To begin, let's go back a little.
Several years ago, a good friend and mentor told me about Tillers International one afternoon, saying, "you need to at some point go out there. It's everything you are looking for."
In 2008, while living in Boston, MA, I took the train out to see the place and take a blacksmithing course.
Volunteering one very picturesque evening to help bale some hay, I felt that rare and elusive emotion of complete serenity. There was something about this place. I begged for an internship and two weeks later, I left my job, sublet my apartment and was back on the farm. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. I reluctantly returned to Boston in the Fall to continue school and normal life (normal for me anyways). Four years later, after moving from one thing to the next, exploring the depths of myself, I remembered my Eagle Scout training. "When you find yourself lost in the woods, Stop Moving. Look around for landmarks, try to get your bearings, and if possible, retrace your steps." So in February, I took the train back out to Kalamazoo, Mi., and spent two weeks at Tillers volunteering my time, and convincing the staff, why I belonged there full-time. Here are some photos of that trip.
I spent most evenings reading or playing around in the wood and metal shops. Here is my second wood turning attempt. The first snapped in half.
That's Pip the Mule, a rescue, and a flock of merino sheep, We also keep cashmere and angora goats.
Two Belgians, Bob and Tom having breakfast on a foggy morning.
The gate on the chicken coup was a project I built 4 years ago as an intern at Tillers. The task was to create a gate that chickens, guinea fowl and ducks could fit through, but goats and sheep could not. Happy to see it still in use.
My new apartment on the farm the first night was sparse, and bathed in moonlight.
A first evening project should be a side table or maybe forging a fireplace set.
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