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Slightly Off-kilter: West Elevation, Interior Structural Cladding (Photo R.P. Murphy)
Another milestone. Interior structural cladding of the west wall is now complete. This will please the engineer. And this, in turn, pleases me. Even when the photograph, subtly askew, causes me to question perspective, to reach out for the countertop, steadying myself. It’s as if I’ve been sailing and, stepping ashore, I need to pause a moment, swap sea legs for earthier pegs. Or a touch too much grog at lunch?!?!
Slightly off-kilter, listing and ungravitied, far-flung photographs.
A quick post today to document yet another important step forward. I actually have several other posts in the works, meatier posts, but completion so far is eluding me. Something to do with perspective, I think. Or proximity, perhaps. Tomorrow, I’ll make more headway. For now I will yield to the listing and bid adieu, conclude this pre-Friday the 13th slightly off-kilter…
It’s fair to call it midwinter, I think, and yet snow has been intermittent and sparse. But it’s plenty cold, so we’ll trust the calendar. The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) photographed by one of our wildlife cameras tells a different story. It could be autumn. Or spring.
Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis (Rosslyn wildlife camera)
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they’re still breathtaking in winter’s snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning. (Source:Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Well, this isn’t exactly “winter‘s snowy backyard”, but the handsome male Cardinal still stands out. After documenting the wildlife making its home in Rosslyn’s fields and forests, this is our first cardinal. In fact, we rarely capture images of songbirds. Too swift, perhaps. We document plenty of wild turkeys, and occasionally a grouse or pheasant. But not songbirds.
So, for good measure, here’s a zoomed in cameo!
Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis (Rosslyn wildlife camera)
It’s worth noting that many of the excellent wildlife photographs we have been documenting over the last couple of winters demonstrate that the trail work collaboration between our friend and wildlife steward, John Davis, and Jack-of-all-trades, Tony Foster, serves wildlife far more frequently than humans. It’s truly remarkable, not only how much wildlife is thriving in the sanctuary, but also how readily deer, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, porcupines, etc. adopt the trails as their byways of choice.
I conclude with a quick note of gratitude for Tony and John, whose passion and perseverance enrich Rosslyn in so many ways. I’ll be posting additional photos soon so that you may enjoy a virtual Rosslyn safari, a voyeuristic glimpse into this thriving wildlife sanctuary tucked into an historic town at the edge of the greatest of lakes. It’s almost too good to be true!
Finding freudenfreude while upcycling lumber (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Last week Tony, Hroth, and Pam all shared overlapping updates on garapa, elm, and ash upcycling progress. Virtually concurrent texts and photos sent by all three. Two of them spoke with me by telephone. All of them sounded 100% in sync. No griping. No grumbling. No blaming. And no complaints, frustrations, or regrets. They were uniformly upbeat and optimistic. They were proud of their own accomplishments, and they were proud of one another. I suspect that they’re finding freudenfreude.
Freud and who?!?!
From Schadenfreude to Freudenfreude
You’re probably already familiar with the idea of schadenfreude, but maybe freudenfreude is new to you. Until recently it was new to me.
Lately the idea has experienced an uptick in usage, likely driven by Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart. A book review by Jon M. Sweeney orients us.
Schadenfreude “simply means pleasure or joy derived from someone else’s suffering or misfortune.” And Freudenfreude is its opposite; “it’s the enjoyment of another’s success. It’s also a subset of empathy.” — Jon M. Sweeney (Source: Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown | Review | Spirituality & Practice)
Too often envy (or some similarly all-too-human but lamentable feeling) rumbles to life deep within our psyche when we witness a colleague or friend succeeding, especially if we’re not feeling completely satisfied with our own performance, life, etc. But what if we could alchemize envy into empathy? What if we could train ourselves to feel happiness, satisfaction, and even pride when someone else thrives? We can.
Finding pleasure in another person’s good fortune is what social scientists call “freudenfreude,” a term (inspired by the German word for “joy”) that describes the bliss we feel when someone else succeeds, even if it doesn’t directly involve us. Freudenfreude is like social glue, said Catherine Chambliss, a professor of psychology at Ursinus College. It makes relationships “more intimate and enjoyable.”
