Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

the first ever Thanksgiving feast prepared in an Airstream and a yurt!

A&R on the mall

A&R on the mall
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

The reflecting pond in D.C. on a hazy sunday in November.

Sycamore Lounge

Nov. 27, 2004
We’re camped outside of Lexington, VA on the land of Donna Williams and Bob Smith. Bob and Donna are “Bear Dance Joinery”, a small custom timber framing company. They have a reputation throughout the Guild and the area for stellar work and tremendous attention to detail.

Sycamore Lounge is a relatively level piece of bottom land, undoubtedly an old field, now a lovely grassland with young and old sycamore and cedar trees. It’s bordered on one side by a babbling creek, and the other by the beautiful wooded hills that dominate the local landscape, generally referred to as “the Shenandoah”. Our Airstream is snuggled in to the lounge, while Bob and Donna’s yurt is perched up the hilly portion of their 30 acres. For the uninitiated, a yurt is a kind of traditional tent, originally developed by nomadic people in Asia. The modern incarnation provides wonderfully open space, round walls, and a conical roof. In Donna and Bob’s yurt, the walls are supported by a wood lattice, and the roof by rafters ~2”X4”, spanning from a compression ring (topped by a lexan skylight) to a cable on top of the lattice walls. It’s beautiful and livable space.

We left Gilbertsville, PA, bidding a sad farewell to our new friends the Witheringtons, last Friday 11/19, and spent three nights camped at Greenbelt National Park just outside of Washington, D.C. On Saturday we rode the Metro train in to D.C. and saw some of the sites. We did a bunch of walking despite the persistent drizzle. The boys seemed especially impressed by the Lincoln memorial. On Sunday we drove to Mount Vernon, or rather to a spot 4 miles north of it. There we unloaded our bikes and rode on a wonderful recreation trail along the Potomac River to George Washington’s home. This was definitely a worthwhile stop, and we all enjoyed getting to know more about the farmer, slave owner, and dapper gentleman that was the father of the country. Monday we pulled up stakes and headed out of D.C., but not before making a stop at Trader Joe’s for groceries. Next time I’ll be more selective about the parking lots I pull in to with our 31’ rig in tow. Getting out backwards proved to be, um, interesting.
The drive to Lexington was spectacular: at least it would have been if we could have seen it. We drove Skyline Drive, but the fog was so thick we caught only small glimpses of the views. The low flying clouds provided an interesting and eerie experience anyhow. We stopped for the night at a camp in the Shenandoah National Park, dry camping for the fourth consecutive night (no electric or water). The boys and I went out for a beautiful moonlight walk in search of night creatures, taking turns with the flashlight looking for glowing eyes. We were 8 hours too early: the next morning a 10 point buck, a doe, and fawn wandered next to our camp, eating apples from an old tree there. The next morning we decided to do a hike to a waterfall before leaving the park. It to proved foggy beyond what would be ideal, but the atmosphere was mysterious and strangely beautiful nonetheless.

Upon arriving at Bob and Donna’s we discovered what is undoubtedly the most beautiful place in the world- or at least encountered so far in our travels. The hills of western Virginia offer beautiful scenery, lovely river and creek valleys, and picturesque “hollers” around every corner. And the best part is that the folks here are welcoming, warm, and genuine. I can see why Donna and Bob chose to live in this place after years of traveling. Now, if we could just shake this rain that’s been dogging us since arriving here, I believe we’d be permanent fixtures here in sycamore lounge..

Bob has just returned from several months of work on a covered bridge restoration project in Maine. He seems really glad to be home, and we hope we’re not intruding on his time with Donna- but if we are, he’s being very gracious about it.
Thursday was Thanksgiving day- our second such celebration this year (our first being with Wil and Chris in Canada- their Thanksgiving falls in October). We believe this is the first thanksgiving prepared in a yurt and an Airstream. If anyone knows otherwise, don’t spoil it for us. We had dinner in the yurt; A fantastic meal and great time was had by all. The boys especially enjoy playing with Bob and Donna’s two cats, Wattle and Daub. They’ve also enjoyed abusing Bob’s drums and Donna’s electric piano. The cacophony is sometimes overwhelming, but also is lots of fun. Boys are boys.

