It wasn't long there after that I started reading informative posts on that forum by a fellow named Lee Grindinger. Then I saw some of Lee's pieces and furniture designs began to lock in place in my mind. As time went on I would send Lee emails asking about about various techniques and design issues. In 2005 Lee hosted a 3 day woodworking party at his then home in Montana. I attended "MontanaFest" with my sons O'Neill and Spencer and my brother Larry.
A couple of years later Lee retired from furniture making. His webpage stayed active for two more years but in the late summer of 2009 he let the webpage expire. Before it expired I grabbed several photos of his work and have them on display here.
Sometime in 1998 I was clicking around on the web -(yes there was an internet in 1998) and I found a Woodworking Forum called WoodCentral. It was a newly developed site by an editor and woodworker named Ellis Walentine-. I had seen his name before-as Editor of American Woodworker Magazine. Things had changed at the publishing house that operated AW and Ellis set off on his own with fellow woodworker and editor Jim Cummins to begin WoodCentral.com It is safe to say that the editions of American Woodworker magazine published under Ellis's guiding hand were some of if not the finest woodworking publications I have read.
It was a great thrill to meet both Lee and Ellis in person at Montanafest.