Erika Weisz, an empathy researcher and postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Harvard University, said the feeling closely resembles positive empathy — the ability to experience someone else’s positive emotions. A small 2021 study examined positive empathy’s role in daily life and found that it propelled kind acts, like helping others. Sharing in someone else’s joy can also foster resilience, improve life satisfaction and help people cooperate during a conflict. (Source: Juli Fraga, What is Freudenfreude? And How to Cultivate It. – The New York Times)
I’m especially drawn to the possibility of freudenfreude as “social glue” that cultivates collegiality through further kindness, resilience, and cooperation. Actually, collegiality is too limiting, since family and friendship certainly prosper in the presence of this joy-of-joy phenomenon.
Cultivating a sense of freudenfreude ― or letting yourself feel vicarious joy for others ― could benefit your friendships greatly… (Source: Brittany Wong, Huffpost)
But what about the inevitable flush of envy or resentment?
Try to fight back a gnawing, unexpected feeling of jealousy.
[…]
Comparison is a big part of how our brain judges reality, but we can learn to use this process more productively, especially within our friendships.
“Instead of feeling crushed when we discover others have arrived at some desirable destination first, we can be grateful they helped to define the path for us,” Catherine Chambliss said. (Source: Brittany Wong, Huffpost)
Mistakes as stepping stones! (Photo: Geo Davis)
Some good news: what goes around comes around. Finding freudenfreude isn’t only a matter of investing yourself in the happiness and success of your peers, it’s also an opportunity to thrive yourself.
Freudenfreude is a two-way street! So be sure to find ways to include your friends in your successes and wins, too.
“When you have a big success, it’s important to embrace your own friends, to honour their value in your life; to recognise their insights and their support,” Shaw [Glenda D. Shaw, author of Better You, Better Friends] says. “By acknowledging your friends, you include them in your success, and that’s what this is all about.” (Source: Brittany Wong, Huffpost)
Cultivating freudenfreude amongst friends and colleagues is not only contributing to the “social glue” of the group, it’s actually an act of community building and collective accomplishment. None of us grow and prosper and succeed in a vacuum. We are intrinsically interdependent. And despite the occasionally onerous responsibilities that come with embracing this reality, the rewards are ample, not just for one, but for all.
“When we feel happy for others, their joy becomes our joy,” said psychologist Marisa Franco, author of “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends.” To that end, freudenfreude encourages us to look at success as a community achievement.
“No one gets to the top alone, and when we elevate others, we’re often carried up with them,” Dr. Anhalt said. (Source: The New York Times)
Isn’t this just good teamwork and empathy? I suppose if you’re uncomfortable embracing and/or adopting this clunky German-ish (more on that in a moment), then you can cobble together your own equivalent. The important takeaway, as far as I’m concerned, is that noticing and genuinely appreciating and acknowledging and even celebrating your friends’ and teammates’ victories will benefit the entire cohort and initiative.
Experiencing more freudenfreude doesn’t mean you’ll never root against a villain again, but being able to reach for happiness is inherently beneficial. “As delicious as it is to delight in our enemy’s defeats, celebrating our friends’ success — big and small — helps us all triumph in the end,” Dr. Chambliss said. (Source: The New York Times)
Although it’s easy, convenient, and sometimes *really* tempting to cast aspersion and blame less-than-perfect progress on others, there’s no benefit. But there is abundant detriment. If, however, the group can shift their impetus to finding freudenfreude—even when there are setbacks and/or problems emerge—then the path to successive success isn’t far off.
Tony’s Timesheet: sizing, planing, sizing, planing… (Photo of invoice from Tony Foster)
Finding Freudenfreude & Fellowship
Let’s get back to Tony, Hroth, and Pam.
Long story short, Tony’s day-after-day re-milling (sizing and planing) was paying off. He’s been upcycling old, deconstructed garapa decking for adaptive reuse in the icehouse as wall paneling. And he’s been planing rough cut elm and ash lumber that was harvested, milled, and and dried on site over the years, ensuring a uniform thickness so that we can upcycle this homegrown timber (a byproduct of rehabilitating Rosslyn’s fields and forest) into flooring for the icehouse.
