Hip replacement & changes..

One of my best friends had hip replacement about a year ago. According to him it was one of the best things he ever did for himself. He is back to 100% and more mobile and pain free than he was before the surgery. I wish you a similar recovery.

A few years ago my wife and I relocated from NC to AZ to be closer to my aging parents. I know nothing more about your situation than what you posted in this thread, but moving closer to aging parents is seldom a decision that I hear people regret. For us, it was the right decision and one we are very happy we made.

I am a relative newcomer to the Fiddleback fan club, but I have greatly appreciated your presence on this forum. I sincerely wish you all the best with everything that is happening in your life and hope that you will continue to post here and keep us updated on how everything turns out.
 
I went through 2 hip replacements with my father and they were absolutely the right decision. Best of luck Ken and I wish you well.

Phillip
 
Thanks for everything you've done for Fiddleback Forge and all of us Ken. You'll be missed as part of the forge but I think we'll be seeing plenty of your knives around. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and quick settling down after your move & surgery.

Anthony
 
I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving the 'Forge' Ken, I expect you will be sorely missed around there and by many on this forum.
Thankyou for your understanding and encouraging messages over the past year or so; my experience of the way you deal with people is a real credit to you.
All the best for your operation and the future.
Jason.
 
Bamboo said:
Andy, thank you so much for asking me to come work with you 2.5 years ago. I fell in love with knives as a young kid, like we all did. I remember saving up for a Cold Steel tanto, my first 'real' knife, and waiting until summertime to order it so I knew I would be home from school to catch the UPS driver and hide it from my mom. It was that important. Jump ahead a decade or two, I'm making furniture & you're making knives, and we meet at Blade Show and our bond formed instantly. When you asked me to move here and join you in this pursuit part of me went right back to being that kid in the driveway waiting for his knife to arrive. Excited. And also honored. It has been a privilege to work beside you (and Everybody else!). One of my favorite parts has been watching you drive the apprentices to be as good as they can be. It is truly inspiring how important that is for you. I'm hopeful I'll be a graduate too someday. It still freaks me out a little that I know how to and can make my own knife. That is something the 11 year old kid in me never expected, and for that I thank you more than you may know.


~ Ken
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I met Ken at the 2006 Blade Show. We had both been hanging out in the Himilayan Imports section here at BF and met up at Dan Koster's table with several Khukuri nuts. We were fast friends right away. The next year we discovered the pit, and I had made a knife or two to ask advice about. (Osage Nessmuk) Ken and I spent the entire weekend ranging the show during the day, and we discovered the pit during the evening. By our third year of Blade Showing we had a room at the Waverly, and I was unexpectedly a table holder after being laid off a month prior. You know most of the rest of the story.

Ken, you are a great friend of mine and it has been a great run. Your help has allowed this company to grow from 18 knives a week to almost 70. I think you have some kind of customer service gift. I certainly don't have nearly the skills you have with customers. I hope, as has been stated above that you continue to post here, and that you also keep coming to Blade Show.

I'll be praying for you for your hip surgery to make a big impact on your life. (Folks, Ken lives in constant pain from this hip and works and lives through it.)

I can't say how sad I am at your leaving.

Namaste my friend.
 
I hope this works out for you. Atleast us northerners are cheering for you.
Good luck Ken.
 
Ken,

Best of luck in your surgery and life change! I will keep you in my prayers throughout! You are a great guy who brought lots to Fiddleback Forge. I hope to be able to use one of your knives that I have heard so much about one day! Thank you for all you have done for us as customers and followers, and thank you for all you have done for me personally!

-Will
 
Ken It has been a pleasure having you as part of the Fiddleback crew. I had the brief opportunity to meet you a couple years back. I have always appreciated your contributions to the forum and your efforts with the business operations. I wish you all the best of luck with your move. You will be in our prayers during your surgery and recovery.


Dave
 
Hope surgery goes well Ken. Been a pleasure dealing with you in the time you've worked with Andy:thumbup:
 
Praying surgery and the move go well Ken. You've been a big part of the Fiddleback team and it's always been great communicating with you. You'll be missed.
 
