Glen McGuire

Well done, Chris! The color scheme and highlights are perfect.

I like the 2nd option. The knot and rope look like they lay more naturally than the first.

Looks like a Canadian version of the Texas two-step!

Pretty sure I spotted him hanging out with my longhorns. They are a bad influence. Sorry about that, Bob. Regardless, looks like you are off to a great start. Looking forward to watching this come together.

Glad to see you back at work, Roel!

Pile has been in contact with me inquiring about bottles for Bob's next project.

That is so awesome, Bryan. What wonderful and well deserved sentiments expressed in the card. Hats off to you!

Not that I am biased, but I think it's time for another SIB!! Your Golden Hind is a beauty. You get better and better with each build!

Yes. But I certainly would not make any conclusions based on my opinion!

Add one more to that list!

Instead of plastic wrap, you might try wax paper. It's easier to handle than thin plastic wrap. That's what I use for similar applications. Regardless, great job on those sails, JC! They really look nice.

Late to the party, but I'm here for the grand finish. Nice work so far. You've done a great job, Bob!

Those barrels are tiny, indeed, and look near impossible to drill out. I use veterinary needles (intended for cattle) for my very small SIB cannon barrels. They are cheap and come in a variety of gauges/thicknesses. Something to consider if you want that hollow cannon barrel look. Although the one on deck above looks to have a bit of a taper, which the vet needles do not have.

Thank you, Keith! But this SIB will not be going north. She will be making her home on a beautiful 250 acre hill country ranch about an hour west of Austin. I built this one for an old college roommate that wanted something special to give to his wife for a milestone birthday.

The final vote tally was 26 - 2 in favor of the rock. Voters included all you fine people here on MSW as well as assorted family and friends. Thank you for helping me make a difficult decision. Now, about the other suggestions: I'm going to side with Keith on this one. I think the picture that I took distorts the depth perception somewhat and makes that front left part of the rock look more prominent than it really is. If you saw it in person, Roel, I believe you would like it as is. Regarding the moss at the base of the driftwood - as I mentioned above, I really liked that idea. And I also agreed with those of you that suggested it did not need much, just a touch of color to help with the transition. So I used some fake grass leftover from my Archimedes' Claw build and put a few mossy patches around the roots. I didn't think it was quite enough, so I stole some green stuff from a neighbor that does floral arrangements. It's a little bushier than the moss, but I don't think it went overboard. I also did one other thing to help with the visual. In the previous pics, I thought the top surface of the bonsai driftwood looked too much like a mushroom with the bottle balancing on top rather than resting in a cradle like I had envisioned. So I did some pruning on the backside and added some supporting branches at the ends to flatten out the support structure. Here are the final pics: Here's a better angle showing the flattened cradle: Up close and personal with the greenery: Other assorted angles: