Memories in a wooden bowl

Gentle men and ladies:

Ganoksin and have been friends for a long time. The early days
dinners in Tucson, etc.

I am eighty-five year young man who has spent most of his life in the
rock sand and concrete business. Crushing rocks for use in the
concrete business was a necessary arm of the business. Washing and
conveying the crushed material was special for me. I would often
stand in the sunshine along side the conveyer belt and watch an
endless stream of beautiful, well washed and still wet stones smile
with their beauty at me. I did indeed smile back at them and purpose
in my heart to someday retire form the concrete, rock and sand
business and devote time to nicely cutting and polishing dozens or
hundreds of the beautiful God Blessed stones with color, texture,
designs, etc.

I am now in a lovely retirement home in Tempe Arizona, Friendship
Village 2635 E. Southern Tempe AZ 85282. We have a small lapidary
shop, weaving room, pottery making facility and the Old Wood Shop.
Where I am spending most of my leisure time.

All the above to tell you a new and different way to display and
inherence the beauty of some of my semi precious gem stones.

I go the wood lathe and turn out the shape of a bowl foundation
(center) with a depressed center about two, three inches diameter and
half an inch deep. The wood center might have a four to eight inch
diameter. Round and sanded smooth while on the lathe, I prepare a
grove around the outside of the center piece and then prepare
multiple pieces of tapered wood which when sanded and finished fit
into the grove around the center piece. Looks something like a giant
sun flower with pedals tilting up so as to create the bowl shape.
When finished and varnished or can be used as a fruit and nut bowl,
but more often is used as a wall plaque.

All the above, just to get to the point. We now have a beautiful
piece of wood which has some utility also has the capability of
drawing ones eye to the center of the bowl where we have placed
several pieces of Super Special pieces of stone, items of historical
jewelry, any small piece of memorabilia which has been in the family
for years on end with only a short visit by one or two of the family
on special occasions, Now I want you to take those special item out
of it’s hiding place. Then place them Gently place them into the
round depressed center of the bowl, Then cover them gently with a two
component liquid epoxy (Pour On) Keeping the bubbles out while it
sets up firmly and sparkling.

Seeing is believing. The pedals of the bowl draws your eye to the
center of the bowl (or wall plaque) in a super special way that
always brings a WoW ! and a river of memories begin to flood the
environment.

Yes, IM an old great grandpa and mostly sit in the corner and try to
hear what’s being said, because of poor hearing. If you think that I
am crazy that’s OK, But I love Gonoksin any way. If I was smarter on
this Computer, I could send you a picture, But I’m not.

Gratefully Yours,
Duane Hart
480 831-3548

Duane,

Thank you for sharing your passion and the joy that what you do
brings you. Inspirational.

Richard Hart G.G.
Jewelers Gallery
Denver, Co.