If I may divert today from my usual posts of design classics of the 20^th century and iconic pieces of furniture and instead write about something a little different.  The piece I want to blog about is a beautiful antique, hand-made, mahogany and cedar……wood boat!  This boat is a 1947 classic design of pure beauty.  The craftsmanship that went into the making of this boat would be comparable to that of a beautiful classic piece of furniture.  There are over 6,000 brass screws that where hand turned; definitely a labor of love.  Like many pieces of antique furniture (i.e. Spool bed) this wood boat has passed through many hands.  Each owner has loved it and added their own handiwork.  Since owning it we have sanded, stained and varnished the boat.  The hull of the boat is alternating strips of cedar and mahogany so we ‘tiger- striped’ it with stain.  Very cool.  Riding around the lake in this boat I feel like a lady from bygone days; an era of chiffon kerchiefs, cat eye sunglasses and halter top bathing suits.  Swimwear was tame and very ladylike; any two piece bathing suit was considered a bikini.  But here is an interesting fact; did you know where the name bikini comes from?  Originally created by Parisian designer Louis Reard in 1946, he named it after the Bikini Atoll, where the atomic bomb was tested!