Friday

Jim Thorpe is an old coal town in the Lehigh valley, once called the Switzerland of the US for it's idyllic mountain setting. It turns out that it also has a sizeable St. Paddy's day parade. Standing in line at the atm in town, the person in front of me and behind me started talking in true Irish brogues. It was legitimate.


Out in Hamburg, David Fisher's propane forge was running hot and his apprentice was busy brushing up a piece by the time I walked in at 7:45. The pieces that David was working on today were actually for a show tomorrow at Cabelas in Hamburg, PA. The reason he was able to work on these pieces today was because work is slow. The economy is slowing down and this little shop has felt it. Well, the shop isn't little at all. It's actually one of the larger shops that I've seen.

In a stark comparison I also stopped by the stained glass shop of Nic East. Nic East worked as a blacksmith in a fully staffed shop for thirty some years and then called it quits to retire in historic downtown Jim Thorpe, PA. Even though he had a considerable background in metal-working, it was clear that he had moved on. When I brought up blacksmithing, he introduced me to his current work, glass jewelry...

This one's for Gaskin.