO ONE CAN SEE WHAT I SEE IN MY CREATIONS. I HOPE YOU LIKE THEM , IF NOT WE KNOW WHY. TAKE CARE MY FRIENDS. DROP ME AN EMAIL NOW AND THEN. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. MAY YOU ENJOY THE PEACE THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS IN THE COMING YEAR. Dear Friends - As most of you know I am the grandson of Ira Desanko Hudson, world renowned pioneer of the decoy carving world. Born and raised on my beloved island of Chincoteague-Virginia, the "Ira Hudson Family Carvers" started in the late 1800's. I have been following in the Hudson family footprints for the last 45 years. To make a long story short, I can carve the Hudson family style ducks from any era, dating back to Pop Pop and age them accordingly. I suppose you call them antiques, but I prefer Hudson family carvings. If you are interested, you can pick a generation (Ira, Norman or Bob) and any era from the 1880's to today. Well enough of this. I hope to talk to you sometime. And now I would like to share a poem with you "I Will Hear Them Sing". Dear friends - I have been absent for awhile, so I thought you needed an update. I want to thank you so much for dropping by to see me. I was a sun lover in my younger years, and now I am paying the price. I had a serious operation, and as you would guess, it was on my face. Thank the Lord I am getting better. Because of the problem, the doctors would not let me carve. But I painted some flat art and a couple of ducks. By the way, most of the ducks you see on the web page are looking for a nice home. Just give me a call or drop me a line and I will try to satisfy you. I competed in the Worlds Decoy Competition in Ocean City (MD) and took a second place with a Common Merganser drake. In the Chesapeake Bay Challenge Competition, Salisbury (MD), I took a first place with a Bufflehead drake. Last month about 1500 of you came by to see the webpage. I do love visitors. You are welcome to drop me an email and chat with me. Here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving together as a family...God be with you. Dear Friends - Well another year has gone by, and it was a busy year. Ducks, ducks, moose rack carving, . . . you name it. Oh well, enough of that. It is what I like to do. Usually 6 days a week and then I think about it after Church on Sunday too. I had fun at the World's Competition. I would have been very happy just to receive an Honorable mention. Instead I took second place which was an honor. And at the Chesapeake Decoy Competition I took a first place (Ward Museum in Salisbury-MD). I do not try for the ribbons - I just love to compete. I have added some of my latest carvings to the web page including a moose rack, an Ira Hudson Brant, and a mallard family with 3 little ones. I hope you and yours have a Happy New Year. Dear Friends - Sorry I have not been with you the last few months, but I had surgery on both eyes. Now I can see much better. I still kept busy in the duck carving world and managed to attend a few of my regular shows. The last show was a small one in November, and I picked up a few ribbons including 2nd Best and the Presidents Award for Best Table Presentation. Rest assured, ribbons are not my priority...competing is, as it makes me a better carver. Thanks so much for clicking in. I really enjoy reading and responding to your emails. At this Holy time of year I would like to share my feelings with you in a poem (Christmas). MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL Dear Friends - Thanks so much for clicking in this past month. Do drop by to say hello now and then. I am very busy getting ready for the Middlecreek Show on September 21-22. I usually have 30 to 35 decoys to take along to the big shows. If you have time, drop by. I will be there. It seems that each new day that negative problems pop up in our lives in many ways, either personal or wordly. Do not let them get you down (you only make the devil happy), but you need to think positive my friends about the good times in your life. Make new friends, have fun, and live the good life. With that in mind, I would like to share some good memories with you from one of our bus trips (Our Branson Trip on a Motorcoach). Drop me an email sometime. Dear Friends - Thanks again for stopping by my workshop during the past month of June. Oh my, how time flies by - it is July already. I have been down with a cold for a few days, but getting better each day. I did not tell you before, but my workshop is also home to a bluegrass band, the "Lonesome Pine Picker's". Once a week we get together and have a jam session. There are 5 band members who play two fiddles, a banjo, a rhythm guitar and I play the electric guitar, tenor banjo and mandolin. It is the story of the mandolin that I would like to share with you in my poem. Everyday in my shop, I would carve a little and then pick the mandolin a little. Then to break it up, I would pick the mandolin a little and then carve a little. I hope you enjoy An Old Mandolin. It is a true story. Dear Friends - Sorry I am late with this month's report, but the weather and everything else just put me behind. As some would say - I am fast-getting slow. I am not complaining, just commenting, that all the rain has kept me indoors in my shop. So I did get a lot of painting done. I did working decoys, as well as antique replicas of decoys of my grandfather, Ira D. Hudson. All of a sudden, it seems people want the antique replicas. They try to figure out how I age them a hundred years in a short time. The answer is simple. TRIAL AND ERROR, and a whole lot of patience. This month as always, I would like to give Thanks to Him -My Lord- for all the gifts He continues to give me. My hands do the work, and He gives me the talent and the desire to create beauty as only the artist sees it. Next month I will share with you a poem about an OLD MANDOLIN. God be