Welding Camp No. 22 at KKDW Store

November 11, 2019 KKDW

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…

Welding Camps No. 19 + 20 at KKDW STORE

May 15, 2019 KKDW

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.

Doors & Windows Update

November 7, 2018 KKDW

I spent a few days driving around to some of the storefronts we’ve completed over the Austin, Texas area. I often get the question, “Is it cool to see your work over town?” The answer is I don’t ever think about it… we install it, then I’m on to the next thing, and even when I see the stuff, it doesn’t even register that it’s my work, because it’s not mine anymore. But zipping around the big city with the specific task to photograph some previous work—some installed a week ago, some a couple months ago, and some years ago—was pretty cool. Take a look at some selected door and window projects here.

march's welding day camp: lucky number 13

March 31, 2018 KKDW

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.

a winter welding class

February 22, 2018 KKDW

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.

notes on welding & flowers

November 22, 2017 KKDW

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.