Hey ya Chip

: What a great little mutual admiration society we have here... You are
: The Man Mike and Rikki (er: or two men, er: I mean a man and a woman...

I'm just a bum, an incredibly lucky, middle-aged bum. Rikki was our closest, dearest friend when my wife was still alive, stuck close to her through her illness, and helped us along over the three bouts. After Candace passed, she picked me up and dusted me off, and never left my side through all the trials and tribulations, my wild forays for a while there into self-destruction, these days into adventure. I can't say how lucky I am. This morning when I was stumbling around the house I found her little follow-the-clues notes and puzzles till I found the "treats;" her wonderful dog-boned shaped ginger cookies in a tupperware tub hidden in the garage. Everything I do and have done is because of Rikki being there through thick and thin, and she's taught me the lesson of patience and kindness. I can go on for quite a while, but suffice to say I'm just extremely conscious of what a gift I've been given, she's an angel.

: ha, ha, ha). Hey, don't visit Washington State because if you saw me in
: person you'd say: "Who is that schmuck?"

Well, then that must mean we're both schmucks. Thank the gods and goddesses that we can hide in the garages...in fact, a super top-secret project I've been working on for her B-day, a jewelry box with a lift-up tray. I've finished the box outside, in walnut, and am building the rub-on finish (planned for 40 coats), and just about done with the "Tig and Tink" carvings for insetting into the inside lid. The raw stuff for the tray and lift, with folding compartment tops is the cocbolo, lime, purpleheart, wenge, and ebony (all plantation grown and certified). Also, the pull-tabs are carved from bits of nephrite jade from an expedition on one of our trips to NZ. Take a look at
www.picturestage.com
account: willuplay
password: kayak
album: secret stuff
and tell me what you think
I don't think so

: Just kidding. You're in San Diego right? Are any SOCAL builders making the
: trip up to Puget Sound this season?

Don't know...maybe Mike Borean who's building a Guillemot right now. We're going to be in New Zealand at that time.

Now Chip, none of this scmuck schtuff, it's
Chip: the Man
Mike: the bum