Did You Miss Me?
March 19th, 2007 . by CaryOK – things are getting into somewhat of a routine. TMBWitW went back to work this morning, after maternity leave and vacation. She has been dreading this day, when she has to go without holding her daughter for nine hours. I don’t blame her. MEG is the most beautiful baby ever, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her Dad. I mean it:
I got a concerned call from Gawfer on Friday, while the three of us were in Kingman visiting our cousins. He asked if I was OK, since I hadn’t been active on the blogs all week. I told him I was fine, and I appreciated his concern. In the process of being approved for a contractor position with the Arizona Republic combined with finally getting the new pulpit completed, I didn’t have a lot of time for anything else.
What’s that? You want to see pictures of the pulpit?
This is the pulpit before any color was applied. The base material is 3/4″ maple ply, with hardwood trimming from Home Depot:
The nice thing about hardwood is that when you add color like I did, it blends the poplar and the maple very nicely.
Back view:
Lectern view:
Ignore the mess in the background – I was working on my back patio.
I used Vermont Maple base color from Minwax:
Lectern view:
This project started out as a refinishing of an old pulpit. The original piece had been stored in an outdoor location, under a roof extension, and covered with a tarp. One thing about beautiful wood and water – the latter will eventually find the former unless someone is very vigilant. No one was vigilant, so it soaked up a lot of rain, even in this desert environment. Combined with the fast drying action, mold attacked most of the structure, and sanding the old finish revealed large patches of deep damage. The old one was made of eastern white oak – beautiful, and I cried when I saw the mold. I was able to salvage some of the parts, and after talking with the Pastor, it was decided to use a carved grape motif and a Celtic cross from the front of the old pulpit. I did a face sand of the salvage pieces, retaining the old finish in the relief sections. These were incorporated into the face of the new pulpit, and the whole thing got a clear coat:
The contractor position with the paper is delivering bulk quantities to store fronts and racks; this takes place between midnight and 6 am. This allows me to watch MEG during the day while TMBWitW is at work, God is Good! and He allows us to keep MEG here at home instead of putting her in daycare. Parental supervision is best!
Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!
Wow, your pulpit is beautiful! So is Meg, what a cutie!
Congrats on the new job. It looks like you’ll be a night owl now like me. So when are you planning on sleeping if you’ll spend your nights working and your days with your beautiful daughter??
I’ll sleep when she naps during the day; and when TMBWitW comes home, I’ll go to bed.
We’ll see how this works out…
Beautiful pulpit Cary. Obviously, lots of work and love went into it.
Beautiful little girl as well. Pride may be a sin, but I suspect that God makes exceptions when it comes to the love of your child.
Glad to see you back in the swing of things bro.
It’s funny, but I started this project about a year ago – and have since gone through three cabinet shops (one twice, when the second opportunity didn’t work out) and a major shift in career path. Most of the work has happened since I left the shops, and I so love the feeling of accomplishment – I am considering doing church furniture on the side, and selling it on line.
God gave us this little girl, so I’m sure He is OK with us being so proud of her. Remind me to tell you a little story about a young lady who was told she would never be able to have children… and you will understand why we call MEG our “miracle child.”
Excellent craftsmanship! Love the Celtic Cross.
And congrats on the job!
Beeeautiful baby!
FTGF!
Thanks, Daniel. I had a feeling you would like the cross.
Thank you for the congrats, and I couldn’t agree with you more on the beauty of the baby.
How can one deny a child the gift of life!
My sisters name is also Meg.
Take care Cary.
FTGF!