2011 AAW Symposium - Friday, June 24 part 1

The first day of the AAW symposium is always full of frenetic activity - especially at the registration area.  Everyone wants to pick up their packets before the start of the opening ceremony.  In previous years this was because you needed the schedule to determine which rotations to attend.  This year, however, the a preview version of the symposium book (edited by Sharon Bierman) was available online.  Still, the activity at the registration area was hopping all the way up and through the opening ceremony.

The AAW board of directors and the AAW headquarters staff all sat up on the stage at the beginning of the meeting so that introductions could be done.  Attendance this year was somewhere between 1700 and 1800 preregistrants.  There were likely additional registrations throughout the weekend.

David Ellsworth gave the opening remarks.  David is AAW member #001, was the first president of AAW, and the first recipient of a Lifetime Membership Award.  I think he may be the only member to have attended all 25 symposiums, too.

Tom Wirsing, current AAW president, then talked about the schedule and gave general comments.  You can see part of the large audience in the room.

I like this angle for the photo.  It puts the session in context with the large crowd.

Part of the celebration for the 25th anniversary symposium was the publication of "Woodturning today" edited by John Kelsey.  It's a marvelous record of the history of AAW with stories shared by members, beautiful photos of turnings representing the evolution of our art, and many interesting articles.  If you don't already have a copy, be sure to order one from the AAW website.  John Kelsey is to be congratulated on putting this all together for us.

After the opening ceremony, there's always a mad dash for seats in the demonstration rotation rooms.  Making his debut at the AAW symposium this year was Jerome Blanc from Switzerland.  Jerome participated in the International Turning Exchange program last year at the Wood Turning Center.  This demo was on sculptural woodturning.

There was one or more panel discussions offered during each rotation throughout the weekend.  This one featured David Ellsworth, Kevin Wallace, Terry Martin and Giles Gilson.  Giles couldn't attend the symposium, but checked in via a Skype connection.

Nick Cook demos are always worth seeing.  He was showing how to make lamp bases.  That's what that giant drill bit is for - drilling through the lamp to make room for the electrical wiring.

Jerry Kermode did a rotation on basic bowl turning techniques.

Some of the demonstrations were so popular that there was standing room only, and the audience spilled out into the hall.

Friday morning also sees the big rush through the trade show to find the best stuff to buy before someone else snags it.  Many of the trade show vendors have demonstrations going on continually throughout the day.  Nick Cook demonstrated in the trade show as well as doing rotations in the symposium itself.

Guilio Marcolongo was demonstrating for Vicmarc lathes.  It was great to see the Aussies here for the 25th anniversary symposium.

The Stuart Batty Woodturning booth was also continually busy with demonstrations.  This booth had the most impressive set-up from the technology standpoint of any booth I've seen at an AAW symposium.  He sure did draw in the crowds with his line-up of demonstrators, too.








For more pictures from Friday, June 24, 2011 of the AAW symposium check my FB albums: here and also here.

Other posts from the 2011 AAW symposium:

Preliminary report from the AAW symposium
2011 AAW symposium prelude
Thursday afternoon and early evening; June 23
Thursday - 23 June 2011 AAW: Conversations with Wood: Selections from the Waterbury Exhibit

Misty morning

Misty morning, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

There's something magical about walking in a forest during a morning fog. The promise of sunshine peaks through the tips of the trees whilst the droplets cling to the ferns and understory layers. Jewels of mist gather on stray tendrils of hair around my face and it feels so mystical to see the muted shades of green and brown hidden in a veil of mist. One's senses become attuned to sounds rather than sights and the scents of the forest become more acute as well. Nature offers the best cathedrals, I think.

Banana slug

Banana slug, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The coastal redwood forest has a special relationship with banana slugs. These molluscs will eat everything in the forest except redwood seeds and seedlings. They're very large slugs, too - this one was about 8 inches long - so you certainly can't miss them as you are walking in the forest.

Spruce grove

Spruce grove, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The coast range of the Pacific Northwest is home to Sitka Spruce. These trees can get very large and were heavily logged during the past century. This grove at Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast is second growth forest. The area was likely logged in the 1940's - 1960's.

Weimarwiener

Weimarwiener, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Luna Pi - aka Moon Pie. One of my lovely dachshunds. Her coloring is called Isabella and Tan. We like to think of her as a weimar-wiener because of her coloring. She's very sweet.

"I am a rock, I am an island...."

Foggy morning series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Simon and Garfunkel wrote so many songs I can identify with. The older I get, the more I reflect back on the music of my youth and how the lyrics described contemporary events and moods of the 60's and 70's. There are so many songwriters from that time period that were good at social commentary. Maybe I've just lost touch with modern culture, but it seems to me that we've lost that element of artistic expression in today's popular amusic. Perhaps it's my lack of understanding rap and hip hop, though. I suspect there is a lot of commentary in those forms if one could get past the misogynistic and foul-mouthed loudness.

Forgotten Microcosm

Forgotten Microcosm, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

When I was a kid I used to walk the beach looking for interesting shells and rocks. I still do that, but more often than not, I'm inclined to leave the find where it is and just find a good photographic angle.

Clover

Clover, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast was a great place to take photos - even of the plants that most people would ignore. These large clover inflorescences are another reminder of my childhood. I well recall plucking the individual flowers to suck on the nectar at the base of the corolla. They are very pretty plants, I think, and worthy of attention.

Foggy morning series

Foggy morning series, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Imagine the sound of gulls and other shorebirds - you can hear them, but not see them. The breakers are crashing, but you see only those closest to shore. The air is cool and moist, no one else is up and about, and half the world is off beyond an unseen horizon.

Amongst the giants

Amongst the giants, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Steve and Aaron in Stout Grove at Jedediah Smith State Park, Northern California. Aaron had never seen the redwoods before and since we were already in Southern Oregon for the American Penstemon Society Meeting, we took a side trip down to the redwoods before heading back to Portland to catch our planes back east.

Footprints in the mist

Footprints in the mist, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Spending a couple of days at the Oregon coast was so good for my soul. Steve and I really enjoyed our time on July 7, 2011 - starting with a predawn walk along the beach when the fog was thick and mystical.

Anything for a photo

Anything for a photo, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Sometimes it's worth a little risk to get that magical moment frozen in time. We were at the tide pools near Devil's Churn at Cape Perpetua when Steve decided to go for the ultimate wave picture.

Newport Bridge over Yaquina Bay

Newport Bridge over Yaquina Bay, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

The evening of July 6 made for some really interesting light and mood for photographing this iconic bridge. Here's another view from the evening.

Solitude

Solitude, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Steve in the mist along the Oregon coast.

The stuff of nightmares

The stuff of nightmares, a photo by andiwolfe (back from travels, need to catch up) on Flickr.

Steve and I hiked along a trail at Cape Perpetua after our long morning walk in the fog along the coast. This was a pretty entertaining millipede to watch as it explored a rotting stump of sitka spruce.