Who Were the Founding Fathers? Yours mine and Theirs....

Lets see..... Who were the founding fathers?

Francisco Coronado? Don Juan de Onate? Pope'? Don Diego de Vargas? George Washington, Don Juan de Anza? Cuerno Verde? Manuelito? Sitting Bull? Satanta?

I would venture a guess that this all depends on who you were when whatever you considered your country crystalized in your mind. Navajos in the 1870's did not consider any American, Mexican or whatever, a founding father. And who do Navajos consider their "founding father's" today? I do not know any Navajos, but I bet not many would call George Washington a "founding father".

The reason I give this example is because I feel the same way. I have a hard time relating to a conversation when someone mentions "founding fathers". And I know several Native Americans and they all feel this way. I have never had one Native American claim George Washington. 

El Taborette

These are pictures of a stool that was once owned by my grandfather, Roman Benavidez.  Click on the image if you want to see the larger version. The story I heard was that he found it on the tracks of the AT&SF when he used to work there in the early part of the last century. He called it a "taborette". Do a Google search on the word, there are many of these things floating around.

Anyway, this particular piece is now in the hands of my nephew somewhere in the vicinity of Salt Lake City, UT. I have made several similar to this out of 2x4 lumber and use them as an end table or a plant stand. But my grandfather used to lug this one all around the house, inside and out. On the ones that I have made, the top is more of an octagon than the one shown here. I have given them to relatives who knew of the taborette and wanted one. There is one in Minnesota, several in Colorado and several in New Mexico and soon there will be one in Montana. I got the idea from this one here.

Anyway, just made 3 more this last month. Had to replace some that I had given away. I might try and make them out of regular 1" lumber and see how they come out. The entire family seems to like them because my grandfather had this one.