About a month ago I called Mr. Toelke having remembered him making a kids' bow somehow. My daughter is growing fast, and has long needed something bigger than her little Tim Meigs Superbow. My suspicion was validated when Dan informed me that he had, in fact, made a bow called "The Tadpole". While he's no longer making them, he had completed some to set aside in the event someone would call... "I'll take two!" I bought one for my daughter Ava, and one for the son of a lifelong friend.
Now, I've never shot a Toelke myself, though I've long liked the looks of them. After addressing the task at hand, I began to talk with Dan about what I shoot. 15 minutes later I would hang up the phone excited about not only the bows for the little ones, but also my first Toelke; a 56" Pika. I went out on a bit of limb electing a riser of Texas Ebony; there's just not many photos out there to pin down what it's true character is. I am a Texas native, however, and thought it cool to go with this wood as a nod to my homeland. What Dan made far surpassed my hopes! The Ebony is a dark, mystical wood, under a blanket of myrtle veneers.
Thank you Dan! I am beyond happy with what you've done, and I'm certain there will be two happy kids on Christmas morning.