Finding freudenfreude while upcycling lumber (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Early on Hroth had expressed some misgivings about the quality of the results, the speed of progress, etc. I’m sure Tony probably could have expressed his own aggravations, but he didn’t, nor did I encourage him to. Susan reminds me that I’m an exacting taskmaster, and I have no doubt that my own persnickety perfectionism was amping up expectations and stress throughout the team unnecessarily. Hroth had been endeavoring to mentor Tony, and Tony was giving it his all. The garapa is hard as blazes, and after years of use on the deck, the material has inherited some especially challenging characteristics that gradually had to be figured into the production process by trial and error. And much of the ash and elm had checked, twisted, and cupped while in storage. Reading each board and troubleshooting the best process to transform it into beautiful finish lumber was a challenging proposition to say the least. Further difficulties arose from two different types of planers, and a job site table saw less-than-ideally suited to the task. Add to the mix Pam overseeing Tony and Hroth, endeavoring to ensure tip-top quality control, while Hroth concurrently was juggling myriad other responsibilities in the icehouse. And, if that’s not enough ingredients to cook up a stressful stew, add yours truly to the mix, located just over two thousand miles away in Santa Fe. Absent geographically, but participating virtually via phone, text, email, Trello, etc., my inputs were likely considerably more than all three of them would likely have preferred. So, needless to say, there were inevitably some growing pains.
Finding freudenfreude while upcycling lumber (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Strains and setbacks were initially overshadowing progress. It was starting to feel like the proverbial pressure cooker.
But then things started to coalesce. Tony found his groove. Hroth praised Tony. Pam praised Hroth and Tony. And all three let me know how pleased they were with the evolving results and dynamics. Wait… what just happened?!?!
It’s anybody’s guess, but I’d like to think that the team is finding freudenfreude. It’s not the first time. I’ve witnessed it repeatedly. Last summer during the deck rebuild, there were multiple stretches where the team coalesced so harmoniously and so productively that the progress and breathtaking results almost seemed an inevitable byproduct of the chemistry. This fall and winter have demonstrated several similar stretches, but one that stands out was the icehouse foundation collaboration when two teams that had been working on separate, unrelated projects came together and performed skillfully.
So, what’s the takeaway? Shun schadenfreude, and find freudenfreude!
Finding freudenfreude while upcycling lumber (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Afterward
Until now I hope that I’ve elevated the prospect of finding freudenfreude—of authentically cultivating and fertilizing freudenfreude—in order to incubate collegiality while growing the collaborative capacity of the cohort. But, as a linguist, I’m unable to bookend this reflection without acknowledging that the word in question, freudenfreude, is manufactured and imperfect. And while I don’t think this diminishes the concept, it’s worth taking a quick dive into a recent critic’s perspective.
There’s only one problem…: “freudenfreude” may be known in sociological jargon (and similar in meaning to the Sanskrit-derived mudita), but it’s not a German word. On both a linguistic level and, one might argue, a cultural one, freudenfreude is Scheiße. — Rebecca Schuman (Source: Source: Slate)
If Ms. Schuman’s not only stolen your bliss but bewildered you with that last phrase, Scheiße is an alternative form of scheisse (which is German for “shit”). Feeling a bit bruised? Perhaps Lady Gaga’s “Scheiße” can fix that for you…
And if that’s not disorienting enough, Ms. Schuman follow’s that blow with another.
None of this… stops “freudenfreude” from sounding downright ridiculous to Germans — or, even better, salacious. One German professor… pointed out that Freudenfreude sounds a lot like an existing compound noun: Freudenhaus. Literally “house of pleasure,” this is actually a word for brothel. — Rebecca Schuman (Source: Source: Slate)
So, there you have it. If you’re in Ms. Schuman’s camp, you may well prefer another way of articulating this positive, beneficial, proactive force for good. No worries. But if you’re less scatologically inclined and comfortable considering a “house of pleasure” to be an unnecessary exit ramp for the present contemplation, then I encourage you to go about finding freudenfreude. Hope it turns out well for you.
Finding freudenfreude while upcycling lumber (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Gray Fox or Eastern Coyote? (Photo: Rosslyn Wildlife Camera)
John Davis, our good friend and Rosslyn’s conscientious wildlife steward, contacted me this weekend with an excited update.
Good photos on your cell cam last few days, including a Gray Fox, I think, January 11. We rarely see those.
I’d just been reviewing recent images from the camera he referenced, a Reconyx, cellular-enabled camera that is tethered to my Verizon account, enabling real time oversight of our rewilding efforts at Rosslyn. I had paused on the three images John mentioned, but I had concluded they were an Eastern Coyote, a much more frequent subject for our wildlife cameras. Had I judged too hastily? When I told John that I was curious why he thought the handsome wild dog a Gray Fox rather than a Coyote he pointed what I’d overlooked.
