Marty Podesta has a history with mountains from a very young age. Growing up among apricot ranches in the east foothills of San Jose California he was hiking in the mountains  from the age of five.

The steep climb to Alum Rock Park was always full of experiences in nature.  Enjoying many attractions, such as climbing to the top of Eagle Rock to look over the valley below, the rushing water of Penetencia Creek which was always good for a short raft ride on make shift boards. Then up to Cherry Flats Dam to enjoy the wide variety of waterfowl and fish. It was early to rise then off to the mountains from a very young age.

Fast forward to today and it is still up into the mountains,  but now it's the Sierra Nevada in search of hardwoods to create the beautiful live edge and rustic products available on this site.  It is a fascinating store with some of the most masterful works of natures art available. 

In the Sierra Nevada (Spanish for “Snowy Mountains”) of Northern California there are hundreds of miles with narrow, eroded, dirt roads that meander through rugged granite slopes and canyons filled with rushing rivers, crystaline lakes and millions of trees! 

In springtime, the trees come to life in chlorophyll-green and during the heat of summertime the forests are scented with pine needles, tree bark and earth.

A tree’s life can last for hundreds or thousands of years. Trees are resilient and stand tall through the harshest conditions, enduring floods, freezing rains, snow, lightning, drought, fires, blight and insects that burrow deep into their bark. 

When a tree finally falls it remains on the forest floor, silently awaiting the possibility to be reclaimed, as something new. It is this reclaimed wood from the forest, and the lumber mills in these mountains, that I appreciate and gather to take back to my workshop. It is a selective process as I examine each piece, noting every wood grain and knot hole. Then begins my craft to transform the wood, in honor of the tree it was. 

By hand I cut, carve, plane and sand these old woods to discover what hides under their gray bark. The rough edges, meandering grains and the multitude of colors take shape. Even the areas of decay become beauty that never ceases to surprise and amaze me. 

The wood has history and takes shape as pieces of art in tables, desks, benches, stools, charcuterie and serving trays, cheese boards and carving boards. The once-mighty tree is reborn and takes on a new life. Old becomes new, wasted becomes useful.

I hope you enjoy my selection of hand crafted wood products and visit here often as I continue my search for the perfect woods and create ever changing varieties for you, to take a reborn tree into your home.