A Different Pace of Life

Adapting to living in Fort Bragg has been a pleasure. It’s a small town of about 6,000 on the northern California coast. It’s absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. The coast ranges from rocky bluffs to wide stretches of white sand dunes, eucalyptus trees scent the air, and the fog occasionally blankets the town in misty puffs of condensation. People are friendly, and there’s plenty to do outdoors.

There have been two challenges to living in this small piece of nirvana.

Firstly, I’m adapting to being on someone else’s schedule. The stores are open Monday through Friday—or Saturday, on a rare occasion—from 9 am until 5 pm. I’m in class Monday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, which makes it challenging to mail packages, get a haircut, or buy bread from the baker. Yes, even the baker operates on a limited schedule. She runs a Wednesday through Saturday operation.  

Secondly, cell reception is sorely lacking. I can somewhat reliably get service in town, but I live about 6 miles north of town. I don’t get reception in my cottage or anywhere near my cottage (with one exception, see below). To compensate, I’ve done my research on voice over internet (VOI) services, which allow you to make phone calls through your computer. The mac daddy of them all seems to be Ring2Skype. Not only can I make free calls to friends and family through Skype, I also have a phone number where you all can call me. It’s a free service, and the caller only incurs the normal cost of the call. It’s just like having a regular telephone number. Give it a try! My number is 213.325.6994 extension 652. If you’d like to try the service yourself visit Ring2Skype. 

The other option is to go to reception dune. Seriously, this is where I can make my calls. It’s about a 5-minute walk from my cottage.  

Photo by Mike Manville

This is the view from the hammock.

Photo by Mike Manville

Photo by Mike Manville

Welcome to my Blog

As most of you know I moved to California’s North Coast to pursue woodworking at College of the Redwoods. The school has an excellent fine furniture program, and I’m sure I’ll learn more than I can imagine over the next nine months about woodworking and myself. I’d like you to be part of that experience. Because my friends and family are scattered across the globe and because Fort Bragg, CA is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, a blog seems like the best way for you to follow me on my adventure. Of course, I also invite you to visit if you can! I plan to write about woodworking, tools, life on the North Coast, and anything else that seems relevant. I’ll also post lots of pictures.  

Many of you are probably asking yourself why I would take time out of my life to do something like this. That’s a good question. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. All I know at the moment is that woodworking feeds my soul. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to focus intensely on becoming the best furniture maker I can be. To clue you in, and to remind myself, these are the goals I have for the year:

• To learn to see and create beautiful objects from wood, using the hand, eye and imagination.
• To build adaptable, functional furniture in a modern style with a nod to the beauty and craft of the past.
• To use traditional techniques, local materials and environmentally conscious design and production practices.
• To participate in and contribute to a community of individuals who are inspired by their craft.
• To maintain a connection to the makers in my family.
• To live and build simply and beautifully. 

Finally, I’d like to thank Mike Manville for supporting me in this adventure, and for agreeing to edit my posts. I wouldn’t be here without you!

I hope you all enjoy the blog.