If you are going to try to learn something, get the best instruction in the world

One of my hobbies, of which believe me I "just participate" is the carving of floating decoys. I have admired the skill and beauty of it for years. Barb Chupa who took over the pig act at the Toronto Zoo arranged for a "friend" of hers to help me carve my first bird. He was a former elephant keeper at the Metro Zoo, who carved during his lunch hour, or any additional time, until be became good enough, and could do it professionally. After the hard time I had given Barb while she was learning to work the pigs, I dare say she enjoyed watching me cut my fingers, and muck around under this gentleman tutelage. His name is Larry Fell, and he is one of Canada's finest decoy/duck carvers. Last year at the Ward World Championship Waterfowl Carving competition, in Salsbury Md, which is the "World Series" of decorative bird carving, Larry won 1st place Decorative lifesize for his carving of a Canadian Goose. One of my prized possessions is the bird that he and I carved together in 1991. I say together "lightly". As I would make a mistake with a wrong cut, Larry would take the knife, and with the skill of a surgeon "fix" it so I could continue.