The Amherst Yew

A yew tree on an Amherst campus had to come down, having had the misfortune of being planted where a new building will eventually be planted. If only trees could pull up stakes and walk away! But at least its memory will live on in the form of a few striking bowls and other items.

Look at the warm orange/brown heartwood color and swirling grain of this beauty. It features patches of contrasting, cream-colored sapwood, some dark brown bark inclusions, and even some subtle purple highlights (second photo)!

Yew (Taxus), a short-needled evergreen of several species, is typically planted as an ornamental shrub, often around foundations ("spreading" yew). But left unchecked, "upright" yew can grow to be a small tree, typically as a clump of multiple trunks. Its wood is hard and dense, and is a joy to spin on the lathe.  You can read and see more about this bowl at http://www.bowlwood.com/ (where it's available for purchase).

The Summer Visitors, and Cherry Burls

Piles and piles of wood chips are accumulating in the "shack" these days, as many bowls, weed pots, and other items take shape on the lathe. The compost pile is growing while it tries to digest all these wood bits. As I make the trek to it, and back to the shack again, I'm often greeted by the high-pitched chirps of one or another of the summer visitors here, ruby-throated hummingbirds. They're probably scolding me for interrupting their sipping sessions at the feeders they think are super sweet flowers. The feeders are strategically placed just outside the windows of the shack, so we can take a break from work every so often to watch these tiny winged jewels fanning the air with their high-speed antics.

This is a female (note the white throat); she samples the feeders about every 15 minutes or so, then makes the rounds to all her favorite flowers. There's also a male around, but I haven't been able to photograph him yet. He sports a brilliant, ruby-colored throat, but seems to be more shy about coming to the feeders. These birds will spend the summer here, to then head south in the fall. It would be a hoot to find their tiny nests.

                                                                    

I've acquired some more Black Cherry burls from the Berkshires of Western Mass, and will be turning several bowls from them soon. They'll be posted on http://www.bowlwood.com/ when they're available.