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Not long after she was born I was scheduled to have a “routine” but not without risk procedure that was supposed to be an overnight hospital stay & back to my shop a couple of days later. It turned out not as we had planned & I ended up in progressive care for 6 days & not able to work for almost 2 months. Just as I was getting back on my feet we had Hurricane Irma decide to pay us a visit which caused quite the mess with water getting in & collapsing the ceiling above where I do my photography & the wind blowing down my sign. My back yard looked like a small lake but that soon subsided & my insurance has given me a new roof & sign.

Prior to my 2 month hiatus I had built up a good inventory of finished tables but I still had a number of orders that I needed to complete or start, but fortunately my customers were very understanding & patient with me. Those are now caught up, I’ve completely recovered & I’m looking forward to see what 2018 holds for Driftwood Decor.

Below are images of my work that some of my customers were gracious enough to send me this past year.

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Their main desire was to have a finished piece that was very full with some heavier type roots. They were pleased with the looks of this one, so now it was time to add all the necessary support limbs to ensure that the table footprint was extended enough to be stable & at the same time provide enough room for seating. In addition pieces were bolted to the top of the stump to support the heavy rectangle glass.

Now it was time for the part of the process I no longer do myself & that’s sandblast the entire table…a job that I do not miss, but really enjoy seeing the transformation once I get it back a few days later.

                                                                      All that’s left is the the lacquering which can be time consuming & tedious with all the many nooks & crannies that have to be hand brushed.

Finally, with help from my son the table is placed in a custom heavy duty crate & the next day is on it’s way north. I always hope to hear from my customers once their piece arrives & hopefully receive some images in it’s new home.These folks were kind enough to do that along with a very gracious note which can be found on my review page.

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Although the red cedar stumps that I use for my driftwood coffee , dining & foyer tables are found very near the waters of Florida’s Gulf Coast, very seldom do I ever acquire a piece that had actually been in the water for an extended period of time. Especially a driftwood root system that had the right size & shape to make a nice table base. The result of being in the water is a stump that is literally riddled with ship worm holes & that can make for a very unique & interesting driftwood coffee table. The great thing about this one was the added bonus of having some extended limbs that were also holy that I could trim off & use for my necessary support pieces.

Ship worms are not actually worms but marine bivalve molluscs, a group of saltwater clams with long, soft, naked bodies. They are notorious for boring into (and eventually destroying) wood that is immersed in sea water, including such structures as wooden piers, docks and ships; they drill passages by means of a pair of very small shells borne at one end, with which they rasp their way through. Sometimes called “termites of the sea”, they are relentless in their pursuit of somewhere to make their home. In the past they have created a tremendous of damage to wooden hulled ships weakening their structure & making them more susceptible to sinking in a storm or battle. This led to covering the hulls with copper & was even mentioned in a poem by Henry David Thoreau:

The vessel, though her masts be firm,

Beneath her copper bears a worm …

Far from New England’s blustering shore,

New England’s worm her hulk shall bore,

And sink her in the Indian seas …

(excerpted from “Though all the Fates” 1849)

For many this worm is a curse, but for my purposes it is a treasure as these holes are thorough but shallow, thus not weakening the integrity of the table in the least. Although I have a few individual wormy pieces that are part of the collection that I rent for wedding center pieces & are the most requested, this base is only the second one I’ve created in my decades of building driftwood furniture.

Below are the images of this table base as it progresses to the point where it now (06/26/2017) sits in my showroom with a 30″ x 54″ racetrack oval glass resting on its surface.

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There’s 2 ways to experience the beauty of this wilderness-by seaplane or by boat. After reading about a tragic plane accident that took the lives of some Holland America passengers last year, we decided the boat ride was the way we wanted to go.The air was chilly, the skies were crystal clear & the views were breathtaking, including the chance encounter with a small pod of orcas or killer whales.

For the next couple of hours it was just the wonder of soaking in the splendor of this landscape.

A few seals just catching some sun as we all scrambled to take their pictures.

Finally back to our floating home for the week to board & enjoy one more night before returning to Orlando. A truly remarkable & memorable time to spend with my family & to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.

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An adventure boat preparing their guests to kayak for a more intimate view of their surroundings….I was a bit envious of that one.

Finally we approached the end of the bay & for an hour the captain slowly rotated the ship so everyone could take in Margerie Glacier from the comfort of their own balcony.

Margerie Glacier is categorized as a tidewater glacier, one of eleven remaining in the park, with eight in the bay and three on the Pacific Ocean coastal area of the park. A tidewater glacier is one whose terminus encounters seawater at least at high tide, if not at all tide levels. Margerie Glacier and six other glaciers have termini that are fully submerged at all tide levels. It  has a total height of 350 feet of which 250 feet rises above the water level and 100 feet  is beneath the water surface. Like many glaciers it contains moraines which appear as dark areas composed of dirt, stones and larger rocks mixed in with the ice and transported downstream to eventually be ejected from the glacier’s terminus. The glacial ice appears blue as a result of the absorption of red, orange, yellow and green wavelengths of light and, consequently, pools of meltwater on top of the glacier will appear bright blue. It is also one of the most active glaciers for ice calving.  As a glacier calves it makes sounds similar to gunshots from the cracking of the ice and the release of trapped air, then a roaring boom as the ice tumbles down into the sea. The locals refer to this as “white thunder”.

One of the lenses for my Nikon is a 150-600mm which is quite heavy to handhold & obtain clear focused images but mounted on a tripod it was ideal for capturing a burst of large sections of ice breaking away from the glacier & splashing into the sea.Resting on the ground was one very large blue ice cube.

Leaving the bay was a great time for Nikki to enjoy an ice cream cone while I just wanted to kick back & appreciate all that we just had witnessed.

Our next & last stop before heading back to Vancouver…..Ketchikan & Misty Fjords National Monument.

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It was a short walk to hop on as the train was parked right outside our balcony.

As we approached this old wooden trestle bridge I was a little nervous that we were going over it until I realized it has been abandoned & is now in disrepair.The top was blanketed in snow, the skies were bright blue & the cool crisp air was magnificent. 

A few other souls ventured out on the platforms to take pictures but most of the time I just had to share the small space with Nick.

Back on board & still taking in the beautiful landscape.

The excursion up this historic pass was a highlight & would definitely recommend it, especially if photography was a passion.

Next up was a slow cruise into Glacier Bay.

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Between the 2 suites we had 40′ of balcony to enjoy the inner passage from Vancouver all the way to Alaska so relaxing on deck was quite enjoyable as the sun arose at 5 AM & didn’t set until 10 PM.

Our first city of departure was Juneau, Alaska’s capitol & accessible only by boat or seaplane. Of the many excursions that were offered, Nikki & I decided to go whale watching & visit the Mendenhall Glacier while Nick & Alexis were more adventuresome & went sea kayaking.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Humpback whale

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Harbor seals

                                                                                                                                                                                           Mendenhall with the “blue ice” glaciers are known forMendenhall Glacier falls, a 100′ wide rush of water that cascades 300′ from Nugget Creek which in turn is fed by Nugget Glacier. We wanted to make the hike to the foot of the falls but were afraid we wouldn’t get back in time to catch the bus back to our ship.

Was hoping to see some bears but had to settle for a porcupine. At least I could get close without the fear of being mauled.

Alaska has a very large population of eagles, so spotting them was always a treat.

After a little snack of king crab legs it was time to get back on board & set sail for our next port of call…Skagway.

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