I broke my own Avatar golden rule

[Mike Cruz]

I'm a firm believer in picking an Avatar and sticking with it. I think it is your identity. People associate you with the pic. But I decided to change mine today. Don't know why, just was in the mood. Sorry if it ends up confusing anyone...

[Belinda Barfield]

Thank goodness! Now I can change mine. :D

[Mike Cruz]

Why, did you change your hair color and style recently? ;)

[Belinda Barfield]

Hair is just a bit longer, and a bit more gray! It is rare for a good photo to be taken of me, so when I finally get one I tend to stick with it. You, on the other hand, have changed dramatically.

[Mike Cruz]

Well my old one is of one of my putters. This one is from an Ambrosia log that we (DAMP, a local group of SMC turners) cut up this weekend. This has got to be the most ambrosia'ed piece of wood I've ever seen. There is almost more ambrosia than there is maple coloring! Pretty spectacular wood for a pretty spectacular gu....never mind...let's just leave it at pretty spectacular wood... :o :D

[Belinda Barfield]

That is some spectacular wood. We had some veneer in not long ago that was almost as pretty. What are you planning to do with your portion of the haul?

[Mike Cruz]

Turn bowls and the like... It was my neighbor's tree. I begged him not to cut it into firewood. I bribed him with 4 bowls from DAMP (by the way, that is Dan Hintz, Anthony (Tony) DeMasi, Mike Cruz, and Peter Elliott) if he'd let us have the 12' trunk. We had to drag it out of the swamp...lovely...

Here's a link to the thread... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?177503-DAMP-December-2011

I posted pics in the beginning and at the end of the thread. Still waiting for Dan and Peter to add their pics...

BTW, here's a full size image of my avatar. 215677

[Belinda Barfield]

I was going to ask if Dan was involved, but I figured he was so I didn't. Checked out the thread, awesome day with a great group of guys.

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, we get together about once a month. They are a great bunch...

Belinda, you DO know what causes those beautiful stripes in the wood don't you? The Ambrosia beatle bores into the tree. Leaves his...do-do. Bacteria grows on the do-do, and that bacteria is, in turn, food for the beetle. Lovely isn't it?

[Belinda Barfield]

Thanks for the education Mike. Nature is just grand! This just proves that the SO is wrong because he always says you can't make chicken salad out of chicken poop.

[Bruce Page]

Who’s the new guy? :confused::confused::confused:

All is not right in Western Maryland!

[Mike Cruz]

Says Santa with two kids on his lap...

[Bruce Page]

Says Santa with two kids on his lap...
Two of my granddaughters sitting on Mall Santa's lap. I'm not nearly that old...:p

[Mike Cruz]

Says the man dressed like Santa... :D

[Van Huskey]

This is weird, I notice people change their avatar all the time and never think twice, but your change has been driving me nuts. Maybe I knew you were the non-changing type and that was the source of my irratation.

On another note you turner types drive me crazy sometimes, poor tree is begging to be left intact and turned into MANY ft^2 of cool veneer instead of chips. On the other side of that equation you guys do save a LOT of good wood from fireplaces. Guess I still like ya.

[Mike Cruz]

I still do flat work, Van. Don't throw me under the bus yet...