I'm not an Old Fart....
but I have two stories:
A few years ago I was doing a downtown ArtWalk; these are art fairs organized to bring people into the downtown areas of older cities, and to encourage more cultural events. I was set up with a small booth on the sidewalk just outside a gallery in which I had a few pieces on consignment.
Two women late 50's or early 60's were riding their Razor scooters (yes, I did say Razor scooters, and the age was also accurate) and stopped in front of my booth to look at my turnings. The discussions got around to "where do you get your wood", to which I responded, "Anywhere I can." One of them says she has an apple tree that would be taken down in a year or so, would I be interested? Sure!
Several months later, I get a phone call, telling me that the tree has been cut down, and the trunk and larger branches had been put aside for me. And by the way, would you mind making two bowls from it, one for me and one for my nephew. I will pay you for it....
The wood is picked up, and more than a year later I have a few pieces completed. She wanted the 'best' of the bunch, so I picked out two 8" natural edge bowls. Apple, being a fruit wood, and sometimes the orneriest of the fruit woods, gave me a heck of a time, and several of the blanks I had lost to unforgiveable checking. I wanted to salvage the time in the pieces, so I decided I had to charge her $75 each, but was feeling guilty.
Called her and made arrangements to deliver the bowl to her that Saturday. Same address as where the wood was gathered. The house was in one of the really older sections of town; homes built around the turn of the century, but well maintained. This one was large enough to have been divvied up into 3 or 4 apartments, and she lived in a smaller condo.... At least, that's what I thought....
Showed up with the bowls...I hear...I love them,..they are beautiful! I'm going to keep this one for myself...! Next she asks if I would care to see some of her furniture; it's all cherry, and made by someone I might know. Curious, I say, "Sure." I don't make furniture, never have, but ....
[Image - jaw drops wide open the eyes go boing, just lie the cartoons] She leads me from the foyer through a pair of 12 foot high glass doors, that open into a room full of museum quality cherry and mahogany furniture. Pie crust tables with ball and claw feet; a federal high-boy that would make Leigh and Leslie Keno of Antiques Roadshow giddy with excitement! A side table and matching arm chairs with ebony and (I hope not) Ivory inlay. And that was in just the drawing room! Turns out that most of the furniture was made on commission by NH Furniture Master David Lamb. For those of you who read Fine WoodWorking, you've seen his stuff. She was so proud of the very first piece that she had commissioned from him - the pie crust table. He at first wasn't interested but she kept pestering him. Eventually he told her, I'm too busy, but I can get to it in about 5 years. Apparently that was intended to discourage her, but she just said, "Fine." It took 7 years, and that led to about a half-dozen more pieces over several more years.
She couldn't care less about how long it took, she simply wanted what she wanted, and was willing to wait for it! And here I was worried about charging her $75 bucks a piece for a couple of natural edge bowls! Yup, turns out that was her home -- the whole thing. That connection has led to a few more sales, and very recently, my first commission for a carved base to display a diamond pendant.
Wow, didn't mean to be so long winded...I'll post the other story a little later...