I may be wrong, but that canid looks a bit small to me and has black top tail, as Gray Foxes oft do.
John confirmed that he thought he’d seen fox tracks in that same location on Sunday. Nevertheless nature’s narrative can be mysterious…
I offered to Photoshop the image to see if I could improve identification, and he suggested magnifying the image. The originals didn’t offer excellent data to work from, but here’s what I came up with after attempting to manipulate two separate photographs.
Gray Fox or Eastern Coyote? (Photo: Rosslyn Wildlife Camera)
Gray Fox or Eastern Coyote? (Photo: Rosslyn Wildlife Camera)
Although the two images are blurry and pixelated, offering little improvement over the orginals, the black tail marking is definitely evident. (If you’re wondering about the subtle difference in the second image, it was taken from this original.)
Gray Fox or Eastern Coyote? (Photo: Rosslyn Wildlife Camera)
I admitted to John that I’m still uncertain. It seems to me that, given the diverse pelage (Thanks for teaching me that word, John!) of our native coyote population, it doesn’t seem to me impossible that the healthy canid in the photographs *could* be a smaller coyote. Of course, I sure hope that it’s a Gray Wolf.
John reached out to our friend and Adirondack neighbor, conservation biologist, and wildlife photographer extraordinaire, Larry Master, to see what he thinks.
Looks like a Gray Fox to me! Note dark dorsal side of its tail and relatively short legs. — Larry Master
For comparison, here’s a far more legible photograph captured by the inimitable Larry Master.
Northern Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) (Photo: Larry Master)
To really appreciate not only Larry’s breathtaking photography, but also this exceptional photo documentation of the Northern Gray Fox (and countless other species), visit that link and start clicking through his photographs. The hour hand on your clock will likely turn into a high speed fan!
Rosslyn’s wildlife sanctuary, an informal but earnest effort that has been evolving for well over a decade, is increasingly diverse, but we’ve not yet witnessed a Gray Fox. In other words, I’d really like for John’s and Larry’s assessments to be accurate. We’ll keep watching, and I’ll update this post if there’s news.
In the mean time, here are some relevant insights that John published recently in a post for the Adirondack Council.
Gray foxes are the more arboreal of our two native foxes. Indeed, gray foxes can climb trees and sometimes den in trees. They can often be distinguished from red foxes, if not by color, by their shorter legs and thinner fur. Red foxes are the more likely to be seen in fields, where they often pounce on rodents.
[…]
Both red and gray foxes are masterful hunters of rodents, making them beneficial to limiting the spread of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. –— John Davis (Source: Adirondack Council)
So what do you think? Do we have a verdict? Has the Rosslyn wildlife camera documented a Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) or an Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans var)?
I’ll close with the last of the three photos in the sequence above. If you squint you just might see that dark tail vanishing near top right of the photograph. Hopefully more soon!
Gray Fox or Eastern Coyote? (Photo: Rosslyn Wildlife Camera)
On the level, both literally and figuratively, this first full day at home has been invigorating and encouraging. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, there are several concurrent projects in the works. Inside and outside. Home and outbuildings. Plenty of potential for discombobulation… But, by in large, this impromptu return to Rosslyn has been profoundly positive.
The poem below, “On the Level“, and the photograph above reflect the reassurance that I’m encountering, the confidence and conviction that are flowing back in after ebbing. As so often in the past, I’m reminded that it is Rosslyn who caretakes us rather than the other way around.
On the Level
It has been thirty hours since I was transported — by car, plane, ferry boat, abrupt imperative, and overprotective compulsion — to Rosslyn.
A preternatural, primal homing instinct, a tenderness I thought had faded years ago from wandering wonders and wondering wanders,
awakened abruptly — vigorous, protective, and hell-bent on action — decluttering my head and whetting my resolve to salve and to safeguard.
A day and change into hibernal homecoming — reviewing, revising, and, yes, celebrating significant progress — apprehension abates,
optimism returns, and waves of gratitude echo the lake’s lapping against Rosslyn’s sea wall where a few months from now summer will patina
winter tribulations, gentling jagged edges like sandy beach churned glass, and the handsome highlights will outshine the shadows and glow up the journey.
