#45 Rockton, IL + #46 Clovis, IL

The Hastings are moving! Here's a sweet set of arrows that tell the story. Gone are the days of wagon wheels. On the horizon, the ocean, palm trees and mountains. That's a hell of an upgrade. Good luck on your new chapter.

#43 Entrance

That's my father-in-law, Dale Dahlke. And, that's one heck of an arrow!

Dale likes to build and remodel houses. A recent project of his was to bulldoze a horribly run down resort on the east shore of Lake Mille Lacs and to build a community of 13 cute little cabins on the land. Recently, he came into possession of the old launch captain's home adjacent to the cabins which he gutted and is now remodeling. It was in this house Dale found what he called ’a little present‘.

When Dale's not hammering on something, he's out fishing. He tells many stories of landing (or nearly) some huge fish. I've always considered them fish tales, but I may have to reconsider. If this arrow is a little present, his lunker fish might just be fresh-water whales.

#42 The Rein's (Cardiff, CA)

Hot damn, if this arrow doesn't raise the bar for workmanship!

This cobalt blue surfboard arrow comes all the way from the Pacific Coast. Kurt Rein grew up a stones throw from Mt. Holly and headed west chasing tasty waves. Kurt found his flatlander's Shangri La on the beaches North of San Diego. In the process found a beautiful wife and fathered a pretty rad little dude.

Kurt introduced me to The Sandwich Club which was one of the turning points of my life in the early oughts. Now I'm doubley indebted to him.

 Shaka, brah. Thanks for the fine work.

#41 C.C. Club

Brynn and Eric Hausmann delivered this arrow in person at Mt. Holly Days this year. They also delivered a lot of laughter, conversation and flat out joy, much like the CC Club, the bar where the two of them met.

Any of you who have been there, will mark that the bar is one of the last vestiges of a non-pretentious neighborhood watering hole. It's noisy and friendly from open to close.

Anyone who has had the chance to work or hang out with one or both of the Hausmanns will note the same. You leave feeling happier with the human condition and perhaps a little tipsy.

Thanks for the arrow and for visiting, you two. Mt. Holly's a better place for having you as tourists.

#40 Wakayamaken Wakayamashi Wakauranishi

Not only is this arrow the longest in dimensions, it also carries the longest name. Exchange student Naho's Wakayamaken Wakayamashi Wakauranishi arrow is also the first received pointing to Asia! Every citizen of Mt. Holly has at one time or another longed to travel to Japan. Could this be the first step of forming a bond of goodwill with an international sister city? Thank you, Naho!

#39 SCSU

I had the pleasure of advising Keith Christensen's design systems class at St. Cloud State University this past spring. Keith is an amazing designer and thinker with a passion for game systems and social change. It shows in the thinking of his students which is very beautiful and very conscious. Keith brought this arrow over for me as a bit of a souvenir of my time at the school. Thanks, sir.

#44 Bernier's Rink

According to DropYourGloves.com, an online hockey fights database, John T. Bernier is loved by none and hated by none. Although that seems a pretty sweet spot to be in, the lone rogue, unattached, the stats are inaccurate. I love the dude.

The stats, however, do tell one truth: During his one season with the Rochester Mustangs (91-92) and two with the Sioux City Musketeers (92-94), he never got in a fight. That doesn't mean he couldn't have. It's a good thing John packs one huge heart.

Aside from making this brute of a polycarbonate arrow, John has built a backyard rink for 'his kids' and also a penalty box full of picture frames out of recycled, busted hockey sticks.

This arrow has been pro-numbered to #44, one of the numbers John wore in his semi-pro days. Thanks, buddy.

 UPDATE!!!! I knew the DropYourGloves.com stats were bunk. Here's John (#14) clocking a couple of knuckleheads back in '93.

