Sycamore Spoon and Scoop with Chip Carving

Sycamore Spoon and Scoop with Chip Carving

 I wanted to mail these to a friend weeks ago but I couldn’t get myself to box them until just now. Hopefully, I will make it to the post office this morning. The carving and fun stuff, I can get done easily. The administrative stuff is a little more difficult.

Cherry Spoon with Chip Carving

 My sister called me to come visit after they took down a cherry tree.  I took several green limbs home and am now regretting that I didn't take far more.  I probably got eight spoons out of the lot.

Here's one I finished yesterday. It is being gifted to an old friend who grew up on the property from which that cherry tree grew.

I really like this one.  I am working on thinning out the bowl. It seems to me that, out of caution, most folks carve thick bowled spoons in the beginning. Well, at least after they carve holes in them a couple of times. I feel as though I did a nice job on thinning this one out.  

And I am happy with the chip carving.

Spoons, Bikes, and Watermelon

Happy Fourth of July!

We did a 27 mile bike ride with friends this morning. There were lots of folks outside walking, paddling, and riding. I had my mask… one of those tube pieces of fabric, a.k.a. a Buff, and used it from time to time. Mostly I rode with out but if the trail looked crowded I flipped it up over my mouth and nose. 

It’s 2 pm and I am in my favorite space “in the house”; our screened porch. It is a bit warm but not at my limit. 

I will eat a little melon; carve on a spoon; and then retreat into the air conditioning when the thermometer nudges up just a little too far.  (Note: After sitting an hour or so in 90 degree heat, the air coming out of my fan felt like it was blowing out of an oven.)

The Most Difficult Part of Carving Spoons

The most difficult part of spoon carving for me, is the part where you box them up and mail them to loved ones. Parting with the spoons is not the hard part. It is the actual physical shipping and handling that is just no fun. 

These need to head out though. My goal is to take them to the post office on Monday. 

The spoon on the left gets delivered to a friend who lives near the post office, so that is handy. That one is oak and the wood came from my friend’s yard. 

The second from the left is from a piece of cherry that I got from a farmhouse in West Virginia; my favorite spot on the planet. The cherry branch had been in my freezer for a couple of years. That spoon goes to a friend who has been teaching yoga on Zoom for free during the pandemic. She isn’t expecting this gift.

The one in the middle and the one on the far right go to my daughter’s best friend from high school. She isn’t expecting anything either. The white one is (I think) tulip poplar and the large one on the far right is crabapple. Both pieces were sourced from my neighborhood. 

The apple had been trimmed from a yard up the street and was in a debris pile on the curb. The tulip poplar (or is it maple???) had fallen next to a creek in the woods across the street. This piece is intended as a coffee scoop and is two tablespoons deep. Upon reflection, a bright white wood may not have been the best choice for a coffee scoop. The discolorization it will get wouldn’t bother me, but it probably would bother a lot of folks.

The fourth spoon from the right goes to my sister. Her husband had to take down a tree in the front yard because it was dying. I love this wood!!! Hopefully I can get a few more pieces before it totally dries out. I grew up in the house my sister lives in so this wood is extra special for me. Kids from the old neighborhood have asked for a spoon made from that tree since it represents home. I need to made one for myself first.