I know, I know. I said this was a travel blog. It is, and it’s going to stay that way. But this is a cool story, and it’s also sort of a travel story, so here goes.

Back to the beginning. A few years ago we had a pizza party with friends, and I was rolling out the pizza crust with their rolling pin. It didn’t look special, but when I started rolling the dough, I immediately fell in love with it. The size, the weight, the feel in my hands, the taper … it was a joy to work with. Unfortunately it was unlike any rolling pin I’d ever seen before. It’s very close to straight, but it has a tiny taper toward the ends. So it mostly works like a standard rolling pin, but the taper allows you to put a little extra pressure on a precise point when you need it. I wanted one just like it.

I learned that Heather had inherited it from her grandmother, so it was probably close to a hundred years old. Searching local stores, and even the internet drew a blank. And then I discovered a local woodworking shop that could do custom jobs. So I reached out via their website, and heard … absolutely nothing … for six months. I’d given up when I received an email saying they’d been very busy, but now had time for smaller jobs. When could I bring the original in for them to measure? I immediately replied offering several times, and then … radio silence. So I decided it was time for a road trip to have lunch in Perth (Ontario) and to knock on their door and ask if they could help me. And that is how I got my very own magic rolling pin.

On Saturday we fly to Lisbon, starting a much longer trip. But I’m still thrilled that my year-long quest for the perfect rolling pin was a success.