vFOUR WINDS continued from page 18 I took everybody out and showed them an ash tree and told them that this is where we get the wood for the snowshoes, and it has really unique properties,” she said. Many types of wood don’t bend easily, Dawne said, because the grain isn’t right for that, and it will just snap. Ash will bend, which makes it ideal for making snowshoes. “I just think it’s really great to not only show people a skill that not a lot of people know anymore, but also help them to appreciate the connection to nature that comes from using natural materials,” she said. “My initial thinking was I’m just going to build boats … but when you start thinking of things that other people will like, then it becomes easier. “In the coming year, I’ll keep doing the things that I’ve taught, but I plan to ask guest speakers to come and offer workshops in areas in which I don’t have expertise,” Dawne said. “One of those things is fly fishing. I have an individual coming in February to offer a workshop on how to tie flies for fly fishing. We’ll probably do a follow up in the spring on just basic casting for fly fishing.” She also plans to offer workshops locally this year through OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). “In February I’m going to do an introductory lecture on canoe building, and in March, we’re going to do turkey calls,” Dawne said. “You can make a turkey call from the bones of their wings, and I actually called in and shot my first turkey this year with a turkey call made out of wing bones. It was really cool.” Dawne grew up in Miller, and when she was a teenager, her parents decided to stop farming, and her mother wanted to go back to college. She and her parents moved to Vermillion. “That’s when I met Matt,” she said. They moved to their farm on 312th Street about four years ago. Part of the move included locating the former Saginaw country school building not far from their house. “My father-in-law went to school in this when the original Saginaw school burned down,” she said, sitting in the brightly lit space. One wall of the former schoolhouse converted to a wood crafting shop contains large windows that let in lots of natural light. “My grandfather-in-law Elton Larson moved it to his place and they used it as a tractor shed. They changed oil in it and did welding, and the windows were covered with shelves,” Dawne said. Today, the former schoolhouse serves as a place away from the traffic of the farm. “I just really need a place that’s really secluded … when I got down here and we started renovating it, I started to realize that it was going to be a really nice place for people to come and just make things. The dream kind of came together while we were still renovating it,” she said. The improvements included replacing all of the broken windows, and putting in a new wooden floor. More is planned for structure, including a storeroom for lumber and other supplies that she hopes will be completed this year. Before she began Four Winds and established her own work space on the farm, she discovered that focusing on her canoe project provided refuge at a time that she needed it. “I was going through a really hard time in my life when I first started with the idea to build that canoe, and I don’t know what it was for sure. I don’t know what it was that made me feel like there was some kind of healing in doing it,” Dawne said. “But, I felt that by the time I was done building the canoe, I had worked through that bad place in my life, and I’ve heard other people describe that same experience. “ Sometimes people don’t take advantage of the ability to work through something like that, because they don’t they have the tools, they don’t know how, and they don’t have a place for it,” she said. “So, besides being able to show people skills that are being lost, my hope is that I’m creating a kind of sanctuary or a place where people can come. It is a place to not just get away, but also to absorb yourself in something else and maybe work through something.” Dawne has discovered that the wooden canoe she’s built is practically indestructible. “I don’t think people realize how durable and strong they are … I always direct people to a You Tube video of this guy beating on his with a sledge hammer,” she said. “I’ve taken vFOUR WINDS continued on page 22 Floors & More (formerly Floor To Ceiling) Your Total Home Design Center Interest Free Financing 1205 Broadway Ave., Yankton • 665-9728 Monday-Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5 Call Today For A Complimentary Consultation with Kara FREE Cordless Lift On Most Graber Products! FOR A LIMITED TIME HERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017v19