11.DEC.2003
We got hammered with about 18" of snow this week, and though it has warmed up a bit now, I was waking up to see the thermometer at 5 degrees F some days. Welcome to Peru, New York.
Since I arrived at my parents' house at the end of November I have engaged in a few projects. First was to take a digital picture of each of my tools for insurance purposes. Then I pulled out the sewing machine and made canvas wraps for my japanese saw, a set of chisels, my drawknife, and my bench planes. Finally, I just completed a gift for my mother, which is the prototype for my design of an apple branch guitar stand.
Last week I had my first ever therapeutic massage. It's well worth the money; go find your local massage therapist and get a massage now! If I had known what I was missing I would have started going for massages long ago. I haven't ever been so relaxed, except maybe the time I accidentally took Benadryl and NyQuil simultaneously.
You may have noticed some subtle changes in the look of the site, but I have also added a projects page and updated my links.
17.NOV.2003
Tomorrow begins my final week on this house project, with a big push to get the first coat of clay plaster on the interior walls. I look forward to it, not just because I'm going home soon, but because I really enjoy plastering. The exterior of the building is nearly all weathered in with tar paper (no more ducking under tarps!) and ready for the siding, which will go up later in the winter.
For the last three weeks I have been staying in the house that our clients are renting. The tent is packed away, we have running water (hot and cold), and a real kitchen. Ironically, the roof here leaks more than my tent's, and mice have gotten into my noodles, which never happened out in the woods. Ahh, but there's a phone line and an electric outlet within cord's reach of a couch, so I can sit on my ass and go online as I please.
It's funny how quickly I've come to take basic amenities for granted again. The point was driven home recently when we lost electric service for about 48 hours as a result of a violent storm. Suddenly there was no running water, no heat, and no lights. After one day, we joked,"This is America, damn it! We're entitled to electricity!" But we lit some candles, spent five bucks on some spring water, and bundled up for bed. When I got home from work to find the power out for the second day, though, I was irked (though surely much less than someone would be if they hadn't just spent five months in a tent). I think I was bothered more by the fact that, like most American homes, the critical systems are totally dependent on electricity. How hard would it be to put a manual pump in the water line as a backup? The water's still there when the power goes out, but you can't have it if the electric pump doesn't work. Why not have oil furnaces that have backup oil-fueled generators so they can keep running without external power? (By the way, there is a wood stove here, but it's a flaming death waiting to happen; I'd rather be cold than crispy.) Well, later that night I awoke to the sound of the refrigerator turning on, and the next morning I got my long-awaited hot shower.
I was not accepted for that winter internship (I think I was a little late to get my foot in the door) so I have a little time to figure out my next step. I'm open to suggestions.
27.OCT.2003
It seems like the weather has been a major theme in my updates over the last few months, probably because I spend so much time in it. Now it's rainy and warm, unlike last week, which was dry and cold. It got down to 29 a couple of nights last week (I bought a thermometer), but I only woke up chilly on one morning. The down sleeping bag is performing admirably, though stinky; it will get a much-deserved professional cleaning when I go back home.
We spent all last week applying exterior plaster on the building. The wisdom of applying clay plaster at this time of year is questionable, but we have no choice. We've tarped all the walls and run a 150,000 BTU heater under each one in turns to dry the plaster out. This week we will continue to prep the interior for plaster; it will be nice to work inside once again, despite the pile of wood flooring that will be in everyone's way until it is installed.
I plan to be off of this project by Thanksgiving, though the house will certainly not be finished by then. I hope to hear back soon about an internship at a building school in Vermont. I don't have much of a backup plan if that doesn't work out, but something always seems to come along when I least expect it.
04.OCT.2003
We are down to the last, most difficult bales to put in. Perhaps another 3 hours of work and we can take all of the extra bales outside to the garden, finally clearing out the house. The gable ends are where we really slowed down. I made a key bale for the peak of the south wall (the sparkles are straw dust from the scaffold above). Jonathan and Dave had fun on the north wall. After some detail work and bale adjusting we'll be ready to plaster the exterior next week.
