Perfectly mitered purflings…French Polish…book-matched sets….scalloped bracing – are you excited? Maybe not yet, but today I want to share a little bit about one of my great loves – guitars (and for this post, I’ll focus primarily on acoustic guitars). Not the music of guitars (which I also love and could write an entire post solely on that); not the playing of guitars (I do play my guitars, but I’m a mediocre player at best); but the instruments themselves. I apologize in advance – this is a long post, and in the future, I may consider splitting up posts like these into several installments. I hope you find it enjoyable and informative, especially for those that admire guitars but don’t know that much about how they are crafted.
People who make guitars are called luthiers, and if you asked a gathering of luthiers (yes, there are such things!) whether they consider themselves artists, I think the clear majority would say “no”, that they are craftsman. But I would suggest that surely there is artistry in their craft – hence the title of this blog post. I’m not sure this applies to all luthiers, or all guitars – but certainly I find myself admiring some guitars as I would a work of art. Some of my friends would argue that that only highlights my lack of understanding of what art is – and I’d probably agree with that. 
But the great Brahms once said “Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” And there are aesthetic choices that go way beyond the production of sound or tone when making a guitar. For me, the way that these choices integrate into the instrument can produce beauty that is completely independent of how the guitar sounds. Those who are fans of Robert Pirsig’s great book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” will understand what I mean. Of course, there are guitar players out there that cringe at folks like me – they see guitars as purely instruments used to convey their own art – their music – and don’t really care, necessarily, how the guitar looks. But I do play my guitars (only for myself, and not very well) – its just that I have a further interest and love in 
their aesthetic aspects. I like their shape (clearly inspired by women); I like the way they combine materials (wood; steel; bone; shell); I like the way they smell (certain types of wood have distinctive fragrances even on a finished guitar); I like the way they feel and respond when you play them (whoa, as I wrote this it started to seem a little…erotic – I’m not going there, but others have written about this as well). And once I learned a little more about the crafting of guitars, I came to appreciate them even more – the extreme attention to detail in constructing a well-made guitar is amazing.
The various parts of a guitar make up the form that contributes to the function – producing sound through plucking strings. The top of the guitar is the 
soundboard that vibrates sympathetically from the energy of the strings and increases the projection of sound. The back and sides form the body of the guitar, along with the soundboard. The soundhole provides another avenue for sound waves to project from the guitar. The neck provides a structural component that, along with the bridge and headstock, contain the tremendous pressures imposed by the strings. The fretboard allows for changing the pitch of individual strings. The nut guides the strings to their end points on the tuners, which are mechanical devices to allow for tuning. When building a guitar, all these components must be constructed in just the right way to produce the desired sound or tone – and each luthier, while generally building from a similar “template” if they are producing a 6-string acoustic guitar, will construct their guitars in a unique or proprietary manner. Beyond the form, there are numerous aesthetic choices, and some that are 
combinations of aesthetic and function. The choice of material for tuner buttons, for example, is purely an aesthetic choice. Or the various woods and other materials that make up the rosette (the decorative ring around the sound hole). But wood choices for the soundboard, and the back and sides, are a combination of function (different woods, typically called “tonewoods”, produce different tones) and aesthetics. So, the specification for a custom-built guitar follows a pattern which considers both elements – function and aesthetics.
Tone
Let me digress for a moment to talk about one of my favourite online forums for acoustic guitars – the Acoustic Guitar Forum or AGF. 
This is a great resource for all lovers of acoustic guitars – for players, from beginners to professionals; and for luthiers as well – I highly encourage you to visit the site. But – they can be a hard-core bunch and will argue over the most minute detail – and tone is one of the most popular and divisive topics. I daresay there is a post somewhere on the forum that argues that the choice of material for tuner buttons contributes to the tone of the guitar. While there may be some validity to the argument that all parts of a guitar somehow contribute to its tone, I would argue that the human ear cannot perceive the difference. Well – certainly not my ear. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I’ve regressed with respect to discerning visual and aural quality differences. Years ago I was a true A/V nut – I had to have the latest technology; I would argue vigorously about the tonal superiority of one speaker vs another; I would fiddle with various adjustments on my equipment to produce, in my opinion, the most superior audio or visual experience, and convince myself that I could tell the 
difference. You know the type – or maybe you don’t. The interesting thing is, as technology became cheaper and cheaper, it became more accessible. It also became more ubiquitous. And as I got older, I found that I cared less and less about fine distinctions of quality. Even cheap TV’s these days produce stunning picture. The same is generally true for audio – and I think we care less about quality than we do about convenience these days. Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent – but the point is, as I’ve gotten older, I find I care less about super fine distinctions of tonal quality. At the end of the day, there are so many other variables that are going to contribute to that sound reaching our ears, and then our brains, that I think this obsessive focus on creating a particular tone is a fool’s errand.
The Luthier’s Process
I can hear Steve Kinnaird’s tongue in cheek response to this section title – “Process?….I didn’t know we had a process!”. Steve is being tongue in cheek – he is one of the finest luthiers in the US, and currently building a guitar for me. As for process, from my experience it really varies from luthier to luthier. There are some that build guitars in a serial fashion, focusing on one at time, and not starting a new one until the current one is finished. There are some that work in small batches – essentially doing several guitars at once, and then moving on to another batch. And there are even some that do their annual production in a completely batch fashion. Jim Olson , arguably one of the most 
well-known and respected custom luthiers in the world, currently builds around 30-40 guitars a year – by himself. He moves through this process by completing all the component parts, and assembly, and finishing, in batches. For example, one week he’ll only work on necks – he will complete all the necks for his entire year’s commissions over the course of several weeks. He’ll then move on to all the other components in batch fashion – cutting, 
sanding, and bracing the soundboards; forming the back and sides; etc. This allows him to focus on one task at a time. I find the whole process fascinating. A luthier’s workshop will have a large variety of tools – some powered, some not – large, small – and typically very well organized. The attention to detail is spectacular – tiny mitered joints, for example, on 
purflings (an ornamental border) and bindings (the edges where the top and bottom of the guitars are joined to the sides). I once had a friend who swore that these couldn’t be inlayed wood, they had to be painted on because the lines and tolerances were so tight! No – unless you have an inexpensive 
factory produced guitar, those purfling lines are inlayed and mitered by hand. Prior to the build process, there is another whole process between the luthier and the buyer – the specification process. Depending upon the luthier, this can either be very custom, with many, many choices and back/forth; or it can be minimal, where you pick a standard model with standard features (the guitar is still handmade, but to a standard specification). When I had my Olson guitar built, other than picking the wood, and fret marker, I pretty much went with a standard Olson SJ model. However, with my current build, I am very focused and involved in having Steve and Ryan (Ryan Middlebrook, another luthier who works with Steve) build a very personal, custom guitar.