In the photo above (actually a still from a 360° video that I intend to share on Instagram) Pam and Hroth, laser leveled the interior perimeter of the icehouse just below the intersection of the roof rafters with the north and south walls. There are a couple of quirky details that we still need to work out as we fine-tune trim details, but the good news is that this old building has held up remarkably well. On the level, there’s plenty of optimism, despite inevitable setbacks.
Night.
Light.
Nightlight.
Summer light.
Winter window.
Carriage barn
chiaroscuro.
Contextualized.
Fragments of a whole.
Wholesome fragments…
Carriage Barn Abstract (Photo: Geo Davis)
In abstract, fragmented. Contextless chiaroscuro. Fenestration defenestrated. Disembodied nightlight beacon phare illuminated but decontextualized. Dark of night. Light of day. Lightness of art illuminating lofty levity… obscurity. Art of darkness.
Chiaroscuro: Clear & Obscure
These are images of the second story window in the west façade of the carriage barn behind our home. Perhaps they’re not *chiaroscuro* but crystal clear verses of a solitary song sung in the obscuring night, for the obscuring night. Perhaps they are *chiaroscuro* but only subtly so, muted meditations on a moment the light within eclipses the light without. Perhaps.
Bobcat Byway, December 30, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Kudos to John Davis (@wildwaystrekker), and Tony Foster (@anthonyfoster335) for mapping out and building Rosslyn’s newest nature trail. It’s become a bustling bobcat byway, well trafficked night and day by many wildlife including a population of wild felines. Hurrah!
Just over one month ago I acknowledged the scarcity of native wildcat images on our wildlife cameras.
It’s been a while since we’ve observed a bobcat blurring or otherwise, so this hind quarter, fleeting glance will have to do for now. (Source: Bobcat Blurring, December 23, 2022)
It’s as if my lament and gratitude for a much anticipated sighting found favor with the universe. Since then we’ve witnessed a bounty of wildlife including many cameos from bobcat (Lynx rufus). So it only seems appropriate to celebrate with an alliterative burst to showcase Rosslyn’s busy bobcat byway. And a photo essay so that you too can enjoy the wonders of this burgeoning wildlife sanctuary.
Bobcat Byway Gallery
Sometimes it’s best to get out of the way and let the photographs tell the story. Today’s bobcat photographs need no help from me, no commentary, no editorializing. Just a gallery of images downloaded from three wildlife cameras this morning. (If you’re interested in other posts about Lynx rufus check out Bobcat Sighting and More Bobcat Images from Trail Cam.) Enjoy!
Bobcat Byway, November 26, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, December 30, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, December 30, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, November 20, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, November 27, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, December 28, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, November 27, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, January 19, 2023 (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, January 19, 2023 (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, November 27, 2022 (Note: camera date incorrectly states 2023) (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, January 20, 2023 (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, January 19, 2023 (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
Bobcat Byway, January 20, 2023 (Photo: Rosslyn wildlife camera)
[pullquote]Griffin “polar bear plunges” in 35° Lake Champlain… mid-winter swimming bliss![/pullquote]
Griffin, our now almost nine year old Labrador Retriever, was thrilled with to chase some throw-toys in the chilly lake today despite the fact that it’s February 19 and the water temperature is exactly three days above freezing… 35° of mid-winter swimming bliss!
Here’s a fuzzy but joyful glimpse into one of about a dozen of Griffin’s “polar bear plunges”.
We just returned to Essex and were quite excited about the recent snowfall. Last year’s virtually snowless winter was a bummer. No skiing in winter followed by alarmingly low lake levels due to unusually low levels of spring melt and runoff. Up until the last couple of weeks this winter has been similarly snow-free, so having a chance to spend the morning cross country skiing around Rosslyn’s woods, trails, and meadows with my bride and dog was a welcome change. And the perfect warm-up for Griffin’s February swim…
When the hurly-burly and the kaleidoscopic cascade of commitments collapse into one another (and seeing through the turmoil requires a periscope) life hands us little reminders to catch our breath.
Reminders like Carley, sleeping at my feet in the reading nook outside my study.
Daydream Retrieving
Unplug. Reset. (Source: Geo Davis)
That last line of the haiku, “daydream retrieving”, is a timely tickle too. Perhaps the perfect mindfulness meditation for hammocking on a Friday afternoon. And that, a hammock, is another one those little reminders. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Daydream!
Enjoy your Friday evening. Revitalize over the weekend. And squeeze in a nap. Or three.
