The year in review... and a big thanks to everyone!

First of all - thanks for reading this blog. I just checked the yearly stats and this blog had over 100,000 hits this year - thanks to you!

This has been a really busy year, one I approached with one thing in mind - teaching. I put my head down (not like the photo below!) and made teaching classes my main ambition this past year. 

I made goals, sought a mentor for some key decisions, expanded the shop, took on a co-worker, and welcomed anyone who was willing to learn. And you know what– it worked!  The school had a great year, with many thanks to students, friends, family, business associates, suppliers, and other various supporters. We got some good press during the year, in local and international magazines, newspapers and even some TV attention.

This coming year will have a slightly different focus for me: I've gotten away from building as much furniture as I used to, so this year - I hope to get back into the studio, creating again. I have about a dozen commissions lined up right now, and am feeling very excited about working on them. 

Last year at this time - a friend of mine on Facebook suggested for people to start a daily photo gratitude journal, in which you commemorate every day of the year with a photo that depicts something special it took place on that day.  (Thank God for iPhones!)  My 2014 gratitude photo journal has 365 photos and captured my year perfectly. Here are the best of them, separated by different categories. 

I want to thank everyone who made 2014 such a terrific year - I can't wait to see what we accomplish next year!

Garden Photos

 It's amazing to see what grows in my yard!

 This might be the perfect tomato photo - can't you almost taste it? 

Biking

 Whenever I bike, I always visit my friend, Mr. Owl. I know just where he lives, and we eyeball each other, and then move on with our day. Once in a while - he let's me shoot a photo of him. He blends in so well, it's easy to miss him - check out the lower left corner for his departure.  

 I got back home just as this storm was approaching. 

 Biking up in St. George.

 Someone buried their pup on the trail.  :(

 This might be my favorite photo of the year - a storm in the distance. 

 Sunset on the trails.

Stella and Friends

 In need of a bath and some serious grooming. 

 Before and after!

 We had a visitor for a few weeks, Stella's sister - Ruthie. 

 This was my attempt at a haircut, when the groomer went MIA.

Friends and Family

 Lest you think it's all about work - I spent some quality time with family and  good friends  - like these two old friends from high school.

 Elvis and Lupe!

 Birthdays and weddings! 

Students Work

It's almost impossible to tell you how proud I am of the work that was produced in my shop. 

Like the rocking chair that John made for his daughter.

And Donna's dining room table. 

And Marty's dice table.

And John's innovative Adirondac chair base.

And John M's surfboard/cutting board.

And Brandie's lamps.

Let's not forget Ann's chairs, with spindles she turned. 

Or Lupe's awesome sewing table, with matched grain and dovetailed drawers. 

Meredith works in a different medium - here's her "Baked Pug-tato, complete with tin foil and melting butter. 

I love John's Pizza Peel Guitar with inlaid brass and turquoise around the sound hole. 

Kate's brass and copper nameplate that she mounted on the rocking chair she made for her nephew - Keaton. Her metal work is simply gorgeous!

Beth's work amazes me. She's only been working with wood for 1.5 years.

And - finally - I was the very lucky recipient of this gorgeous Ash bench - another one of Beth's pieces. It's not often that I put someone else's furniture in my home. In fact - I've built all of the pieces in my home, except for a pair of Thomas Moser stools that I bought 30 years ago. Beth's bench is the first I've ever truly wanted in my home - I couldn't be more proud of what she's doing.   Mark my words - expect big things from her in the coming years. 

Misc. Woodshop Shots

These are some of my favorite shots taken over the year - 

Denny modeling the new Wood It Is! tee-shirts. 

Group assembly! 

Two of my favorite repair sculpture jobs! 

More great projects, like this bookstand.

We made tons of sawdust this year!

A few of my woodshop mishaps...

This splinter was so big, I needed pliers to pull it out!

Here is the worst accident of the entire year - I can live with that! (Not my hand, BTW!)

We had woodworking parties, 

and lots of cool graphic shots around the shop. 

Can you spot the repair below? I drilled a hole in the wrong place....

The new expansion - the hand tool room. 

A lucky day for me - I lost my diamond earring in the shop, and found it in the sawdust, a week later!

A sign from beyond - double rainbows on the day my aunt Dena passed away.

(RIP -  7/7/07)

So - thanks to all that contributed and created - we had a hell of a year!