Is he back to making knives?
Semi-retired I guess. Gene isn't taking custom orders from customers. He builds what he wants at the pace he wants and when he gets several built he lists them in an email he sends to those on his email list. Once in a while at random times if you're on the list you get an email with a few knives for sale. If you want on the list email Gene and ask that he add you to his roster.
It seems like a lot of knife makers are moving to something like this. They don't take customer orders, they build what they want and then list the knives on social media for sale.