Icehouse Foundation Collaboration: concrete truck arrives
Last Friday I gushed that it’d been a monumental week. No hyperbole. Tackling (and completing) Rosslyn’s icehouse foundation was an epic accomplishment, a concrete collaboration conjoining two separate teams to rescue the foundering concrete project. And while Friday’s post was brief, timely-but-abbreviated recognition for the indefatigable individuals who pulled off this remarkable feat, today I’ll show you the step-by-step process from prep work and two separate concrete pours to completion of the icehouse foundation and crawlspace floor. I see this accomplishment as an enduring testament to (and foundation for, excuse the pun) the unique energy fueling Rosslyn’s icehouse rehab, an intrinsically collaborative and transformative revitalization and adaptive reuse project.
Rising from the Ashes
After repeatedly failing to produce a verifiable estimate, timeline, and definitive commitment (ie. a contract), the concrete subcontractor imploded mere days before starting work on the icehouse.
“Bad news,” Pam informed me and then told me she needed to get back to me in a moment. No time for bad news, I thought.
By the time she called me, minutes later, both in-house teams had convened to brainstorm. Given the tight project timeline, they decided to undertake the foundation and slab themselves. This marked a return to the original plan (subsequently discarded in lieu of hiring a concrete contractor in the mistaken assumption that it would streamline and accelerate the project timeline) but with a twist… turning two teams into one. Full pivot!
One team (Pam, Hroth, Tony, Justin, Eric, Matt, Andrew, Bob, Phil, Scott, Brandon, Ben, and others) has been rehab’ing the icehouse, and the other team (Pam, Peter, and Supi) has been rebuilding the boathouse gangway, etc. You read right, Pam is managing both projects. And several other Rosslyn initiatives including our master bedroom balcony re-decking, master bathroom shower tile tune-up, overall property management at Rosslyn, ADK Oasis Highlawn, ADK Oasis Lakeside, and multiple other properties. (Since I can hear you wondering, yes, she’s that good!)
The combined concrete collaboration would be Pam, Peter, Hroth, Supi, and Tony. With everyone coalescing around one specific goal — completing the icehouse concrete as well or better than a dedicated contractor without blowing up the budget or timeline — the objectives were obvious, but so was the potential for challenges and setbacks. Imagine a metaphorical pressure cooker. Top clamped tight. For a week. With zero room for mistakes. And yet, collaboration prevailed despite the inevitable stress.
From layout to excavation to vapor barrier to pinning the old foundation to setting rebar to wiring mesh to pouring initial footings and slab to forming curbs and setting rebar to final pour and stripping… these five came through delivered in a big way. Together they’ve guaranteed a sound, well constructed foundation for Rosslyn’s circa 1889 icehouse rehabilitation. I can report with profound pride and pleasure that it was a total success.
Most of the crew was able to gather on Saturday evening to celebrate their accomplishment, an end result that is in all likelihood superior to what we would’ve wound up with in the first place. Sometimes setbacks are actually the inspiration to regroup, reboot, and outperform original expectations. Sometimes fiasco fans the fires of triumph. Sometimes the phoenix rises from the ashes.
Video Mashup of Concrete Collaboration
If you’d prefer the quick zip through, then this video mashup is for you.
Thanks to Pam, Hroth, and Tony for recording the photos and videos featured in this video mashup!
Photo Essay of Concrete Collaboration
Okay, now it’s time for the photo essay chronicling the step-by-step progress and the series of accomplishments made possible by the collaboration of Pam, Peter, Hroth, Supi, and Tony.
