How to Chainsaw carve a bear ~Part I~

Ok, ok, so this has to be the worst/longest sabatical I have ever taken from blogging, and the worst part of it is ~ I have had material all along, I simply have not had the time ~
Ok, woe is me :-P
Now, on to the better, more interesting stuff. Today you all get a look into the new and thrilling job of my husband, ~ that of chainsaw carving bears (among other things, he carves all sorts of stuff, both relief, in the round, chainsaw, etc). Remember when I said he had gotten sick to the gills of HR, and decided the income simply wasn't worth the anguish, and therefore switched over to bear carving?
Well, if you ever wondered how they do it, now yah get to see ~
Chainsaw maintainance is key to good carvings ~ if the blades are dull, they cut hot, and therefore slow down the carving, as well as cut ragged, and that heats up the engine, all bad joojoo, best to keep the saws in good working order.

Measuring the log, ( this bear is gonna be a biggy, it will stand taller than me, that's over 5 ft tall!)
Checking the log for cracks, positioning, and viability.
VROOM ~ hehehe, always wanted to make that noise!
This part would suck for me, but he likes it, cuz it's like lifting weights with a purpose, keeps him in shape for hockey season, he says. :-D
Checking out the best placement for the face, as cracks, boles, and knots make it more difficult, and can ruin the face.
Notice that he has to stand up on other logs to reach the top. That looks insane to me, but he insisted it was safe. Like OSHA knows ~ :-P
Some of the cuts are just plain physically demanding, let alone lifting the saw all day long.

You can start to see the face taking shape.
All right, blogger isn't letting me upload any more pics to this entry, so I am going to do a part II.