I began my woodturning journey after receiving a Rikon tabletop lathe from my brother-in-law in 2016. He was a high school shop teacher much of his life and is a very talented wood worker and turner. His example and encouragement gave me the inspiration to make a go of it. That Rikon has moved on but it opened the door to a wonderful, challenging and gratifying adventure. I graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1971 and spent my working life as a military and commercial pilot. Perhaps that background helps me with the mechanical and mathematical elements of what we do, but everything else, especially the artistic aspect, will always be a welcome challenge. I like to work with Texas wood, especially Mesquite and am very fortunate to have some rancher friends with plenty of fallen timber to keep me stocked and the Robust well fed. I am trying to develop a style that adds some type of feature enhancement to the turnings - such as inlay, carving, beading, burning, inking or partial segmenting. Celebrate the wood I say! Southwestern and Native American styles and shapes are very appealing and inspiring. I have more to learn than time will probably allow but the journey is very gratifying. I appreciate the opportunity to share and learn with, and from, this amazingly talented family of artisans.