Claire’s little sister Elise works and lives way out on one of the 590,000 acres in Vermejo Park Ranch. Already equipped with a trusty dog for the home and trail, she seemed to be an exemplary model for one who could use and appreciate a tool which could provide equivalent utility and dependability as her dog Otter.
Named the Roadrunner, this 28″ ‘Boy’s Axe’ was restored and emblazoned with the New Mexico state colors. With it’s old (very old, I think) hand-forged head, cast in a pattern similar to a Hudson Bay axe head, the design seemed to personify the lightweight shape and body of her home’s state bird. Vermejo Park Ranch is known for it’s big game – I’ve seen it firsthand in all it’s forms – so when restoring this axe head, I rehung it on a deer foot handle, in hopes that it fits in at her rugged and wild home. When her furnace goes out and the fireplace needs filled, I hope Otter and her axe will keep her warm.
