The smell of burning oak is what struck me first. It wafted up the hill through the open windows of my woodshop. I watched its smoke swirl among the sawdust that floated in the air like snow flurries and shimmer within the tiny particles of light that beamed in from the east. It was beautiful and mesmerizing--a sign from…
Read moreWelding Camp No. 22 at KKDW Store
Lucky No. 22 in October kicked off our fall season of Welding Camps.
It was a rare Texas October day that actually felt like Fall, instead of the thick humid remnants of summer that we’re often left with in late October. The morning started out chilly enough for a couple layers, and we had the shop’s wood-burning stove going. The coziness of the fireplace mixed with the severity of four welders lined up in neat rows is my favorite kind of juxtaposition.
The entire block of our tiny town smelled of warm cedar and pine as the smoke from our chimney floated down the lanes and gravel driveways…
Read moreWelding Camps No. 19 + 20 at KKDW STORE
Photo essay from our Spring 2019 Season of Welding Camps! This was a special season because we switched the Welding Camp location over to our KKDW Store—a light-filled 85-year-old former blacksmithing shop about 45 minutes northwest of Austin in the tiny railroad town of Bertram, TX.
Read moreBeginning of Welding Camp Season
There’s a slight shift in the air—it’s October and it’s the beginning of Welding Camp Season at KKDW! In our October class, everyone fabricated their own 5-ft-long bench. Such a fun day full of a talented new class of welders, plus a ton of BBQ and brews. Next up… November!
Read moremarch's welding day camp: lucky number 13
The signal of the first arrival is the distant bark of white, fluffy Samson, though today his coat is spotted with grass stains. I see a vehicle roll into the field, the green and khaki grass heavy under fog. The vehicle parks as I carry a board of blueberry muffins and a carafe of hot coffee along the gentle uphill path to the shop. The sky looks cold in shades of blue and gray, even though the air is warm and almost steamy.
Read morea winter welding class
A fire, a chill in the air. We always forget how magical these Day Camps are, even though February's camp was our 12th. It's nice to keep remembering.
Read morenotes on welding & flowers
It was still dark outside as I unlatched the sliding windows from the inside and moved them along their track to unveil the muggy morning air that let the early birds' chirps echo through the shop. Travis began to set out the day's materials: steel, welders, welding wire, clippers; the equipment for the first part of our day sat next to the soft and lush components of the second part. The coffee would be ready by now so I walked back down the hill to the house as the sun began to illuminate a gray-blue cloudy sky. The temperature should start dropping soon.
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