In the very near future, I’m going to begin showcasing, and collaborating with, another builder. The skill level of this flute maker is light years ahead of my work in many aspects of this craft, and he is unknown to all but a handful of serious flute collectors. He is a good friend, and I am proud to represent his work on my website. He is one of the very few builders who simply has a passion for building the finest instrument possible, one at a time, without deadlines, and first and foremost as a cathartic adventure. He is imaginative, innovative, and when you see and hear what he creates, you will understand why collaboration with this artist is much smarter than competing with him. His name is Greg Jones. He lives in Eugene Oregon. He is without question, a flute maker.

I went on another 650 mile gem buying safari to Quartzsite Arizona this week. Everything and everybody looked just a little more beat up than usual, thanks to rain and 60 mph winds the week before. I was able to sit around in the sunshine with folks I met last year, and I also sat down with a lot of total strangers, because I was most interested in just sitting down, after hours of rooting around endless bins of rocks. All it took to become my new best friend was an empty chair. The only photo I got that wasn’t truly insulting to those folks, was a BBQ or dirt picnic that went terribly wrong off in the distance. I love that place.

This year’s finds include black matrix opal from Honduras, Some Ammolite, enough Crazy Lace Agate to pave a driveway, Fire Agate, Azurite, 1300 year old Anazasi pottery shards, Australian boulder opals, and some rust colored rocks I’ll smash up for powdered inlay. I would probably move there if anybody knew how to make a decent margarita.