Ancient Wood

The monthly meeting of the NCWA was a special one today, hosted by Smith and Valle Woodworks in the quaint little town of Edison.

After the routine club business had been conducted, we were given a tour of the workshop, saw mill, wood storage warehouse, and art gallery. It was all very impressive.

This table displayed in the gallery is made from a solid slab, cut from a log that was submerged in salt water, under 10 feet/ 3 meters of mud for at least 2300 years. The tree was between 100 and years old before it fell. The salt water seeping into the wood gave the wood it's unusual dark color shading. Perhaps the color might have been more uniform if the log had been submerged for a few thousand more years!

After the tour we all went to the Edison Tavern for lunch. We sat outside, with large umbrellas providing welcome shade -- it was quite hot today. The food was much better than average pub fare. I had an oyster burger with salad. The (five) oysters were fresh and perfectly cooked. A pint of Manny's Pale Ale was a good accompaniment.