There’s a famous story about the rock song "Sultans of Swing." It was 1977. Mark Knopfler walked into a deserted pub in South London on a rainy night. In the corner, a Dixieland jazz band was playing. They weren't just going through the motions to get a paycheck. They...
In the quiet moments of the workshop lately, times spent reflecting on the craft and the generations that came before us, we’ve been thinking a lot about a phrase I hear often in this industry: "Don’t die with your dead." It’s a bold statement, and at first glance, it...
For some reason we have been following the story of the lost colony. Advances in technology have allowed the tracking of DNA. The same practice is happening in other parts of the world and a recent report regarding the Bo people of China, confirming their modern...
When my wife Stephanie’s father passed away in 2020, our family made the decision to establish a new family cemetery. It was a time of immense grief, but also of establishing a legacy. During the arrangements, the funeral home asked the standard procedural question:...
Why You Can No Longer Trust the Process My father attended a funeral today that ended in the kind of disruption no grieving family should ever have to endure. It was a graveside service for a distant relative, a disabled woman who moved away and was cared for by her...
In the Blue Ridge Mountains, our worth is tied to the honesty of our labor. Our family has honored this commitment across five generations, transitioning from the hard work of the land to the uncompromising skill of the craft. To truly understand this commitment, you...
