My grandparents on my mom’s side lived in Sweet Home, Oregon, a small town in the Willamette Valley. East of town was Foster Lake, right at the start of the Cascade Range, so there were endless opportunities for fishing and camping. West of town was farmland, mile after mile, until you hit the I-5 freeway; then more farmland until you reached the Coast Range.
When I was a kid, I’d spend a few weeks each summer staying with my grandparents. This was the 80s and 90s, now known as the late 1900s. Field burning was a common practice back then; farmers used it to keep their fields clear of weeds, pests, and disease, especially in late summer as crops came in. Since Sweet Home was surrounded by farmland, smoke in the air was just part of the season.
My grandfather was serious about exercising, and a little smoke wasn’t going to slow him down. When he got home from work, he, my grandmother, and I would walk the neighborhood every evening. By late summer, the ground was dry, most everything had turned crispy, and the air carried that dry, smoky smell from the burning fields. We made the best of it, walking together and enjoying each other’s company.
Today, more than 40 years later, the smoke from field burning has been replaced by endless summers of wildfire smoke. I just came in from watering some plants in my yard, and the whole scene felt nostalgic; the grass was dry and crispy, and that same smoky smell hung in the air. It’s strange how a smell you’d otherwise call unpleasant can bring back such fond memories of childhood. I stood there in the smoke-filled air, on the crispy grass, watering the late summer flowers, thinking back on time spent with my grandparents.
If you are looking for a furniture maker who looks for the best in every situation, you know where to find me.
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a Colorado-based Custom Furniture design and fabrication studio. I design and build custom furniture that resembles works of art, using materials such as wood, glass, stone, and metals. The furniture I produce serves not only as practical items but also as works of art, infusing character and style into any space.
