What a Great Start to Our Spring Demo Season: 14th Annual Fairfax Civil War Day

What a way to start a season!  We had a wonderful time at the 14th Annual Fairfax Civil War Day held at Historic Blenhein, an amazing house with such an interesting history.

We had a great day of teaching and blacksmithing, surrounded by the General and Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, Colonel Mosby, and lots of engaged visitors.  There were wagon rides, kids' toys, educational talks, living history interpreters, wonderful music, and delicious food.  It was great fun.

Our friend, Vince, was able to join us for the day and we set up two anvils (along with the kids' anvil) so we always had something going on to show our guests.   

The guys were quite productive, working on various Civil War-appropriate campfire tripods and utensil sets.   

They even did a variation on the usual S-hooks on a utensil set for an interested visitor -- our youngest son was thrilled with this product because he's been making "sideways S-hooks" for quite some time, and now was vindicated that someone who does a lot of outdoor cooking would find them useful!  

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We even had canine visitors who were interested in what we were doing!  

It was such a fun day -- please be on the lookout for the 15th Annual Fairfax Civil War Day.  You won't want to miss it!  In addition, we'll be at Wye Mills, Maryland next Saturday for the Colonial Fair. Please come and see us!

  

Cherry Blossoms in the Breeze

Jeff in the Forge Preparing for the 14th Fairfax Civil War Day

Jeff likes to feature a project every demo season.  This past fall, he demonstrated leaf hooks.  The leaf hooks were great because Jeff’s version of these hooks showed many basic blacksmithing skills in a quickly-moving project so many people could see those techniques (i.e. taper, twist, punch, etc…) within a 15- 20 minute time frame.  The hooks were perfect.  

With our first demo coming up on April 26th at the 14th Fairfax Civil War Day at Historic Blenheim (I saw an advertisement for the event when I flipped through the Weekend section of the Washington Post the other day!), Jeff is thinking through what he’d like to feature this spring.  He was toying with the heart he made in February so he went out to the forge to try various methods of making them. 

He’d hoped to be able to fashion them around the horn of the anvil, but wasn’t pleased with how that worked.  So, you still have time to vote on various projects you’d like to see made!  

Open Hearth Cooking Class at the Collier House at Catoctin Furnace

We were blessed to spend the day at the restored Collier House (circa 1810) at Catoctin Furnace at an open hearth cooking class titled “Feast at the Furnace”.  While I have some experience with open-hearth cooking from working at Mount Vernon, I jumped at the chance to spend a full day getting more comfortable with fire management.  I cook a LOT, so the recipes weren’t my focus — what I really needed was a better comfort level working with the fire and to learn how to cook with coals.

 

Priscilla Rall put together the program, and it was amazing!  I am so thankful to have met Priscilla at one of our demos at the Market Fairs at Claude Moore Colonial Farm and she happened to remember from our conversation that I was looking for an open hearth cooking class.  She emailed me about the opportunity and we seized it…the whole family came.  Jeff intended to drop me off and take the kids hiking, but there was an open fire….and you know how he is about fire!  :-)  Plus, he became intrigued by a waffle maker and wanted to get it working properly!

The menu included apple pies, apple fritters, apricot and apple pudding, gingerbread waffles, toast, gingerbread, chestnuts, rabbit smothered in onions, fried sausages with apple and sauerkraut, grilled venison, ham hocks, freshly-churned butter, scrapple, the beginning stages of sauerkraut, and rice cakes.  It was a ton of food — when we got one thing off the coals, another took its place.   And, that was the type of class it was….you jumped in and got involved with whatever recipe intrigued you, and then moved onto another…and there were at least 4 recipes going on at a time. 

What an amazing experience!  If you get the chance to attend one of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society's Open Hearth Cooking Class, please do so!  You won’t be disappointed.  

Announcing Our Spring and Summer Demo Schedule!

As spring begins, we are working at Mount Vernon and Jeff is teaching blacksmithing classes before the summer heat arrives.  If you are interested in a class or two, this is the time to do it!  We are still finalizing some details, but this is how our spring and summer demo schedule is shaping up:  

April 26 - 14 Fairfax Civil War Day (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) in Fairfax, Virginia.  This is a new event for us, but we are excited to participate in support of Historic Blenhein. Plus, with cannons, living history encampments, period music by “Home Front,” tours of the Historic Blenheim House and grounds, hayrides, and more, it looks like a lot of fun!

May 3 - Wye Colonial Fair (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) in Wye Mills, Maryland.  This will be our 3rd year demo’ing at this lovely church festival, complete with wagon rides, a May Pole, good food, children’s activities, a Blessing of the Animals service and a beautiful church building. Last year, my kids learned to make char cloth at this event….we are excited to see what this year brings! 

May 18-19 - Claude Moore Colonial Fair (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.) in McLean, Virginia.  Our longest-standing demo, we don’t miss a fair!  Fencing, great food, wonderful children’s activities, very nice plants for the garden, all on a small-scale so it is enjoyable for everyone. 

June 7 - Raiders and Invaders (12 p.m. - 6 p.m.) in Leonardtown, Maryland.  This War of 1812 commemoration looks to be a lot of fun!  The event is June 6-8, but we’ll only be demo’ing on the 7th. 

From the event’s website: “Site of no great battles but with a whole lotta raiding going on by those ornery  British, the war years of 1813 and 1814 were pretty much a bummer for local folks.  Two centuries later, let us harken back to those years of raiding and invading.  We’ll bring you some serious history, but we’re throwing-in more than a dollop of tongue-in-cheek fun.   Find street theater, circus arts and invasion route boat tours—plus our own British Invasion—1960s style!”

June 21-22 - War of 1812 Fair and Reenactment (10 a.m.- 4 p.m., with evening activities on the 21st) at Jefferson Patterson Park, Maryland.  We’ve done this War of 1812 Commemoration the past two years, but this is a bigger, 2-day event that promises to be amazing. We’ve seen their reenacted battles before and they do it well!  

July 19-20 - Claude Moore Colonial Fair (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.) in McLean, Virginia. 

August 13-16 - ABANA National Conference in Harrington, Delaware.  Jeff is on the board of ABANA, but even if he wasn’t, he’d be attending the conference.  It’s a great way to see many different types of blacksmithing — what a learning experience!   

August 23 - The Battle of Bladensburg Commemoration in Bladensburg, Maryland (11 a.m. - 5 p.m., with additional evening activities).    This is our final 1812 event of the summer season and it promises to be a good one, complete with fireworks over the Anacostia River! 

Getting Ready to Revisit the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake

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.  

We are happy to share this video of Jeff with you.  It was made by Brian Szymanski and we think he did a fabulous job!  Thanks, Brian!

Forging a Piece for a Cradle and Community, Too!

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.   

Heart of Iron (But in a Really Good Way!)

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!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Surprise! One of My Photos Arrives as a Brochure from AHS

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.   

Eyes of Wonder on a Winter Walk

Getting out into nature with a child is an amazing experience….  it literally changes your perspective!

Snack, Please?

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! 

Blacksmithing Doesn't Stop in the Winter

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!  

Not Too Late for Holiday Lights!

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!

On Vacation: The Pier at Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach

Jeff in a Documentary

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!