the worm is the artist
As nature's assistant, I enjoy showcasing some of nature's wonders. Here, I'm using a makeshift abrasive on an air powered drill to clean out and smooth some of the artist's - a few very hardworking worms - work.
talking green
august production
We completed these 4 walnut low tables and this one console table this month. Plan to have individual photos of each online soon.
the ole Amish benadryl snooker??
I had the day off Saturday, and took a leisurely drive up across the state line into Tennessee and visited my Amish friend. As I was leaving, his adorable grand-daughter walked up and whispered to him something in their native language - German Dutch?? He laughed, and said that she was wondering if Robin would like the white dog. Since we've taken in more strays (3) than our small home can handle, the answer was no. We found the very sleepy white dog in the back of his storage building. He explained that he had given it 4 benadryl pills to put it to sleep - permenantly. It had wandered by, nobody would take it, it wasn't a breed he could sell, he didn't want it.
I didn't want to find out if 8 pills did work. He loves the creek. Is implying he's a retriever. We are already getting attached. The white hair is wirey like a great pyrenees, whatever, I think he's going to be a good one. Haven't gotten rid of all of the fleas yet.
-- Was I snookered by this crafty Amishman? Perhaps. I really don't know.
a visit with the Mayor
Leavitt Leavitt collaboration
Architect, artist & furniture designer, Joey Leavitt, collaborates with his youngest - Hill - on an interesting natural edge walnut ladder for Hill's bunk bed.
can you hear my tweet?
After seeing how Obama so successfully "spread the word" with social media, thought I should take a look. After intentionally avoiding it for years, I finally took the plunge. About three weeks ago I signed up for a Twitter account, then I followed with a Facebook.
Planning to give a reasonable trial of a year or two. After three weeks on Twitter, there are 140 followers. Following are a few of the more interesting ones:
Museum Toulouse, Frye Art Museum, High Museum of Art, Amon Carter Museum, Getty Museum, The Oxford American, Nashville Zoo, True Nature Trust, Nature Conservancy, Flower Magazine, San Diego Museum of Art, Global Art News, Nashville Lifestyles, Times Daily, LushPad, Art Now San Diego, Huntsville Times, Gallery Stajka, Dubai Visitor, HJM Art Gallery, MHL Magazine, Coastal Living Magazine, Bauhaus News, Alabama Tourism, Southern Living Magazine.
Don't think I'll ever be doing a minute by minute tweet, but I'll try to update more regularly.
poll: which business card do you prefer?
I'm designing new business cards, and narrowed the choices down to two.
A) (below) is the logo I recently came up with originally for a branding iron. Now I'm using throughout.
B) (above) Uses the same design and
adds a photo I took a couple of years ago at my (then) kiln operation. They were moving the cherry lumber that had just been debarked with a draw knife to dry stack for a couple of years. In Iphoto, I just used a sepia tint. Seems to convey the speed of my process. But, I have some concerns about it getting too busy, etc. Please let me know what you think before I go to press. thanks in advance!
"a slow table company"
Our new slogan "a slow table company" was obviously derived from the mother of the slow food movement, Alice Waters. The aging of the wood is just one of the factors that allow us to so clearly qualify. There are several other qualifying factors that I look forward to "discussing" in future posts. For now, it's another beautiful Sunday afternoon. Brilliant blue sky. And I'm heading "up the creek" with my three pups to cool off and ponder on all this . . . quite . . . slowly.
a great day for newest members of the family
One of seven baby mallards released back to the creek yesterday.
Did you know a family of Mallards is - well - a part of the Wade family? Basically, I just feed them daily, and they usually hang around pretty close. Baby ducks are just too enticing to almost all of the neighboring wildlife, including fish - and don't really have a chance So, each spring for the last few years I try to gather them up and protect them till they get close to full size and have feathered out. What a joy it is to see them experience the creek for the first time.
new business card
I thoroughly enjoy getting back into graphic design, after spending a couple of decades, and a couple of careers in it. My existing business cards are ok - with one minor except - you almost need a magnifying glass to read the phone and email address! My old versions of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and Macromedia Freehand don't work on my new Macs. In checking the prices of a current bundle that includes Illustrator and Photoshop - I was shocked. $1800! That still would be a good investment for this really great software if I was using it in a graphic design business daily. But, just for my internal marketing purposes, at this stage of the business - it doesn't compute. So, to get by for a month I downloaded a 30 day trial of Illustrator. Purchased a surprisingly powerful Photoshop Elements for $62, and have downloaded a trial version of what looks like a very nice, quite powerful photoshop new competitor - Pixelmator. Gosh, technology does change if you drop out of the loop for a decade or so! - Oh, let me know what you think about the new biz card.
hot summer days - with the pups
Mattie (left) - our most disturbed frisbee-a-holic.
Kramer (right) - avid huntsman / fisherman (after a crawfish here).
Havana (posing below) part great pyrenees. so calm and happy to be here.
waterlox finish on this 4" thick walnut countertop
Almost all of my tables are finished with multiple coats of a tung oil / linseed oil mix. This is only my second kitchen counter top - the first was for my kitchen several years ago. I finished (the top) with Waterlox tung oil finish for added durability in the kitchen setting. It has worked out nicely, with no maintenance thru the years. So, we are doing the same here with this 4" thick solid walnut countertop. Just like before we are applying 2 coats of Waterlox Original first, then two coats of their matte finish to tone all the gloss down a bit.
modern bench design in the works
As you know if you've been following my posts, after over two years of the slow natural air drying process my three and four inch natural edge walnut lumber is out of the kiln, stacked up and ready to go. We've been working on a wonderful commissioned piece, and should be through in the next week or two. So, we should start to see some of these heavy, oversized, over built pieces completed soon. Hopefully they will look as good in real life as they have in my head for almost three years.
this morning's timesdaily biz section
You can find the article at: http://www.timesdaily.com/section/news50
mussleman book signing
new branding iron ordered
I have to roll it around on the new table to enable all edges to get burned in. Ended up with a good bit of double prints, etc. The next problem was what made it so fun. I heat it up by laying it on the natural lump charcoal in my big Kamado smoker. Unfortunately, I could only get two or three tables branded before the iron cooled down. Placed my order online this morning. In addition to a brand with a new logo, hopefully this one will be flat. Also it's going to be heated electrically. I'm planning to knock the dust of the oldy from time to time for special pieces.