Walnut Bowl from "Old Wood"

I completed this bowl this afternoon and had to share it with all of you, whomever that is.  This bowl came from a piece of wood from a Walnut tree that was cut down in 1965.  To say the least it was dry and hard!  I had great difficulty cutting the bowl because of inclusions, cracks, and other imperfections in the wood.  I actually applied some CA and sawdust to some of the cracks to fill them in a bit but I left many because they made the piece even more beautiful.

This bowl will be a gift for my good friend and neighbor Steve Stein that supplied the wood.  Steve, and his wife Kay, have done so much for us we can never repay them and they certainly don't want us to even try.  I think this is true friendship when people help people because they like too.  I can't wait for therm to see the bowl and I certainly hope they enjoy it as much as I did turning it.  I have enough wood remaining from that piece to do, maybe, two goblets.  I will wait to see how they like the bowl and then decide what to make.  There is also another large piece that could do another bowl or something else that appears as I begin to work with the wood.  Enjoy and be safe.

Alternate View of Walnut Bowl

Walnut Bowl - 3" high x 9" diameter

Alex at Pet Parade

Hollow Cedar Bowl

First Goblet - Walnut

Third Goblet - not sure the wood type

Green Willow Bowl

May has arrived

Wow, another month has gone by, where does the time go?  During April we spent two weeks in Montgomery, Texas attending the National Alfa Rally.  There were 189 rigs there which included both motorhomes and 5th wheels.  Our club, The Lonestars, was the host club so everyone worked hard to make it a great rally.  I was in charge of the wine and cheese party and I also helped with the golf event.  There were seminars, dinners, entertainment, tour to the Houston Space Center, golf tournament, bowling tournament, pet parade, and a 50's party.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves based on the comments were heard and opinions that were expressed.  Unfortunately this event caused us to miss my niece's wedding in Las Vegas but we just couldn't do the rally and get there in time.  I understand the wedding was terrific and my mom sure enjoyed seeing many of her grand kids and great grand kids.

Tippy, Alex, and I drove to Onalaska, Texas last Wednesday so I could do a Golf Digest visit to a Private club in Trinity, Texas.  The club, Whispering Pines, was very nice and I had a great golf experience while there, even if my golf wasn't that great.  The course was designed by Chet Williams, who used to work with Jack Nicklaus, and it is quite outstanding!  The folks there were very nice to me and I had a wonderful day.  On Friday Tippy and I decided to drive home the "back way" instead of the freeway and we had a great drive through some gorgeous countryside.  Our route took us from Onalaska to Trinity and then north to Crockett.  From Crockett we headed northwest to Elkhart and then into Fairfield on highway 84.  From Fairfield we headed north on highway 75 to Streetman and home.  This route took us a little longer but the scenery more than made up for any extra time.

Our homeowners association cleared some trees and brush from the banks of two ponds on the property the Saturday before we left for Onalaska.  I cut some sections from a willow tree that we cut down and thought I would try to do some wood turning from the pieces.  The wood was obviously very green but I turned the bowl you see above.  The base is solid as I only hollowed the top third but I liked the shape and it makes a great pot pourri bowl.  The bowl has cracked in a few places but that only seems to add to the look of the bowl.

I have watched a couple of videos of making goblets and thought I would try my hand at it.  The first one turned out okay, although a little small and maybe out of proportion, the second one blew up on me as I was shaping the outside, and the third one turned out pretty good as I hope you can see from the picture above.  I continue to get much enjoyment from working with the wood and look forward to making even more projects.  I have also included a picture of a bowl I turned from cedar and was my first attempt at a hollow bowl.  I love the look of it!

Our summer plans are now complete and you can find us in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and a few other states between here and there.  North Dakota is the only state we haven't spent a night so we will add it to our list as we will spend over a week there in three different locations.  We will stop and see my son John and his family as we head home which should be sometime early in September.

Don't be afraid to send an e-mail or give us a call.  We feel like we are starting to lose touch with some of you and that is not our wish.  Enjoy the pictures and be safe.  More as we begin our summer trip on June 15.