This is for my seester who is my muse when I am in Ohio and who makes me think I can somehow create art. I cannot. But she causes me to look at nature through her artist's eye. I have been collecting manzanita wood for sometime now. I sneak up on the side of the Santa Rosa Mountains as I travel to Emily's house and I snatch a few limbs and branches here and there. I never cut it off of a live shrub or bush...I don't have a comfort level doing that but I do pick it up beautiful pieces off the ground. So, I have quite a bit that I want to use to construct a grid or arbor to put morning glories on outside my bedroom window, as that has become a rather sacred spot to me since I've been home and having something pretty out my window is important...and the fact that it would be portable is very important as I would be able to take it with me.
So, Stephanie, my muse, I am inserting pics of manzanita wood. It is beautiful. It is mahogany red and wavy. I am copying the following text from Wikipedia. Enjoy *hug*
"Manzanita branches are popular as decoration, due to their unique shape, color, and strength when dried.
Manzanita bark: The wood is notoriously hard to cure, mostly due to cracking against the grain, giving it few uses as timber. The slow growth rate and many branchings further decrease the sizes available. Some furniture and art employ whole round branches, which reduces cracking and preserves the deep red color.
The dead wood decays slowly and can last for many years, on and off the plant. Sunlight smooths and bleaches manzanita to light grey or white, rendering it superficially akin to animal bones. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, manzanita is often collected in its more unusual shapes, giving it the nickname mountain driftwood.
Manzanita wood is also used as perches for parrots and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are extremely long-lasting for this purpose."
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