In the USA...

Wow, how time flies! It feels like a matter of months since I received an e-mail containing an invitation to be a demonstrator at the American Woodturners Association annual symposium to be held in Kansas City in Missouri late in June 2017.

I jumped at the offer... this is an event I've longed to attend, especially reading summaries of who demonstrates, how many people treat this event as a pilgrimage and just how many wood artists I look up to congregate there to share ideas and bond with like minded people.

And this year I would be there as an invited demonstrator...! It still doesn't seem right to have my name listed alongside some of the greats... I just hope I don't let the AAW down.

Seizing the opportunity to make the journey, my wife, Kate and I, decided to make the most of this opportunity and cram as much as possible into a short trip and see all of those places within a stone's throw, so here is a short summary of what we've seen so far. ...

Found a great little ship that sells boots of the finest quality and styles to suit any taste. Made in the USA, no, a mixture of USA, Mexico and China but you should see the prices... Fortunately, if you buy one, you get a second boot free!

Next was Graceland (fantastic), followed by Nashville (not worth it) and today Arrowmont, a haven of teaching and learning of traditional crafts -a place I've always wanted to see. It's been a busy trip so far and it will only become more frenetic as dates for demos draw closer, but it's been great to see another angle of the US so far.

More to come...