Wood
It all starts with wood. Acoustic guitars are, at their core, wooden instruments – and I think a large part of my love of the artistry of guitars is my love of wood. I love that it’s an organic material that was once alive. It’s unique – no two pieces of wood are identical. There are an almost endless variety of woods, with lots of different characteristics – color; grain; density; porosity; 
strength; etc. Wood is also one of the things I love about Maine – we are a state with vast timber reserves; we are covered with it! If I think about Maine, I think about forest; coast; stone – those are its basic elements. Maine also is home to another one of the US’s best luthiers – Dana Bourgeois. With his workshop in Lewiston, Dana and his team have been building world class instruments for over 40 years. Dana has written extensively about wood in guitar building, I once owned one of Dana’s guitars – #1 in a series of 15 guitars he built for his 40th anniversary building guitars. A mahogany guitar with a torrefied (more on that later) Adirondack spruce top, the guitar was stunning. Unfortunately, I never really bonded with the guitar – for my playing style and sound preference, it never really fit for me. But the wood – look at the figuring in the mahogany; the grain in the 
soundboard; the exotic look of the fretboard and bridge, using a wood known as snakewood. More than anything in a guitar, I love the way that contrasting woods can come together to produce sound and beauty in one package. Years ago, acoustic guitars were primarily made from rosewood (East Indian or Brazilian) for back and sides; and spruce (typically Sitka spruce) for the soundboard. Yes, there were certainly other woods used – mahogany; cedar; etc. but these wood choices made up the large majority of guitars. Over time, unfortunately, many of the once common woods used for guitars have become endangered and protected. Brazilian rosewood was the first to get widespread protection, but others have followed. To be clear, the over harvesting and poor management of these trees was not driven primarily by the guitar industry (which represents a tiny portion of the use of these woods) – but nevertheless, it is becoming more difficult to source these once 
common woods. I am fortunate enough to have a Brazilian rosewood guitar built by Jim Olson – it looks and sounds beautiful – that was built using wood harvested prior to the restrictions. However, it’s an instrument that I won’t travel with outside of the US (it will probably never see Argentina), because I won’t risk it getting seized by customs (even though it was legally harvested, I won’t risk an overzealous customs agent putting me through months of grief). But the wood choices have really expanded as luthiers have become increasingly creative and adventurous in their choice of woods – woods like Bubinga; Pernambuco; Sycamore; Koa; Cocobolo; Kauri; Myrtlewood. For a good luthier, his/her wood locker is core to their craft.
Shape/Size
Did you always assume that guitars were more or less standard with respect to shape and size? I once did, but over time I’ve found that there are a wide variety of choices. The basic choices include width and length of the 
fretboard; number of frets; size and shape of the neck; depth of the body; and shape of the body (if the body is slightly hourglass shape, the upper bout is the top part of the hourglass, the lower bout is the bottom part), including width of the upper bout, lower bout, and waist. There isn’t a standard nomenclature for shape and body size – you’ll see designations like OO, OOO, OM, Dreadnought, Parlor; SJ; Jumbo; etc. – and while it gives people a sense of the shape/size, each luthier will have his own models and specifications. The dreadnought shape/size was (and probably still is in terms of numbers) the most popular in the US. All my earlier guitars were dreadnoughts, but as I have aged (and have 
shoulder issues), and my guitar playing style has evolved, I now prefer smaller guitars. I think this is a typical pattern, and I suspect most luthiers will tell you that they rarely do dreadnoughts for custom commissions. Take a look at Ed Sheeran – a fantastic guitarist by the way. He uses a ¾ size guitar 
made by Martin, called an LX1. In addition, luthiers these days are finding additional ways to accommodate comfort, particularly for us old guys! Some will incorporate a bevel on the transition from side to top, instead of a 90-degree angle, to provide additional comfort.
Soundboard
The soundboard is the thin top wood of the guitar. This is the component of the guitar that contributes the most to the overall tone of a guitar. The 
characteristics a luthier is looking for is light but stiff, with enough elasticity to produce harmonics and overtones. Historically, Spruce was the “go to” material for most guitar soundboards, and in particular, Sitka Spruce. There are, however, many other materials that are commonly used, each providing different tonal characteristics – including Cedar, Maple Redwood, Mahogany, and Koa. Luthiers also select soundboard materials for aesthetics, some of which contribute to the tonal characteristics (such as uniformity of grain). Dana Bourgeois, the Maine luthier I mentioned before, is a strong proponent of “tonal tapping” for selecting the best soundboards. In this process, he acoustically taps the soundboards in different locations, listening for certain harmonics and resonance, and then selecting those that meet his acoustic criteria. Others don’t believe in tonal tapping at all – and focus instead on the 
bracing used for the soundboard – each luthier uses a proprietary design for their bracing, attempting to produce a consistent tone in their instruments. The braces are typically custom shaped for each soundboard – with the intent on minimizing weight and maximizing strength and stiffness in certain directions. I’m not sure about tap tones, but I do believe that 70% or more of the tonal characteristics of an acoustic guitar come from the soundboard – so this is where I focus on the type of tonal characteristics I’m looking for – whether it’s the sweeter, broader range of a Sitka Spruce or the warmer, lusher tones of a cedar, the soundboard wood choice is going to define the general tone of your guitar. There has also 
been a trend to offer soundboard tops that have been torrefied – essentially cooked in a low oxygen environment. The idea is to replicate the effects of aging by cooking off some of the volatile compounds in the soundboard. It also produces a wonderful dark shade to a lighter Spruce top. I’m not sure that I necessarily believe in the ageing effects of torrefaction – but I do like the visual aspects. My Bourgeois had a torrefied Adirondack Spruce top – you can see how the torrefication process darkened the wood.
