Table Bench # 2

The left side of this river is Canada. 
The right side is Minnesota 

  This past week Pam and I made a fall road trip up to the Northern shores of Lake Superior.   We were trying to recount the number of times that we have traveled to this area.   (I think this was our ninth trip.)  Our very first trip does not seem like it was that long ago.  A camping trip with the kids and cousins.  Time just clicks along.   On this trip it was just the wife (a bottle of wine,) and myself.   The first trip involved tents, sleeping bags and campfires, but now we have advanced to cabins.    The earlier trips started with taking two mile (or more)  hikes back into the woods, but now the hikes are just little treks on a beaten path to a nearby waterfalls or outlook.   Still every trip has been a memory maker. 

High Falls on Pigeon River

      The memory for us on this trip will be - the rain that fell the first night.   A total of 3 1/2 inches.   As we laid in our cabin bed listening to the rain beat down on the roof (Giving thanks that we were not in a tent) we had this feeling that this trip might be a little miserable.  (Cold and Wet!)   The next day, to our surprise, the rain had raised the water table in the area.   All the rivers were on the high side and every waterfall was at its peak.   Once again it was a reminder for us that everything can have two sides to it.   Something that may be thought of as being not the ideal thing turns out to have a flip side of creating something that is amazing. 

Bench is almost nine foot long. 

   On the way home we stopped at my oldest son's home to stay the night and I just had to take a couple pictures of his table and benches.    On one of my blogs dated Jan. 25th this year, I wrote about working with burr oak.   This was a project where I planed down the rough cut burr oak boards and cut a lot of the wood into dimensional lumber.   Once I had all those boards cut to rough size I threw them in the back of my pickup and hauled them to his family's home in Minnesota.

  I had mentioned back in Jan. that when I would have the opportunity to show the finished project I would.   So that is what these pictures are about.   He had built the table a couple years before out of some of his burr oak and at that time planned to build a couple of benches when he had the time.    I took a couple of (hurried) pictures and really did not do justice to his work.     There are two benches - one on each side of the table.   He and his wife have four children.    When it becomes meal time the six of them along with Pam and I can all sit comfortably around this table.  (And a big table like that also holds a bunch of great cooking.) 

  So needless for me to say, not much time was spent in the DAGwood workshop the past few days.    My project list is growing and Christmas is not that far away, so I will need to get serious about picking up that hammer and sander pretty soon and getting back to work.   The list is growing. 

   Enjoy those rainy fall nights.  Who knows what they might bring.