Dear Family and Friends,
Since these bulk-mail updates form the basis for Letters to the Architect online, and since all the postings so far this construction season are of indoor projects, I thought It might be of interest to someone in the universe who might stumble this way to see a shot of the exterior of the Big Wooden Tent (aka, compliments of Barak, Green Starfall. But that's another long story involving the vision quest for the property, a green meteor, and a drive the next day up a mountain dirt road with an empty tank of gas.)
Yes one can watch a fraction of the night sky out the balcony windows; we experimented Friday night after arriving about 10:30. Woke to a beautiful first light and sunrise, but by the time we had coffee, the mountain was blessed with one of those Vermont showers, and we decided to start the day with Baeden's Window. Huh? Last year when our grandson was about 16 months, he was upstairs in the guest tower looking out the window across the porch roof toward the house. He went down by the guest bed, which had only the two very short awning windows by the pillows, and patted the wall that faces the main house and said "Dis". He then ran back to the window that faces the house, patted it and said again "Dis". Back to the bed space and again back to the window. Twice more, "Dis." Disrespect???? Since Baeden then was a functional biped on the cusp of articulate speech, we of course heard "this".......Or translated into a grandparents gloating pride and projection, "Hey you guys , you need to put another window down here by the bed so I can see across the roof and talk to Mommy who is upstairs waving from the windows there."
An architect born. How could anyone argue with such articulation? Actually the bed did need more cross light and ventilation, and the fenestration of that elevation of the tower needed something for balance.
Privacy had been an issue of concern for the guest bed, but come on, nobody can see anything going on in a non-electric camp if the battery powered florescent lights are off. And there are always curtains. The connection that has occurred between the two masses of the structure is profound.
A real sense of communication. Of course if Gluckman Maynor Architects had designed it, I would have to move the window four inchs further back, so there would be perfect alignment of this window with the axis of the two side windows in the master bed space. But as I have heard Bob Harper say, "Close enough." He then added with a laugh, "I bet you'd never hear Richard Gluckman say that." Anyway, thanks Baeden. Oh yes, and there is a box of wooden blocks on casters under the desk below the kids loft. When you are ready to continue your architectural education. Unless of course this window is the swansong of that career, and you are ready for the next challenge elsewhere.
The rain stopped and we got knotty tongue and groove cedar on the underside of the eyebrow roof over the living room windows. We got a good rhythm going measuring, cutting and installing the clapboards that cover the inside flanks of the brackets of the same roof.
A vast improvement in the way the view of the meadow is framed. We packed up Saturday might and left early Sunday for a visit the Barak, Jenn and the kids, and got a drive-by look at a house in South Hadley Ma, on which they have made an offer. We also stopped on Long Island at Cutting Fields Arboretum for a Fathers Day celebration with Ken and Espe Nadle, Fons and Ellen, David, Jeremy, Denise and the kids.
We need to get serious about the exterior (weather permitting, or tarp magic invoked) and order more clapboard before the next Northtravel.
Love to all, BSB
Posted by Bennett
at 5:59 PM EDT
Updated: Monday, 19 June 2006 7:19 PM EDT
