Presents, Projects, and Prospects

October into November has always been a busy month for me. I go through the cherry stocks and make a batch of wooden spoons and spatulas to fill requests. It’s also necessary to make extra for distribution to the unsuspecting. I hate seeing friends deprived of a quality wooden spoon and using some store boughten junk. Oops. That “boughten” bit is right off the place on the coast where I used to live. It is amazing how that stuff keeps popping up fifty years later. Here is a gallery of past presents:

Additionally, I’ve finished carving the first set of transom banners I’ve carved in over ten years. The things used to pop out of the shop regularly, but my eye surgery impeded carving smaller lettering, say, 1 to 2 inches in size. But I’ve found that careful selection of the fonts used, glasses, and a magnifying headpiece allows me to do it. Do I think that part of the business will suddenly return? No. Lots of people just use vinyl lettering these days.

The real secret to attracting that sort of work is to be at the boat shows. People see your display, think about how nice something like that would go on their boat, and you get a deposit check. It’s something in the sea air that makes them want to buy. But, three-day boat shows, with additional days for packing, unpacking, and travel, are out of the picture for me. So, I imagine I’ll do the banners and quarterboards occasionally- I’m still the Yahd Cavah at one yard on the coast.

Oh, and for those who don’t speak Coastalese, that translates to yard carver. It’s an ancient and honored position that allows the user to utilize the shop’s coffee pot for some truly awful varnish-removing beverages barely related to coffee.