#38 Los Angeles

Dave Hernandez, 1/2 of my favorite non-cartoonist Hernandez Bros. and the shadowy hunched figure behind the ominous Ape City Productions just did me a great service. I've been homesick for the west coast this week, watching a lot of '67-'74 So. Cal. biker movies and listening to The Tyde. All romantic pondering got chucked out the window, where it belongs, when I opened Dave's wake-up-call in the form of a caution yellow arrow. For reference, Dave notes:

1,926 mi = Hollywood
1,930 mi = Beverly Hills
1,943 mi = Malibu

 Thanks, Dave.

#37 Sinclair Farm House

Sinclair Farm House is the new home of Brent and Annette Bonde Gustafson. However, this arrow represents a much greater concept of home. The wood for the arrow was salvaged from a landmark barn near Brent's childhood home in Northeastern Wisconsin by Brent's father. 'Gus', a shipbuilder specializing in fine cabinetry, crafted this arrow for his son. The routered letters expose the warm heart of the wood, quite appropriate for representing the spirit that makes a house a home. Congrats on the new digs, kids.

#26 Antarctica (updated!)

Toronto-based copywriter, goalie and occasional Mt. Holly tourist,Jason Thomas, has returned from the Antarctic bearing a Mt. Holly arrow stamped at Union Glacier, the base-camp for the record-breaking 2011 Thompson Reuters expedition to the South Pole, of which he was a team member. How cool is that? Halving the previous record time, is pretty amazing. But, if you ask me, crawling into a cramped truck loaded with two weeks supplies (emergency "stuck in a crevasse" rations for a two-day trip), with two other dudes, in one of the harshest environments on Earth, is without a doubt one of the boldest adventures a friend has ever embarked upon.

#36 San Francisco (ZODIAC)

How do you know how good an old pal is? You know when he takes time away from developing biologically engineered plastics to dive deep enough into one of your creepy obsessions to accurately use the multiple-valued crypto-key of the zodiac killer in the creation of his arrow. Clem Fortman is such a friend.

Hey Mr. Mike I had hoped to make this a much more polished product. But alas, I'm spending all of my time trying to make you rich. You'll be happy to know that the ink came from a Sharpie™ left over from Shinders (don't tell Joel)

Thanks, buddy. The Speakeasy bottlecap would have been much more appreciated still attached to a full bottle. Now get back to work!

#35 Principality of buZ

Russel Butler, alias buZ blurr, is an artist. You've probably seen his work without realizing it . . . while you are stopped at a train crossing. The pipe-smoking stetson-topped silhouette, known as the Colossus of Roads has appeared on thousands upon thousands of raillcars over the past 40 years. In celebration, he is reprinting his 1984 bookwork hoohoohobos-fotuitouslogos, "with an extensive one-of-a-kind addendum including images, interviews, artistamps, portraits and explanatory writing". For more information drop him a line at 908 E. Main Street / Gurdon, Arkansas 71743. If you have any old keys laying around, send them, too.

#34 Lynwood Blvd.

Yes! A woodburned arrow from neighbors, the Jurewicz and Ritchie families.

"Lynwood Boulevard is not a street. It is an oasis from modern life. Neighbors talk to each other. Wildlife lives in the yard, not on television. And the only thing more despised than the squirrels are the mosquitoes. The older residents will tell you, if you are looking to buy a house here you might have to wait 30 years, because residents 'move on' before they move out."

#33 Salvation Home In Zambia

My pal, Kris Sibik, just returned from a three week stint in Southern Africa. One of the primary reasons for her trip was to visit Salvation Home in Zambia. She returned with great stories of kids who are successfully working hard to get a leg up against some pretty tough odds. She told of many class leaders heading to class each morning, proud in their white shirts and ties. Kris also brought back the most beautiful arrow to grace the M*A*S*H Pole. It was hand painted by a gifted young artist named Sunday. The rest of the kids at Salvation Home added their thumbprints.