Back/Sides
The back and side woods on an acoustic guitar are also tonewoods – their selection will drive, in part, the tonal characteristics of the guitar, although not nearly to the same extent as the soundboard. If the soundboard contributes 70% of the tone of the guitar, I think the back and sides contribute about 25% 
of the tone. Others would vehemently disagree with this observation – these distinctions on what contributes to tone are endlessly argued. But for me, that’s about the right contribution. So, while the back and sides are also selected with some regard to the tonal characteristics they will contribute, the aesthetic qualities are probably a much bigger driver here. The selection of woods for the back and sides is much broader than for the top – and these days, there is quite a 
large range indeed. I’ve already mentioned some of these, but the list, as I’ve found, is seemingly endless. In addition to the general type of wood, there are also many grain distinctions – from general straight grain woods to those that are highly figured – quilting; spalting; burled; curly; etc. Interestingly enough, while some of these are a result of the way the wood is milled, many are the result of injury or disease (like burled walnut) or fungi (like 
spalted maple). Another visually striking characteristic of certain woods is chatoyance, or the cats eye effect. This is similar to the light refraction you might see in certain gemstones, like tiger’s eye. The effect in wood can be stunning, and is enhanced by polishing and finishing techniques. Again, like with the soundboard, selection of the back and side wood is partially driven by tone you are looking for. Density plays a large part here – I tend to like the sounds produced by more dense woods, like Rosewoods. For me, they produce more overtones and harmonics than less dense woods like Mahogany and Maple (although I have a wonderful 12-string maple guitar that has a beautiful crisp, sound). In addition, there is a tonal interaction between the top 
wood, and the back and sides, that must be considered when selecting woods for your guitar. Finally, one thing I like to point out to people – when you are playing a guitar, the back of that guitar is towards your body – nobody sees it. Yet many of us spend a lot of time trying to pick the perfect back from a visual perspective. I think this demonstrates how many of us love the craftsmanship and artistry of the instrument – even for elements that we only see when we aren’t playing the guitar.
Fretboard/Bridge/Saddle/Nut
Some of the other components of a guitar also contribute to functional and tonal qualities, but not to the same extent as for the top, back, and sides. For 
fretboards, the wood of choice has historically been ebony – and for me, this is still my favourite material for the fretboard. For the fretboard, you need something that can take a beating (so you want hard and dense) and is smooth (so tight pores and oily). Rosewood is also a fretboard material choice, but I prefer Ebony. There are increasingly some exotic choices as well, that can provide some visual contrast – Snakewood is one of these, although it’s a material some luthiers find difficult to work. The bridge is the component that transfers (along with the saddle) the vibrations of the strings to the 
soundboard, so you want something that doesn’t absorb vibrations – you want hard and dense like the fretboard. And again, Rosewood and Ebony are the woods of choice for the fretboard. However recently, I chose a very unusual bridge for my latest guitar – it’s made from African Blackwood and has a section of sapwood (lighter colored) running along it. 
The African Blackwood has similar characteristics as Ebony. There are many different shapes to bridges – these are generally aesthetic choices. Here are a few interesting ones. 
The saddle is the thinner vertical material wedged into the bridge which keeps the strings a certain distance from the fretboard (this distance, known as the action, is very important in playing – too high and it’s difficult to fret the strings, too low and the strings will hit the frets when vibrating, causing a buzz. For the saddle, the materials are typically a synthetic (usually one called Tusq); bone; or ivory (sometimes fossil ivory). While I’m not too selective on this component, I typically prefer bone or ivory, 
as I believe that synthetic materials tend to absorb too much of the energy in the strings. The nut is the strip of material at the top of the fretboard that the strings angle over prior to terminating on the tuners, and sets the spacing of the strings (which is very important to comfort and playing style). Materials are similar as those for saddles.
Neck
Guitar necks are made from a wide range of materials and come in a wide range of shapes/sizes. Since this component contributes significantly to comfort of the fretting hand, its important to get the shape right. It’s hard to comment in detail on this – you really have to try different guitars to understand. With respect to materials, though, I generally leave this to the 
luthier. The neck is extremely important to long term playability and stability of the guitar – it holds a lot of stress, and this component really is extremely important. As a result, I generally prefer luthiers to use a laminated neck – one that is made of 3-5 ply’s, often with a rosewood center and maple or mahogany ply’s. You need the neck to not warp from the significant stress they hold over a long period of time, and a neck carved from a single block of wood is usually too weak in some direction to provide stability over time. One thing that many non-guitar folks don’t realize is that there is a steel rod down the center of the neck, called the truss rod. The truss rod, which is typically adjustable, provides additional strength and can be adjusted for tension.
Headstock/Tuners
The headstock (also called peghead) is the piece of wood at the top of the 
neck, which holds the guitar tuners (also called tuning machines, machine heads, tuning pegs, or tuning gears). Headstocks are typically a separate piece of wood, glued to the neck with a joint, and usually have a veneer wood on the front and back. They can either be 
solid or slotted – I don’t really like the slotted style, but many guitar players prefer the look. Again, for materials, I usually let the luthier choose the core material, and I select the veneer material. The headstock shape is typically unique to the luthier, and the headstock is also where the luthier usually puts his/her logo (typically an inlay). 
As for the tuners, you will find lots of arguments and discussions on this component as well. There are many good manufacturers of tuners, in many different styles. I like Gotoh tuners, but there are other good tuners (Waverly and Grovers are good as well). It’s important to get high quality tuning machines – you want the guitar to tune easily and stay in tune.
