The Birth of a Whale

It starts with a palm tree.  

A leaf dries up and falls off.  Up close, one realises how big it is.  From the base of the stem to the tip of the leaf, it is easily 15 feet long.  

There is a sharp bend in the stem about one third of the length up from the base.  With imagination, it is possible to see an animal arching its back buried somewhere in that bend. 

The bend is isolated by sawing off both ends.  Then the sides are trimmed.  The result is a curved block.  It can rock but it does not really look like anything. 

The pieces that does not belong are cut off.  The head, the tail, the fins start to appear.  The hardened surface is sanded.  

And a baby whale is born.