The rest of the world may be warming up to Halloween, but bowlwright Larry Oestreich of Camp Washington is putting the finishing touches on Christmas and looking to spring — all the while keeping his eye on road construction around town.

        The bowl-maker, featured in May in a story about the annual Appalachian Festival, kept busy demonstrating his craft at festivals through the summer. He just finished the Kentucky Guild Artists and Crafsmen show in Berea and is headed to Lexington the first week of December for a Christmas show.

        “It was a good season. It seems like we have more consumers aware of crafts and quality now,” Mr. Oestreich says. “Wherever I go, I demonstrate. I get a chance to show the craft and explain what I do. And someone will usually tell me about a tree and I end up with a desirable log,” he says.

        Just the other day, he noticed an Elm tree felled by the widening of Hopple Street near his studio, tracked it down and came home with 1,100 pounds of raw bowl material.

        “I saw the tree down, and went to the construction office, the engineer, then to the property owner. They said, "Sure, take it,' and even said they might be interested in a bowl from it.

        “I'm planning on a bowl about 35 inches wide, 9 to 10 inches deep and about 4 feet long,” he says.

        Mr. Oestreich prefers “working green,” carving and scraping his creations from freshly cut trees.

        After the Christmas show, he'll get ready for the spring crafts shows by roughing out stock in different sizes for bowls and stools, letting the pieces dry, then finishing them in front of the crowds. One bowl can take six months or longer to complete.

        Meanwhile, Mr. Oestreich has had his hands busy with another kind of woodwork — rehabbing his house in Wyoming. He found himself trying to tame and plane a southern yellow pine floor that he describes as in “sorry shape” from the bungled work of a previous owner.

        “I enjoy working with wood, but I'd just as soon be able to pick my battles,” he says.

        Mr. Oestreich hopes to be finished with the floor by April and into his next project, a studio/garage — timber frame, of course.

KIESEWETTER: We love 'Lucy' 50 years later
'I Love Lucy' trivia
Film world struggles to find its role
Movies affected by Sept. 11 attacks
Ballet crew finds kindness in Russia Sept. 11
Maria replaces Clara in new 'Nutcracker'
Ballet fans will miss Russians
Jones' dance routines reveal some secrets
DEMALINE: Kids dinner theater gets second act
Bouncy 'Twelfth Night' takes unlikely dark turn
'Bowling' a funny take on love and disability
Bowlwright looks out for logs
Martial-arts belts symbolize accomplishment
DAUGHERTY: With this ring, I vow to 'discuss' and 'cuddle'
Sweet on sweet potatoes
Very best Oktoberfest is Munich's
Cyber chat continues in print
Get to it
KENDRICK: Down syndrome can mean full life
NBC's comedies survive first night of 'Survivor 3'