In 2009, as a temporary organizer for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, Whitney Brown first experienced the satisfaction of manual labour, working with the blacksmiths and dry-stone wallers who were creating the Welsh exhibition area. Eventually she accepted their invitation to travel to Wales and build walls out in the countryside. This is the story of her journey from academic folklorist in America to dry-stone waller in Wales and the friendships forged along the way.