Duck Carver

At 3 p.m. every day, Bob and Brenda take a walk down the hill to collect their mail. Their dogs have learned the routine, Brenda said. "As soon as they stop hearing Rush Limbaugh, they know it's time to go for a walk."

King Leo hops on Bob Gibson's lap as he works on a Blue Teal hen replica. "We spend more on the cats and dogs than we do on ourselves," he said.

Bob Gibson takes pride in the details of his duck decoys. "I try to carve and paint each feather as if that was the one feather a critic might pick to judge and study," he said.

Gibson takes a moment to relax and read a carving magazine before cooking dinner. He enjoys the slower pace of life. "The stress out here is so much lower it's ridiculous," he said.

Matt Hartley gets in a few final casts before dark at his friend's pond.