Who was that masked man?

That’s just one of the questions I’ve been pondering since my return from a week in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.  As I looked through some photos from two bowl carving classes and the “Spoon Day” event that was sandwiched between them, I found myself asking some more:

How lucky were we all to have Overbrook House as our base?

How does Paula Marcoux  cook mouth-watering cuisine for dozens of hungry carvers?

Photo by Sean Vivide

Is that the vegetarian option?

Which way do the prevailing winds blow?

How did James weave that adze sheath from ivy vines?

What wisdom is Pret Woodburn channeling through his aspen bark crown?

Photo by Sean Vivide

When Peter Follansbee signs copies of his new book, does he finish with a little heart or a smiley face?

Photo by Sean Vivide

What are Peter and Tim Manney talking about in the shade back there?  My guess is that Tim is telling Peter how to make flutes from jewelweed (although they sound more like horns).

Tim shared his method with other instructors as we prepared for Sunday’s big Spoon Day event.  The question is:  How exciting is it to hear a former professional trumpet player (Oliver Pratt) perform on a jewelweed flute?  I think Reid Swartz can answer that one best.

Photo by Sean Vivide

How does Peter Follansbee deal with crooks?

Photo by Sean Vivide

What is it about spoon carving that can draw people together in a grassy field?

Which axe does Tim Shue prefer?  Anybody who attended Greenwood Fest 2018 remembers and appreciates Tim’s incredible skill with his “axe” in the form of a guitar. At Overbrook House this year, he treated a group of us to a performance of a lovely and thoughtful song he wrote and titled “Greenwood.”  By Tim’s kind permission, you can listen to it here.

How much should you trust someone with a sledge hammer?  If it’s Ben, completely.

Starting with split logs, 24 students (two separate classes) laid out, hollowed, hewed, and shaved bowls.  Amid the fray, I tried to snap some photos, but I’m afraid I missed some folks with the camera, so I apologize if you don’t see your photo in this simple slideshow of action shots (to view the slide show, you need to open the blog post in your browser by clicking on the title in your email view):

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What are the odds of bringing two dozen carving students together and finding them all to be kind, generous, funny, fascinating and all-around nice people?  Whatever the odds, bet on it.  Must be something in the wood.

For more photos and information about the event, including photos from JoJo Wood‘s spoon carving courses, check out Peter Follansbee’s recent post here and Plymouth CRAFT’s Facebook page here.