writing, editing, photography
It’s been almost 9 years since I’ve started calling the Madison, WI area home. So it’s about time for a travel guide. If you think you might make a stop over in our fair city sometime (or don’t think you will by want to be convinced you should!), I’m sharing a few of my favorites with Susannah over at Feast + West today.
Check out the Hidden Gems: Madison, WI Travel Guide on Feast + West.
If you know my husband in person, you know he is interested in making all the things in the world. He builds power lines for a living, is his own mechanic for most everything, crafts gorgeous furniture in his spare time (like my awesome desk which the picture does not do justice), and makes comments like “it would be cool to be a shipbuilder” in everyday life.
In recent years, he has decided that he would also like to become a blacksmith. Right. Because a person can totally learn to be a blacksmith in this modern day.
Cue the “Abbie was wrong” ringtone.
Back in January-ish, Scott discovered a man in Milwaukee who is a modern day blacksmith. And who gives lessons.
Meet Aaron Cergol, of Cergol Tool & Forgeworks.
Aaron is a modern day blacksmith. It’s what he does full time, for a living these days, and he started to offer classes to teach other people how to make hammers of their own.
Scott, of course, stalked his Instagram feed for a couple of months and then signed up for a class himself. He took that class in April, and I tagged along for the photo opportunity, of course.
It was a fascinating experience. Aaron not only knew what he was doing and how to direct a novice in swinging a sledgehammer, but he took the time to explain the molecular structure of the steel so we (Scott) would understand why it was behaving the way it did when heated. He was also a fascinating individual to talk to, and the two of us instantly felt right at home in his shop.
Once we get our own shop up and running in a year or two when we move to the country, Scott plans to take a couple more classes and make the tools he needs with Aaron in order to start blacksmithing on his own.
You know, in all that spare time he has.
We spent a week in Louisiana, visiting friends and spending some time in “the city” – New Orleans. The days were filled with good food, great company, and sights that we don’t normally get to see here in Wisconsin: gators – both in the “wild” and in mailbox form, the swamp, a southern plantation, and architecture completely different from what we are used to up north.
How do you chose where to go on vacation? Do you try to find something completely different than what you are used to, or do you try to spend time places you are already comfortable?