Done! It's up! Time for the peak party!

Friday, 23 September, after 11 weeks building, Michael the Master Builder arrives at the peak, installs the last of 42 8 by 4 beams as rafters. It has been amazing to watch him work his way through planing, dressing, heaving, coaxing these beams into place. One set he actually heaved up onto the 8 foot platform by himself. This has been a display of strength and skill almost as impressive as an major athlete at work... And we are at the peak... So now we take two days off, after 14 consecutive days of work. It will be very cool walking down to the site to look over the completed rafters...

 

The roof takes shape

I'm looking out on the lake moving turbulently in 60 kph winds. Last night the cabin rocked and the lobster pot rolled across the road. Noreen and Paul take off early on their way home via Toronto. They have had a great stay although they both leave on anti-biotics. Paul looks like he was punched by a 2 by 4: some mosquitoe did the damage. His presence has been an inspiration and we have succeeded in putting up all but 9 of the rafters. You can see in the photos the Master Builder triumphant on the temporary platform above the screened in porch I'm pretty sure all the rafters stayed up even in this wind: the Master Builder anchored them with 8 inch lag bolts. A small crisis about where the roof decking would come from is resolved by Gerrard at Central Supplies. We speak French together, even though he mixes in a lot of English. We can finally get the pine we need at a "reasonable" price even if we have to wait two weeks for it. In a race against the weather: will we close the house up before we break for winter?

 

 

 

 

Sunday September 18 2011

Ten days since the last posting, mainly because it's been non-stop work. There's now a sense of rush as we try to exploit what wew assume to be the last fair weather. We know it can't last and that fall is upon us. Full Fall moon means clear nights, lit up like daytime. As you can see from the photos the first 7 rafters with collar beams are now up and all this accomplished since Paul and Noreen arrived en route from Dan's place in Oregon and Sue Clay in California. Michael performs like a carthorse, moving massive lumps of wood with brute strength combined with elementary Swiss engineering, ie ropes and hoists and a very strong back. Brother-in-law Paul plunges into the project, cutting and drilling with his usual confidence. I seem to remember him gassing people in the hospital theatre with the same aplomb. The Master Builder continues his march towards a masterful heavy wooden construction, planing miles of wood, following his heavy logic as he creates a massive heap of shavings which Deborah thinks she can use in the garden. She is now working on the half acre cleared and contoured by John Burke. The 4 peat moss septic beds are now full of blueberry plants. The beauty of this place continues to amaze: every morning I look out the window on the lake, a Tom Thomson painting. I can understand what those Group of Seven painters were trying to capture. Another hurricane scrapes by heading for Newfoundland. The question is: how far along will we get before heading off to our winter homes?