Free items from Yosemite Goat Woodworking

       As a way to say thank you to everyone that has stopped by my online portfolio I am going to give everyone a chance to have a piece of my Functional Organic Art. All you need to do is post a comment Anywhere in my blog! Comment arrive to me in order and I will know which is which!

     I have never done anything like this before so I am going to keep my ideas very open. Basically I am not sure how long it will take for you (the population of visitors) to make comments on the blog. My guess is that it should take a few weeks to go through all the comments, maybe more. I will advertise it on Facebook just to increase the time frame if necessary. 

     In the event you have not scrolled all the way through the page yet, maybe scroll down quickly now! I am going to give away items similar to those in the photos!!! The items are a candle holder, a bowls and cribbage board. My idea is to promote the blog a little and have others pass along my blog page.  Heck, post any photo on Pintrest and show off something you like!

       To being with I will chose a very wonderful candle holder that  has three candles. Perfect for any and all homes and occasions. Next I chose chose a bowl of medium size and height. Functional in many different aspects, good for keys, popcorn, chips, pure decoration and why not a few pieces of fruit. Lastly, I have a few cribbage boards in stock The ones below happen to be the last of my Maple collection. The final comment will be a wonderful cribbage board guaranteed. 


         Here in the blogosphere, each comment made is categorized upon the time it is delivered. The comments posted  from all section of my website/blog arrive in my inbox and categorized in the order they arrive. So you can make comments throughout the website/blog.  All the comments arrive with a corresponding email so I can contact those who have won and get your shipping info. I will also make a post when someone has won. That way everyone knows where the comments stand. Lastly, only qualifying comments will count, see below, and my comments will not be added to the total numbers.   =)


     Rule 1: Each Comment must be a full sentence, that means noun, verb, etc. and should be 7 words or more!
   
     Rule 2: No duplicate messages from the same person. I know how easy it is to copy and paste. Although multiple comments in different areas are encouraged!  I really want to know what you think of my work!!
     
      Rule 3: Solicitations will be deleted and not counted, unless............They write a full sentence about something in this blog alone.

      
      Rule 4: This is supposed to be a fun exercise, please be courteous to all.

      Rule 5: Have fun!!



       I hope this will be a wonderful experience. If this works out I will be inclined to make more opportunities for visitors to gain a wonderful piece of art. The current comment number is 14, good luck and enjoy the website!

             

The opening of farmers markets

me

I attended the first Farmers Market in Sonora with high hopes of making a number of sales. I created a whole series specifically for the farmers market. The results were not quite what I expected. I did however chat with a number of folks who were very interested in our work and would like to gain some more knowledge in the wood working realm. But the most important thing, I scored 5 pounds of honey with more to come!!

Ziploc Bag Dryers ............ My grand idea and proposed big seller at the farmers market. The bag dryers were made from an artistic piece of wood with short lengths of bamboo sticking out. The hanging bag can then be placed wherever necessary for drying the ziplocs for reuse. I made 12 of them and drop the price to ensure selling a large number of them. I sold one! And it was to a friend!

Over the course of this summer I will figure out what folks will be interested in. My biggest goal at these events is funding an understanding as to what people are interested in. I try to accommodate as much as I can but you can only display what you have, maybe I should get a bigger booth!

Lastly, I am going to Murphy's on Wednesday to chat with a friend who has part ownership at The Treasure Chest. We are hoping to add some small variety to the Treasure Chest and provide another outlet for my wonderful wooden treasures!


My next Farmers Market in Sonora will be June 2nd.

Craft Items at Sonora Farmers Market

Good Day-
  I will be at the Sonora Farmers Market on May 19th, tomorrow. I have an increased inventory and will be selling my newest item. You will have to come down to see what it is! The manzanita in the photo at right are the base of the items.......

    I have also been busy finishing up many of the bowls I roughed in over the winter months. Many of the wood bowls need to sit and cure for 6 months or more. In theory I should be taking moisture meter measurements to insure they have dried completely. But, after splitting who knows how many cords of woods, when you pick up a piece of wood, you know if the density is right or not. Needless to say sometimes the wood goes back into the pile. There are probably 40 more bowls waiting to be cured. Patience is a turners greatest ability!

        Here are many of the bowls we have ready for this weekend. They have all been oiled and ready for the names written on the base. After that they will be heading to Sonora and hopefully someone's home. I have four fruit bowls to add to the stock and a number of candy dishes and a couple of small cute little bowls, coin trays. I have also made a number of my classic little pine cone vases. I think there are 6 of them. At 5 dollars each I would be very happy to sell all of them. Heck, for $20 the person would get them all!

The mirror to the left is a great story. While I was in Alaska, a friend of mine took this photo of a Caribou. I asked her if I could use the image for a cutout. The cut out was amazing. A great amount of time went into it and it showed. This caribou mirror was a favorite. I etched in Denali behind the Caribou, and used and rough cut frame to finish off the details.
    Christine and I had just moved into a new place and we hung it on the wall. Unfortunately it fell from the hanger and broke. I had carried the broken piece the last year or so and decided the artwork needed to be re-mended. I cut down the original and re-broke the original mirror to fit into the new space. I am happy with the result since the mirror has returned to it's original purpose again. If you are interested in this, please let me know. It is a great piece that has undergone change, like so many great piece of art.

Winding Oak Cribbage Board finds a home

        One of my favorite boards I have made has gone to a great home.This super cool cribbage board was made from Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii). A semi local tree that grows in few areas of the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite National Park. Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii) is a hard tree to recognize, but the bark is very unique with striated patterns. Wikipedia, link above, says they grown in mostly Southern California. There are three trees at the property this branch came from and are likely transplants, or even possibly brought by the Native American many, many years ago. There are many grinding holes in the vicinity and a small creek/spring. Over the years I have found that species are found adjacent to old Native American Camps, yet many, many miles (20=) from their habitat. The story of these Engelann Trees and the origin of this great cribbage board is still a mystery.

        The actually branch fell during a heavy snow storm (spring 2010) that knocked out power for two weeks in the area and trees and branches fell everywhere. the storm has been dubbed by some as oak-maggeden! As a result, numerous folks were sawing away and burning piles to remove the mess. This branch was slated for the burn pile, I happened to be in the right place at the right time!!

I always love to hear from the happy
folks who have purchased one of my items:

"These are WONDERFUL!!! I love them both, but the one from the long branch is just totally awesome. It will definitely be out on a coffee table when I move (I am retiring at the end of the summer and am already packing up for the move). It will be the best conversation piece ever. Yes, the pegs on the log board are exceedingly fragile, especially for the grandchildren who are my main cribbage competition these days, but I might just keep that as a showpiece. It is so cool. Thank you for your wonderful work. At some point I may want you to make something specific for me (like a cribbage table made from a log at a height that I can use with a chair), but right now I am on a very tight budget waiting to see how things go in retirement. I will keep your business card so that I can contact you in the future. Thanks so much not only for the boards, but for the great packing job, too, -- Margaret Austin"

Thanks Margaret!!!

Scott Cereghino

folding lodge pole pine cribbage board

beginning of the winding oak board