Bootleg & Sweet Tea

06/24/2026

Amy: “Look at this amazing burl!”
Me: “It’s attached to the tree.”
Amy: “That sounds like a temporary problem.” 🌲

For the record no tree will be harmed.

06/24/2026

Twenty seconds of lake life.

No filters. No soundtrack needed. Just a muskrat moving through the water on a quiet Minnesota morning.

06/24/2026

Our first day, it’s been two years! And oh how I’ve missed it.

06/23/2026

We love a good road trip! 🚗☀️ Off to Lake Wymer for some much-needed R&R, lake time, junkin’, flea market treasures, and quality time with Mr. Bootleg. Celebrating 10 years of marriage the best way we know how—together, making memories, and enjoying the simple things. ❤️🌊🐾

06/23/2026

Debarking a birch log.. This is oddly satisfying.

06/21/2026

Part 3 - Making of a Cedar Bowl. Coming into the final stretch.
We’re at the finishing phase, and by far, this is the hardest part. It’s easy to want to hurry to a finished product right here at the end, but you have to be steadfast in your standards.

Like I wrote about in The Cure Time Principle, rushing the process never works. You have to be steady, step back, and let the layers set. It takes discipline, far more than one might think.

06/20/2026

✨ It’s been a hot minute since we broke out the epoxy!
We’ve got a special bowl project in the works for our favorite “wood dealer,” and with a little extra resin left over, we couldn’t resist filling some beautiful cracks in these Russian Olive logs.
The results are looking pretty sweet already… these logs are officially TBD! 😉
What should we make with them? Drop a comment below with your ideas.
Who else loves that satisfying crack-filling glow? Drop a ❤️ if you’re team epoxy!

06/16/2026

Part 2: Making a Cedar Bowl.

Matching the outer profile on the inside is what makes this one both a challenge and a lot of fun.

Part 2 Making a Cedar Bowl. It’s actually been 11 months since my last bowl. I took a step back to focus mostly on spindle work for a while, different tools and skills, so it feels good to be back at the lathe for a piece like this.

06/15/2026

06/14/2026

Part 1 of the Cedar to bowl! Rounding out a blank and
watching that grain reveal itself. Wasn’t sure of the direction yet, but the lathe always tells a story.