~ Madrone Wood from “Ted’s Tree” ~
This wood is from a ancient Madrone tree known, in recent times, as Ted’s Tree, which lived on West 8th Street in Port Angeles, Washington for somewhere between 400 and 700 year or more. All we know is that it was already there when written record-keeping started in the area sometime arounde the early 1700s. It stood until February of 2021 when it was cut back by the owners, John and Jackie Miller after the discovery that it was mostly dead, most likely from the sinking of the water table in the area.
Mrs. Miller is the daughter of Ted and Virginia Serr, who bought the property from Miss Lillian Hoover, who had kept a small pottery shop on the back of the property for many years. The Serrs called it “Ted’s Tree” because Mr. Serr loved it mightily and used to sit often on a bench under it’s branches when weather permitted.
When the Strait Turners wood-turning club heard that the tree was coming down, they contacted the Millers and Andy Pitt, the arborist who took it down, and petitioned them to get some of the wood for use in turning projects by their members, promising a few bowls in return. The Millers and Mr. Pitt were pleased that some of the wood would go for other things besides firewood.
The main trunk and stubs of the main branches still stand in place, perhaps to be turned into a bench or sculpture in place at some time in the future.