There has been quite a cold snap recently: 30's at night, 50's during the day. I've managed to stay warm in the tent thanks to my down mummy bag, but I'm making plans for camping in the house once the extra bales are moved out. Bathing outside is becoming less and less desirable, so I'm bathing less and less. Luckily I have a place I can take an indoor shower when I want.
I've got a lead on an opportunity for the winter; we'll see how it works out.
15.SEP.2003
The roof is done at last. The ridge cap proved troublesome, even with the sled I made for straddling it. The chimney installation took longer than we expected, but not nearly as long as the skylight. Don't ever put in a skylight.
We spent the last couple of days extending the loft floor. Here is Ben working on a lap joint, and here are the tools I used to cut the floor joist pockets. I made that mallet, and I picked up the corner chisel at Joy's Antiques in Oxford, PA.
It looks like we're in for some rain, but I can't complain about the weather over the past couple of weeks: 70's, sunny and dry. It's a shame that it's getting wet again right before we get the staw bales delivered.
I'm still looking for the next big thing, so if you know anyone who wants to pay someone with my qualifications to do cool stuff, send them my way.
31.AUG.2003
The summer has flown by. I had no idea that my last update was a month and a half ago. Fortunately, I was able to see a lot of my faithful readers in person over the last few months.
By popular demand, I bought a digital camera so I can post quick snapshots of what I'm doing. Here is my tent, what I see on my commute, where I make a pit stop on the way down the hill, and where I cook my meals. Also, here are some shots of the house we're building: 1, 2, 3.
I'm starting to look for the next big thing, so if you know anyone who wants to pay someone with my qualifications to do cool stuff, send them my way.
14.JUL.2003
The past few weeks have taught me a lot about water conservation. Bathing in the woods is really quite a pleasure, despite having to carry my water about 100 yards. I find that I can get very clean with a bucket containing about 3 gallons of cool water. I use a sponge to get the water where I want it, and I scrub with one of those poofy things and some Dr. Bronner's hemp oil soap. When I'm done I dump the remaining water over my head for an extra jolt, and I'm left with a buzz that lasts for hours. I use far less water than if I were to shower for the same amount of time, even with a low-flow shower head (about 2-3 gallons per minute). This is a practice that I think I will continue no matter where I live, though I will probably use warm water in the winter.
The need to haul water has made me very conscious of how much I use to cook, clean, and drink. We'll see how that changes soon, though, since we're about to have water hooked up at our site.
We have the 6 main frame posts up on the house, and it sure is a relief to have the frostwall trench backfilled and get moving upward. Soon the frame will be complete and I will get some aversion therapy for my mild acrophobia as we work on the roof. Then it's straw bale time!
I find myself checking land listings in Vermont and western Massachusetts these days. It's hard not to be anxious to build my own place while I'm working on a house for someone else. I need to be patient. I also need to get a job this winter!
26.JUN.2003
Which is a better defensive weapon against a charging deer, a machete or a hatchet? This is the question I found myself asking recently when I was awakened at 6 AM by a young buck snorting and stomping about 20 feet away from my tent. He wanted a fight. I wanted to sleep. He eventually went away, and I stayed in bed not knowing how I would have fared against him.
Now the hatchet sits on my bedside table in a seedy highway motel in Toledo. I just drove almost 600 miles today on my way to Wisconsin, and this was the cheapest place I could find when I couldn't stand to drive any further. It does have a shower and a soft bed, which is more than I've had in a couple of weeks. My heavy toolbox is in front of the flimsy door (which doesn't have a deadbolt or one of those useless chain things) to slow down a would-be intruder. Nonetheless, I'm prepared to sleep like a rock.
If you're reading this, I made it to Wisconsin, since I won't upload until I get there.
20.JUN.2003
Wet. Rain sucks in general, but when you're living outside it really affects your day. I've been living here on the job site for about a week and a half, and it has rained about 75% of the time. Such is life; I'm sure in August we'll be begging for some relief from the heat. At least my tent is dry, thanks to my new friend, Giant Blue Tarp.
The house we are building is making slow progress due to the wet weather. We just poured the frost wall foundation on the 18th, and we will apply the waterproofing next Monday, but it's too wet to backfill the trench. We'll be in limbo until it dries out around here.
