Branford Bike: Basement Framing and Yard Excavation work. Mike Adkins Excavation, Simkins-Hallin Lumber Company

October 24th, 2006
The concrete basement walls and floor are completed. Now we must frame structural walls, inside the basement, before we can level the yard and backfill dirt against the outside foundation walls. After we backfill we will clear the front yard of burned trees and finish the driveway.
The insurance is not enough to pay for replacement of the house, garage and greenhouse so we must conserve our funds. All the buildings were destroyed by the fire and the land was devastated. Every tree was charred black and the vast majority were killed quickly by the intense flames. The question that I ponder continuously is "how can I transform this land and my new home back to the Garden of Eden it once was?". I look at majestic and inspiring buildings and ask "what makes this building beautiful?".

Is this building beautiful? Why?

Rich discusses the framing with Justin and Aaron

October 24th, 2006
Justin and Aaron, framers and excellent carpenters, start to apply their well honed skills to my basement in the clouds. Over the course of the next week they studded several interior walls, put redwood mud sills on top of the foundation walls, laid joists and installed sheeting for the first floor. Meanwhile I studied books devoted to Classical Architecture including volumes by Vitruvius and Andrea Palladio. I mulled over the ancient principles of symmetry, harmony and proportion and started to apply them to the design of my new home.

October 25th, 2006
Aaron and Justin worked quickly in the cool mountain air. At the end of their second day the first floor joists were nailed securely in place. Next they would install the floor sheeting before returning the site to the excavation crew for a week.
The black, rubberized coating on the concrete foundation walls prevents moisture from seeping through. As a touch of Indian summer rolls past the snow melted and my yard turned to thick, gumbo mud.

Mountain foothills rise above the first floor joists

November 3rd, 2006
Jack and Norm from Mike Adkins Excavation are back! Their job is to grade and gravel the driveway, backfill the foundation, dig trenches for underground phone, electric and TV cables and create a front yard with a view. Jack deftly maneuvered his front end loader as easily as Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong leans into a winding mountain road. Seemingly without effort, his loader and Norm's excavator tear into the soft, earthy hillside and create an almost perfectly level yard and driveway. They smooth a wide spot for the future greenhouse and then move on to digging utility trenches.

Jack deftly maneuvers his front end loader

A cheerful rainbow greets me while I hike to my future home

November 7th, 2006
A cheerful rainbow greets me while I hike one mile up the mountain to my future home. I am surrounded by blackened skeletons of what once were centuries old Douglas Firs. A few survived but they may succumb to drought or beetles over the next year or two.
For weeks I have studied classical architecture. The ancient Greeks and Romans knew how to design buildings that were intrinsically beautiful. I want to build a house that visitors will draw pleasure from simply by looking at it, like they once did when they walked amongst the tall green trees that surrounded my previous mountain home.

Jack and Norm pulled the dead, blackened trees from my front yard with the excavator and tossed them in the brush pile. Most were small and only a few years old before the Big Creek forest fire cut their life short. I thought we could plant a few fast growing trees around the front yard's perimeter next spring. Then I would like to build a formal, symmetrical garden with lots of flowers and perhaps a few statues of Greek or Roman gods. Perhaps Dianna, the god of the hunt and protector of children could greet garden visitors. Gravel walkways would radiate from the center and be lined with hundreds of drought resistant flowers. A few inviting benches would offer breath taking views and a little serenity. Today's soot and destruction could be replaced with lovely flowers and inspiring vistas when spring blossoms next June, I mused.

Brush and dead trees burn in the front yard

An old 1,000 gallon cistern makes a solid, fire-proof vault

November 8th, 2006
Memories of the tragic Big Creek fire are hard to shake. Jack buried an old concrete cistern underneath a basement window. It makes an ideal fire-proof vault for photographs, computers, papers, valuable books and other treasures that another fire might consume. The wide driveway circles the house to create a fire break and easy entry route for fire trucks. The future cement/stone siding and cement/shale roof will not burn even in a blast furnace. A large 1,700 gallon cistern is conveniently located by the garage so pumper trucks can easily tap into it.

Several people graciously donated used and new books to replace the 2,000 volumes in my library that were devoured by the forest fire. The gift of books brought comfort, happiness and a sense of security back into my life. I often sat for hours immersed in the pleasure of reading. The soft, worn pages felt comfortable in my hands. The scenes and ideas that leapt from the pages enticed and stimulated my mind. I felt secure with books around me. For me, a library is a place of companionship with authors, safety and discovery.
Mark and Carla donated cookbooks. Rick sent a childhood favorite Weekly Reader book while Jack sent books about architecture, politics and medicine. Barry mailed children's books along with several novels and text books. Rodd stopped by with a Greek History book. Julia gave a volume of Celtic Tales while Todd enclosed a few DH Lawrence titles. Greg donated books from his mountaineering collection and Andrew gave a wonderful novel about Japan. Perry mailed a beautiful book of photographs from Greece along with other thought provoking titles. Carol and Phil gave me a book I can read to children. George sent a book on philosophy and Dave enclosed a Hemingway classic. Many others donated books and one generous rider, Charles, sent a bicycle frame and a few components to replace the beloved Grandis I lost in the fire. Your outpouring of kindness is deeply appreciated. All your gifts are treasured and many have already been read. Thank-you all very much.

Donate a used book and help....

with the rebuilding effort. The fire consumed over 2,000 books; my lifetime collection. Every book was a small treasure and all are greatly missed. Many riders and readers have donated a few books from their personal collections to help rebuild my library. Their gifts provided me with comfort, happiness and a sense of security. Several donated books have helped with architectural and construction ideas for the new home. Others will make wonderful bedtime stories for children. Every book was carefully inscribed with the donors's name and date so we will always be reminded of their generosity. Click on the underlined text if you would like to donate a used book or two for our future library.

November 10th, 2006
A fresh coat of snow covered the building site. As the appointed shoveler of snow I reported for duty just after sunrise or 7:30 in the morning. My breath turned to frost as I cleared the first floor deck and watched the cold sun slowly rise over the distant Absaroka mountains. Soon Aaron and Justin drove in and prepared for another day of carpentry amongst the snow covered peaks. 30 minutes later a Simkins-Hallin lumber delivery truck with chains on its tires rumbled up the steep and narrow road. I thought it was amazing that such a large and seemingly cumbersome truck, fully loaded with lumber, could traverse such a treacherous road with seeming ease. By days end the west side and part of the south side, first floor walls were framed. Everyone was cold and tired. We called it a day and headed down the mountain towards our respective homes.

A cold sunset settles over our first floor walls.