The story of a blacksmith, a metalsmith, and their Bohemian love
Story and photos by HOLLY LEITNER
Interviews by BEN MYERS
Margaret Weller, the metalsmith, and Conrad Hodson, the blacksmith, will celebrate their fortieth anniversary this summer at the annual Oregon Country Fair. As a couple, they chose not to define their commitment to each other through wedding vows but through a sort of mutual understanding and respect. Preferring to set their own standards for how to make love work, they define themselves as polyamorous.
Weller and Hodson believe that each one can only meet so many of the other's needs, leaving both free to seek other relationships to fulfill leftover desires. They created their own definition of what love's rules should be, while shaping their careers and home along the way. Fruit trees blossom throughout the yard of their Eugene residence. In the front yard, a weathered sailboat waits, carrying their retirement dream. Their backyard hosts the blacksmith shop, along with piles of debris waiting to be transformed into metalworks. They are artists in both their metal creations and the lifestyle they have spent forty years crafting together.
Above: Polyamorous couple Conrad Hodson and Margaret Weller, at their home in Eugene, Oregon.
