Nailed It Squarely

Day 111: I think almost all photographers are intrigued by rusty bits. I certainly am, and I can't count the number of times I've photographed the square nails and spikes which adorn a couple of logs alongside the Bud Blancher Trail near the crossing of the Little Mashel. The shanks of the spikes are as big around as my thumb, and the bent nails are roughly six inches long. Why there are three of them so close together is anyone's guess. Maybe there was a heck of a hard knot in that pole and somebody was really determined, although I can't imagine anyone but Paul Bunyan having the strength to bend them like that. Who knows? Maybe they're left over from Paul's loggin' days. After all, he's a bit of Pacific Northwest history, no matter what Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin claim.

Proverbial Square Pegs

Day 95: You shouldn't try to fit a square peg into a round hole, and apparently it's no easier to drive a square nail into a log. These relics of a bygone era were my big find today while walking the Bud Blancher Trail. The log had been rolled into place to distinguish a private road from the trail where otherwise the two would have appeared to be one and the same. Several other logs were also used in creating the border, but this was the only one adorned by metalwork. I love finding old bits like this! Unfortunately, these will undoubtedly be prised out by antique hunters as soon as they're spotted. I prefer to do my "collecting" with the camera.