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 John Sander and his prize carvings. |
A Hobby That's for the Birds
John Sander acknowledges that he's a right-brained person in a left-brained job. By day he crunches numbers and reviews financial policy as deputy director for the Office of Financial Policy and Management Controls. But his alter ego is a right-brained artist with a passion for carving waterfowl decoys. Mr. Sander took up decoy carving five years ago and has since won about a dozen ribbons in wildfowl carving competitions, including a first-place award at the Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl Competition in Virginia Beach, Va., and an honorable mention at the 1999 World Championship Wildfowl Competition in Ocean City, Md. He spends up to two hours a day for as long as three months on each project--carving the head and body separately from blocks of basswood using a bandsaw, sanding drum and chisels; sketching the feathers in pencil and burning them into the wood; hollowing out the body; and painting the decoy to resemble a real bird. In addition to introducing him to his "right brain," Mr. Sander said, carving has helped him appreciate the many species of ducks along the Chesapeake Bay. "Wildfowl carving opened a new world for me," he said.
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 Robin Cooke, State's mezzo-soprano in Lagos. |
Spreading Love and Peace Through Song
By day she's an office management specialist in the political/economic section of the embassy in Lagos. But after hours, friends and co-workers often see Robin Cooke "singing her heart out" throughout the Nigerian capital. The mezzo-soprano has performed at the Norwegian Embassy, the Musical Society of Nigeria and the Lagos International Piano Club, as well as at local churches and private parties. She's taken to the stage twice at the embassy's Marine Ball, most recently singing the U.S. national anthem. Ms. Cooke, a Civil Service employee serving an excursion tour in Lagos, said her only regret is that she didn't explore this and other opportunities with the Foreign Service years ago. And, she added, "that I did not have the opportunity to spread love and peace through song!"
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 Angler Mike Meszaros shows off a 30-pound rockfish. |
He'd Rather Be Fishing
Mike Meszaros got hooked on fishing during his boyhood days in Youngstown, Ohio. Pop into his office in the Bureau of Consular Affairs' Office of Overseas Citizens Services and you'll see a gallery of photos that testify to his love of this favorite American sport. A Civil Service attorney adviser for State since 1986, Mr. Meszaros practices his angling skills whenever and wherever he can, including Kazakhstan, where he fondly remembers reeling in whitefish during a State trip. His latest goal is to catch "a big drum" fish off North Carolina's Outer Banks. "I just love it when a big fish puts up a fight," he said. Perhaps that's a challenge he learned in law school?
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