My red oak bench, although built in the snowy plains of Ohio, was almost unconsciously influenced by the freeways and overpasses that dot my hometown of Los Angeles. This bench brings me back to a specific point on the freeway between Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena where you travel through a series of tunnels. Although the tunnels mark the start of a very narrow, old freeway that many find stressful, to me they represents the way home. The bench is constructed without the use of nails or screws--utilizing wood jointery to fit each piece into the whole. I chose red oak as the material because I liked the wide grain and soft color. It is an affordable material that grows all over the Midwest.