Thanks! I'm in northwest Indiana, US. The Indiana ABANA chapter has members East and South of me, but none here really close by. I signed up for a crash course in October at Conner's Prairie in Fishers and I've lost count of how many resources I've read/watched on the web. I'll just bang away on my own until I go down there for some real guidance.
Bought a Champion off some old fart collecting junk, and finally swung a hammer tonight. I nailed down an RR anvil to a stump and went to town. I'm out of shape, singed my beard, look like soot, and burned some prints off my right hand. I feel fantastic. There's nothing more humbling.