Windfall

As defined by Merriam-Webster, ‘Windfall’ comes from the 15th century and describes: 1: something (such as a tree or fruit) blown down by the wind and 2: an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage. Although today the second definition is by far the more commonly used, I’m happy to say I am the beneficiary according to both. I’ve avoided Bradford Pear as material in the shop until fairly recently when I turned a bowl from a small block and was most pleasantly surprised to find the character of the wood to be quite attractive, contrary to what I expected. One of the benefits of Georgia weather is that anytime we get exuberant storms, the wind (or ice) brings quite a few Bradford Pears down or splits large limbs off. Either way, there are often times that the availability of the wood can be immense. Within the past couple weeks I’ve found myself to be the fortunate recipient of three truckloads of free wood, two of Bradford Pear and one of Eastern Red Cedar. I’m going to have to build a new shed to store and dry my bowl blanks at this rate! Life is good!…