Purflings; Bindings; Rosettes; backstrip; end graft; heel; pickguard; bridge pins
There are lots of other little details associated with an acoustic guitar. Bindings and purflings provide protective and decorative elements to the 
edges of the various guitar surfaces. The rosette, around the soundhole, is purely decorative. The soundhole itself does provide some sound transmittal, although not as much as many people think. However, there are different sizes you can choose. Increasingly popular are 
sound ports – these are additional holes in the sides of the guitars, which allow the guitar player to hear more of what his/her audience hears. I don’t have any guitars with sound ports, however my current build with Mr. Kinnaird will have one. End grafts and heels provide 
additional surfaces for decorative/protective elements. Pickguards can also provide protection and decoration – but I generally don’t like pickguards, so leave them off (and I’m not an aggressive strummer). 
Bridge pins are the little pins on the bridge that stabilize the strings in the bridge. I tend to view them as decorative elements, but some people get very passionate about bridge pin material’s contribution to sound.
Inlays (Bling!)
And finally, we have the purely decorative elements of inlays – generally referred to as bling. This is where personal tastes dominate – some people 
like a lot of bling, others do not. I tend to be somewhat conservative. Even on inlays for fret position markers, I prefer to be very understated. I do like some inlay, and it’s a great way to personalize a guitar. Inlay materials can vary as much
as the creativity of the luthier or inlay artist – including abalone, copper, steel, silver, wood, enamel. I find that some luthiers like to do there own inlays and are inlay artists in their own right. Others prefer to work with a specialized inlay artist for anything other than simple inlays. Larry Robinson is one of the world’s foremost inlay artist – he has literally written the book on inlays (The Art of Inlay). Martin guitars commissioned him to inlay Martin’s 1,000,000th guitar (the picture that leads this section)– while the inlay work is amazing, that one is not my style. Here is another Larry Robinson inlay on a 
rosette – this one was a clever M.C. Escher-ish fish and bird pattern. My preference is to utilize some inlays for accents – I like the look of Blue Paua (a type of abalone) purfling inlays around the body of the guitar, an even outlining the fretboard and the headstock. In the evening, these 
purflings look spectacular – they subtly glow. In addition, I like to have a small inlay done on the truss rod cover. The truss rod cover is a small, typically triangular shaped, piece of wood on the headstock which covers 
the access hole for the truss rod. It is generally made of ebony, and is a great place to do a small, personalized inlay. For my all Koa guitar, I commissioned a wood inlay from Bill Nichols, a well-known inlay artist to play off the Hawaiian wood – very beautiful, understated, and personal/unique to my guitar. 
For my Olson guitar, I was fortunate that Jim Olson works with Larry Robinson and was able to refer me to Larry. I told Larry I wanted to come up with something that reminded me of Maine, so I had sent him some pictures, 
including a few of Hawthorne trees with berries in winter. He came back with a sketch, and then completed this beautiful inlay with African Pink Ivory, Koa, and white mother of pearl.
The Build
The build process for the luthier includes hundreds of distinct steps, from selecting and cutting woods, to finishing. This includes routing, sanding, 
gluing, scraping, cutting, binding…a dizzying array of steps! These instruments are handcrafted, and the work that goes into them is stunning. Rather than describe every step, I’m just going to show you several pictures (some from my builds) 
which give you a sense of the craftsmanship involved. The work is physically demanding – for example, scraping down purflings to make them flush with the surface is done by hand. Mark Hatcher, a luthier in New 
Hampshire, builds some of the most outstanding guitars I have ever seen. He is not only a great craftsman, he is an artist. I was particularly taken by a recent guitar Mark built, called the “Lullaby Guitar”, for a player who wanted a small guitar he could use to play
for his children at night. Take a look at the rosette Mark designed and inlayed, along with his very unique, and exquisite headstock design. He is truly an artist. One of 
the last steps is finishing. Like with inlays, some luthiers prefer to send their guitars off to a specialist for finishing. This is a much more important step than many people realize. 
Not purely decorative, finishing must be done carefully to preserve the sound qualities of the tonewoods used in construction. There are many different finishing materials preferred by luthiers, including resins, lacquers, and shellacs. 
Most standard finishes are sprayed on, but some Luthiers prefer using a technique known as French Polish, which involves multiple coats of shellac that are rubbed into the wood – it is a demanding process full of technique. The finish can make or break a guitar – apply too much and you will dampen the sound; apply too little and the wood will not be protected. Apply incorrectly and you will see little blemishes, sometimes called “checking”, appear over time. The luthier is looking for the thinnest, strongest finish that balances protection, beauty, longevity, and tonal characteristics.
As detailed (and excruciatingly long!) as this post has been, there is actually even more to building a guitar than I’ve mentioned here. I’m passionate about guitars – this obviously stems first from my love of guitar music (rooted, I am 
sure, from my upbringing in the 60’s and 70’s), and has, over time, extended to the artistry and craftsmanship inherent in building these amazing instruments. Every time I pick up one of my instruments, I admire the work that went into their construction – many, many hours of 
care and attention to detail. Based on what I suspect are the ages of most of the participants on the AGF, I fear that there is a younger generation that does not have the same connection to these instruments as I think my generation has. I hope that’s not true, and I hope there are some of you that will get
just a little more intrigued about guitars, and maybe one of you will commission a build of your own one day. While this post has been focused on the craft of guitar building, I hope some of you are inspired to at least learn to play. You don’t have to start with a luthier-built guitar – in fact, you’d be crazy to do that! There are a few guitars I recommend for beginners – good guitars under $500 that you’ll be happy to own for a lifetime, and not afraid of the occasional dings and scratches – just contact me and I’ll provide some recommendations. Some of you have probably said “Someday I’d love to learn how to play guitar” – well get started! Make someday, today!