Ken, may your pending surgery and move both go smoothly. You'll be missed around here. God Bless!
 
bonafide said:
This makes me sad. :(
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^^^ This.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Ken briefly at the Southeast Custom Knife show last year. He is genuinely one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and also one of the most enthusiastic about knives. Good luck on your surgery and move Ken. You will be greatly missed here on this subforum and probably even more so at the Forge.
 
Thank you, Ken, for the help you've given me in the 10 months or so that I've been learning about Fiddlebacks.

Andy writes that you've had "a great run." The great runs we share with others are special times in our lives. Reading this morning the many heartfelt responses to your news, it's clear that you have more great runs in your future. And, as someone who has already benefitted from Phillip's customer service, I would say you are leaving your responsibilities in capable hands.

Wishing you the very best for what comes next for you,

Jim
 
The very best for a speedy recovery Ken, and I hope that your mobility is greatly improved and pain free. You know that you will be missed around here, but I can tell you now that both of my parents are gone that I wished that I had an opportunity to be a bigger part of their lives.
 
Ken,
As many others have stated in this thread, you have been the glue of the fiddleback forge family these past few years. As many can attest, your impeccable work ethic, good nature, and insane woodworking skills have truly helped bring the forge to the next level. You will be sorely missed; I wish you a speedy recovery and an easy transition back home to care for your family.

It's been a pleasure -- be well my friend
 
Ken,

Good luck with the surgery!! Phil's post elegantly put to words the feelings I have around the level of professionalism and customer support you bring to the forge. You will be missed by all the regulars who buy Fiddleback knives. Let us know how the surgery goes, we will be praying for you.

Thanks again for all your work at the forge,

Tod
 
Ken,
There honestly isn't much that I can say that hasn't already been said. You were the first person I ever had contact with over at the Forge and those first emails are one of the big reasons I'm such big supporter of Fiddleback Forge. You will definitely be missed.

I hope that the surgery goes well and I'm sure that it will greatly improve your quality of life. I also hope that you will still drop in on our little corner of the forums.

Also, I live in Massachusetts just across the CT boarder. The reason I'm here is because I also take care of my folks, both of whom are 86 although they refuse to slow down. So if you need anything after the move just shoot me a PM and I'll do what I can to help out.

Thanks for all you've done for this wonderful community Ken,
Jim
 
Ken:

I'm sitting here at the dining table of the cabin Susan and I are staying at this week and over the kitchen sink is a sign that reads "Families are Forever". When I first learned about your planned transition to provide support for your parents I could not help think that they are truly blessed with a loving and caring son. The personal sacrifice that you are making is admirable. While this decision will take you away from your Fiddleback Family, I hope we can all take solace knowing that it's for a greater cause. Please know that you will be missed not only for your skills and craftsmanship, but more importantly for the person that you are. You are the real deal !

I am very confident that your surgery tomorrow will be a success, and that you'll be back on your feet in no time given the discipline that you'll embrace through your rehabilitation. Please know that you will be in our thoughts & prayers. I'll even put up a little extra smoke from our camp fire tomorrow. I hope you'll be able to Keep us posted on your progress as time permits.

Take good care my friend, and remember that you'll always be part of the Fiddleback Family.......Cheers !

Peter
 
Thank you everybody for all of your kind words. It is really wonderful to read through all of these. As I'm a little pressed for time today I want to make a couple of simple points -

1. I will be at Blade show next year, and every year after that. It's one of my life goals to never miss a year.
2. The Dr. won't let me keep the ball of my femur, which I had planned to put on a knife handle, or at least a stick shift knob. Thankfully that's the only bad news to report. :rolleyes:
3. I'll still be hanging out here on the forums, so in some small way hopefully it'll feel like nothing changed.
4. I can't thank each and every one of you enough for your support, both now and over the years buying Fiddlebacks. It really is an amazing thing to do this for a living. (Andy's words.) Hopefully I can get a basic set up going in the future and continue making my own knives too.

I'll send word as quick as I can that everything went smoothly!

Cheers,
Ken
 
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