I grew up in South Dakota. My career stops took me to South Dakota, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, and now Tennesee. I live near Columbia, TN on 5 acres of wooded land. We bought this place two years ago, and I knew immediately I would have to take up woodworking again. What I did not anticipate was that turning would become an obsession. Flatwork doesn't appeal to me currently.
I started turning in Feb of 2023. I absorbed a ton of reading and YouTube material before getting started, most of it from www.turnawoodbowl.com. I find turning to be a fantastic hobby, especially as I get older. Looking down the road to retirement in a few years, I can't think of a better way to spend my time, and maybe even a small supplemental income. I started on a Wen 14" lathe. I recently bought a Rikon 70-1824, which I love.
I have had two careers in my life: commodity futures broker and software developer. For the past 20 years I have managed other engineers, which I find enjoyable. For most of that time I lived in Las Vegas and part-time in Vancouver, BC (we had offices in both locations).
Our family is a Brady Bunch. My wife and I each had 3 children when we got married. They are all grown now, but they never go away. ;-)