Credits
We are fortunate to be living in a time where we have such extraordinary luthiers out there, and I encourage you to google around and learn more about their amazing work. As I previously mentioned, the Acoustic Guitar Forum is a great place to start, particularly their Custom Shop section. Some of the luthiers I particularly admire are Jim Olson, Steve Kinnaird, Maine’s own Dana Bourgeios, and Mark Hatcher. Many of the amazing pictures in this post are from Mark Hatcher – I don’t know if Mark takes his own photos, but if so, he can add photography to his list of many talents! Larry Robinson is one of the most respected inlay artists in the US, and I’m proud to have a Larry Robinson inlay! Bill Nichols also does wonderful inlay work. There are many other luthiers out there doing stunning work – people like John Kinnaird (Steve’s Brother), Bruce Sexauer, Tim McKnight, David Wren, John Osthoff, Stephen Strahm, Bruce Petros, Ryosuke Kobayashi, and many, many others – do yourself a favor and check out their work.
have a Chantenay carrot from two different farms, they will each have slight differences in flavor, reflecting all the specific growing conditions of each farm – type of soil, how often they are watered, type of nutrients, when they were harvested, etc. – even though they may be identical varieties of carrot. Will the differences in flavor be distinct? Probably not. For most foods, these differences are going to be subtle. But we live in a world where terroir is increasingly valued and celebrated. That’s why you see so much focus on highlighting terroir on menus these days – for example, these aren’t just any tomatoes in the salad, these are “Eckerton Hill Farms Heirloom tomatoes”. Yes, sometimes it gets a bit annoying with these lengthy menu descriptions. But with
oysters, almost more so than any other food, you really taste…distinctly…their terroir (well, I guess technically it’s their “merroir”). That’s what makes them so interesting and joyful for me – the ability to distinctly taste, in a single bite, the tiny part of the ocean that this little guy came from.
While once the food of the common man, oysters today are, unfortunately, a bit of a luxury item. Go into any oyster or raw bar today, and you’ll likely see a chalk board or daily menu with anywhere from a few selections to as many as 15 or more selections of oysters. Malpeques, Wellfleets, Bagaduces, Duxburys, Bluepoints, Kusshis, Beau Soleils. Some of the 
names are intriguing – Lady Chatterly, or Fanny Bay (my British friends will love that one! Andy, Paddy, Chris!). It leads people to believe that there are hundreds of species of oysters out there – but amazingly enough, there are really only five food oyster species (Kumamoto; Pacific; Eastern; European Flats; and Olympia), and one – the Eastern Oyster, or Crassostrea virginica – makes up 85% of oyster consumption in the US. Take a look at the menu from the 
Coast oysters. Every one of those oysters is Crassostrea virginica, and every one not only looks different, but tastes different. The same characteristics apply to Pacific Oysters; European Oysters; etc. While the species may be the same, the shape, size, shell color, oyster texture and oyster flavor are going to be distinctly different depending on a dizzying number of variables associated with where the oyster was grown, and when it was harvested. In the US, most raw oysters offered are either East Coast, or Pacific (also called West Coast). Occasionally, Belons (European Flats) are offered, but these are almost always harvested from Maine, where Belons were transplanted from Europe in the 1950’s. While there are many flavor and texture variations, there are some generalizations about their physical characteristics and flavor profiles (I love that phrase!) – Pacific oysters are typically smaller, rounder, deeper, creamier, sweeter, with hints of melon or cucumber; while East Coast oysters tend to be larger, narrower, briny, crisp, with a slight mineral accent. 
In this picture, the Pacific oysters are in the middle -see how they look different? These are wide generalizations, of course – there is significant overlap. I will admit that I am an East Coast oyster lover– it’s not that I dislike Pacific Oysters – but I prefer the briny flavor of Eastern oysters to the (for me) slightly off-putting melony favor of West Coast. But aside from those generalizations, the variation is astounding. For example, on the other side of the Boothbay Peninsula from us is the Damariscotta River, one of the major oyster growing areas in Maine.
I’ve had the following oysters from the Damariscotta: Pemaquids; Glidden Points; Norumbegas; Wawenauks; Dodge Coves; Otter Coves; Browne Points; and Wiley Points. I’m sure there are even more, but amazingly, these 8 oysters are all grown within a 15 mile stretch of the Damariscotta River – and they all taste distinctly different! It’s the result of all the different variables that go into growing and harvesting the oysters. Salinity; depth of harvesting; depth of finishing; location along the river; current; etc. All these variations combine to produce a unique flavor. We live on the other side of the Peninsula, on the Sheepscot side. There are exactly zero oyster farms on our side, yet we 
are only 4 miles away, and the tidal waters that flow in both rivers is from the exact same source. Given that a significant amount of lobster harvesting occurs just off our dock, I thought it was strange that there were no oyster farms. I contacted Bill Mook, owner of 
So, let’s talk about what I think is the first hurdle that you oyster haters have to get over – eating them raw. This really frightens a lot of people. First, everyone has their story on someone getting sick from eating a raw oyster. Yes, it does happen, and, particularly for high-risk individuals (such as those with compromised immune systems), eating raw oysters may not be advisable because of the potential life-threatening consequences. That said, the general risks of infection in the US are very low, especially if you confine your oyster eating or buying to well known establishments with solid histories. There are risks from consuming many food items, ranging from undercooked meats (e.g. medium rare burgers) to raw eggs, and even unwashed spinach. 
But I don’t think the risks from eating raw oysters are so high that this should stop people from consuming them. While I love cooked oysters as well, to me, they are a completely different product. Steamed oysters dipped in butter are one of my daughter and I’s favourite foods on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. My wife and I absolutely love New Orleans chargrilled oysters (
are generally flavored up with other things (butter; cheese; Worcester sauce; hot sauce; etc.)
great fish. Do you know what a halibut looks like? Ok, not so scared? How about monkfish? Nice white, mild fish. Take a look – Pretty scary, right? 
