C.J. Lyttle

“The love of creating something out of wood is a good therapeutic hobby.”

I was born in Cambridge NY in the Mary McClellan Hospital. I have lived my whole life in Greenwich, a village next to Cambridge. I went away to school, gave four years of my life to Uncle Sam in the U.S. Navy on a tin can, and raised a family. When I got out of the Navy, I worked with my father in the family oil business, eventually taking over in 1980. Recently I have found a very nice thoughtful bunch of individuals who make art and play contra dance music. It is a liberating, motivating part of my life. Can’t ask for much more.

My interest in carving started in the 1970s. I was given a shore bird for a birthday present. This bird was a good fake of an old-time decoy. Ornithology started to interest me, especially the artistic ones that really speak to you.  I thought about collecting decoys, but that didn’t work because I couldn’t afford the nice ones. That’s when I realized I had to learn the art of carving.

The primary wood I like to use is kiln-dried pine. To make bigger projects you need a band saw, chisels, carving knives, rasps, etc. There is no end to the literature available for anyone who likes to work with their hands. For people facing retirement, life can be for the birds if you don’t have a hobby. Birds, and carving and painting them, can give one an interest beyond Facebook and twittering the day away.