vidalia &8212; An old metal cannon aiming away from the home of Martha Sturgeon signifies strength to the unknowing eye, but to her it only represents an unforgettable love.

&8220;He could do anything he wanted to do,&8221; Sturgeon said on the cannon her husband&8217;s ability created. &8220;He was the jack of all trades.&8221;

The cannon was one that wasn&8217;t used to fight any real wars, just warn people, she said. By placing a small amount of gasoline in the bottom and running a torch near the gasoline&8217;s presence, the potato became airborne.

&8220;We had a camp out at Deer Park and if someone was fishing in our spot we would just shoot potatoes out of the cannon,&8221; Sturgeon said. &8220;The potatoes just barely made it to the water, but the fisherman would usually pick up their things and go somewhere else.&8221;

C.L. Sturgeon, a welder by trade, was not always a welder, but a seventeen year old looking for the unseen when the two first met.

Sturgeon moved to Vidalia in 1937 and was in the post office when a lady befriended her and began talking to her labeling her &8220;the new girl in town,&8221; Sturgeon said.

&8220;I just went there to mail a letter and bumped into her,&8221; she said. &8220;So we talked for a while and she said she wanted me to meet her brother. So we went to her house, he was there and that was it.&8221;

The Sturgeons were married soon after into a relationship holding on to communication and love leading their life&8217;s path through events Sturgeon now holds as fond memories.

&8220;After we were married and the war began, I thought that I needed to help in anyway I could,&8221; Sturgeon said. &8220;So I heard of a class that taught people how to weld and I told my husband I was going to take it. After I said that he said I think I will too.&8221;

The Stergeons took the class, learned to weld and both began working in New Orleans. She worked graveyard shifts at Delta Shipyard and he took a job working for the U.S. Engineers.

Sturgeon said the job lasted until the end of the war where thoughts of &8220;I haven&8217;t got any business working around a bunch of men,&8221; dominated her mind and returned to Vidalia where her husband opened Vidalia Welding Service. He worked there until he suffered a heart attack and sold the business.

With the emergence of a new health issue the Sturgeons, through a trip to Branson, Mo., found the trade that would carry them through the rest of their lives.

&8220;We were at a show in Branson in a room full of crafts and he told me there wasn&8217;t a thing in that room that he couldn&8217;t make,&8221; Sturgeon said. &8220;So I said, we&8217;ll see about this and held him to it.&8221;

From there the two began taking classes to learn the techniques a carver must acquire and another lifestyle began for the Sturgeons. Through the art of carving the Sturgeons have traveled around the country taking classes, winning awards and more importantly spending time together, she said. Since her husband&8217;s death and after over 50 years of marriage the thoughts that pass through her head when she sees her husband&8217;s crafts are simple.

&8220;I think of him, I really do,&8221; she said.