swallow? Do you chew? That’s all about preference. I like to take a couple of chews before swallowing – but I promise 
pre-empt it by covering it with something equally (in their mind) strong. The problem, ironically, is that the oyster has such a mild, subtle flavor that anything you put on it can quickly overwhelm the flavors. I notice that people do this with sushi as well. Do you? Come on, admit it if you do. I meet lots of people that say they like sushi. We go to the sushi bar. My first clue is their predominant focus on rolls – keep the fish safely tucked away beneath rice; vegetables; and sauces. Then the horrible habit of mixing a large wad of wasabi in with their soy sauce – so they end up with a sinus busting dipping sauce. The subtle 
flavor of the fish is nowhere to be found. The same can be found with people purporting to love raw oysters – you see them load up on cocktail sauce before slurping down their oyster. Yesterday, at the 
wean yourself down, however. First, let go of the tabasco. Then cut back on the cocktail sauce. Replace the cocktail sauce with a little mignonette. Replace the mignonette with just a splash of lemon. Then finally, one day, eat the oyster naked (well, ehm. I don’t mean eat it in the nude…I mean, do that if you want, but…ehm…never mind). By the way, mignonette is extremely easy to make if, and when, 
you finally decide to buy and shuck your own oysters (more on that in a moment). It’s really just vinegar (typically red or white wine vinegar), a 
location, you can buy these oysters for under $1 per oyster. Still a little pricey, but now within reach for most people to eat them regularly. You buy a dozen, and an oyster knife, get them home, and figure – how hard can this be? I remember getting ambitious on my first time buying oysters to shuck at home – I bought two dozen Blue Points and an oyster knife from my local supermarket. I got them home, washed them, and prepared to shuck. I had watched a couple of youtube videos – didn’t look that hard. An hour and half later I had finished shucking – I was exhausted; the kitchen was a mess; my palm was bleeding from several puncture marks, and the oysters 
were a disaster – little bits of broken shell and mud on almost every one. I began to appreciate the shuckers at the oyster bar – you get a plate of oysters, clean, glistening, no mud, or broken shells – and you realize why you are paying $3 per oyster! When we bought our house in Maine, we started going to a local pub (
such a device – called an 
knife – and I finally “got it”. My problem was in putting too much brute force to try to pop the hinge. It’s much more about technique – wiggle the knife point in, apply very slight pressure, slightly rotate the knife tip, and you will feel it pop open. Once you learn the technique, shucking isn’t so bad. I also learned to buy a shucking glove (knife proof gloves – Amazon prime – under $7 a pair) for protection. I may still use the oyster jack if I have a lot of people over, but with my technique refined, I only need a good oyster knife and a kitchen towel to shuck (almost) like a professional!
do, I think you will be surprised by how much you like them. One of my nephews, Facundo (that’s him on the left), has a very narrow range of food he will eat – beef; pizza; pasta; no veggies. A few years ago we convinced Facundo to actually try an oyster. 
sido un pajarito posado en una rama, en un atardecer cualquiera en Le Bois (la casa de Andy y Jayne en el Loire) , ¿qué hubieses visto y escuchado? Seguramente hubieses visto unas cuantas edificaciones de piedra, bañadas por una luz dorada, un brillo púrpura en el horizonte sobre el campo arado, la puesta del sol y sentido una suave brisa cálida trayendo el aroma a suelo fértil.
Para nuestra sorpresa, vimos a un valijero empujando un enorme portaequipaje lleno de valijas hacia la caminoneta, lo cual era extraño, ya que: (a) nosotros llevábamos nuestras valijas de mano; y (b) una de las otras dos parejas, también llevaban las suyas. Oh bueno, pensé, tal vez hay más parejas esperando en la camioneta. Pero no… no había otras personas (Ok, lo admito, la foto no es del verdadero carrito de equipaje, pero se le parece bastante). Una vez acomodados, nos encontramos con nuestros compañeros de viaje. Una de las parejas era joven y claramente no estaba demasiado interesada en nadie más. La otra tenía nuestra edad, y enseguida entablamos una amena conversación. Andy y Jayne son ingleses, de Hull, y estaban en el final de unas largas vacaciones. Habían pasado más de una semana explorando el noreste de EE. UU., y ahora estaban terminando con una semana de playa. Nos dimos cuenta que el equipaje, era de ellos. “Viajar livianos” no era lo suyo, esto fue algo que nos hizo reir muchísimo a todos y pasamos un entretenido viaje, camino al complejo. Pronto nos hicimos amigos y pasamos una semana fantástica en la playa. Así supimos más sobre ellos: Andy tenía su propio negocio de inversiones financieras; Jayne, una guardería; dos hijos en edad universitaria; y, eran dueños de Le Bois, un “complejo” de vacaciones en el
Servir los productos “De la granja a su mesa” es parte de su cultura. Con un poco de pereza, dejamos nuestra mesa, para emprender nuestro camino al “Loire Valley Gites”, la propiedadad de Andy y Jayne en la campiña. “Gites” es el termino francés que se usa para denominar a una propiedad de vacaciones amueblada, ofrecida en alquiler, por lo general en zonas rurales.
Nos abrimos camino a través de un increible paisaje, y a través de varias poblaciones pequeñas. Pasando el pueblo de Meigne le Vicomte, doblamos por un camino rural a través de campos y bosques, y llegamos al camino de entrada a Le Bois, nuestro hogar durante la semana siguiente.
campo – algunos pájaros cantores, un tractor distante, la paz y la tranquilidad de este entorno privado. Y así, comenzó nuestra primera semana en Le Bois. Establecimos una rutina diaria: nos levantábamos temprano: Andy y yo íbamos a buscar los croissants para el desayuno recién salidos del horno, a una pequeña panadería cerca de Meigne Le Vicomte. Los dueños son una pareja mayor que debe levantarse a la madrugada para cocinar sus delicias caseras. Déjenme decirles: ¡No han vivido hasta que no hayan probado los croissants recién salidos del horno de una panadería local! Después del café
. Este castillo tiene unos jardines impresionantes, distribuídos en un estilo renacentista, sin duda mi parte favorita de este recorrido (bueno, de hecho, no: ¡mi parte favorita fue el almuerzo que disfrutamos en La Doulce Terasse!). El significado histórico de esta región es muy importante. Este lugar era el centro del Ducado de Aquitania, y el hogar de Enrique II y Eleanor de Aquitania (personificado por Peter O’Toole y Katherine Hepburn en El León en Invierno). Cuando el rey Felipe de Francia fracasó en las negociaciones de paz con Enrique II, su ejército se alió con su hijo, Ricardo Corazón de León (¡una verdadera disputa familiar!) y esto llevó a Enrique II a retirarse a la región en Chinon, donde murió. Enrique II, su esposa Leonor de Aquitania y su hijo Ricardo el Corazón de León están enterrados en Fontevraud Abbey, cerca de Chinon. Esta es otra de las muchas cosas interesantes para ver.