I got some nice chemical burns on the insides of my forearms from too much exposure to Portland cement (an alkaline material). I poured vinegar on them to neutralize the cement and they instantly felt better, and I've kept them clean over the last few days so they look better all the time now. It's nice to have the foundation out of the way; it's probably the most frustrating, dangerous, and expensive part of the whole project.
In my spare time I've been working on the camp infrastructure. I made a bathing area using limbs from the trees that were cleared for the building. The floor consists of flat stones, mostly slate, that I found around the site. The doorway is an arch made from a Y-shaped limb placed upside-down. It's actually a very pleasant place to bathe, and all of the materials, except the twine used to lash limbs together, came from right here. The only tool I used was a hand saw.
I suspended a 14-foot log about 13 feet off the ground between two trees to provide a place to hang our food at night. Any bear that can get into that food box deserves to eat my oatmeal and PBandJ. Putting up that log by myself was no easy task, and it required a lot of swearing to get it done.
This weekend I plan to work on the kitchen: another natural log structure but with a tarp over the top. I'm going to try for an arched 'bus stop style' roof.
By the way, the bucket toilet system is working very well, thank you very much.
06.JUN.2003
I'm heading out today for a summer of building and camping in the Catskills. I have no idea how often I will get access to the internet, so I apologize in advance for not answering emails promptly. This site will probably not be updated frequently, either (not like it ever was).
If you happen to be in Peru, NY, I have 16 of my photographs on display at the Peru Free Library on Main St.
21.MAY.2003
Signs that I'm getting old: when I let my hair grow (I've been shaving my head again for the past year) I see grey hairs on the sides; big scoops have been taken out of my hairline on both sides of my forehead, but somehow I don't look as cool as Bruce Willis; I just yanked a nose hair that was - I swear - an inch long, and I thought it would take my brain with it; I grumble about the damned kids who drive too fast through my old neighborhood.
Right now I'm preparing material for a photography show at the Peru Library. It's the same place where I used to go as a kid to take out Dr. Seuss books and watch those crazy Scandinavian films about the cartoon mole. Maybe I will actually sell some of my work now.
I just sent in my application for state-assisted health insurance: $151 a month is all I have to pay for a bare-bones HMO plan. Isn't that a great deal? Well, compared to the alternatives it is, but consider that I pay about $100 a year to insure all of my material possessions. I read recently that Americans pay more than anyone else for medical services, and receive the least for their money than other industrialized nations. That doesn't surprise me, since I just went through $255 (including X-rays) to have a doctor tell me there's nothing wrong with my wrist: just take 9 Advil a day for the swelling. Moving to Canada is becoming more of a desireable option every day.
I haven't heard much from the Greens about who they're running for President, so for now I'm rooting for Howard Dean even though I think the Democrats are generally bankrupt and cowardly. Oh, and corrput, just like the rest of the bastards.
14.APR.2003
Well faithful readers, after a year and four months without employment I have accepted
a job building straw-bale houses this
summer. The first house will be in Monticello, NY;
I will likely be living in a tent at the job site, perhaps
pooping in a bucket.
In considering the tent life, some thoughts have been bouncing around my head. First, it would be cool to have a solar panel set up to charge a 12V battery to run various electronic devices (as opposed to powering them with my car's electrical system). Second, I've been leaning dangerously close to getting a cell phone despite my disdain for the towers and the way cell phones often turn people into assholes. (Or are they already assholes, simply amplified by the phone?) Relax: I've decided to wait on both items until I have a better idea of what I'm getting into.
I've updated the links, future plans, and my anti-resume.
08.APR.2003
Yesterday I got home from a week plus out in central and western NY. I started out at Mary Golden's place for an earthen floor workshop, where I met all sorts of cool people. On Monday and Wednesday I was in Ithaca to volunteer at a strawbale house construction site. It was there that I aggravated a wrist injury that now has me wearing a brace, making it hard to type. The folks down in Ithaca were very cool too, including Paul Lacinski of "Serious Strawbale" fame.
I am grateful that I have friends in Rochester and Syracuse who generously open their homes to me whenever I need a place to crash. Yes John, it is amazing that a group of people who met sophomore year of college are still so close.
