Some carving time was put on hold as I drove Mom and Dad up to Chicago for Aunt Charlotte's 90th birthday party. We drove 24 hours in three days, some of it bad snowing conditions. We were all glad that we made the trip. 
My "Futterer" first cousins; Diane, Me, Judy, Roseanne, Phillip, Stephanie, Jim and his wife Sam
This carving is up for auction as a fundraiser for the
The first word I heard him say for
3rd Best of Show - Wolf Kiesling
2nd Best of Show - Neil Nulton
Best of Show - Bruce Futterer
Table set up at the show
Newly completed Santa carving - 10/08
My daughter and grandson came to Minnesota which was a super treat for grandpa. Owen is 9 months old and already has a special personality.
While in Minnesota I found some time to golf with my Dad at Gunflint Hills Golf Course. He beat me the first time out even though he is 86 years old and had open heart-valve replacement surgery with a pacemaker this past March.
On the way to Grand Marais, my son Joe and I stopped in Faribault and had breakfast with Marv Kaisersatt. After breakfast we visited probably the best apartment I have ever seen, the woodcarvers dream.
The apartment is really an outstanding carving museum.
Joe could not take it all in during the short visit but he made a good attempt.
I taught a couple of carving classes at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. L-R Wayne Hensche, Tim Nyberg, Eric Herfendal, Roger Mitchell and John McCormick.
The North House is a great place to take classes as it is located on Lake Superior right next to camp ground and within walking distance to town. L-R David Brensiger, Larry Piety, Leonard Forss, Mark Eyler, and Tim Nyberg. Students were from Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Hawaii. (yes the fellow from Hawaii is a surfer)
David Brensiger (Georgia) carves a Scandinavian woman in one day.
David Bressiger and Larry Piety carve a Scandinavian man (Ole)on the second day after carving the woman (Lena) the first day.
Above are pictured the finished products after day one. Aren't these some good looking old Scandinavian women?
Over the two plus days Joe caught over fifteen fish (mostly smallmouth bass) This was on Seagull Lake.
This was the biggest smallmouth bass that I had ever caught (about 2 lbs)
We camped for two nights on Alpine Lake. It was a great site, with a breeze and we caught fish here also.
We ate these three bass on the second night after feasting on nice walleye the first night.
This picture was taken on day one of a three day canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota. July 22, 2008
My son Joseph and I will go on a college graduation celebration trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We will enter on the Gunflint Trail at Seagull Lake and spend three days fishing and paddling. 
This is the kind of weather and scenery that awaits us in northeastern Minnesota.
This is the size fish I am sure we will catch.
Total wilderness! No phones, cars, motors, and very few people. Just relax.
I will teach two carving classes at the North House Folk School while I am in Minnesota. Carving the fisherman's face will be offered on July18, and then two days of Scandinavian figures on July 19 & 20. Check out all the course offerings at (www.northhouse.org)
This is a picture of a boat building class in one of the North House classroom buildings.
The North House offers rides and overnight trips on the 50' gaff-rigged schooner 'Hjordis'.
This is a seagull eye view of harbor in Grand Marais, Minnesota. It is my home town where I lived from 2 years old until about 1976. I get back and spend some time every summer. My folks live here during the summer and I also have a brother and sister (and families) that still live here. It is a beautiful town located in northeastern Minnesota on Lake Superior. 
This is a view of the marina and the North House Folk School where I teach carving classes.
Grand Marais is recognized as one of the great "artist towns" in the USA. It has an active Art Colony, the folk school and many art galleries. Several professional artists make Grand Marais their home.
This is a view of GM during the winter (maybe October) and it is the reason that I moved to Arkansas about 21 years ago.
About 1/2 hour before the show closed they announced the winner of the "door prize", which was this gas stove/fireplace. They said it was valued at over $800. I bought two tickets at $1 each at about 3:30pm on the last day and at 4:30pm they read the winner "Bruce Futterer"! It was a nice way to end a very nice show. The people in Tulsa are very nice and friendly and they run a top notch show.
We received good news very early on in the show by winning the "Best Table" award. That is the trophy sitting in front of the plates. Sherrye ironed all the table coverings and carefully transported them to Tulsa so I was glad to share the prize money with her
This stylized "bucking bronco" won a blue ribbon. I carved this while sitting on the beach in Florida a couple of weeks earlier. It is carved from butternut wood
This is a lineup of the carving contest winners. L-R Rusty Johnson (1st), Me (2nd), Lynn Doughty (3rd), and Ray North (HM). We had an hour and 15 minutes to carve a cocker spaniel from a cutout blank. There were about 14 carvers that participated.
This is my second place cocker spaniel. We could only use one tool for the entire time. I am pretty sure it was my first dog carving ever.
These are the first three chip-carved plates that I have ever done. I took a class from Wayne Barton in June.
Owen's first carving knife. (butter knife)
Owen plans his first carving project
Owen makes his first cut.
Owen loves to carve!
