Great Hot Dog's in the Valley

We found a great Hot Dog Eatery in Reseda!

FAB HOT DOGS

Just off the 101
exit Tampa (Rt) and Victory (Lft)

I had the "Chicago" (Onions, Sweet relish, mustard, sport peppers, tomato, dill pickle, celery salt on a poppy seed bun) and Robin had the "Manhattan". (Sauerkraut, grilled tomato and onion concoction, on a freshly baked bun!)

Great grinds, especially when you add an order of delicious sweet potato Fries! Spicy Curry Katsup or the Mayo garlic ranch dip.

My mouth is watering just writing about it.

Just 30 minutes from Maggie's Garden Home!

Adam's Forge. Hot steel and a hammer!

Adam's Forge is just off of Hwy 5 and the 2 on San Fernando Rd.

We arrived at 9am to a warehouse separated into "rooms" defined by Chain link fencing. Above you can check out all the beginning class projects in steps to finished product.

To the left meet Nancy our high energy instructor. She was great as she sped around the class pushing you in the right direction.

The above furnace is HOT! the metal begins its redish glow at 800 degrees! it become pliable around 1500 degrees. Even the round ends in the foreground of the picture become scalding hot.

The round rod is hammered into a square and the ends are tapered to make a tip then rounded by the hammer as you hit it into submission.

Here Miss W. puts the hammer down on some hot steel! Four hours of hammer shaping, fore arm work out in the disguise!

Here I am adding the twist to hot steel! you needed to move quick between furnace and vise, then carefully tighten the wrench to twist the hammered rod.

Here you can see the tools we used and the Propane furnace that we used. The wire brush was used to remove the chaff or burn off residue, the long armed tong was used to hold the item while hot, the hammer was the forging item and the bricks were there to balance the piece in the kiln while we waited to get it red hot.

This is my finished piece. The long part on the right side of the picture has a flat area where I will be drilling two holes to mount the hummingbird feed hanger. It will be placed just out side of the window so you can watch the little buzzing birds feed from the window at Maggie's Garden Home.

Surf has been insane around these parts!

Keith Brewer Torrance Beach Winter 2012............SICK!

For those hearty soles with taste for adventure; may we present our friend Keith doing what he does best. The sand bars are in good shape in the South Bay and Mr. Insurance is cashing in on a barrel. During the summer months, in gentle surf, you can take a beginning lesson while staying at Maggie's Garden Home, or for these already able, go on a So Cal surf trip to a classic destination (both for an additional fee). Winter surf here is cold so bring your wetsuit. The waves aren't always this big and perfect, but good enough for a fun go out. So come on out for a wave or two, don't let Keith have all the fun!

Meet our guest!

Meet one of our earliest victims at Maggie's Garden Home. Miss W. stayed for a few nights and cooked up some savory potato-leek soup! She also gave us some great feed back that we have just added. like the black out  curtains for the night owls who sleep in the day time. We like her so much we signed up to do to a blacksmiths class next week with her. Hopefully we can do some metal work soon at Strong Mountain Creative Studio! More fun in sunny Southern California!

Getting ready for the Rock Fish opening!

Now that February is upon us all focus is on preparation for the Rock Fish opening in March. I have been busy tying up deer hair flies in enticing colors. Variations of Bright Orange as well as "Laker" royalty, purple and gold, Panama (blue white and red), and earthy brown, "baby lobster" and brown flash made with long Peacock feathers. We sell them through Venice Rod 'n' Reel for $7.50 per set of two in open stock of the color patterns on hand at the time, or custom colors of $5.00 per set of two with a minimum of 20 sets. We build then in several hook sizes but most common are a 10/0 long Shank offset circle hook (pictured)or the 11/0 for off shore waters in Mexico. We also make ready to fish "2 hook ganions" for local waters ($10.00 + hooks) and larger ones (inquire for pricing) with up to 6 hooks for Off shore Mexico.

Today's fun at Maggie's Garden Home was comprised of putting in new "Black Out" curtains in the bedroom. I would take a picture, but if you just closed your eyes you'd get the same effect. Also we found a great picture of the Santa Monica Bay from the Malibu hills. Long and rectangular it fit perfectly in the dining room above the refrigerator. Then it was back to work at Venice Rod 'n' Reel. Making custom fishing rods and restoring vintage pieces we take the blank and wrap the guides in place with thread, then lay a thin coat of epoxy resin over the material and let dry in a rotating dryer. Check out the Tackle room When staying at Maggie's Garden Home!