The East Coast Natural Building Colloquium has been postponed until May 2004, though seemingly for the best. Fortunately I now have other things in the works for this summer.
I am now able to make and sell archival prints of my photography. Any takers out there?
17.MAR.2003
I just watched Shrub on the tube (I've been glued to C-SPAN since I got home) tonight and I tell you, he almost had me convinced. Must have been that second beer. The only thing clear in this whole situation is that nothing is clear: there is no good solution to this mess that our country has helped create. Doing nothing will only allow the horrific conditions in Iraq (under UN sanctions) to continue. All-out war will give the same result only through different means. Continuing inspections would still leave a brutal dictator in power.
One of the things that bothers me the most is that the administration is keeping a lid on our country's history with Iraq, one in which Bushies like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Elliot Abrams played significant roles. International human rights activists had already been decrying Hussein's abysmal record when the Reagan administration chose to support him in the war against Iran. Companies from the US, France, Germany and the UK sold Iraq plenty of so-called weapons of mass destruction, or at least the capabilities to make them. Why did we let a known psychopath buy such horrible weapons? Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
That photo of Don Rumsfeld shaking hands with Hussein back in the late 80's is enough to make me ill. If those ghouls in the Bush administration would stand up and admit that they shouldn't have climbed in bed with the man who Papa Bush later called, "Hitler revisited," and promise that they will ensure that neither the United States government, nor its corporations, will ever sell -- or in the case of countries like Colombia, give -- weapons to a country simply because it serves short-term interests, I might just believe that their intentions are pure. Until then (and I'm not holding my breath), I will view them with as much suspicion as ever. That many of Bush's cabinet, or at least their friends, stand to profit greatly from this war and its aftermath is further reason for suspicion. (If you want even more reason for suspicion, you should check out this organization, founded by Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. Read Rebuilding America's Defenses.)
Sadly, I predict that even if this regime change is successful there will never be a truly free democracy in Iraq, at least as long as international corporations have their eyes on Iraqi oil. In the last 50 years America has not had a good record of nurturing democracies around the world, as evidenced most dramatically in 1973 by the US supported coup of democratically elected Salvador Allende in Chile, who was replaced by Augusto Pinochet. Years of torture, disappearances, rape and murder under Pinochet's dictatorship followed with Henry Kissinger's blessing because it served his and American corporations' interests. Yeah, but that was a long time ago, right? Sure, but Kissinger is still around, and he still has influence on American policy. Remember when they tried to hire him to investigate 9/11?
Some say that just because America has dirty hands doesn't mean it can't do good things around the world. I say our past is a good indicator of a deeply entrenched greed and arrogance that is still present today in our system of government. That said, I hope the citizens of America will hold Shrub to his word, that America will liberate the Iraqi people from tyranny and leave them free to do as they like with their natural resource. I hope this ends quickly. I hope the Iraqi military does the smart thing and surrenders. I hope our military acts with decency and compassion and then gets out of there safely.
04.MAR.2003
Home, safe and reasonably sound. Home is not as I once knew it, though: I'm staying in my sister's old bedroom, the food is all different, and there's no room for my stuff so my clothes are all over the floor. OK, that last part is the same as it used to be. It is really cold here, like booger-freezing cold, just the way I like it.
I've cranked through a lot of photographs from NM and posted many of them today. Check out the timberframe at LanderLand at night and during the day, some bluegrass bands, and a rare snowfall.
I have succeeded in finding an Epson 2200 inkjet printer, and it should be here today or tomorrow. Then I can begin printing some photos to sell. Check out my updated future plans.
24.FEB.2003
It turns out that I'm not going to Santa Fe after all. I'm flying out of Albuquerque on the 27th, exactly 5 months from when I arrived. I am anxious to experience the drastic climate change as I arrive in New York.
A week ago I went on the most difficult day hike I've ever done in my life. I hiked solo to the top of Hillsboro Peak from Kingston, a 14-mile round trip walk in the Gila National Forest and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area. The 3800 foot ascent took just under 4 hours, while the descent took 2.5 hours. At 10,011 feet (actually a little more since I climed the fire lookout tower) it was the highest I've ever been on foot in North America. At times I was in snow up to my knees, and several times I had to force myself not to turn around and go home. I'm glad I pushed myself to the limit; it's good for you.
