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Show Some Of These Pieces Traveled .1, 000 (Continued from Page 4) UfahT and Wyoming, logs and limbs of cottonwood and pine are carried to the Colorado River where, buffeted, jammed, and tormented through the Grand Canyon, they finally wash onto Lake Mead beaches to bleach in the sun or, trapped in the Lakes watery coves, interweave -- under their own -pressure to form rustic piers as the water level falls, SUCH IS THEIR plight in Driftwood Cove. Here the bay is full of undercurrents. We were warned to keep the motor running to prevent the boat from drifting into masses of wood which Would break a shear pin when we tried to get free. There are no landing beaches in this large cove and the only way to reach shore is to lasso a boulder and draw the boat as closely as possible, then take your chances scaling steep walls on an elusive footing of jumbled sticks. When it gives, so do you. Jack plopped into the water several times. Each piece we set our hearts upon seemed to be in a dangerous or inaccessible position. Nevertheless, we persisted. Lengthening his reach with rake-liklimbs, Jack poked and prodded until his object tumbled into the lake. Then I would hang over the deck of the boat, waiting to haul it from the water as the current carried it my way. We were scratched and sore when we finished, but victorious in that the prey was ours. Thats the challenge in a driftwood hunt. If ever driftwood jammed tightly enough to walk on, that day is past. Actually it wont be many 'years before Lake e , Miles Mead driftwood Is also past; according lo Mrr Richey. Fallen timber which had accumulated for hundreds of years before Hoover Dam has by now been flooded from the forests. Some of it detoured in areas en route until more floods or other forces freed it to follow the fluent trail to Lake Mead. Those are the ashore topieces which-waday. As lighter northern winters cause less flooding of Colorado tributaries, newly fallen wood fails to replace in quantity the old. Less and less washes down each year. DRIFTWOOD experts adhere to a theory that the shape of a specimen suggests its own use as structure or design. The essence of its beauty is fluid motion in static form. However, pieces chosen for a lamp base, for instance, must practicably be able to stand upright or attach to a block and afford a way to conceal wiring. Wall sconces must provide at least one flat - side. Candelabrum should contain delicacy of design and interesting contures on which to place candle cups. Table bases may be constructed by bolting several pieces together. Centerpieces and planter arrangements give free play, but its smart to remember that a combination of antithetical material is often the element of style . . . i.e. combining driftwood with marble, gilting or silvering it, stabbing it with orchids or hanging it with fruit. sh ' SOME SPECIMENS are found with sections of pulpy exterior. This texture may be left as is or, to reveal the rtrpe shape and rich colors of the -- Thick-lippe- d, humped-bac- k monolith the Peppers think should be called The Camel. grain, It may be sandblasted. Driftwood is much tougher than desert or mountain seasoned by the sun. Prolonged exposure in the water extracts the pitch and sap, thus solidifying the grain. It is also beautiful in that a patina is acquired from movements over rock and sand. .But best of all is the element of sport in driftwooding, which on Lake Mead can be indulged any month of the year. Trophies brought back on the prow of your boat represent objective achieved, but later as a creative expression in your home, Commmorate an existing adventure.' Corke Pepper and Pogo, the dog, do their driftwood hunting on sloping sands. Salt Lake, City, July, b 1962 , dead-woo- d Jack Pepper hanging on rope, selects driftwood. |