July Bob Docbead Powers

After 40 years in the medical field, Robert Powers, M.D. decided it was time for a
change. After bringing thousands of children into the world as a Washington state OB/GYN
who specialized in infertility issues, Robert decided it was time to retire. His plan was to sail
the world with his beautiful wife Ruthie in thier 43 foot sailboat, It was a sailor's dream. He
had worked his whole live to get to the point where he could achieve this one personal goal.
Bob and Ruthie were going to sail the world. To Bob, it was just that simple.

Two months after celebrating his retirement, the man who had helped and healed so
many for the last four decades was in the hospital after a stroke that would crush his dreams.
What a devastating blow to Bob and Ruthie both. His life long dream of sailing the owrld was
shattered in a moment. The trip was immediately cancelled.

Thank God Ruthie was there to help get Bob through the toughest battle of his life.
Ruthie, a very giving and loving woman who met Bob under one of the most personal
circustances you can imagine. Ruthie had been unable to have children and for medical
reasons was required to undergo a complete hysterectomy. She chose Dr. powers to perform
the procedure.

The fine Doctor took very good care of Ruthie. And I do mean really good care. After
the procedure, the good Doctor pursued Ruthie like a schoolboy. He did everything he could
to convince this beautiful young lady to go out with him. Oh, she refused at first, but
eventually caved under Bob's still incredible charm. They were married at 12:01 am January
1st, 1985 and the rest, as they say, is history. Bob still loves to tell everyone how he knows
Ruthie inside and out.

However, the stroke through Bob into a very deep depression. WIth his dreamsn
shattered and his health not nearly as good as before, he struggled day to day. For Christmas
in 1995, Bob bought Ruthie a glass working kit for her so she could start making perfume
bottles. Bob was very supportive of Ruthie's new hobby. One day, while Ruthie was running
errands, Bob started playing with the equipment. When Ruthie arrived home, she caught Bob
sitting at the bench teaching himself how to make glass beads.

Working with the glass seemed to be helping Bob deal with the depression he had been
fighting for so long. Ruthie let him go at it full speed and sure enough, it bacame Bob's
passion. Working with the glass became Bob's anti-depressant. It has pulled him out of a
depression that could have killed him. Though it is nothinh like sailing around the world, it
gave Bob a new focus in life. His comments now......"I spent my whole life dreaming of
sailing around the world. Now I have this (glass and marbles) and I love it." So do we Bob.
Keep it up.

So now he has been renamed Docbead. His talents are many, as are his art pieces.
Docbead makes incredible glass art including beads, earrings, pendants, key chains, bolo ties,
buttons, drawer pulls and of course his true passion....marbles. Doc makes some of the most
incredible moretti glass marbles you could imagine. Everything from a basic swirl to a vortex.
He makes some of the prettiest dicroic pieces on the market. His art is plainly an extension of
who he is. No two marbles are alike and each holds its own beauty.

Doc and Ruthie live in a quiet home in Anacortes, Washington with their 17 1/2 year
old dog Peaches. They have sold the sailoboat and both work out of the little shop they have
created in their garage.

I hope that everyone who reads this gets the opportunity to meet this wonderful couple
and witness some of Doc's work. I am telling you from personal experience, you will never
meet a sweeter couple in the world. On thier own, they are wonderful people. As a team, they
are nothing less than amazing. Now at 73 years old, Doc is one of the few who can say, "I lost
my marblesyears ago.......but how wonderful to have found them."