Hopefully my next update from NY will include some new photos, which are being developed in Seattle right now.
03.FEB.2003
Two weeks ago I got to hang out with John Reischman and the Jaybirds, a pretty well-known blugrass band. They did a private show for us at the Lodge, then a public show down at the community center. We all gawked, of course, at John's $50,000 Gibson mandolin; it's the same pedigree as the one Bill Monroe played. I got to see another old Martin D-18, this time a 1940's model. Jim the guitarist let me play it and it felt and sounded just like mine. In fact, it made me want to get back home so I could be with my guitar again.
I just got back from 3 days in Anapra, the poorest area on the outskirts of Juarez, Mexico. I was with 3 guys from Builders Without Borders on a recon trip for some strawbale building and community empowerment projects there. The outcome is that I'm leaving Kingston in a couple of weeks to go to Santa Fe, where I will spend some time refining a system for building roof trusses with disassembled shipping pallets. I had a really good time in Anapra: everyone was very friendly and generous despite the crushing poverty, and the children were happy and quite bright. I had fun horsing around with 3 young kids while their mothers met with our hosts. The chile relleno burritos at "Los Monchis" were the best I ever had.
Of the 14,000 people who live in Anapra, the majority of those who have jobs work at the maquiladoras. These are the huge factories set up by multinational corporations to have their wiring harnesses and radios and shirts assembled for bottom dollar. Most people are taking home about $5 a day, after riding a bus for an hour each way. Incredibly, there are many maquilas closing because the corporations can find cheaper labor in Asia. Gotta get the Dow back up.
14.JAN.2003
My first bamboo book rack went over so well that I was given the go-ahead to make some more. The new design goal was to make easily transportable ones to sell books and videos at fairs around the country. I started small with an A-frame arrangement using cutoffs from my first project; this one fits 6 VHS tapes perfectly. I then adapted the same design to a double-wide version, also using cutoffs from the origninal rack. Both of these tabletop racks have folding rear legs so they can be laid flat for storage.
Yesterday I finished the masterpiece, a free-standing rack with nearly the same capacity as the original fixed one. Besides being free-standing, the best part about the new rack is that it can be completely disassembled and nested within itself. This is possible thanks to the removable pins made with bamboo chopsticks from Japan. The pins store inside one of the legs for travel. I think I want to be a bamboo engineer.
I torched, oiled (linseed, that is), and waxed my bamboo didgeridoo recently. Now that the didgeridoo itself is complete, I can get on with learning circular breathing. Tom Lander, who kindly let me use his linseed oil and Mother's Carnauba Wax, generously gave me another big piece of bambusa oldhami so I can make a second didgeridoo.
Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin, two very accomplished blugrass musicians, came through last weekend. They played a private living room show for us (including the 25 Wisconsin geologists) at the Lodge on Friday night, then did a larger show at the nearby Hillsboro community center on Sunday. I whipped out a bamboo CD rack so they could display their discs for sale at the Sunday show. Peter was a national flatpicking champion in 1988 and has two Martin D-18s (the same guitar my Dad gave me). His are from 1937 though, and much more worn than my 1959.
For the uninitiated, the plant in the background of the above shots is temperate bamboo. Oh, and I used a borrowed digital camera to take these pictures. It was a pain in the arse to use but handy for getting quick documentation of my work up on the site.
I have updated the songs page with lyrics and chords to most of the songs. The permanent link to the song list is on my about page.
02.JAN.2003
I took advantage of some independent time and completed the bamboo book rack in the lobby. Now all of the books that they sell here can be well displayed, rather than piled up in a mess like they were before. The joints are fastened using copper wire that we bought at a mine liquidation auction. The top two rows are made using a single piece of bamboo that I split in half to make troughs for the books to sit in.
This was a very rewarding project because: the design was my idea and it's quite elegant (simple, functional, attractive) if I may say so; I made the whole thing myself; I learned a lot about working with bamboo; and it's the first thing people see when they walk in the front door.
The annual group of geology students from the U. of Wisconsin arrived today like a military assault, and they were kind enough to bring me a case of Huber Bock all the way from Monroe.