For the past two days we’ve been playing in Bob and Donna’s shop, building things from bits of slab wood. This was all Donna’s idea, and we’re having a blast. Ansel is totally engaged using the schnitzelbank draw knifing legs for a bench that Bob is helping him with. Rainer is a bit young to play with sharp tools, but he seems to enjoy just hanging around singing us songs.

Friday evening we participated in Lexington’s annual candle light caroling procession through town, culminating with the lighting of the Christmas tree in a park. Saturday evening we toured two homes Bear Dance has cut frames for. The first being a design based on Jefferson’s Poplar Wood, and the second being the home of Guild members Grigg and Cindy Mullen. We had dinner with the Mullen’s, got the tour, and saw their (incredible) shop. In between all these activities we’ve gone for hikes (with another scheduled for this afternoon), made meals together, and generally been treated like old friends. It’s been great, and I think I’ll miss this place and these folks when we head down to Floyd, VA tomorrow.

at Ft Mifflin

at Ft mifflin
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

Rainer, Ethan, Jack, Ruth and Chris at Ft. Mifflin. The fort was sieged (and taken) by the British in 1777. Ansel took the picture!

history lesson at Valley Forge

history lesson at Valley Forge
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

Rainer, Ruth, Ansel, Valerie, Garrett and Ethan get a history lesson from a reinactor at Valley Forge. He taught us what he has to carry in his kit, and how the continental army survived the winter here.

Eastern PA- the Witherington's

The WITHERINGTON’S, EASTERN PA

The water line outside the Airstream froze last night- for the second time in a week. It’s close to the time we start heading south..

We’ve been in Gilbertsvile, PA for the past week and a half. This is the home of Jack and Valerie Witherington, their sons Ethan and Garret, and their business “Methods and Materials Building Co.” Jack founded M&M about 5 years ago after leaving a career in industrial sales. Jack had that kind of mid-life epiphany that comes from experience, bad luck, soul searching, and following one’s heart. I can identify with these experiences.

Gilbertsville is in eastern Pennsylvania, about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. The area is steeped in history, which has been a boon for our homeschooling efforts with Ansel. In the past week Ansel’s been to Valley Forge, he’s touched the liberty bell, toured Independence Hall, had lunch in the Reading Terminal Market, had a night time tour of a 19th century concrete castle, and seen a revolutionary war siege reenactment at Fort Mifflin. This part of Pennsylvania is wooded and hilly. Reminds me of home in the Kettle Moraine. Being close to Philly, it’s rapidly growing. It’s the most densely populated place we’ve stayed so far on our journey. Our Airstream is snuggled in to Jack and Valerie’s back yard between some big oak trees. While the number of folks living around here is a change for us, it’s a boon in terms of enjoying the things that cities of this size have to offer.

We picked our way to Gilbertsville from central PA, having been there for the Guild conference the last weekend in October. Sunday night 10/31 we stayed in a little state park, having been unable to contact Ruth’s cousin Joanne Laabs, who lives nearby in Huntingdon PA. Monday morning Joanne returned our call and invited us to her home. She and her husband Rick, along with son Mitch, moved there from Texas this year. They sacrificed much to come to this beautiful little Pennsylvania hill country college town. We had a great- though too short- visit with Joanne & Co. and pulled up stakes again Tuesday morning.

Our immediate goal was Hershey, and the chocolate tour there. While the tour was entertaining, the crass commercialism was overwhelming. We had to make a hurried exit after an hour or two, and at least one fit from each boy. Just too much to buy in there.

