Ginkgo covered vessel e-P X

I have wanted to make a vessel out of a piece of Ginkgo wood I collected some years ago and finally got around to it this past winter.  I designed it over a good sized olive jar and used Styrofoam to build out an interesting shape.  A thick piece of the Ginkgo wood was turned on the lathe to give a domed lid and cubes were cut from the same wood to cover the outer surface.  The finished piece is shown below.  Two holes were drilled into the lid to serve as an opening feature similar to the holes in a bowling ball.

                                                                                                         

















                 Ginkgo Vessel

This wood has a special history that has fascinated me over the years.  While living in Moses Lake. Washington I took my family on a rock-hound trip to the Columbia River near Vantage Washington.  That area was popular for petrified wood.  In an early Indian camping site close to the river there was plentiful evidence of arrow head development, using the flint and other hard stones found nearby.  After hours of tramping around the area we sought liquid refreshment in a fast food shop in the little town of Vantage.  We learned of a rock museum close by and decided to have a look.

I was impressed with the extent of their specimens and that was where I first became aware of  the Ginkgo tree.  Fossils of the distinctive leaf of the Ginkgo were on display with some of the history of this ancient tree. It is referred to as a living fossil, with fossils recognizably related to the modern Ginkgo, dating back 270 million years.  Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China, where the modern species survived.  Over the years it has been introduced to other parts of the World.  When I built a home in East Wenatchee, Washington, we planted a Ginkgo tree in the back yard and it grows there to this day.  My daughter, who lives there, has cared for it and pruned when necessary.

Some years later while working in Ellensburg Washington, I had opportunity to collect several types of wood.  One was a large Ginkgo stump with dried leaves attached.  The unique Ginkgo leaf made positive  identification easy.  A photo of green Ginkgo leaves is shown below.  In fall they turn a beautiful golden color.

          Ginkgo Tree Leaves
Photo and information found in Wikipedia