On another weekend excursion, we checked out the Washington,
D.C. Eastern Market. The market wasn’t as impressive as I hoped (too much weird
art and tacky trinkets for my taste, although the food portion was good), but I
scored something I have had my eye on for quite a while. Blue Ridge Cutting Board Company sells beautiful cutting boards at the
Eastern Market regularly.
The owners made cutting boards for a while when they saw raw
wood planks stacked and the beautiful, intricate patterns formed by the
end-grain. This inspired them to make bonded cutting boards that showed off the
beauty of the grain by just sliding the pattern a little to either side and
creating a whole new pattern, which remind me of geometric ink-blots. Being
done on the end-grain also gives the added benefit of extra durability.
We spent at least a half hour ruminating which ones we were
going to purchase. They are very pricey, but you have to consider the beauty of
them, the workmanship, and the life-long quality. I figure this will be a
cutting board I will pass down for generations. Dad was treating my mom and me,
so the deliberating took even longer. Every time I fell in love with one, I saw
another one right behind it I loved. Mom settled on a good size piece with bold
light and dark features radiating out from the center. I chose a slightly
smaller rosy one with a pattern that seemed almost woven. I can’t wait to use
it with my olive wood items from Siena! I’ve become such a sucker for pretty
wooden things