March 26

technical

Well, you stay away for a day or two and look what happens? Lintels! These pieces of wood are heavy and require two men to carry them and to get them up to the place where they are installed. Then the lintel is nailed into the supporting wood and is also mortared into the adobe blocks. They are just getting started with them but this means the rest of the house is at or near eighteen courses of adobe blocks and that is great news!

I met Arnold, the maker of the corbels, today. He is a quiet man with a nice smile and he could not understand my amazement at his artwork. Never having worked wood myself, I cannot imagine taking a hand saw to a huge block of the stuff and carving out the beautiful pieces that he does so quickly and efficiently. He just smiled at me, waited for Bo the foreman to join him, and they hoisted up another lintel on their shoulders and carried it off to put it where it will live in the house.

Steve and I took a tour of the house and talked about next steps–the roof, the ceiling, the posts inside the house, and other elements. Steve said “You are getting a handmade house, Leah.” That really resonated with me. It is true. Every inch of this house is created by someone–no boxes are showing up with stuff that can be installed. Everything is made by hand and put in place by hand. This will be true for the interior as well and you will see this happen. I did not have anything to say back to him; I just grinned. I am so happy and he knows it.

personal

No walk today. Bella and Niles ran around Steve’s house while we met to discuss doors, windows, and other interior elements that are so exciting I am jumping up and down!