As I write this missive, those of us in the North Country have just weathered our first severe winter storm. Many inches of snow, winds exceeding 40 miles per hour, followed by below-zero temperatures. No big deal … just life on the tundra. And in truth, this sort of weather makes me feel invigorated. But at the same time, I just can’t help remembering my wife saying to me, “You know, there are places where the words snow and shovel are not combined to form a noun.”
Why bring this up? Well, with those ever-so-true words ringing in our ears, my family and I have made a momentous decision regarding our year-end activities. We are going to Alabama for the holidays! And we are not just tiptoeing over the border: nope – we are going all the way to the Gulf Shore and more. Dauphin Island, here we come, with plans to do a whole lot of nothing! I am going to be leaving my woodworking shop behind me for a while, but I will get through it — I just might get some ideas for projects for 2010, perhaps even some that could utilize the multi-tool from Dremel, the sponsor of this issue of the eZine. (And I will probably come home with some wormy cypress or other local wood hard to get in the frozen North. Never waste a trip when it comes to lumber, is what I say.)
So what brought on this Southern migration? A spirit of adventure … and the well-reasoned consideration that a week without a snowshovel is a week well spent.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
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