About Us

I’m Robert Dillon, Ph.D., a semi-retired craftsman working deep in Michigan’s Northwoods, where the mornings carry the scent of the Ottawa Forest and my pet squirrels (Roger & Ruby) argue over who gets the first peanut. Watch Roger and Ruby take a peanut (videos). My wife Janet and I spend our spring–fall seasons together at our cabin in the Upper Peninsula, where her companionship, humor, and love of the outdoors make every day better. We take ATV rides through the backwoods trails, hike the forest paths, and just enjoy being part of the landscape that surrounds us — the trees, the wildlife, and the calm that comes from living with nature. Every piece I build — from swivel log stools and rustic log sofas to wildlife-carved headboards — is crafted from locally harvested birch, maple, cedar, and pine, either from our property or from trusted local mills in the Upper Peninsula.

A Life in Science, Maps & the Earth Beneath Our Feet

Before turning my focus to woodworking, I spent more than two decades as a geologist and cartographer. After earning my master’s and doctorate in Geology & Geophysics in 1999 — with a B.S. in Earth Science and specialties in Geochemistry, Geohydrology, and Geophysics — I worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and for Texaco, Inc. My work involved producing, editing and reviewing topographic maps (both analog and digital) and hydrography datasets for the USGS, and subsurface mapping and proposing drilling locations for Texaco.

I also taught Geology and Earth Science at several colleges and universities, ultimately teaching 63 courses across subjects such as Earth Science, Physical Geology, Subsurface Hydrology, Geology of the National Parks, Environmental Geoscience, Speleology, and more.

FAA-Licensed Drone Pilot & Aerial Imaging Specialist

I am also an FAA-licensed drone pilot and operate YoopersDroneServices.com and DroneServicesSWFL.com, offering professional aerial imaging, mapping, inspections, land documentation, and real-estate visuals across the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. From forest acreage to residential properties and large rural tracts, I capture high-resolution photos and cinematic 4K drone videos that help landowners, realtors, and outdoor enthusiasts see their property from a new perspective.

The UP’s landscape is rugged, wild, and breathtaking — and flying above it, from the hardwood forests to the breath-taking lakes, has become another creative outlet that blends my scientific past with my artistic nature. Many clients use these aerials for marketing, insurance documentation, construction planning, and property management, and I enjoy delivering imagery that is both technically precise and visually striking.

Market-Timing Entrepreneur & Analyst

In the late 1990s, my fascination with the stock market and market behavior led me into a second career. I developed proprietary trading and timing systems for ETFs, the Thrift Savings Plan, and major market indexes — systems relied upon daily by individual investors, federal employees, retirees, and financial firms.

I currently manage a network of subscription-based trading and market-timing services: TSPFundTrading.com, TSPMarketTiming.com, ETFTiming.com, StockMarketTiming.com, and GoldSilverSystem.com.

These services blend technical chart analysis, pattern recognition, and decades of experience. They continue running smoothly while I spend my spring–fall seasons in the woods shaping furniture by hand.

A Fingerstyle Guitarist at Heart

Music has always been a central part of my life. I’ve been a master fingerstyle guitarist since 1975 — arranging modern classics, composing original acoustic instrumentals, and recording six albums. My work has been featured in Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine, and I’ve performed at hundreds of weddings, concerts, and special events.

My music can be found at AcousticSunset.com and GuitarSolo.com, where many of my originals and arrangements are available for listening. My wife is a naturally talented singer, and we perform together as a duo, as described on AcousticSunset.com. At present, we perform in SW Florida, and open to performing in the UP.

Another creative outlet is my passion for creating intricate oil paintings (view one of my latest paintings).

Crafting in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Now semi-retired, I spend my spring through fall seasons at my cabin in the UP of Michigan, surrounded by birch, maple, cedar, balsam fir, and a lively cast of wildlife. My resident squirrels — Roger, Ruby, and Ralph — visit the workshop daily and often supervise the woodworking projects. I hand-feed them peanuts, which never really ends. Roger is a melanistic black squirrel, and Ruby and Ralph are American red squirrels (often called pine squirrels). Watch Roger and Ruby visiting me in the workshop (videos).

My woodworking projects are hand-crafted slowly and intentionally, applying the same care I once brought to geologic mapping, financial modeling, and musical composition. Each piece is shaped for durability, comfort, and natural beauty, reflecting the forest where the wood grew.

In Short

I’m a geologist by training, a market analyst by design, a guitarist by passion, a woodworker by heart, and an FAA-certified drone pilot who documents the Northwoods from above. In 2000, while living in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record newspaper published a full-page feature calling me “the Renaissance Man who moved to Hot Springs,” highlighting my lifelong pattern of diving deeply into multiple disciplines and mastering each one.

My goal is simple: to create high-quality rustic furniture that carry the warmth, texture, and character of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.