My Drafting Table + Give Away

I'm so psyched! (And I never say 'psyched', so I really must be!)  I'm having so much fun visiting the wonderful blogs of those who participated in Seth Apter's BURIED TREASURE collaboration.  It's amazing to me to see how creative all these bloggers are, and yet how different each one is.  I can't believe that I've sat and read them for three fairly long stretches so far, and have only gotten up to number 35!  Whoever said something about needing a butt-rub definitely got it right!

I'm also pretty excited that I've gotten a new follower- #48!  Thank you so much!  Anyway, I'm so happy that I've decided to do a give away when (if) I reach 50 followers.  There will be more info about this in my next post, so stay tuned.  (And no, I'm not giving away my drafting table- sorry.)

I'm sure you're wondering what all this blah-blahing has to do with my drafting table.  Well, it doesn't, really, but I am getting to that now.  I'm very attached to this old table; it carries a lot of sentimental value, and there's an interesting (at least to me) story about it.  I was reminded of it while looking through a bunch of family photos my dad had copied for me- mostly people from past generations- when I came across a photo of my Great-Aunt Meryl Davidson.  I never met her, but it's through her that I came to have the antique drafting table that I use every day, so I feel a sense of connection to her. 

Okay, so here's the story.  When I was about 14 or so, my grandfather Davidson brought me this grungy old drafting table, water-stained and falling apart.  "I thought you might want this," he said.  "It belonged to my sister, Meryl.  It's been sitting in the basement, and needs some work, but somebody might as well use it."

Now, this was strange news, due to the fact that I'd never heard of Meryl.  I must have looked puzzled, because he then explained that it had actually belonged to her boyfriend, with whom she had lived, despite the fact that they weren't married.  He had worked as a commercial artist, making good money, grandpa said.  You have to understand that my grandfather was very reserved, conservative, and did everything exactly "by the book."  Apparently, no one talked about Meryl because she was an embarrassment, a wild rebellious girl who did what she wanted, contrary to the conventions of the time.  It was certainly not normal for a woman to behave this way in the 1920's and '30's.

        Aunt Meryl

I have no idea how old she was when this was taken, but I think she's very pretty. When my grandfather told me about her, I thought she must have been a fascinating person, someone I would have liked to meet.  My grandfather passed away many years ago, and I haven't been able to find out what became of her- when she died, where she lived, or if she stayed with the artist.  I guess I assumed it would have been impolite to ask at the time.  Maybe I'll never know, but I'm still searching for information about my mysterious Aunt Meryl.

The wood appears to be a mixture of maple and pine? ( not really sure), and the black metal pieces are cast iron. Though it has been taken apart and refinished, you can still see the evidence of wear and water damage.

Currently in progress on my drafting table:

What's on yours?