Last weekend marked the anniversary of the tornado that touched down in Conway and damaged or destroyed several buildings, including the 19th-century barn that housed our business. On Sunday February 25, 2018 the Conway Historical Society held a special meeting to allow residents to share memories of the tornado and its aftermath. We were invited to speak, as were several neighbors. The turnout was large, and its effect was cathartic. The text of our remarks will be found below.

At home, Jan and I have been working seven days a week on the basement of the new barn, which will house our workshop and storage areas. Meanwhile, our small crew of builders has been making steady progress towards the completion of our office and showrooms on the first floor. Heating and electricity are well on the way to being finished, and the walls of the showrooms and office have been plastered and boarded. You'll find a link to this month's batch of barn pictures. We think you'll be impressed with the progress. There is still much to do, but we plan to hold our Grand Opening Show on May 5 & 6.

As we've been preoccupied with our work on the barn, we've had little time left to tend to business beyond shipping the occasional purchase generated by our website. We hope that readers will forgive the absence of new listings this month. Once our lives resume following the May show, new stock will once again appear regularly.

We hope that you'll  take a few moments and  click on some of the links below. Perhaps find something of interest.

A very productive February 

Last month's progress on the construction of our new barn was quite encouraging. As March begins, most of the first floor has been plastered, and flooring is being laid. Jan and I have been hard at work on our basement workshop and storage area. Last weekend we were able, for the first time in a year, to work on inventory projects, in preparation for our May show. We've taken a few photographs, which you'll find by clicking the picture of our workshop, above.

Conway Historical Society marks

the anniversary of the 2017 tornado

On February 25 the Conway Historical Society held an open meeting to recall the events of a year ago. We were invited to speak, as were half a dozen of our neighbors. The text of our remarks may be read by clicking on the picture above.

Pippin's Page  

Although we're working full time at getting our workshop and inventory in order, every time we go into the kitchen, we're rewarded with another fine photo op. Click Pippin's nose for this month's best.

The Back Page

Last month's record-breaking snowfall in Paris did a bit to curtail our movement around the city. Fortunately, our hotel on the Left Bank allowed us to walk to many fine restaurants. One of these, Dans Les Landes, featuring Basque tapas, allowed us to try a familiar delicacy in a very unconventional presentation. Click here to have a look.