It's cold...too cold to bike...so I resurrect my Grandfather.

I know, I know - some would just call me a wuss and say that I need to get tough, get some cold gear, and get out on the roads. They're probably right. But you know what? There is more to life than biking, and the cold winter months give me the time to work on other interests.

Of the many hobbies the Fat Kid has, woodworking has got to be one of my favorites. I grew up with it, but it was more than just that. My father has always had a workshop of some sort, and he has always been doing things, building things, repairing things, etc., but it was not until about 1990, when I was but 13, that Dad made a fundamental shift in his woodworking. He began to want to make things that were functional and beautiful. For an engineer to make this leap is, shall we say, monumental - if you believe in the stereotypical prototype of an "engineer," but I digress.

From that point, I watched my father learn how to create beautiful things from beautiful wood. I learned many of the tips and tricks to working with wood right beside him. As hea learned them, so did I. As he made the mistake, I watched him correct it and learned to prevent it myself. Twenty years later, I find myself in a unique position: I am skilled to the point where I can pick up a new tool, teach myself to use it, and then make beautiful things with said tool. I am blessed.

In late 2009, I began making Christmas ornaments in the shape of maple leaves. The first set - they come in sets of four - was received with much joy...and some envy on the parts of those who did not get them. Thus, 2010 was spent creating more leaves, a total of 30 of them, in two different patterns: maple leaves made from cherry wood, and ginko leaves made from maple wood. Yes, I know - that seems silly, but trust me, it works, as the cherry gets darker with age and grows more rich. Hey, I'm entitled to a little artistic license.

But why am I telling you all this??? Because, the latest project has just gotten underway in the workshop - a project that has been many years in the making. How many years? I don't actually know. From a corner of my father's basement, I took a box full of small chunks of maple and walnut. These pieces were already measured and cut, with a specific intent in mind, by my grandfather. Grandpa was a gifted woodworker, and designed his very own chess set, which he never got around to making. Several years ago, I lovingly lifted the patterns of this set from my father's basement, and now, I have the wood, too. These pieces are a mixture of turnings and carvings, laid out by Grandpa probably before I was even born.

Last night, the first pawn of a chess set conceived many years ago emerged from a small block of walnut. My grandfather lives on.