The Heat Is On

   The new thimble in place and the new cleanout-door, before it was washed...

  Here is a shot of the chimney as it reached the attic floor, at which point the floor had to be opened up to allow for straightening of the structure.

  Here Mike Fitzgerald and Damon are bringing the chimney through the floor.  Much gratitude and appreciation are owed to Mike on this project.  His knowledge of code and chimney-building expertise helped this job to proceed quickly and efficiently.  His brother, Mark, was a huge help also, particularly in the demolition.

  And the chimney was topped-out just in time for the storm.

  Esther the Cat says, "Does this mean you can turn the heat back on?"

  Yes, it does, Esther. The heat is on.

Chimney Rebuild

  We started this chimney project last week.  It was dangerously teetering atop the roof and the mortar was deteriorated throughout the rest of the structure. A steel insert had been placed inside the chimney probably ten years ago. Our only option was really to tear it down to the ground and rebuild it, which is precisely what we have been doing.
  The roof is very steep and staging was difficult.  Matters were not helped by the fact that there are slate shingles beneath the asphalt shingles. which forced us the use roof-saddles to attach the roof steel to.

  Of course, we had to do some demolition inside to access the structure.  It was already accessible in the basement and the attic, and we were able to go in through a closet wall on the second floor.  This shot is in the first floor living room. We tried to be minimal in our destruction.

  Chimney gone.  Looking down.

  And up...

  Note the curve of the hole. The original chimney made its way upward through the house at something like a 30 degree pitch. 

Light Steps

  Here is a shot I came across of some stone stairs we did at the Norumbega Carriage House with Midcoast Masonry.  We tried to blend in with the existing stonework without getting carried away in either possible direction.  You can't really get a clear visual on the work itself, but the lighting is nice.

Paleontology

  Ned unearthed this at the job site a few days and we have all been scratching our heads over it since.  The stone is rather large, about five feet in length, and appears to have on its surface the fossilized imprint of an enormous spinal cord.  Wild guesses include: whale spine, saw-fish proboscis, and fern imprint.

What I Do It For

  It isn't about the craft, or the money, or the exercise, or the comradeship.  I just do it for the cookies.  Alice made these for us down on Barter's Island yesterday. Fantastic!

 

  This is the patio we have been building for Frank and Alice.  We hope they like it as much as we like the cookies.

My First Garden Sculpture

  Obviously, I still have to epoxy the parts together--this is just a dry run with wooden wedges holding the stand upright. The iron post is an antique piece from a fence or stairway or something. I have been lugging it around for a few years, trying to figure out what to do with it.

   On a more somber note, my cat Gracie passed away this week. It was very unexpected and I miss her more than I have ever missed anything. She was and always will be my little girl.