Crib Arrives in Seattle

After our trip through California and Oregon, visiting family and friends along the way, we made it to Seattle and delivered the crib to Rich & Jen.  We're having a wonderful time seeing the sights and helping out on some minor household chores.  The crib is set up in "peanuts" nursery, the mattress and crib sheet are  ready for his arrival!  There is so much to do here, everything from eating (one of my favorites), shopping, and visiting tourist "must sees" like Pikes Market, Seattle Art Museum, and the Center for Wooden Boats.

Update and a OMG!

Now that I finished the crib for my daughter and her husband I got started on the gesso process of the latest picture frame.  I had been working on the carving between coats of shellac and other finishing touches on the frame.  Well, I got an email last night that pretty much blew me away!!  The chair that I have been working on for several years was accepted into the 29th Design in Wood competition.  This takes place during the San Diego County Fair which opens June 11th.  I really feel honored that I was juried in.  The design started several years ago and a couple of prototypes later, this is my final result:

 It's made of Canarywood and is one of a set of six that go with the Dutch Pull Out dining table I made right after I retired.  There are ebony accents in the through tenons for the back stretchers and also buttons to cover the screws that secure the laminated back.  My design concept was to use large dovetails on the front stretcher and the chairs have been in use for quite a while now with no sign of joint problems.  I initially made a outdoor bench this way and I like the honest look of exposed joinery.  It's been out in the Las Vegas elements for 6-8 years and is holding up fine.

Crib's Done!!

     Whenever a project is finished there's always a case of those "postpartum blues" which is something Jennifer will probably go through at the end of September.  Never having been pregnant I've only experienced it after completing an ultra race or finishing a project.  For that time, you were focused on completing whatever your goal was. That's what you spent your waking (and sometimes sleeping) brain power on and now that your goal has been reached, you're left with a little sadness.  Times like that I like to think about where you've come from, the starting point.  That's shown in the first picture.  From several board feet of Maple we ended up with this.
      Finally able to get a half way decent shot of how the cap pieces have some of the most astounding grain I've ever seen in Curly/Birdseye Maple.  Can't wait to deliver it and see a grandson in it.

         Congratulations Richard & Jennifer                                  
                                      
  

Jennifer, look familiar?

See that piece of towel on the back end of your (and my grandsons) crib?  Does it look at all familiar to you?  It's never been said that I waste stuff or get rid of it quickly which is probably the Dutch in me!  Remember how we would make  cardboard mannequins and dress them to give a gift on Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, etc. Hey, anybody can put stuff in a box!  Well, one Father's Day you and your mom put a towel on top of the hood of our blue Toyota pickup, had a beach chair with my presents on the mannequin.  Probably shorts and a t-shirt but the towel said #1 DAD.  The piece I used to wipe off the wax on your crib was a remnant of that towel -- pretty cool huh?  Oh yeah, this is a pretty good shot of the top cap on the crib, it almost looks more like a piece of stone than a piece of wood.  I'm ready to assemble it and take some photos of it all done.  Hope you like it.  I should be putting the completed pictures on the blog in a day or two.