Disfrutamos de excelentes almuerzos mientras explorábamos la zona. Como en general pasábamos la tarde y cenábamos en Le Bois, reservávamos la hora del almuerzo para nuestras excursiones gastronómicas. Los franceses ciertamente saben cómo almorzar de la mejor manera: nunca nos sentimos apurados, buenos vinos acompañando la comida; y todos los productos producidos en la región. Normalmente, ordenábamos el vino de la casa, un consejo que les doy a todos, especialmente cuando se viaja a regiones productoras de vino. El vino de la casa es el que eligen los lugareños y siempre será bueno y menos costoso que el de la carta. Fuimos muy afortunados ya que el valle del Loira produce algunos de los mejores vinos de Francia. Aunque se conocen principalmente vinos blancos y rosados, también hay buenos vinos tintos, especialmente los elaborados 
Aunque no hay mucho que ver desde afuera, la comida, el servicio y el valor en Le Bouff’tard, fueron excepcionales. Las dos veces que fuimos, elegimos el menú del mediodía con precio fijo que incluye la copa del vino de la casa. Es difícil creer que tan buena comida, se pueda servir por menos de 16 euros por persona. Otros almuerzos memorables fueron en Saumur y Chinon, por lo general, algún tipo de marisco de Normandía o Bretaña, acompañado por productos locales. Es divertido explorar esta región de pueblitos pintorescos. Cuando viajamos, a veces vemos propiedades y fantaseamos con la idea de remodelar una pequeña propiedad. Así uno de esos días decidimos visitar una casita de piedra de tuffeau con un granero
comenzando con queso y fiambres traídos de nuestras visitas al mercado, y panes de la panadería artesanal. Uno de esos días, recordando lo hablado en nuestros encuentros anteriores, decidimos hacer pizza. Tanto a Andy como a mí, nos encanta la competencia y decidimos hacer una pizza cada uno y luego pedirles a Jayne y Paula que decidieran cuál era la mejor. Yo, ignorando totalmente la forma, intenté enfocarme en la simplicidad y el sabor. Andy, como buen inglés, se aseguró de que su pizza estuviera bien formada … es decir, 
Esta abadía data del 1101 y es la tumba de Enrique II, Eleonora y Ricardo Corazón de León. Finalmente, algo extremadamente divertido para hacer, especialmente en el verano, es hacer kayak. El río no es muy profundo, y para nada torrentoso. Hay varios lugares para alquilar los kayaks. Nosotros alquilamos en 
Doesn’t that look great? Well, that’s not what I’m experiencing right now. Wow, what a day! Here we are, mid-March, and our third Nor’easter in 2 weeks! Ok, I have to be honest here. First, the picture below is from a storm we had around the Christmas holidays. However, it represents what I imagine are the conditions in Maine at present. Second, I’m not actually in Maine right now – 
I’m in NYC…and while we are getting a little bit of snow, it’s nowhere near to being a Nor’easter. But given the general conditions, I thought it might be fun to do a post on somewhere warm (especially for my friend, Jim, who hates the cold weather) – in this case, Cavallo Island. You’ve never heard of Cavallo Island? I thought so…and up until a few years ago, neither had I. So, refill your coffee, and read on – I’ll tell you a bit about an amazingly undiscovered little slice of paradise.
A few years ago, we were thinking about what we would do for the summer. Our usual pattern was to visit Europe – picking a few places, trying to spend at least a few days on or near a beach, and trying to limit the number of places so that we didn’t spend all our time getting from place A to place B. We knew we would spend a week with some good friends who own a fantastic converted farmhouse in the Loire Valley. But what to do after that? Originally, the plan was for Greece – neither of us had been to Greece; we love the food and culture; and we really wanted some beach time. However, as we started to plan for the trip, the refugee crisis had hit the Greek islands particularly hard. One of my Greek acquaintances had suggested that it probably wasn’t the best time to explore the Greek islands. Disappointed, I started to research alternatives to Greece that would give us what we wanted – crystal clear, warm Mediterranean waters; access to good food; quiet and relaxing. There were a few candidates, ranging from the Balearic Islands in Spain, to the Croatian coast, to the little islands making up Malta in the south. But nothing seemed quite what we were looking for.
about the island, and in part, that’s what attracted us. An undiscovered (well, at least this decade) paradise. We were very intrigued…or at least, I was. My wife loves to travel, but she doesn’t get into the planning process as much as I. Not that she can’t plan – she’s great at it. But Paula is slightly more “go with the flow” than I am. Does it tick her minimum boxes? Yes? Ok, book it. Whereas I like to spend hours comparing different places; reading reviews; considering all the alternatives; and then make what I always believe (in my own mind!) is the best selection one could make! But the searching and planning are all part of the fun for me. After further research we discovered that there was one hotel on the island, one small port, a couple of additional small restaurants, and various villas and homes (some of which could be rented). So not a huge selection for accommodation. But the hotel looked nice (and had good reviews), and the 
beaches…ah the beaches looked stunning… and solitary. This was not a place to “do things”. This was a place to relax, unwind, eat, drink wine, and…just do nothing. In fact, this was exactly what we were looking for. I quickly booked a week, and we started to think about other arrangements. This was not, as we would find, an easy place to get to – and perhaps why it has remained relatively undiscovered.
