Wood From A Pepper Tree

Some people consider pepper trees to be only a step or two above weeds. I have always liked them- since I was a child. I remember being fascinated by them. The leaves and seed pods are rather delicate while the bark is very rough. Early last summer my son cut two unneeded, tall trunk sections from my sister's back yard. It was to be part of the decorations for my daughter's wedding. It was a beautiful, fun and fulfilling series of events. The prep work and the ceremony itself. Everything took place in the back yard of my son-in-law's parents. Two families really were joined together in a way that they hadn't been. Working together, we got to know each other in a ways we never otherwise would have.

The day after the wedding I was back up there, helping to dismantle much of our handiwork.
When I came time to take down the decorative trees which had formed an arch, I couldn't make myself simply cut up the wood and throw it away. I saved it. I wasn't sure when or how I would use it, but I told myself that I'd like to use it to make some other piece of art or perhaps a decorative object for the kids.

The small trees which had been about twelve feet tall were cut down to a size that would fit in my car and brought home to my vast warehouse and studio complex. (That's an attempt at humor) The vast storage facilities were already full of the thousands of beach rocks and pieces of driftwood which were not used in the wedding, but I found places for the new resources.

Just yesterday I began working on the bark of one small section of the tree. It is about two inches in diameter and approximately five inches long. Earlier I described the bark as rough, but there are endless variations, with some places more smooth, other almost sharp. Some parts were raised, while some were deeply recessed.

I began to very selectively sand, slowly and carefully, "finding my way", in a manner similar to the method described in the Romancing The Stone entry. The piece is not yet finished, but the variations provide a wonderful array of possibilities to sand and smooth or leave untouched. I will send a picture when it is finished.
I promise.

until next time,
and I hope it's not so long
c