In a quick and tragic turn of events for our family, my wife’s father Chip passed away this morning, on Memorial Day. Chip was a man whom I admired a great deal, both in his dedication to his friends and family, as well as his other passions in life.

Chip handcrafted all of the wooden treasure chests I showcase on MyPirateBar. He took up woodworking as a hobby later in life and clearly had a great talent for it. He started his shop, Bourbon Brothers Woodworking, in the basement of the family home. He brilliantly utilized wood pallets, discarded at the printing company where he also worked full-time, and turned them into true works of art. He started with simple shelves and crates but over time his projects included finely detailed keepsake boxes, toychests for his grandchildren, wooden toys, and the truly awesome treasure chests you see displayed. He developed some great aging and wood-burning techniques that you can see applied in his pieces.

Chip was also a great connoisseur of bourbon (and a good cigar to go with it) and helped develop my interest, giving my love of rum some steep competition.

It had been my hope to one day be plugging for his Etsy store when he might finally get to selling and sharing his work with a larger audience. Now, his pieces will serve as a memorial to a man well-loved.