Winthrop Bowl...

One day while driving by Winthrop College I noticed a large, old hickory tree had cracked almost in half. I drove by it again later in the day and noticed the grounds crew had already cut it into pieces. Knowing it wouldn't be long until the tree was hauled off, I spoke to the person in charge of the grounds and was told I could take all I could haul away.

Apparently it's core had been chewed away by these HUGE black ants. I mean, these things were science fiction movie prop big. I grabbed a few that weren't still covered in them, tossed them into the back of the car. I came back later for a few more. They're like potato chips...

It's been in my shed for over 6 months or so and I decided to hack into a smaller log. The pic on left is the piece with the bark stripped off and the right is after I've rounded it. I've really no idea how I'm going to shape or finish it, but right now it's soaking in DNA. It should be fully dry in two weeks or so, check back for an update on this piece.