A perfect afternoon.

[scooter]

Saturday afternoon. The wife is out of town (That's not the perfect part. It's that I had time to myself), and my son is at lacrosse practice.

I headed into the city to my favorite local gallery, where they feature antique and comtemporary carvings from Pacific Northwest natives. I was able to peruse at my heart's content, and scrutinize the carvings for technique, style, painting, and tried my hand at guessing the artist and tribe (I know, sounds like fun, eh?). They let me look in the back room where they stored carvings that didn't fit in the gallery, and ones that they are preparing for an upcoming show. I was bouncing from carving to carving, and gaining inspiration with every piece I looked at.

Then... I went to the other side of town, to this seller of rare and exotic wood, to do some window shopping. Thousands of different pieces, of hundreds of different species (the wood they sell is to people who make their own musical instruments, mainly). I just walked up and down the racks of wood and drooled. I was like a kid in a candy store. I ended up buying a piece of Paduca*(sp) and a piece of White Limba. Dunno what they're going to be carved into, but I can't wait to put a knife to them.

The only thing that would've made the afternoon more perfect is if the gallery had offered me a single-malt, neat. Alas...


S~

*Paduca has a funny grain. Every growth ring grows in a different, alternating direction. That is to say if you were to cut it length-wise, the grain has a herring-bone pattern to it. I guess it makes the tree stronger?

[Sharon of the Dell]

Sounds like the perfect day! And your right, a brew would of topped it off real good.