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...

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.

 

The Ice Palaces of Rock City

  I first noticed this a few weeks ago, when we started the 3 Crow brick job. I saw what looked like the top of an ice tower sticking up over the trees and I pointed it out to Damon. "What the hell is that?" he asked, but we just kind of forgot about it. Then, yesterday, Mr. Don Savarese and I took a walk down the street to check it out. Pretty impressive up close. It appears to be some kind of steam exhaust chimney from the water treatment plant. Steam is still shooting out the top, then condensing in the cold and freezing upon impact with the other ice. A kind of living, growing, ice sculpture. I wonder if it will take over the entire town?

3 Crow

  Started the Endeavour brick job at the new 3 Crow Restaurant, owned by Josh, the current proprieter of 40 Paper in Camden. We are using original bricks from an old wall that was removed during the renovation to build a new brick facade along the northern wall, and maybe a pillar or two. The first step basically consisted of me hand-washing and removing excess mortar from 800 bricks...

  While Damon hung the Hardi-Backer...

  Nice to be working in Rockland again with Tom Potter and Donny. Potter's jobsites really are some of the most well-organized and pleasureable sites I get to be a part of. Good guys, all of them.
  Outside, the icy wind blew 60 and took down large well-established business signage. Somewhere nearby, my electrician was backing into my Tacoma with his work van. Doh!