with you and yours. Dear Friends - I wish to thank you for clicking in to visit with me. Some of you dropped me an email - that was nice. I didn't make the Ocean City show this year as time just ran out on me. I will be at the Havre De Grace show on May 3rd for the competition. Maybe I will see you there. It is a good show and there you will see the true hunting decoy that most of us shoot over. I visited my home in Chincoteague-VA in April, took some pictures of the wild ponies, and dug a few clams. This month I would like to recognize all the men and women in uniform, and those that served our country in past wars and conflicts to preserve the freedom that we enjoy today. Rest assured my friend it didn't come easy. A lot gave some, but some gave all. I speak from the heart because I walked in their shoes, I was there in WWII, Korea, and also served six years during the Viet Nam era. Yes, I would do it again for you my friend. As young men back in the 40's, Richard Quillen, Archie Lunn, and myself volunteered to serve in WWII. After the war was over I was sent to Korea to fight again, later returning home in 1952 and then the Viet Nam war came along. With that in mind I would like to share a poem I wrote. My war time buddies and comrades are no longer with us...SOME HAVE CROSSED THE BAR. Dear Friends - Thanks so much for dropping by to see me. I do hope you enjoyed your visit, although I cannot see you I know you are there (modern technology lets me know how many hits I get each month). I wish to thank my grandson, I give him the material and he puts it all together. I am just an old duck carver that belongs to the ages past. I am so glad to have the winter behind us now. It was quite rough these past two months with 31 inches of snow, but the weather did not bother me too much. I just confined myself to my workshop, painting and carving ducks. Every now and then I would pick up the ole' banjo or the mandolin to pick out some old songs. One of the fiddle players in our group said "IF IT AIN'T BLUEGRASS, IT'S JUST NOISE'', so I am a blue grass picker. I suppose I will never be caught up with the times, and that is good, because I love what I do. Now that the snow is gone...AH you guessed it, I am outside doing yard work, cleaning up from past winds and storms, etc. With that in mind I would like to share a poem with you, His Beauty is Everywhere. Please continue to stop by my website, and I would love to get emails, even if you just say hello. Dear Friends. Thanks to all of you that stopped by my electronic workshop the past two months. Almost a thousand of you clicked in. Most of you wanted to know who I am. I thank my Lord and Savior for all the wonderful gifts he continues to give me, I strive to perfect the talents given me, but I know I shall never reach that goal. Nothing could ever compare with the beauty of his Creation. To Him be the Glory I left my beloved island of Chincoteague, Virginia back in the forties to fight in WWII, the Korean War, and served six years of the Vietnam War to defend the freedom that you and I enjoy today. The month of March will be a busy one while I get ready for the Ocean City competition. There will be many hours spent trying to satisfy me, which is a hard job...almost impossible. The competition today seems to demand more than the hunting decoy, somewhere in between is where you will find me. It does not make any difference to me if I do not win, I just love to compete. Yes, even this old duck carver has to change with the times. That is enough about me for now. I would like to share a poem with you that I wrote about my ancestry on my mother's side. The title of the poem is My Pride, The Beautiful Land Across The Waters. Hello Friends. Thanks for stopping by my workshop. Hope you had a nice visit last month, and welcome back. As you know by now I am a Chincoteaguer, born and raised there. If you have time click on the Pearl in the clamshell and you will see where my wife and I spend our time while visiting my homeland "GINKOTIG", the beautiful land across the waters. Meanwhile back at the ranch, our home in Carlisle-PA, I have been busy in my workshop. The weather has not been good this past month, so I devoted most of my time in research with my good friend George Root...a master carver in his own right. We make patterns from pictures of live ducks. What a difference. This past month I worked on golden eyes, black ducks and also chipped away at the moose rack I talked about last month. The moose rack has been quite a project. February will be spent making red heads and shell ducks for orders and competition. Next month in March I will share pictures with you of my latest work. Thanks again to all of the 365 visitors that stopped by to see me in the month of January. The welcome mat is always out, so stop by or email me any time. God Be With You. Greetings, and welcome to my electronic workshop. Please check in every few months as I hope to add new stories and more pictures of duck decoys in 2003. Check out the new book by Henry Stansbury Ira D. Hudson and Family: Chincoteague Carvers. I would recommend this book to anyone because I know that is the way it was and is a product of years of research by the author to get the facts straight. With the holidays behind me and the cold weather settling in, I find that I have more time to spend in the workshop. My latest project is a carving on a moose rack. A friend from Caribou-Maine was walking in the woods behind his home and a moose stepped out in front of him. The moose shook his head and one side of his rack fell off. My friend hopes to get the other rack some day. When the rack arrived in my shop, I pictured a bald eagle, an otter, and a pair of |
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Ira Hudson | Norman Hudson | Bob Hudson Working Decoys | Slick Decoys | Decorative Decoys | Antique Replica Decoys |