From Kris

"My workmate Mike has constructed a M.A.S.H pole In his yard. If you send him an arrow, he will nail it to the pole and send you a numbered Mt Holly arrow in return. I asked him for an arrow in advance, hoping I could get some kids to make make an arrow in return. Carol called a family meeting and I explained the arrow project to the kids. The kids grabbed some scrap wood from a broken bunk bed and cut it into an arrow shape. Sunday is the resident artist so it was decided he would do the painting. He drew the design on paper first then got to work in the quiet of Carol's room. Meanwhile, the other kids grabbed paper and pencil and drew their own arrows and pictures of the family vehicle, the house, a bike. Then one by one, as they finished, they presented me with their signed drawings. What a gift! I checked in on Sunday and was amazed by his painting. Wow."

photo ©Kris Sibik

photo ©Kris Sibik

"We were fortunate to be able to meet these wonderful children and accompany Mama Carol to the markets in Lusaka. I am amazed by Carol's dedication to these children who so desperately need and deserve an advocate. If you would like to learn more about her work, visit http://www.afczambia.org/."

"Notice the red Mt Holly arrow."

#32 Daniel Buren

Peter Haakon Thompson is one of the creators of the Art Shanty Projects. He is also my favorite Minneapolis area artist. His focus on audience engagement and the bold efficiency of his aesthetic is compelling and masterful. Peter created this arrow as an homage to French minimalist artist/architect Daniel Buren who incorporates stripes into his work. Thanks, Peter!

#31 Cribbageland

Jordan Wiklund invited me to be a guest at his Cribbage in The Park event as part of the Walker Art Center's Open Field. I turned arrow #31 into a cribbage board and donated it as a giveaway. Check out Jordan's cribbage blog Cribbageland for all things cribbage.

#30 Pilot Knob

Spent a great weekend at the National Hobo Convention with John Nussbaum, Myra Mazzei We camped with our families at Pilot Knob State Park. Around the campfire one night, they gave me this arrow, perfect in its representation of the weekend - stained to look like a railroad shack plank, utilizing the font named hobo and marked with the hobo symbol for 'Safe Camp.'

#29 On Assignment - Walker Art Center Open Field Arrow Exchange

Mt. Holly Arrow #29 was exchanged for by this little dude from Iceland as part of Walker Art Center Open Field Arrow Workshop and Exchange that I ran on August 4th. His grandmother and sister and he worked for almost 2 hours crafting their beautiful arrows. More can be seen at the project website: walkerpole.blogspot.com

#28 Cabo De Palos

International arrow smuggler, Alfonso Moreno has been on assignment in Spain the past month. Aside from the arrow delivery, El Fonso has helped answer the question "How many Spaniards does it take to nail up an arrow?" The answer? Dos!

"Stephanie Curran, a very dear friend, Irish in origin but married to another Spaniardo and hence living in the peninsula for 20+ years, made this arrow of Cabo Palos out of some driftwood that the Mediterranean surf brushed in last week. It appears to be the remains of a handle that once held a hammer or an ax. As you can see, she also decorated it with some shells she picked up along the shoreline. With the help of my friend Jaime Bastos, I climbed up to the roof/terrace and nailed Mt Holly arrow #0028 with true NW orientation (this has the same lattitude as California so I think we should be good). We are enclosing pics of the GPS coordinates as well as some other graphic proof."

#27 On Assignment - Walker Art Center Open Field Arrow Exchange

I've been working on a project for Walker Open Field exploring the trading of arrows. The first workshop was in July. Arrow #27 is heading to Philadelphia as part of the exchange.

The last arrow workshop is tonight (Thursday August 4th, 2011). Come to the Walker Art Center tonight and bring or make an arrow to exchange. Maybe you will get #28.

Here is the website for more information on the project W*A*L*K*E*R Pole.

#26 - On Assignment - South Pole Station, Antarctica.

My pal and writer, Jason Thomas is one of a three man team setting out this winter to break the world record for reaching the pole by land. The current record: 67 hours. Their goal: 48. Jason offered up the idea of bringing a Mt. Holly arrow along for the journey. How cool is that.

Follow Jason's preparation and journey on his blog Access Antarctica.