Next Friday, Lucy and I fly to Australia for a week of relaxation and marsupials. And then I’ll stay on to teach a couple chairmaking classes for Wood Dust and participate in some woodworking events that look to be fun.
The two classes have been sold out for months, but the organizers have found a way to add a couple spots to the classes. If you’re stick-chair curious, you can read more here.
We’ll be building seven-stick comb-back chairs in both classes, and local chairmaking hero Bern Chandley will be on hand during the classes to make sure everyone gets plenty of attention and instruction during the classes.
If you aren’t up for the classes, there’s other stuff to do.
There is a dinner on October 7 in Coburg at the Post Office Hotel. There’s a big meal (and drinks) planned with speeches and whatnot from Michael Fortune, Matt Kenney and me. I’m told I should wear my finest “budgie smuggler” to the event (I’ll have to Google that soon).
Want to see that? Tickets are available here.
Thirdly, there will be two “Yarns” (October 9 and 16) where I’ll be answering any and all questions from the audience and some friendly interrogators. If you want to know where the bodies are buried, these are the events to attend. I have no filter.
More details on the Yarns are here.
This will be my second trip to Australia, and likely will be my last. Not because I’m dying at an accelerated rate. But because it’s becoming difficult to travel and run Lost Art Press. I now have two apprentices. And a long list of books to write and edit. And I have a trench to manage at our warehouse in Covington, Ky. (I was only 55 when I acquired my first trench….)
I am greatly looking forward to the trip. I found the Australians to be delightful people with a keen sense of language and sly practical jokes (ask me about signing books in blood some day….)
— Christopher Schwarz