Done and done.  What to say?  I feel like I should have some sort of profound statement about my amazing oddyssey, or something like that, but I am having trouble collecting my thoughts.  My arms are tired and my back is aching.  There were times during this project that I was convinced the universe was conspiring against me.  Since starting this project four months ago, my dad and I have expanded and remodeled the shop, my wife and I have remodeled our house, and we found out that we are going to have a little boy.  The power was off for what seemed like a better part of a month at the shop.  I burned through two motors on my lathe, and I am working on the third. On top of that, I am still attempting to run something at least vaguely resembling some kind of business.  

It is hard not to feel a little sad at the end of a big project like this.  Somehow it always feels like saying goodbye to a friend (or in this case, a hundred friends).  That said, I am excited - this project has given me more ideas to chase down than I can count.  It feels good to know that this work will, I think, do some people at least a little bit of good.  And hopefully, all of these bowls will find nice new home.

The other half of No. 96’s stump.  You win this round, termites.  

I had fun turning this bowl.  I had set the chunk aside a few weeks ago, thinking it would be perfect for a “big” bowl.  While I was turning it, the shape kept reminding me of the titular woodland spirit from Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro“…

Sweet Lion of Zion, only nine left.

The other half of the stump used to make No. 88.  I really like this pear - it looks like a map of a lost continent.

This is the biggest bowl I’ve made so far.  My friend Richard dropped off five gigantic stumps of pine from his property in Magnolia; now the lathe room looks like a pier.  The little 1/2-horse power motor that is currently jury-rigged onto the back of the lathe (which normally uses a 1-3/4 HP motor) was getting capital-G Grumpy about all the work that I was (admittedly, not at all politely) asking of it.

Fun fact: did you know that “jury-rig” is a nautical term?  I didn’t.  Check it out!

These three little guys (or gals) all came from the same branch, from the pearwood I scored a few weeks back.