A visitor came to creek!

[Mark Singer]

I may have back that gotwards ! Either way Rob Blaustein....a wonderful guy, and Scientist, Doctor, I could go on and on....

Came to visit. He was at a seminar in Long Beach and took a few hour break to visit me for some Cafe Latte and woodworking comradery! It was great! Rob is probably on his way back to Boston....he is a dedicated woodworker and a very great guy!

I love when Creeker's stop buy and I can power up my handplanes and shave up a friendship!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Mark,

It is always great to meet fellow creekers! Glad that you got to meet Rob!

Jeff

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Glad you guys got to meet...It's fun meeting Creekers!

[Jason Roehl]

Mark, the tay you're wyping, how do we know the guy's name isn't Blob Raustein--or is that his evil twin in a parallel universe?

Racin' Jail, aka
Jason Ro...oh, nevermind...

[Scott Parks]

Mark, Isn't it a little to early in the morning to uncork the Merlot?

Mark sounds like quite a gracious host for SMC'ers!

[Rob Blaustein]

Well, as I mentioned to Mark in a PM, visiting his place was a great way to cap off my trip to CA. I was attending a scientific meeting in Long Beach and had Wed afternoon free. I remembered seeing that Mark was in Laguna so sent him a note asking if he would be up for a brief visit from a fellow SMCer. He kindly offered to quit work early to host me for several hours, so I grabbed a rental car and drove down to his place. One word sums up Mark's place: WOW! I'll get to that in a sec, but first I want to thank Mark and his wife for welcoming me (a stranger, apart from SMC) into their home and shop for an afternoon--they were such warm and gracious hosts, and I had a great time!

Now if you thought Mark's work looks impressive in his posts, well you should see it all in person. As I'm sure many of you realize, it's hard to get the full flavor of a piece by looking at an isolated photo or series of shots. But seeing them in the context of his house and office really demonstrates how he combines his architectural design and woodworking skills to create pieces which blend so well with the space. And what a space it is--perched on a hill with spectacular views of the water and city, it is serene, spacious, and beautifully done. In addition to designing the house, Mark pretty much built all of the furniture in the place. It was really inspiring. Perhaps the most fun was Mark giving me a really detailed tour of all of the furniture, opening every cabinet and even pulling drawers out to show me just how he designed and built everything. As a real beginner trying to set up a small shop, I also really enjoyed touring Mark's shop and trying out some of his saws and handplanes (never even used one before that!). All I can say is that if you ever get out to Laguna and have a few hours to spare, give Mark a holler, you won't be sorry! Thanks Mark, and hope to see you again some time soon.
-Rob

[Jim Becker]

'Sounds like you had the same wonderful experience I had, Rob, when visiting with Mark and his family...awesome just isn't a strong enough word!

[Mark Singer]

Rob,

Thank you....I loved sharing my work with you! It is fun to show my tool collection and share my approach to machinery and safety. SMC is a special place...you make distant friends and soon you are sharing experiences first hand...one on one! I guess I have several thousand friends! That is special....I will try to see Rob, jim and others when I go east...I really look forward to it!