Thank you all for the generous comments. Yes, JimGo is right, it's gimlet burl. The gimlet burl is fairly exotic, but the birdseye figure is extremely rare. I got mine from www.leetreewoodworks.com . I've never gotten a bad stick from Lee.
Lou,
I've liked all the other 2nd pics better, except for this one. I'm not sure what it is. In part, I think the kit seems to be getting lost in the background (the silver winds up reflecting the white, making it blend). But, in this case, I think the finish was done too well! You're getting a lot of glare off the pen in different places. Are you able to adjust the angle of the light you're using?
I sure am glad I get to see some of Lou's work in person.
This one is really great, you should have seen the other 6 or 7 he had on Saturday... WOW! []