Anyone exploring the byways of the Key Peninsula has seen them, and maybe even been startled. Wooden bear cubs clinging to a tree, an enormous eagle perched atop a roof peak, a life-sized Sasquatch looming up at the end of a driveway.

Chainsaw woodcarvings are a Pacific Northwest tradition.

But there's one hideaway on the KP where these creations come to life. Next to a stack of cedar trees stands a series of upright logs, roughly cut into vaguely familiar shapes. Further on, the shapes begin to resemble heads, wings or claws, or something more subtle. At the far edge, a giant owl roosts in silence, waiting for its feathers to be carved.

Dan Whited has been turning cedar into sculpture for 30 years. His owl might retail for $700 or $800. A life-sized Sasquatch would be closer to $2,000.

But it's not a career he planned.

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