I’m pleased to share my latest woodworking project, aptly named Simple Square Box and Coasters. The commission originally asked for a simple slap-together wooden box in which he could place a necklace he purchased for his niece as a Christmas present. So the slap-together wooden box would be tossed into the same heap of recently bloomed ribbons of nylon and a pile-up of ripped and twisted wrapping paper resembling a fog-induced tangle of abstract alloy. Really, who remembers the wrapping paper of a long-forgotten gift they received at an indiscriminate holiday, the exception being gifts which modify destiny such as an engagement ring, new car, or divorce papers. But I couldn’t 
shake the thought; an insignificant wooden coffer hand-crafted to exact dimensions whose sole purpose rose no higher than the oft ignored cardboard box, one of millions prefabricated generic boxes produced by manufacturers. Yet this box really should´ve been seen as the first part of her gift, but instead was just another obstacle to obliterate in a doggedly pursuit of the delightful bauble inside. And after a few perfunctory refined and delightful “thank you’s,” the delicate bauble was distractedly deposited into her mother
´s cupped hands. Her mother placed the bauble (whose importance continued to nose-dive like the stock exchange in 1929) among other gifts. And the slap-together box had been exiled to the paper mountain, and eventually would be crushed by the insensitive jaws of an indiscriminate refuse collector. Had I blithely reached into my pile of left-over lumber and found a throw-away board I suppose the box would experience a fate very similar to the one above. However, a particular piece of Poplar caught my eye because of its deliciously creamy base color and like a dried riverbed, a thick, malted-milk brown ran the length of the board which was absent of blemishes, gouges, chips, and knots, a cappuccino’s foam decorated by a creative barista; or, the faintly dusting of heat transforming the peaks of whipped meringue from snow-covered to densely charred remnants of a serial forest
fire. I held the six-foot board respectfully in my hands, looked for cupping or warping at its ends like a sharpshooter whose focus remained on his target. I found the board to be true then placed it on the workbench to calculate the cuts. That’s when it began. I can’t find words to describe it, but it was like balance on a bicycle: no one handed you a ball of balance, you simply had balance. My experience with that board couldn’t be taught or handed down. It wasn’t an indicator of mania. It was simply, to respect the trees life in the differing colors of its rings. Those rings identified that tree like fingerprints identify people. And yet it was more: I felt a growing sensitivity and responsibility to work with the lumber to create an object of beauty. The longer I listened to the sensitivity of the wood, the greater my awareness of the woods signature became. It was then that I worked with the wood, and so did the wood with me.
Tag: Shopping
My One and Only Rolex
Fifteen years ago I developed an obsession for Rolex watches which eclipsed practically every other interest or desire. Its greatest impact was felt by my spouse: He was hostage to my unyielding resistance to any gift that wasn’t a Rolex.
Eventually Nick’s patience and resolve buckled beneath the burden of my expectation. One Christmas he handed me an easily overlooked brown paper bag. As I took it from him I felt a significant heft; I heard a steel bracelet shift at the bottom; I spied a bezel and Oyster case peeking out from an afterthought of concealment. I slowly lifted the folds of vaguely familiar tissue paper which revealed the indubitable shape and renowned style of the classic stainless steel Rolex. He said he’d been looking for one (for almost a year) when the week before a dealer called to say that a customer recently presented a used (and much older) Rolex as a trade-in and it’s “as-is” retail price is with-in Nick’s price range. He purchased a Rolex manufactured in 1958 (the year of my birth) and it wasn’t until this year did I learn the historical significance of this watch.
A month later I found myself overheating in a Puerto Vallarta hot tub. I dragged my lobster-red body to the swimming pool and jumped in. Upon surfacing I heard Nick ask for time. While wiping away the stinging chlorinated water I noticed that there was moisture condensing on the inside surface of the watch crystal.
The Rolex watch is often perceived as an extravagant luxury and status symbol outshining its fundamental purpose: telling time. But Rolex, SA (manufacturer) has played a significant role in the history of the wristwatch. Rolex, SA can lay claim to being first at: automatically changing date on face; show two time zones at the same time (GMT Master (designed by request of Pan Am pilots); automatically changing day-and-date on face; earning “chronometer” designation (meaning that it’s mechanical movement is extremely accurate and consistent that it can be used to navigate ships. But the fundamental and most notable characteristic (which it achieved first in 1926 and again in 1953) is being waterproof (1926); not water resistant; waterproof to a depth of 330 feet BSL (1953).
Obviously Nick’s gift had forfeited that foremost characteristic.
I was greatly disappointed that the Rolex Nick had worked so diligently to uncover had been compromised by irony: its fundamental purpose (time keeping) was also its assassin (time passing, i.e. years of use). I took the infirm watch to the only certified Rolex repair center in North America (at the time) and was saddened by their conclusion: it would cost more to rebuild than the price Nick paid. A friend gave me the phone number of a reseller in Georgia that represented Rolex watches on consignment. Overnight I received three brand new stainless steel Rolexes from which to choose.
When I slid on the first, then the second, and finally the third I had exactly the same reaction: These Rolexes had lost their mystique, their meaning, their value; these were simply very expensive watches. (And frankly, my time isn’t that valuable!)
The watch given to me by Nick was, in my opinion, the only true Rolex because it was the one he generously gave me. I wanted that Rolex; and I wanted that Rolex to function like any other Rolex. So I returned to the Rolex repair center and placed it in their expert hands. Six months later it was returned to me in pristine condition. It is now thoroughly serviced every three years to keep it in working order.
So why did I share this with you?
You may get what you ask for in life, and while it may not be exactly what you wanted, you were very fortunate to have received it. It may be imperfect, or damaged, or used. But it is less about what you’ve been given, and much more about how you hold it, what it means to you, and how you care for it.
Related articles
- Rolex redo their famous Explorer II model (lostateminor.com)
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 