About five years ago, I attended a concert by Mark Holland of "Autumn's Child". I had never heard a Native American flute before, or if I had, it hadn't rung a bell. About five minutes into the concert, I was hooked. Within a few days, I had ordered my first flute. As I played, I realized that I would like to own more flutes. My collection started growing; new keys, different kinds of wood, new makers to try.....new toys! My collection now numbers above seventy. When asked, "How many flutes do you need?", I reply with something I once heard, "Just one.........just one more". I fell totally in love with the sound of the flutes.

At some point, I decided that I had to try my luck at making my own flutes. My first three were rather crude, but sounded pretty good. Then two or three which would have been more useful as kindling or tent stakes! As I read and experimented, I started figuring out what made them work. I had flutes which I had purchased that, quite frankly, sounded really bad. I was able to figure out why they didn't sound good, and what I had to do to fix them. I am greatly humbled and in complete awe that I have been blessed with the ability to take a piece of wood and turn it into something that can make such a beautiful sound. A friend from Kentucky told me, "The sound is in the wood.....you just help it come out". Another friend and I give demonstrations and make presentations of flutes and music at nursing homes and for civic organizations. People are quite taken by the sound, and young children are mesmerized. Teachers have asked us us to accompany the class, because, "It's the first time today they've been quiet."