Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Wooden Rings and Active Duty


Lucaya and her now husband Matthew are Active Duty service members serving a two-year tour in South Korea.  They are an amazing couple and were so much fun to work with.

When David was finished his work and we sent the final photos of their rings, Lucaya wrote, "We are speechless.  I had seen some remarkable rings on your website but nothing really prepared me to see something that we brainstormed together with little bits of taped-up-paper, (I kid you not, we made little paper rings and drew on the inlays with pens at different widths and options) ...to what we see now!  These rings are absolutely stunning, I cannot congratulate you enough for an excellent job!"

After their wedding and honeymoon, another wonderful letter and some great pics!!  They wrote: "The rings are just perfect!  We could not believe how light they are!  It is stunning that so much work and craftsmanship can fit into something so TINY!!!   David is an absolute artist!  Thank you so so so so so so so much! We have returned to stressful Korea now, sun-burnt and blissfully happy after an AMAZING honeymoon along Thailand's glowingly beautiful shores.  
Due to some army emergencies, we had to get married March 26th instead of April 1st as we had hoped, so we quickly went to the embassy and did the scavenger hunt that was Korean wedding paperwork and then presented the rings to each other in a Thai restaurant, (we figured it was appropriate), situated on a lock.  We had talked for a year of placing locks around the world as we traveled, and our first was to be on Seoul Tower, where we had our first date, on the day of our wedding. Well, we had to wait until the day of our honeymoon, (April 1st) to actually place the lock, which we did on our way to the airport, that was where we said our vows to each other.

 Once in Thailand, we took some photos of the rings up against age-old mangrove trees, nestled within the prayer flowers that encompass the trunk of the tree
 
and more photos with the rings placed along the weathered wood of a traditional Thai longboat at sunset.
touch wood rings in Thailand
And finally, with a very heavy heart we had to leave...from Seoul to Taipei to Bangkok to Krabi to Ko Phi Phi Don to Ao Luk to Ao Nang, back to Bangkok, then on to Ho Chi Minh City and finally back to Seoul.  What a wonderful trip and thank you so much for giving us such a beautiful part of it!"
 David and I are so grateful to Matt and Lucaya ~ thanks for being a couple of bright lights in our days.     Perhaps one year we'll see you two and one of those locks on a gate or fence out here on these 50 acres.  Much Love to you both ~ now and always.
Blackwood rings with Bethlehem Olive wood interiors and inlaid with crushed shell and sea glass.