Sargie and Jody
Catching up on news Monday morning

February 15, 2016 - Monday evening

48 degrees/clear/calm winds

Laurel, Mississippi

We made it to Garry and Jody's around 5:30 Sunday afternoon. The trip from Lake Horn, just south of Memphis, was uneventful and a good one.

There are many who don't realize that Mississippi has thousands of acres of forests and more than a few rolling hills.

Since our arrival, the four of us have spent no small amount of time talking and catching up on family news.

When my son, Matt, attended the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, he made his second home at Garry and Jody's and spent many a weekend here. Since I was living in northern Maine, and later, in Alaska, it made me feel good to know Matt had a southern mama and daddy to look after him. 

Jody took Sargie on a tour of the area on Monday. While they were gone, Garry and I headed to his shop where I learned some of the basics of how to make a wooden bowl on a lathe. 

Though Garry says I turned the bowl, he actually did most of the work in guiding my hands. I did just enough to know that my next major shop purchase will be a lathe.

I'd have a death grip on the chisel, or gouge, or the thing (whatever it's called) that shaves the wood from the stock, generally making a mess, when suddenly, a big hand would appear from behind me, straighten the tool, and beautiful shavings would once again peel from the wood stock on the lathe. He makes the whole process seem so effortless and when he told me to relax my grip, things began coming together. I have much to learn, hours of practicing ahead, but I will learn the art of turning bowls.

Garry's a master, a real artist. His work with finer things like making bowls and pens makes my hacking around on strawberry planters and ice fishing sleds look pretty raw. Still, I'm learning and yesterday was a clinic in one aspect of wood working.

Garry also showed me how to make a pen on the lathe. I'll show the finished product in the next entry, but it starts with two blocks of wood.

They are turned into something more recognizable.

We quit at dinnertime and joined the folks, along with Jody and Garry's daughter, Kari, her husband, Tommy, and kiddies, Nolan, Abby, and Evan, for a great supper of rice and brown gravy, roast, corn, butter beans, and black eyed peas. For dessert, we enjoyed Kari's pecan bread pudding. It was all absolutely delicious.

Somehow or the other, I didn't get a picture of five-year-old, Evan, but I will before we leave. Evan and I had a great discussion about Star Wars Legos, something that excited him a great deal.

Tommy and Kari left shortly after supper. The kiddies have school tomorrow and as with most young families, they are busy with work and raising children.

Kari sent this picture of the sunset tonight. After a day of storms and rain, tonight has cleared off and tomorrow promises to be in the mid 70's with sunny skies.

The four of us are heading to Natchez Tuesday morning to tour Civil War era plantation homes, something we're looking forward to a great deal.

Meanwhile, it's late and time for me to close my eyes. It's been a busy and very enjoyable day, but all good things have to come to an end, even if it's only for a night of sleep.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road by way of Laurel, Mississippi...

Ten-year-old Abby was showing me some of her gymnastic and dance moves. Not to be outdone, I showed her a few of my own. Note the beauty, grace, poise, and agility.