06/07/2026
Here we have one of our carvers Ken Earls becoming carver of the month of June 2026 at the Springs Retirement in Medford Oregon. Congratulations Ken. What an accomplishment with your Canes and walking sticks. Below is his Bio:
A Retirement Journey: From Ledgers to Walking Sticks
For most of my working life, I was an accountant in the manufacturing industry, eventually working my way into senior management. My days were filled with budgets, reports, meetings, and spreadsheets. Then, in 2005, I retired and suddenly discovered that having "all the time in the world" can be both a blessing and a challenge.
My first retirement adventure took place in Arizona, where I became a Master Gardener in Yavapai County. I spent several years helping people solve problems with plants, insects, and gardens through the county's gardening hotline.
When my wife and I moved to Southern Oregon in 2014, I once again found myself asking, "Now what?" One morning, my wife, Phyllis, noticed a newspaper announcement for a local wood-carving club and suggested I take a look. We visited the group, and I was encouraged to take a few carving classes in Jacksonville. That was all it took; I was hooked.
Like most beginners, I started with simple projects and produced a mixture of successes and what might generously be called "learning experiences." Over time, I discovered that I especially enjoyed finding old, twisted, or otherwise “ugly sticks” and transforming them into beautiful canes and walking sticks.
What appeals to me is that each piece begins with a story already written by nature. My job is simply to reveal it. More than ten years later, I still enjoy the challenge, the creativity, and the satisfaction of turning an ordinary stick into something both useful and beautiful.
Retirement gave me time. Wood carving gave that time purpose.
I've spent a career working with numbers; now I spend my time negotiating with pieces of wood. The wood is every bit as stubborn as the people I used to manage – but not nearly as talkative.
Windsor chair, hand-built in March 2018
