In 2003, Geoff was thinking of building a rocking chair. He searched the web for design and construction ideas. He found us.
His email said that he had decided he'd rather have a chair of ours than to design and build one. We built him a walnut rocker and shipped it to Melbourne. Our first delivery to Australia.
Geoff became an email "penpal" and a friend. We exchanged messages regularly and frequently for years. He shared details of his woodworking projects; he wrote an article about us in The Australian Woodworker magazine; he sent a book on the outback; he stretched my imagination with stories of bike trips in Tasmania; he ordered a chair for his mother. We figured we'd meet here or in Australia one day..
I didn't hear from Geoff for a while and got no reply to my messages; I was puzzled. When subsequent emails were returned undelivered: I was alarmed . A search turned up his obituary. I am still sad.
The business has joined us with others who share our respect for material and craft--a sustaining benefit.
We miss Geoff.