The Brotherhood

 I just have to share some photos of the extraordinary work that has been done over the past week and a half. As mentioned previously, Scott's dad was flown in for a clutch week to literally raise the roof of our house. Many are aware of Len's great feats of strength, and this is one more incredible stat he can add to his list of accomplishments. He was off of the plane for less than five hours before the first wall of our second floor appeared.

As the four walls of our future living space came together, all of my mental images of what our home would look like were shifted and squeezed into actual 3 dimensional reality. It feels so big compared to our 14' x 16' tent, yet smaller than my minds eye had envisioned. Scott has a much better sense for space and measurement, and I recall his words as we designed the building-- "It's going to be small, Annie."  


Yes, indeed. But at this point, what is it that we really need? I keep reminding myself--- we have all we need already, though it's made of canvas and recycled denim, we have lived happily and comfortably in our temporary shelter. This building will be permanent. It feels so permanent too. At the same moment that I look at the small footprint of our apartment, I see a massive building rising out of our little piece of earth and think about how we are leaving an incredibly significant footprint. 

So, onward and upward... to the roof! The trusses were delivered and lifted into place by a crane. It was an extremely exciting moment for us, especially our three-year-old. I like to think that it may turn out to be one of her earliest memories. Actually, it was a fairly un-dramatic event-- and we are thankful for that. The owner of the local truss building company was also the truck driver, crane operator, and bill collector. He was highly skilled, and all went without a hitch.

 Still, as that little triangle hovered over our rectangle box, all the shapes came together for the little one, and she got it. This is going to be a house! Like the ones her friends live in... Or like what our neighbors live in? Yes! Kind of!

Then the brotherhood arrived. Friday night around midnight, our dear friends from Petaluma rolled into our dusty driveway, and set up a tent on the porch of our tent. The next day a great work-party began, and lasted for three days. Trusses were mounted, blocked, squared and plumed. Sheets of plywood were nailed around the walls. Coolers were packed with Gatorade and beer. Scott's younger brother arrived that afternoon, and his twin brother arrived the next.

Evenings were spent in the new workshop as Scott continued on after the sun went down. He built the timber-framed posts for the carport while we stood around and watched and talked.

This, in and of itself, was a kind of dream come true.




The idea of a timber-framed home has always enchanted us, and our first, stick-framed building was a cost efficient and time efficient decision we'd come to terms with long ago. Still, the act of putting together one small section of timber-framed post and beam is reassuring and encouraging for our thoughts of another future project....

But, back to that dream-come-true feeling... it came from the family, laughter, appreciation, hard work, and togetherness there in the workshop and outside, the starlit, moonless sky. I had a moment of realization--- I understood brothers in a new way. This is why throughout history, brotherhood has been so celebrated. As an outsider, I had generally attributed it to patriarchy. Of course. But I saw another side this week. Brothers are bonded by accomplishment and doing great things together that they cannot do apart. Brothers are so capable! I've always been partial to girls, for obvious reasons, and felt pleasantly blessed with my little daughter, but after my observations this past week.... seeing their combined strength and ability, their sheer usefulness.... I've decided that having four boys would be an ideal addition to the homestead.

Barn Raising

 Sunrise on the first day of summer. Our homestead project has been sitting idle, all this while.... We poured the foundation in early November, and then waited out the rainy season. Scott started a new job in February, teaching woodworking at the local high school. So, we have patiently waited for summer break--- Scott adjusting to the demands of his new job, Penny turning three and beginning pre-school two mornings a week, and Annie picking up a bit of part-time work. It all sounds so 

ordinary, and it is. We've become accustomed to our tent & camper living, and life just clips along. We skated through another extremely mild winter with plenty of extra firewood and a buttoned up little tent-cabin that felt cozy and warm and comfortable. The camper did not fair so well. The dampness of the cooler months made it a place we went to only to bath and prepare meals. We ate, slept, read and lived almost exclusively in the tent. Though the camper did not leak, the condensation and continual use took their toll. There are signs of deterioration showing up here and there, and we are ever more conscious of the fact that it is a Temporary Living Situation. And we better get our act together.

 Then- BANG! The first day of summer and it all begins. The framing materials arrived from the lumber yard on Scott's last day of school, and the next day he was up  at 6:00 am laying out the sills. Not even one day of sleeping in.

But this is really the fun part. This is what everyone pictures when you say you are building a house. Yet it has taken us three years to get to this point. And it has been two years since we moved into our little platform tent without electricity or running water. But here we are, and now that it is summer, things are moving at lightning speed!

 We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support and energy that our families have given us. My parents came for two weeks and helped raise the first walls. Scott's brothers carved out time away from their lives and families to donate their muscle and sweat, my dad pushed through days and days of heat and long hours to keep pace with Scott, and now Scott's dad arrived today, and has already been put to work raising the first wall of the second floor...

So, here it is. The sequence of events.... how a building arises out of a stack of wood and a few boxes of nails.









Scott built the walls on the ground, squared them, and then we raised and braced them all in one day.









Next came leveling and plumbing the walls. As I had to explain to my father, Scott frames like a finish carpenter- perfect squares, precise cuts and exact measurements. But that has also meant that when things went up.... they fit together! At least so far....

 The sheeting was fast. I felt like I went inside to put the little one down for a nap, and when I came out, we had a building! And I was ready to start moving in. There is something about having those walls that makes living inside feel so possible... so tangible. Why not at least install the toilet right now? Why not? We have walls!

Then there were joists.... and now there is a floor. The footprint of what will be our studio apartment.  Our rent-free studio apartment.