As I have been reviewing the pictures that I have taken over the last little while, I notice that not all of the finished parts of the interior wood are exactly the same and that there are some spots that are a little darker or lighter than others and I thought I should provide an explanation as to why.
Firstly I am not a professional furniture refinisher. Perhaps if I had contracted out the work, the wood would be a little more uniform in colour throughout. I am sure if I paid enough for it, it could be close to perfect. As close to perfect as the day it came out of the factory.
But secondly, Akupara is not brand new. Akupara has almost 40 years of experience under her belt. She has battle scars like any other 40 year old. She also has 40 years of stories to tell about those battle scars. A lot like me. I have a crooked middle finger on my left hand and there is an entire story I get to tell about crushing that finger in a compound sliding miter saw while attempting to cut one of the hardest pieces of wood I have ever seen.
In hindsight, I guess I could have had some kind of cosmetic surgery where they attempted to straighten out the bone, but was it necessary? I can use the finger perfectly fine, just ask many a driver in Vancouver who have cut me off in traffic, so no I do not feel it was necessary to make it perfect, and I have a pretty good story to tell when asked about it. Not to mention that in order to get the full visual, I have to stick my middle finger up at the audience, which is just a fringe benefit. 😉
So when it comes to the wood refinishing in Akupara. Yes we have filled as many holes as we need to, and yes we have sanded the old faded finish off, and yes we have re-stained it, but no it is not perfect. You can still see the lines and battle scars that Akupara has earned and each of which I am sure has a story to go along with it. Soon enough, we will undoubtedly add some of our own scars to her, and for those we will have a story to share, but for the others, Akupara will get to hold her past as her own and we will accept her for who she is now, along with all of her life experiences to which she should be proud of.