After leaving Hershey we headed for the Witherington’s. Roads in this part of the world- with the partial exception of the turnpike, are kindly referred to as “goat trails” by the locals. So much of this area developed before the advent of the car. Roads got you from town A to mill B, following the path of least resistance, and turning sharp corners along the route. Twists and turns didn’t matter when you were going 10 mph looking at the backside of a horse I guess. The contrasts between old and new are everywhere. Most striking perhaps are smallvillages, with the most magnificent old stone homes close to the main road (sometimes measured in inches; reminds me of Germany) where the original owners built them to show off their wealth. More humble homes were built farther back from the main streets. I can imagine current owners of the grand old homes wish the situation were reversed. Having this kind of traffic a few inches from their homes must get old.

Jack put me right to work on an ongoing project affectionately known as “deckzilla”. It’s an 1800 square foot timber framed deck, with multiple levels, Ipe decking, and a huge hot tub. We erected an oak timber pergola over the hot tub. This was an arduous process, as we were working 15’ above grade, raising with a crank up Genie winch lift.

I’ve also been working with Jack on selling a large project. This has been fun, as it’s a task for which I think I have some skill. We’ve met with the builder, who was impressed by the computer model Ruth and I did for him. He invited us to a meeting with himself, the architect, the engineer, and the carpenter. This meeting- near the building site in New Jersey- went well, and I think we’re close to a deal.

The visit has been a boon for Ansel and Rainer. They are quite close to the ages of Jack and val’s boys, and the four of them together are a formidable posse when they put their minds to it. Today (Sunday 11/14/04) we took them to Hopewell Furnace, an historic iron furnace that is now a national park. The origins of the works date to 1771; the foundry here produced cannons used against the British in the revolution, and was thus an important strategic asset for Washington’s troops. The boys enjoyed learning about the craft of smelting iron, but I think they enjoyed running around the beautiful grounds more. We have a new phrase for what we need to do for hyper boys: we need to “lunge” them, as horses are exercised. Lunging opportunities are an important part of our day.

C&R@Fallingwater

C&R@Fallingwater
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

Chris & Ruth visit Fallingwater after the Guild conference.

PACOVBRG

PACOVBRG
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

Ansel and Rainer check out a 120 year old covered bridge in central PA.

CDW raising

CDW raising
Originally uploaded by chriskoehn.

Raising a frame at the children's workshop. Ansel and Rainer got to cut timber for another frame as well. They had a blast!

First west, then east, then south...

First west, then east, then south…

Gentle reader,
The last I wrote we were with the Dancey’s in Aylmer, Ontario. That seems like ages ago. Many miles and much to tell.
After concluding out time in Ontario we drove back to Wisconsin, having a week to wrap things up there for the long haul. Having an electrical problem with the Airstream we chose to do the drive in one day, as camping was iffy without power. It rained the entire day, and while we were glad to be spending the day in the truck, it was less than entirely pleasant. Crossing back in to the US at Detroit went well, mostly because I got in to the truck lane by accident- and I don’t think the customs agent knew quite to do with us. But traffic and roads around Detroit was atrocious. It took us nearly 3 hours to drive 50 miles. Miserable.

Having tried the FSBO method of selling our home- which worked so well for us four years ago- we came to the realization that doing this from the road was just too much. We needed professional help (no comment on our mental state..) We decided to call the realtor we had worked with to purchase our land in 2000. I’m certain the everyone feels this way, but our home is truly special, and needs a special approach to selling it. While very well built with high quality materials, it’s small, which runs counter to current American values. Our realtor seems to have a knack for appealing to folks that can appreciate what we have.

Our week back in Wisconsin was a whirlwind. We drove our storage trailer to Ruth’s mom’s farm for safe keeping in her barn; we changed out clothes, etc, in the Airstream for the long haul; I worked with an electrician to fix the problems (turned out to be a faulty circuit breaker), we listed the house, we said goodbye to friends, got the cell phone issues fixed, etc etc etc. It was a relief to hit the road again on Sunday October 24- destination: Blissfield, MI.

