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We take what we do as historical interpreters very seriously, which means there are usually various piles of history books around the house. I am scheduled to work at Mount Vernon next week and have already made a mental note to double-check the number of sheep Washington had on his farms during the years we interpret there! :-)
This year, though, we are also studying up on the history of the War of 1812, specifically in the Chesapeake. Maryland is celebrating the bicentennial of the war, and we are already booked for three events in June and August (more details to come). While there are many wonderful resources available, we are finding "The Full Glory Reflected: Discovering the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake" to be amazingly helpful. It’s tremendously well-researched, and we are having a great time studying up on the various places where we’ll have blacksmithing demos.
With the research well underway, we just need to find a seamstress to adjust my 1812 gown by June! Details, details…. :-)
Please note — We are not connected with the authors or publishers of “The Fully Glory” in any way. We are just enjoying it as a great resource.
About a month or so ago, we were contacted by someone who had found us on the Internet. He had a new baby and wanted a piece forged for the baby’s cradle. His grandfather had forged the original pieces and one was in need of replacement. We have young kids and can easily recall those sleep-deprived first months, so Jeff got right on this request.
When Jeff reached out via email to discuss shipping the finished piece, the address that we received surprised us. Jeff asked me if it sounded familiar…and it did…it was about 3 miles down the road. That’s pretty incredible! But, then, the address seemed even more familiar when the man gave us his last name for the shipping….
It turned out that this young family with a new baby was a family that we’d taken a meal to through our church’s food ministry just the week before! We’d never met them before but our church has a wonderful ministry of providing meals to folks who could use a break so we’d signed up and Jeff had delivered supper. He’d dropped off the food to the family….having no idea at all that he was also chatting with the husband via email about ironwork. It was a funny, wonderful coincidence.
Jeff forged the most beautiful heart as my Valentine’s gift. Made out of 1/2 inch square bar with a twist on the two sides and whale tail ends for the point of the heart, it is a gorgeous piece. It’s substantial, yet decorative…a lovely combination.
He’ll probably continuing to work on this theme in the near future, so please let us know if you are interested in one for your home. As always, you can email us at inquiries@blackforestartworks.com. I am envisioning small Christmas ornaments or maybe a larger piece of sculpture for the garden as versions that I’d like to see.
This heart, though, is hanging in our living room window. Thank you, Jeff!
When I looked through the mail yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see one of my photos as part of a brochure from the American Horticultural Society! I did know that they had used this photo in one of their brochures, so it wasn’t a bad surprise at all, but it it was still a bit of a shock to be ruffling through the bills and junk mail, etc…and see one of my photos in the mix!
It was a good reminder that spring is on the way, despite the snow and freezing rain still coming down this morning. I actually dug out the seed-starting equipment and am going to start some seeds this morning.
I love Lightroom 5, but I am definitely not using it to its full potential. One of my main goals this year is to figure out how to organize/classify my photos better within it, so I won’t have to search and search…… I am looking forward to delving into Rob Sylvan and Nat Colason’s book on the subject. And any other ideas are much appreciated!
However, while I might “waste” time searching through photos, I also rediscover photos that I’d previously discounted. This photo from April recently caught my eye, totally reminding me of the never-ending saga in my house, as my boys are always hungry and in search of a snack!
Some might think that the winter is a slow time around here, and it it true that we aren’t spending every weekend teaching at a demo. But, Jeff is still plenty busy in the forge. He’s teaching quite a bit, and also working on a bunch of commissions.
We haven’t done a very good job of documenting the work, but he and his friend Vince have made seven rookers (a very popular holiday gift this year, it seems!), a fireplace shovel, a colonial shovel, four ladles with copper cups, angled shelf brackets for bar top (complete with twists and hooks for purses), a lot of leaf hooks, and several colonial cooking forks.
Vince has also made a lot of shoe/boot/hoof picks, in between all the other projects. Next up on the list are some hinges, a set of 2 1/2 inch-wide legs for a table made from a ship’s hatch, and stands for two small gargoyles.
Jeff also really wants to spend some time on the ABANA curriculum grill this winter, as well.
And, we are starting to finalize the spring and summer demo season, so if you are interested, please let us know!
I know I’m a bit behind, but we still could use some holiday lighting, I’m sure. Holiday cheer should never go out of style! These photos are from a very lovely evening at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens at their Winter Walk of Lights, shot w/ my 35 mm lens. Many thanks to our friends for introducing us to a very special holiday tradition!
Jeff was recently asked to be in a documentary as part of a friend’s college class. Of course, he said, “yes!” (he’s that kind of guy!) and the forge was turned into a movie studio. It was a fun learning experience and we can’t wait to see the final footage. Thanks, Brian!
We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving morning than by inviting friends over to forge together. Granted, it could have been warmer, but we had pumpkin pie and a fire going, not to mention the forge itself!
What a great new tradition to start! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!!
