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.
June 13, 2011
Gary,
Hope all is well with you and your family. I am still enjoying my rocking
chair, and I'm sure my mother is enjoying hers as well. One day I will get
over to the US, and will be sure to drop by, but it might be a while away.
Trust you are doing OK despite the downturn in the economy, and I guess that
will mean fewer people that will be buying.
I look at the price of your products (now that the Australian dollar is
worth more than I ever thought it would be) and just wonder how you can make
such exquisite rocking chairs for the price you do.
In the past few weeks I got a commission for a couple of big chopping boards
from a commercial wedding reception/convention place, and am in the middle
of construction now, but it's not going to make me money. I suppose I can
count it as advertising and exposure. The cost of wood is huge here. And
after that I have to spend hours dressing it.
I'm making two end-grain chopping boards, 925mm by 510mm by 10cm thick,
That's a lot of wood, by my estimate nearly 50kg. The wood is native
Australian red gum, about 1000kg a cubic metre, so right up there in the
heavy stakes.
Beautiful looking wood, though tends to have a rustic look, or needs some
holes filled, which I will do also.
Not sure what I think the job might be worth, but more than twice what I'm
charging, alas. Of course, I'm counting on this being a good advertisement
for my work, and will charge a lot more next time.
All the best to you and yours,
Geoff