Alas, the Unveiling!

  Well, without any further ado, or unnecessary jabbering, I am going to post the pictures I have been waiting so long to take. The Scaffold Tower to the Moon has been preventing anyone from getting a clear shot of the veneer job we have been puttering away at for three or four months, and it think that even the owners were beginning to suspect that we were just killing time while we came up with an excuse for why there is no chimney. And I will confess with all honesty, that between horrifying dreams of falling to my death from the top of the staging, I had even worse nightmares of the scaffold coming down only to reveal a lopsided and twisted chimney mess like something out of Tim Burton's "Mary Poppins", when Tim Burton finally gives up all pride and does a remake of Mary Poppins, with Johnny Depp as Miss Poppins, and the chimney sweep, and all the children, too. It will be like some white nightmare version of an Eddie Murphy comedy on bad acid, and it won't be funny.  And that was what my dream was like. Seriously, I am a visual person. I like to step back at the end of every day and take a look at my work and make sure I like it. It was extremely difficult for me not to be able to do that for three months. And so it was a wonderful relief to get there after the scaffolding came down and see that not only was it not crooked--it was awesomely beautiful! 

  I am so proud of the hard work everyone put in to this thing. Damon, you did an awesome job and you kept me on task with the tightness. Richard, we couldn't have done it without you. Nate and Mike, we would have been in trouble if you guys hadn't showed up when you did. Dan, we wouldn't even have had the job were it not for you, so thanks. Mark And Deb, you guys are the bomb and I love working with both of you! I am texting you after I write this so you can check it out, because I don't even think you've seen it. Jan and Bob, thank you two so much for giving us the opportunity to create something really beautiful and original and a truly hulking piece of art that will outlast all of us and probably the next few World Wars. We love you guys!

  Well, so much for not rambling on... It was yet another sleety and gloomy lightless day, so the pics aren't great, but hey, they are pics of a finished chimney, so that's better than nothing.

Round Pond Chimney to the Sky

  Definitely the tallest single structure of stone we have ever built, the mammoth fieldstone chimney we are currently ascending in Round Pond is a seriously impressive construct. Inside and out, the sheer size and number of stones give the smokestack a tangible gravity and presence that is only matched by the natural beauty of the rugged Maine coastline that sits in its shadow.

  Stonemasonry is never easy on the body, but this job is particularly physically demanding and I feel it in my arms and legs every morning when I drag myself from sleep. Between the forty foot tall scaffolding that we run up and down all day, to the seemingly endless chiseling, we have definitely washed those stones in a river of blood, sweat, and tears. I am not complaining. It just adds to the deep sense of pride we feel at the end of every day, when we stand back and look up at the freshly laid work and say, "Man, what an awesome pile of rocks." Hopefully, everyone else likes it as much as we like building it.

  I believe my last post showcased images of the interior stonework and I am now adding some pics from the outside. Of course, there is this metal tower of staging in the way, which is impressive in its own right, and I was forced to take shots where I could. I also threw ink some photos of pillars we have done, many of which still have to be capped, and at least one shot of the rear entry steps. There are a few pics of the incredible view of Round Pond from the rooftop, too, and some of Damon working, Richard mixing mud, a "selfie" (hahaha), some of the house, etc...

  Oh, and my favorite picture of all is the one that looks like a pile of little pebbles, which is actually our pile of stones, as seen from atop the forty foot tall scaffold, with someone walking along the lower edge for scale.

A Fireplace on a Round Pond

  Dan Ucci's massive and fantastic firebox on the chimney Damon and I are currently veneering in Round Pond. The interior stonework actually reaches twenty-something feet from floor to ceiling, but construction is currently obscuring the upper reaches. I will post more pics later.

  The exterior stonework is actually of the round rock variety and is totally blocked from view by a tower of scaffolding. 36 feet tall and 9 feet wide--it is actually the largest stone structure we have ever built. I am looking forward to the finished product. But for now, it's a pleasure to be building. The owners are wonderful and the contractor, Becker Construction, is both a pleasure to work for and highly organized, creating a perfect storm of awesome working conditions. Some jobs you don't want to end. 

  (Putting a link in my sidebar to Becker Construction's website.)

3 Crows and 1200 Bricks

  Finished up the brickwork at 3 Crow and everyone seemed satisfied with the results, including ourselves. It was a nice project and I hate to leave. I say it again and again, but it's always a pleasure working with Endeavour, with the Masseys, and Tom Potter and Donny. Looking forward to going back this weekend to address some floor drains.

 

Thomaston Granite

  We have been terribly busy and awfully behind, so I haven't posted in a few weeks, but here are some before and after shots of the last project we finished. The job is another for Endeavour, in the back yard of a large old house in historic downtown Thomaston. I took some photos when I originally went to look at the job, and as you can see, it was badly cracked and pitching forward dangerously.

  I was struck immediately by the beauty of the place, however, and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of such a great restoration project.  The owner came out with an old cigar box she had found in the attic when she bought the place, inside of which were some black and white photographs of the original structure.

  Amazing! I wanted the job...
  Then my good friend, Don Savarice, who was doing some interior restoration, pointed out a circular iron and concrete structure in the center of the lawn.

  Apparently, when Don had started working on the house, there was a large pile of decaying wood in the back yard and the owner asked him if he could remove it. Well, he did and lo and behold, beneath it was this incredible ornate wrought-iron fountain base. Out of curiosity, they went into the basement and searched around until they found a mystery-knob, which they turned... And there was water! Right up out of the little fountain-spout. Incredible!
  I left the site determined to come back and rebuild the wall and sure enough, we were doing just that two or three weeks later.  It was a difficult project, due to the size of the stones and the height of the wall, but we managed. Actually, a massive hats-off to both Damon and Dave Curry, who were there much more than I was and built most of what you see in the pictures.

  I can't wait to see it again in another fifty years, when the vines have grown back.