Raymond Gilstrap poses with two of his windmills.
Raymond Gilstrap is a man with a knack for things mechanical. I recently visited him and was surprised to find a small-scale assembly line of freshly painted wooden windmills lined up neatly inside his newly constructed backyard workshop. Mr. Gilstrap spent years accumulating the tools for his woodworking projects and is looking forward to turning his hobby into a source of post-retirement income. Not that Mr. Gilstrap is concerned about the money; "I really love what I'm doing. I come into the shop in the morning and treat it just like a job" he told me. Much of his workshop he built himself including an impressive full-size heavy workbench equipped with wheels at one end for easy repositioning within the shop. His attention to detail is evident in the finished product, and considering the two days it takes him to construct each windmill, his prices are extremely reasonable. He has even been known to take on custom projects and is currently working on a "lighthouse" design. Contact Mr. Gilstrap via email at
darray11@yahoo.com if you are interested in learning more about, or purchasing, one of his colorful creations.
