Wood

I've been going to Doug Mooberry's open house for many years, and it's always inspiring. Doug and his team at Kinloch Woodworking in Unionville create the most beautiful furniture, and the open house gives the public a chance not only to admire their completed masterpieces but also to explore the workshop where they are made.
Upstairs was a striking coffee table made of paulownia wood (paulownia trees line the west side of the main path that leads to the conservatory at Longwood). Due to the configuration of the log from which the table was made, there was a dramatic hole in the middle. The piece featured on this year's invitation was a bench of bubinga wood with ash spindles: "Kinloch combines Shaker, Chinese and Modern in a very comfortable bench." I also liked the tall clocks whose moondials featured the covered bridge at Buck Run, and when I sat in one rocking chair I could feel my tight lower back relaxing immediately.
In the workshop I enjoyed seeing the antiques that the craftsmen are restoring and repairing. Stacked in one room are the raw boards from which the furniture is made, some still with bark intact.
In addition to Doug and his wife Pat (whose pottery was on display) I saw several friends. One woman came up to me and told me that when I came in, she thought I looked familiar. She and her husband wracked their brains and finally placed me: I'd met them at a housewarming picnic TWO SUMMERS AGO! Talk about a good memory.