Blissfield is the home of Frank and Brenda Baker, founders of Riverbend Timber Framing. We’ve had a good relationship with Riverbend for 16 years now, as representatives in Wisconsin. Besides being a convenient place to stop on our way east, it was good to visit with all the folks we’ve known there for so long. We are putting our relationship with them on hold, having left Wisconsin, and not knowing what we’re going to do next professionally. No matter where we land or what we do, the folks at Riverbend will always be special to us. We camped in Frank and Brenda’s yard Sunday night, and spent Monday morning at the Riverbend office saying goodbye.

Monday afternoon was spent driving across Ohio. Our goal was to make it near Columbus- easily reached in a few hours. State parks are pretty well deserted by late October, and Deleware Lake State Park was no exception. The boys enjoyed spending the better part of the day having a nice beach to them selves on a sparkling fall day. Tuesday our goal was Bark Camp State Park in very eastern Ohio. As we got in to the hills that precede the Appalachians further east, pulling the Airstream up a long, steep grade, our truck kicked in to Overdrive. The pressure of the shift caused one of the 3” air hoses to pop off the turbo, causing a loud POP and a dramatic loss of power. I thought for sure I had blown up the turbo, and was imagining the consequences. We were 6 miles from our exit; it seemed to take an eternity to get there. The truck slowed to 20 mph up hills, but gained speed down them. This was the first trouble I’ve had with this truck, and I hoped that it wouldn’t cost me a week and a pile of dough. Wonder of wonders! As we got off the interstate at the very exit of our night’s destination, I spied a Ford dealer 1/4 mile in the other direction. I limped the truck and trailer into their drive (10 minutes before they closed..) and popped the hood. What a relief to find the hose off, with no signs of collateral damage. A salesman at the dealership helped re-connect the hose as best we could (it didn’t seem to fit well) and suggested I come back as soon as the service department opened in the morning. We limped in to camp at 8:00 p.m. and turned in early, anticipating early rising and an unknown bill in the morning. While I spent 5 hours at the dealer, the bill was less than $80- a great relief. Turned out to be that Ford put on the wrong part when they built the truck in 2000: there are two intake hoses- a right and a left. I had two lefts. It lasted 119,000 miles before choosing that day to fail. Oh well- could have been much worse.

Wednesday we drove to the site of the Eastern Timber framer’s Guild conference: Seven Springs Resort, not far from Pittsburgh. I was scheduled to participate in the “International workshop”, backing up German master carpenter Filippo Campagna (I had studied last January under Filippo in Rottweil, Germany at the Master school there). We taught a 1/2 day short course in traditional German roof layout methods on Thursday. When we were done the French took over, demonstrating their techniques. A Japanese contingent was to participate as well, but they were unable to attend. The jokes were flying about how this might turn in to a competition, with the Germans and the Japanese joining forces and taking an early lead. The French would of course just roll over, and finally the Americans would get their dander up, ride in, and save the day…

Filippo and I, along with the help of a few other key carpenters, laid out and cut a timber swing set during the conference. It was a challenging little project, effectively demonstrating compound joinery, and the efficiency of the German system. The swing set was sold at the annual Guild auction Saturday night, bringing over $1,100 for the Guild.

Ansel, and Rainer participated in a “children’s discovery workshop”- at the conference. What a wonderful way to teach the kids something about timber framing, keep them occupied, and make new friends. The boys spent much time with the children of Boris and Marigke Noel. Boris is a “compagnon”- the French equivalent of a master carpenter. His kids spoke little English, and ours speak no French, but that didn’t seem to matter a bit. Play and friendship are the common language, and one we appreciate being able to foster. Ruth got a chance to participate in the workshop, as well as give her foot a bit of a rest. She seems to have bruised it, and has been suffering since we left Wisconsin.

It was good to spend a few nights in the resort hotel, and really good to see many old friends at the conference, as well as making a few new ones. We wrapped up the conference Sunday morning with an inspirational keynote address by Ted Benson, instrumental in the timber framing revival 30 years ago. A bunch of us then toured the nearby Fallingwater- a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the 1930’s. while the modernist style doesn’t do much for me personally, there’s no denying the power and skill needed to execute the design, the innovative use of materials, and the genius of the architect.