Bodyscape, my browser shot me straight to the bottom of the replies last time I opened this thread and I missed your questions that time so here they are:
Why are you so far away?
I'm blooming where I was planted
Do you ever travel to Pennsylvania?
Sorry . . .
How can we get you to travel to PA...lol?
Uhmm . . . lemme think on that one
OK seriously…
You live in one of the most beautiful regions of the USA... if you had to move (say Mt St Helens decides to really blow up a second time), were would you move and why?
I'd probably take the Harry Truman route and just go with the mountain.
Seriously I'd probably move to Alaska. I need to be someplace wild where my heart can breath.
When is solitude lonely?
When you have one of those experiences that can only be made better by having someone standing at your shoulder.
Which is better to wake up with, a smile on your face from a long ago memory... or a hangover and two buxom brunettes ( and you have no memory of how they got there)?
Definitely with a smile on my face from a long ago (and long loved) memory. I'm not so much into the "manshow" definition of what makes a good night!
Describe your version of a desirable woman ( one you would like to stay for more than a day).
In order of importance:
Inside
Intelligence, independence, compassion. The ability to see the beauty in herself and this imperfect world we live in
Outside
While I love all types of women, long dark hair with light blue eyes.
A body lovingly taken care of but not a hardbody.
In your experience, are beauty and brains an Oxymoron?
Brains are beauty.
No one has asked as of yet... but how did you come to be (or decide to become) a blacksmith?
I originally started wanting to make all of the hardware for my house so I took a metal arts course at the local college. It focused on non-ferrous work (copper,brass,bronze etc) but I learned I needed to work with iron to do what I wanted. Once I started it was like igniting a fire and I just fell in love with the work.
With whom did you do your apprenticeship?
I started at a local Natl Park site that had an operating blacksmith shop.
We did all of the ironwork for the site as well as we were the only production blacksmith site in the Natl Park system. We made historically accurate ironwork for park sites around the U.S. We also did historic interpretation for the visitorship. It was a wonderful way of getting really comprehensive knowledge of local history. My apprenticeship there was all in 1840's techniques so my base skills are VERY old-school
Do you specialize in any particular type of iron work ( ornamental, tools, fine art…)?
Mostly ornamental. It's blacksmith tradition to help a new smith outfit their shop so there is a lot of collabrative work with fellow smiths helping someone new build a collection of tools. My fine art work is with a friend of mine in his bronze studio. He's 80 years old and he does large scale bronze abstracts. There's something about melting down 400lbs of bronze and pouring it like a hot cup of coffee!!
Have you ever met Dale Chihuly? ( one of the people I greatly admire out your way)
I've never met Dale. His work is amazing and I love it but to be honest he's a little overexposed here in the NW and I'm starting to get numb to his work.
Translate your signature for us please: per ardua ad astra
It's Latin and it means:
Through difficulty to the stars (or highest achievement)
And once again... Do you ever travel to Pittsburgh? (lol)
You're making me consider it!
Oh BTW . . . LM
If I do get out to Pittsburgh . . .
I'll have them pop open the door and parachute on into Iowa to see you.
Please cut down any large trees in your backyard