The Salmonberry blossoms tell me that the sap is up in the Western red cedar trees nearby. If I am very lucky, and someone knows how precious this resource is to a cedar bark weaver, I might just be able to gather a special piece of bark like this one. In this case, Christine, of Ollala, was kind enough to postpone cutting down a cedar tree very near her house until my grand-daughter, Calla, and I were able to come and gather a piece of it’s bark this week. Because there were many limbs on this tree, but the lower trunk was fairly clear, I chose to remove one large piece to make the best use of what this particular tree had to offer. A piece of bark this large can be used to make a large folded bark pouch, or a large canoe bailer-style vessel. I was extra fortunate to have my young assistant helping me. I think she is going to be a great cedar weaver someday. Many thanks to Christine and her family for delaying the cutting down of this Western red cedar tree in order to share some of it’s bark with me.
