OWINGS, Md.--Dave Wardrup has no trouble admitting that when he's creating pieces of art or practical objects on his wood lathe, he's never fully in charge.

Often, he said, "the wood tells me what to do. I might be set to start at one spot or at one particular angle, but it won't feel right. The grain and texture of the wood will dictate how to start."

The 60-year-old wood-turner, who retired in 2005 after 22 years in the Army and a stint with the State Department, is also clear about his favorite wood.

"My favorite truly is whatever I happen to have on my lathe at that moment," said Wardrup, who will admit he likes cedar quite a bit.

"You never know what shapes and colors you'll find down in that wood," he said.

Wardrup will join other artisans at the second annual Art and Wine Festival at the Caledon Natural Area in King George County on Nov. 10.

I visited with Wardrup earlier this week at his Calvert County home to get a feel for how artisans like those coming to Caledon get into avocations that are actually part hobby, part job.

Like many of them, Wardrup said he wanted to fill up his days after retiring from supervising security on the construction of U.S. embassies overseas.

"If you've been an active, busy person and you don't find something else that will keep you busy after retiring, you waste away," he said.

Wardrup said he had always admired and taken notice of various types of woods he saw in his travels.

He also remembered a time in junior high when he got a few weeks working on a wood lathe.

"That had always stuck with me as something I wanted to try," he said.

Soon after his retirement, Wardrup bought a high-quality lathe from New Zealand and had it installed in his tool-filled backyard workshop.

More importantly, he joined a thriving group called the Annapolis Wood Turners.

Getting tips from veteran turners, he began crafting bowls, vases, platters and more.