A new cabinet
I spent a good part of January working on a television cabinet for a couple. I made it out of Philippine mahogany (the only sustainably harvested mahogany) and put a small maple inlay on the top and inside. They wanted doors that open and then retract into the case, a new thing for me. These type of hinges cost $75.00! I had a lot of fun with it and it turned out nicely, I think. I’m now making an arts and crafts doorbell cover out of the stockpile of extra mahogany I now own. I miscalculated the amount needed for the case by a bit.
Winter outings
This winter has been brutal. It’s snowed a lot and the deer have come down from the mountains. I haven’t done much hiking therefore, except for yesterday. I went with a hiking buddy out on snowshoes and enjoyed some great light and storms.
Amy and I have gone a couple of times up to visit Wendy and Jeremy at their borrowed cabin in the woods near Crouch. It’s a cool place. It sits on a ranch, tucked back among the ponderosas. What’s cool is that there’s no electricity, so it’s very quiet and it gets dark when the sun goes down. Plus, there’s lots of snow to wander around in (on snowshoes). Jeremy is now up in Alaska (King Cove) doing his apprenticeship for his Nurse Practitioner license, which he has been doing on line up in Crouch. (Wendy and Jeremy used to live in Boise and are friends of John and Debra, which is how we met them) This summer, they are moving for good (?) to Nome, so Jeremy can fulfill his requirements for the NP program. We will most likely visit them up there next summer. Here is a picture of Jeremy and Silas next to the Four Brothers. (The Four Brothers are the pic of the month, over on the right) I also have a pic of the whole family (Wendy and Isa), which I’m including even though Jeremy looks like he just woke up. Also, this is what it looks like from inside an igloo, in case you were wondering.
The house
Let’s talk a little about the house. I spent all of January and half of Feburary hanging drywall with my students, and man - am I glad that’s done. They got a little better by the end, but the taper was not too pleased with the amount of screw heads he hit. I probably said “don’t leave any screw heads sticking up” 30,000 times. We are now outside in the cold again siding the exterior. Three of the pictures here are taken from the same spot showing the drywalling progress. We also taped the garage so that they would have some experience with that, and the visual quality isn’t too important. I’ll include an exterior shot next time with the siding on. I think I’m going to try to put hardwood in 2/3 of the house, and have the kids lay it.
I am currently designing a house for next year, which is a little bigger. I’m thinking of trying for a LEED certification ( Leadership in Environmental Engineering and Design – I think) or the NAHB Built Green certification. I’m taking a class on the 12th about LEED for residential homes. I’m also trying to design in some simple large timber frame-type-entry-porch-cover. I’m going to write a grant or two to see about solar panels and extra money to cover the surcharge for “green” wood and materials needed for these certifications.
Summer plans
Two days before the official start of summer break, I will be in the 20th row to see RUSH. I’m totally stoked. Their following show is in Red Rocks, which would be a great show, but alas….
Our trip to Spain is being firmed up in that we have an itinerary, tickets, luggage and a pocket food guide. I’m looking forward to some cabrito asada and jamon Serrano. We still have no plan for Addie. Should I repeat that?
Once we get back, I’m hoping that one of two things happen. One - a 2-3 week job with the Student Conservation Association, building a bridge (or something similar) with high school kids in a Wilderness or Yellowstone park. Or – The owner of the ranch where Jeremy and Wendy are staying wants to build a large timberframe, and I’ve let him know that I’d help. Either one would involve making wood chips in the mountains, possibly my favorite thing to do besides fishing, which I plan on doing a lot of. I’ll keep everyone updated.
That’s it. Hope everyone is well. Amy says hi.