options. When I inquired about the cost, it turned out that the helicopter charter was offering a discount – $400 per person, including taxi transfer to the heliport at Olbia. The boat option was somewhat less expensive, but not by a lot – $300 per person, including the taxi transfer. So, for an extra $200, we could arrive via helicopter (sounded very “Bond-ish”), and shorten our transfer time by a few hours – yes! we were in! Keeping in mind that the airline cost from Paris to Sardinia was extraordinarily cheap ($50 per person – unbelievable), we quickly rationalized the all-in cost of $450 per person from Paris as being reasonable. Done. Our dreams were, however, dashed a week before our arrival. I hadn’t heard from the helicopter charter we had booked, so called the hotel. “Oh, they stopped doing flights to Cavallo”…What!?? It’s a good thing I called, because nobody thought to tell us of the cancellation. “Not to worry”, she said, “we have an alternative helicopter charter” – $900 per person! Well, there go the jetsetter dreams (and don’t tease me about “someday” and actuating my dreams!). We opted for the taxi/boat transfer. It didn’t turn out so bad – a pleasant 1-hour taxi ride from 
Olbia to the north Sardinian port town of Santa Teresa Gallura, and then an 45-minute boat ride to Cavallo. The taxi driver spoke no English, but Paula understands Italian well, and we enjoyed a pleasant chat, with Paula translating, while he told us about Sardinia. It’s a beautiful island in its own right – rocky, dry, with significant terrain – mountainous areas that plunge to the sea. We both noted that it’s a place worth further exploration (although, sadly, we haven’t returned). We had time to have a lovely drink at the port while waiting for the boat, and a pleasant boat ride to Cavallo. Our week of relaxation was about to begin.
hotel, Hotel des Pecheurs, is open seasonally, May through September. It is situated right on the water, with its own beach. Most of the rooms have sea views; a few even have terraces right on the water. The rooms are small, but 
nicely appointed. The hotel itself is well maintained – there is a beautiful beach, a pool, two restaurants (only one open for dinner), and a spa. It is a bit pricey, but you have to realize that, in part, you are paying for the outstanding location. This isn’t a place we would splurge for every year – but it’s worth a splurge for a special occasion. Our bags were picked up at the 
small port, and we were taken to the hotel via golf cart. Oh, I forgot to mention…there are no cars on Cavallo – bikes and golf carts only. Given the small size of the island, it’s not surprising – and it makes the place seem even more remote and quaint. There is a meandering perimeter road around the island, and while much of the island is relatively flat, there is a hill that rises in the center of the island to about 100 ft. We quickly settled into a daily routine. Up early, full breakfast in the hotel dining area (open air, and overlooking the water). Head to the Hotel beach – lounge around, snorkel, enjoy the water – then lunch at the beach café, followed by a bike ride, walk, or golf cart ride to one of the other beaches (there are six on 
Cavallo); back to the Hotel for a nap before dinner; dinner al fresco by the water; early night to bed – then repeat with slight variations. We rented a golf cart one day to explore all the beaches (one of the beaches, Rose beach, was inaccessible to all but residents of the area); we had a couple’s massage outside, in an open-air tent by the pool – but really, it was all 
about…doing nothing. Now for us, that was great – its what we wanted. It’s not for everyone – several of my friends would be climbing the walls – they aren’t good at just relaxing. But we loved it.
trips where, I believe, everyone is living within a Rick Steves bubble. I quickly got out of there. But back to Cavallo. One morning we met this Italian couple at the beach. They seemed interesting, although I noticed he walked a bit awkwardly. “Hi, I am Marco” he said as he smiled and shook my hand. We had a drink with them and learned that they were from northern Italy; that they were staying in Sardinia; and that they decided to come over to Cavallo for part of their trip. Very pleasant chap. The next morning, I was in the water, getting ready to put my snorkeling mask on, and I noticed Marco wading nearby. I smiled at him, and just as I was about to say, “Good morning, Marco”, he smiled, shook my hand, and said “Hi, I am Marco”… hmmm – didn’t we do that yesterday? Was this Groundhog Day? Oh well, perhaps he was a bit tipsy yesterday, met a lot of people, and forgot. The following day we were lounging on the beach, and Marco and his girlfriend took the loungers next to us. He walked over, shook my hand, and said…you guessed it…” Hi, I am Marco”, and proceeded to tell me, once again, about himself. Seeing the look on my face, his girlfriend confided in Paula while we were in 
the water. Apparently, Marco had had a severe skiing accident the winter before; he was recovering, but it was partially a head injury and the result was a loss of short term memory. This explained the odd behavior- and then I began to look forward to meeting Marco again each day, anew – despite the short-term memory loss and recovery, he was always in good spirits and loved to tell me about his life.
that boats were prohibited from anchoring within the cove. While we were sunbathing, a boat approached, and anchored right in the middle of the cove. There were about 4 people on board – they anchored, broke out the snorkels, and started swimming around the boat. One of the ladies was preparing some lunch. I noticed a couple of people came out of their villas and shouted something at the boat – which was met with casual indifference by the boat people. About 10 minutes later the cops (in this case, the French Gendarmes) showed up at the beach. They were armed with…a whistle. They began shouting and whistling at the boat, pointing out the large sign which clearly prohibited anchoring. The boat people just waived the cops off – again, 
a casual indifference – they were clearly not going to respond to the threat of a whistle. The cops, visibly pissed, left. But about 15 minutes later I spied a boat rapidly approaching on the horizon – the Gendarmes were back, but this time with their own boat! That got the attention of the partygoers – they quickly scrambled back to their boat, but by now, the police boat was alongside. The Gendarmes boarded, and searched the offending boat. I figured the people 
late lunch there one day to just get a change from the hotel restaurants. The restaurant sent someone in a golf cart to pick us up. The setting is outstanding – with a magnificent view of the entire island. The food was also outstanding – simple seafood and pasta, with pizza as well (although to be clear, this is more than just a pizza place). We were disappointed that we didn’t discover this place earlier in our trip, as we would have spent more time here. The snorkeling on Cavallo is awesome – crystal clear, warm Mediterranean waters, with many rocky grottoes. It’s very shallow all around the island, making for a pleasant experience for novice snorkelers like me. Before we knew it, the week was at an end and we were headed back to 
Sardinia to begin our trip home. Recently, I came across several articles about an amazing fellow named Mauro Morandi. He is the sole inhabitant of a small island (Budelli) that is very close to Cavallo. Travel and Leisure has an 
rented. There are some apartments near the port that are clearly holiday rentals – while these won’t be expensive, they are not, by any stretch, luxurious. However, Cavallo is one of those places that would be great for a large group of people – chip in and rent one of the villas right on the water – it truly will be memorable. The hotel, however, is great – highly recommended. For villas and rentals, check the usual places (Airbnb, etc.).
counting the little gelato shop near the port) – the hotel restaurants, and 