The Mysteries in Wood

 When Ron began turning this "blank" piece of wood, he had no idea what a treasure he would find as he progressed.  How exciting to find this perfect feather in the wood of the bowl - and not only is the feather showing on the outside of the bowl, but, as you can see in the bottom picture, it continues to the inside.  I'm just trying to find a way to display this marvel.  It is truly a beauty!  Be sure to enlarge the pictures.

Ron Turns a New Bowl

Ron was given a board made of bamboo that had been laminated, and he began to think about what kind of a bowl he could make. A bowl in a woodturning book was the inspiration for this creation. The result is quite stunning, and includes some dye and gold leaf. Bronchitis made the finishing a little tough, but he did it! I think that it's gorgeous!

Paul Thode's Windsor Chair

This was my birthday present a few years ago. Ron was attending the annual Woodturner's Symposium at BYU at the end of May, and he came home (Dwight's and Velna's house in Orem, so that tells you that it was a while ago!) saying that he wanted me to pick out a birthday present from the gallery of woodturnings that the international teachers were showing. When we reached the door of the gallery, he said, "Come with me" and lead me to this chair. The price made me gasp, but it is an exquisite treasure. So the chair became my birthday present, and sits on a side table, holding a seated Boyd's bear. Much to our delight, the last copy of American Woodturner's magazine has an article on Paul Thode, and we found that he is now 90 years old and still making lovely miniature reproductions of classic furniture. (And, at the last woodturner's symposium that Ron was able to attend ((two years ago)), we found that the price was about 3 times the original price, so not only did we buy something beautiful and enjoyable, but, unlike real estate, it has appreciated in value. I've heard that you should not buy collectible art because you hope it will become more valuable over time, but it's nice when that happens.

Woodturning from Fall

Ron has not stayed out of the shop all winter, even though he has been immersed in genealogy lately. He turned this bowl last fall - It was fairly large, and very beautiful. He hasn't lost his touch.