Why My Fixation on Marbles?

When I was a young boy, I loved marbles.  I really didn’t play the traditional marble games, but was fascinated by the various colors and styles of different types of marbles.  By the time I was 12 years old, I had a large Crisco can filled with my collection of marbles. Then they were gone.  Our house burned completely to the ground, leaving our family with only the clothes we were wearing.

Marbles

Sifting through the ashes and rubble, I found only these five melted marbles from my collection, which I have saved in an old film canister for the last 55 years.

Now in my woodworking, I think I love making marble runs and toys as much as anything.  The recent marble trees are just one example.  More to come! 

Marble Trees!

I recently made several of these fun marble trees. Originally, I made a batch of four and published a video on Instagram and Facebook. Almost immediately, they were purchased and several more people expressed interest. I recently made a larger batch to cover those who first expressed interest and potentially more. It has been a fun project. 

Retirement Party – COVID Style

Friday, August 14, 2020, was my last day of employment with Oracle Corporation.  That evening, our kids threw us a COVID Style drive-by retirement celebration party! Claudia and Eric had invited dozens of people. Many drove up and offered their congratulations. The grandkids handed out ice cream treats. It was wonderful! 

Here are a few photos of the event:

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This final photo was created by out oldest daughter, Heidi Bartle, offering a synopsis of my 43 year career!

 

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