A Treasure Chest

My neighbor, Ted, is a master woodworker. His work wins ribbons at the county fair, and after the fire he made most of the tables, desks, dressers, bookcases, and other furniture for his and his wife Judy's rebuilt home. He does beautiful work.

Parallel track: I love and collect antique stereograph cards. They're like primitive ViewMaster pictures that were big entertainment in the late 19th and early 20th century. Victorians sat around their parlors peering through 3-D viewers for hours of fun. 

For years I've been looking for a little box or cabinet to store my cards in, but nothing's ever been the right size. I finally had an epiphany: maybe I could commission Ted to build me one. He jumped at the chance! With all he's built over the years, he'd never actually done a box and was eager to give it a shot. I gave him a drawing with some dimensions and encouraged him to spread his creative wings.

Here it is. I think it's fantastic. My cards fit perfectly, and I left room for more. 

Neither Ted nor Judy is on Facebook, but I wanted to acknowledge Ted's great skill and kindness publicly. It's a treasure.