Alby Thoumsin didn’t want to stick such beautiful wood into the chipper.
After felling a branch of an eastern cedar, the Eugene arborist knew what to do. He had recently struck up a conversation with flutemaker John Eley at a 2009 Lane Community College powwow, and told him the next time there was usable wood to spare, he would call.
Eley carved flutes from the cedar, including one for Thoumsin. There was one problem — Thoumsin did not play the flute. Eley’s response was simple, in Thoumsin’s recollection…