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.)

There is Still Hope

A few shots of the chimney veneer I did in Hope for the Mcteers. It took a bit longer than I had anticipated and I ultimately had to request the assistance of my business partner Damon, but the Mcteers were patient and helpful and we all made it through in one piece. In fact, the Mcteers were are pleasure to work for and with and I now consider them friends, as I hope they do too.
Most of the stones were brought in from off-property, but some were sourced right there on their land, particularly the mantle, which was chosen and dragged from the forest by Michael and Mardi themselves. I had been having a difficult time finding the perfect stone at the local quarries, as the dimensions were kind of unusual, and those two found the solution not a hundred yards from their back door. The truth is, they built pretty much the entire house themselves and could have done the veneer as well, if they hadn't been so busy. The house is really beautiful, too. I wish I had some pictures of it to post. Maybe if they read this, they will leave a pic or two in the comments, if such a thing is possible.

Eldridge

  Finished this job up a few weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to posting pics. This is down in Boothbay, on an amazing little piece of property that protrudes out into Boothbay Harbor, leaving the house surrounded on three sides by water. Seals climb on the rocks in the backyard. Scallop boats drag the deep water, sometimes all day long. Lobster boats idle in circles around the traps...
  The style of stonework was a little different for us. The owners wanted to replicate the look of some of the crumbling stone walls on the property, so we had to kind of toss everything we know out the window and try to create something really rough and erratic, yet still retain some kind of aesthetic standards.
  Also, this was another Knickerbocker job, done through Dan Ucci of Ledge Hill Creations, who is right now working on the fireplace inside...

Nearly Natick

  Well, I haven't posted in awhile and it feels good to be sitting at the home computer again.  Damon and I have been working down in Natick, Massachusetts for the last two weeks. Natick, most famous for its unusually large Mall.

The enormous and unnavigable...

yet architecturally sound, with its art installations and modernist curves...

Natick Mall.

  Not so, the Red Roof Inn, where we have chosen to stay. The roof is not red and the traffic outside the room is relentless...

  The staff is freindly enough, but you don't really ever see them after you check in. The rooms are relatively clean, if not sparse and tend toward being on the insanely hot side. We turned the heat completely off at night and it still felt like it was 80 degrees or more. I suspect there might be a fiery chasm beneath the building that heats the place with geothermal gases and possibly punishes the souls of the wicked.

  The job itself is just a few miles from the motel and sits on a little pond/lake near the Wayland town line.

  The job is Kurt Snyder's of Stonescapes and we are all grateful for the work. I mean, no one really wants to drive to Natick and stay away from their family for a week at a time, but it's work in the winter and anything is better than being unemployed.
  The stonework is a round-rock veneer with 3/8 joints and there seems to be alot of it. Stone veneer on the house was completed by the previous masons and so we are trying to match that work, which is often difficult. Eveyone's styles vary and all masons follow different rules as to what is stylistically acceptable.

  My work around the pipes...

  Damon's work around the corner...

  Kurt and Nate working on the stairs...

  The twelve-inch short wall...

  Nate, Mike Fitz, Damon and I picking rock...

  And of course, no stay out of town is complete without a visit to the local hot-spots, which on this particular night was the Samba Steak and Sushi House in Framingham. The hibachi chef put on a marvelous culinary show and the food was excellent. Kurt was also nice enough to cover the entire bill, which is saying something when drinking masons are involved.

  Grateful for the work, but glad to be home.