I was helping move firewood and picked up a piece of yellow birch and one end just splayed out widening into a large curve. I couldn't through it away and set it aside. I decided to make a larger soup ladle and used my bandsaw to rough out the shape. This was the outer, bark-side of the log that was cut off just above where the bowl of the large ladle would be. When the tree experienced a long period of bending force that created this curve there was a great deal of compression. This created ripples in the wood. I left one side of this piece touch and sanded and finished with shellac the other side to be able to share the inner beauty.