As a gift for Sarah for Christmas I decided to build her a laptop writing desk. She loves to write and draw so having a home for those activities seemed like the right thing for her.
The desk was originally designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 as a means of staying productive while traveling, he ended up using it to write the Declaration of Independence. It is a very interesting design with a lot of detail, including hand cut dovetails and a mortise to flush fit the hinged support stand.
It took me two weeks to make and I opted for Walnut instead of Jefferson's mahogany. Sarah's finished desk was photographed in my grandfather's barn, on top of the pile of raw hardwood where the wood for the desk started.
Woodworking, like working on cars, like darkroom work, like picture framing, feels tremendous and is a comforting break from the subjective nature of photography.
Oh, and she made me a quilt and it is awesome!
