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  • This will be a multi-day post for me.

    It is first and foremost, a giant "thank you" to The Man, Mr. Ron Kelley.
    His expertise and mastery of knapping are well known here, so I don't need to explain that to any of you, but I will explain the reason for this post. Three years ago I began a major renovation of my house. It was an exiting time as my wife and I bought the home she was raised in from her Mom after her Father passed away, and we lived in it as-is for about 12 years. It was a big house, way more than we need, but it meant a lot to her so I couldn't say no. Her father was an engineer, and true to form, every thing in the home had to be functional, damn the looks or comfort, function trumped everything. We finally decided to make this place our own and I have literally built a new Ouse around the old one, torn the old one inside down, then rebuilt it. I know, it sounds crazy. It IS crazy.
    anyway, about 2 months into the remodel, my Dad was visiting me and going with me on a road trip to Texas to pick up this maginificent front door I had built. The morning of our departure, my phone rand at 5:30 and it was my dad's neighbor telling me his house was on fire. He and my mom lived two hours away, so I woke him(he was in a spare bedroom) and began trying to call my Mom. Unable to reach her, we lit out at a high rate of speed, arriving to find the home surrounded by two fire departments and countless neighbors trying to help in any way they could.
    I'll speed through this part because it's not fun. My mom died in the fire, the house and everything in it were a total loss. Three years later that still hurts to write.

    where does AH.com and Mr. Ron Kelley come into this story? Well...as part of the remodel, I have done my best to instill my wife and mine's fingerprint in everything. It has a very rustic feel to it. I've used a lot of cypress cut by a friend off our farm back home for the trim. The door I mentioned is arched, and the entryway is arched, so I made a "keystone" out of mahogany to match the door, and the archway above it is trimmed in cypress, also with a "keystone". One more keystone over the fireplace/mantel/tv...and since this one is sort of the focus of the entire room, I wanted it to be special. I had wanted to do an inlay with a nice arrowhead in the wood, but I lost about 95% of my colection in the aforementioned fire. I asked Ron if he might sell me one, (those of you who have seen his work know 😳)and he refused, so I offered to trade with him. He agreed to that, and I set to making him a copper bopper. Well...I'm still working on perfecting that thing, but in the meantime I made him a knife. I do custom knife work for friends and family, and have for about twenty years.

    There's no way the knife I made could ever come close to repaying what you've given me, Ron. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
    Last edited by SDhunter; 09-12-2017, 08:03 PM.
    Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

  • #2
    Here's another shot of the door...
    Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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    • #3
      Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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      • #4
        The light colored block in the center is where this beautiful blade from Ron is going to go...
        i will finish the carving and shaping and post an "after" picture in a couple days.
        Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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        • #5
          And this showed up in my mailbox...😳😛😛😜😜🤠
          I feel like Bruce trying to find the right emoji...
          Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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          • #6
            So sorry about your mom. You. Do some very nice work. Thank you for sharing the story.
            TN formerly CT Visit our store http://stores.arrowheads.com/store.p...m-Trading-Post

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            • Jethro355
              Jethro355 commented
              Editing a comment
              Thanks, Hoss.👍

          • #7
            I have no emoji that will possibly convey my regrets for your loss my friend. I have lost both of my parents and the pain never really goes away, Although it does get easier to deal with.

            HOWEVER I do have an emoji for your home. Click image for larger version

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ID:	264652 And this one for Ron's handy work. Click image for larger version

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            Bruce
            In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you?

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            • Jethro355
              Jethro355 commented
              Editing a comment
              Bruce, I can always count on you to turn my world back right-side-up. Thanks for fixing the pics. :-)👍

            • 2ndoldman
              2ndoldman commented
              Editing a comment
              I do what I can Jason.

          • #8
            Beautiful work and those blades by Ron will look awesome there.
            So sorry about your Mom and thanks for sharing all with us.
            Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

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            • #9
              Jethro - I have lost both my Mom and Dad and it was long enough ago that it's a dull pain now. You have my sympathies and prayers. Now - i've worked construction for quite some time and we do some pretty high-end stuff but guy, I've never seen anything quite that beautiful. It all works together, the colors - the wood - the style of decoration and even the furniture. That's simply awesome. And incorporating artifacts and collectibles into the decor is truly unique. Ron - you should be a mighty proud man to have your work surrounded by this backdrop. Jethro - ya done good, really good.
              Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

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              • #10
                Hey Jason, The work and love you have put into your home is awesome.
                Michigan Yooper
                If You Don’t Stand for Something, You’ll Fall for Anything

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                • Jethro355
                  Jethro355 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks, Ron. In today's age, I may be something of an anomaly. I don't build things to add value for a later sale, I build for my own taste and comfort. My parent's house that burned was the one they built when they got married 55 years ago, and we built my dad one right back on top of the foundation of the original. This house will be the one they carry me out of feet first at some point. We have one daughter, and she has had a lot of input into the decor and design as well, because someday it will be hers. I can't build anything without putting a little of me into it.
                  😊

              • #11
                Look's Great already, but going to have to check back. Keep on Trucking!
                http://joshinmo.weebly.com

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                • Jethro355
                  Jethro355 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks Josh.👍

              • #12

                Love, love, love your workmanship and your wife's decorating tastes. Lol!! Just lovely. Kudos to Ron for his artistic touch.
                My heartfelt sympathy for your tragic loss. Many of us have lost loved ones and that feeling of being an orphan hits you regardless of your age.
                Child of the tides

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                • Jethro355
                  Jethro355 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks, Deb...some days it hits me like a ton of bricks, still.

                  Thanks for the compliments. When I get done with this piece, maybe I'll take some pics of some of the doors I built. I love sliding doors, and I have some originals here. :-)

              • #13
                Very talented Jethro!
                South Dakota

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                • Jethro355
                  Jethro355 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks, Gary!

              • #14
                Ok, here is the wood after I carved on it a bit...

                Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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                • #15
                  And then I did this...
                  Wandering wherever I can, mostly in Eastern Arkansas, always looking down.

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                  • Ron Kelley
                    Ron Kelley commented
                    Editing a comment
                    nice work Jason. That looks really neat.
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