Icehouse Foundation: installing vapor barrier
Icehouse Foundation: Supi and Tony install vapor barrier
Icehouse Foundation: Supi and Tony install vapor barrier
Icehouse Foundation: Peter bending rebar
Icehouse Foundation: Peter bending rebar
Icehouse Foundation: installing rebar for footers
Icehouse Foundation: Hroth, Peter, and Supi awaiting concrete
Icehouse Foundation: rebar and remesh ready for concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Peter, Hroth, and Supi ready for concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Hroth, Peter, Tony, and Supi pulling concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Hroth, Peter, and Tony pulling concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Supi screeding concrete, Hroth and Peter pulling concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Tony, Hroth, Peter, and Supi pulling concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Supi screeding concrete; Peter, Hroth, and Tony pulling concrete
Icehouse Foundation: Supi floating concrete; Peter pulling concrete; Hroth supervising
Icehouse Foundation: first pour curing
Icehouse Foundation: Supi doweling curb rebar into green slab
Icehouse Foundation: building forms for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: building forms for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: building forms for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: building forms for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: forms ready for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: forms ready for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: forms ready for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: dowels, rebar, and forms ready for second pour
Icehouse Foundation: Peter and Supi pouring curb
Icehouse Foundation: Supi vibrating concrete
Icehouse Foundation: green concrete setting up; j-bolts installed
Icehouse Foundation: foundation stripped and curing
Icehouse Foundation: foundation stripped and curing
Icehouse Foundation: foundation stripped and curing
Icehouse Foundation: foundation stripped and curing
Icehouse Foundation: concrete curing
Thanks to Pam, Hroth, and Tony for recording the photos featured in this photo essay
Truckling’s New Owners, Lee and Heather Maxey (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
We told you last week that we’d decided it was time to “rehome” our John Deere “truckling”, and yesterday the handoff was made to Essex neighbors, Heather and Lee Maxey. Congratulations, and thank you!
The truckling (actually a John Deere AMT 626) has been a reliable workhorse for decades, literally. This 5-wheel predecessor to today’s John Deere Gators originally belonged to my parents who used it at their Rock Harbor home since the 1990s. They handed it down to us more than 10 years ago, and we put it to use during Rosslyn’s top-to-bottom building rehabilitations. Subsequently as we used the John Deere truckling as we created the gardens, orchard, and vineyard, and later as we restored the old meadows and began maintaining trails through the woods.
But wait… there’s more! We invested in a new 6-wheel Gator somewhere in there, and the John Deere truckling was eventually shifted up to ADK Oasis where it continued to perform reliably hauling landscaping materials, shuttling grass clippings and leaves, and basically fulfilling the perennial need for a utility vehicle capable of running across lawns without adversely impacting the lawns.
So, as far as we’re concerned, the truckling has earned her keep many times over! But treated well and serviced regularly, we figured it might still be of service to someone else. Given the age of the vehicle, however, we felt uncomfortable selling it. Wasn’t there somebody who’d like to swap us an intriguing narrative about how they proposed to use the truckling in lieu of payment?
Sure enough, we were approached with some great stories. Although we were torn between several including a musical retirement at the Meadowmount School of Music, Lee and Heather were so enthusiastic and brimming with captivating ideas. More on their plans in a moment.
Truckling’s New Owners, Lee and Heather Maxey, Heading Home (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Rehoming the Truckling
Their vision for the truckling centered around gentle duty in service to their popular herd of alpacas. If you haven’t visited with these whimsical creatures near crest of Bull Run, I strongly suggest you stop by for a visit. As Heather eloquently explained, there’s a need for an alpaca “honey wagon”! Apparently they load up the alpaca “beans”, her euphemism, I believe, and deliver them to neighbors in want of fertilizer and mulch. A perfect task for the truckling, supporting the smiling alpacas who in turn make most everyone else smile as well. But the Maxeys are in the middle of a significant building project, and they had no difficulty dreaming up all manner of chores to keep the old utility vehicle feeling relevant even in its dotage.
But the most exciting by far? It turns out that Lee and Heather are going to be Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for Christmas in Essex. The truckling, they surmised, would make the perfect “sleigh” to traffic the the Clauses from the ferry and through Essex. How could we possibly resist? We couldn’t. And so the decision was made.
John Deere Truckling Rehomed and Renamed! (Photo: Lee Maxey)
Renaming the Truckling
Now for now particularly good reason our family and friends have always referred to this 5-wheeled wonder as the truckling. Not clever. Not original. But it has stuck across the years. Until now.
The Maxeys, have decided that it’s time for a new name. Betty. Or Bette. I’m not 100% certain which it’ll be, but the logic ostensibly is a capricious nod to our last name. But is it Bette Davis (actress) or Betty Davis (singer)? I’ll clarify soon, but in either case flattery just may have been the icing on the cake. A new name and a new home.
Musical Mashup
What better way to sum it up than a video remix of Lee and Heather’s adoption of Bette/Betty…
Nine years ago I sat in Rosslyn’s front parlor on Thanksgiving morning and started drafting a blog post.
I’m sitting in the front parlor (aka the “green room”), drinking coffee, scratching Griffin behind the ears, and allowing my mind drift to back to that first Thanksgiving we celebrated at Rosslyn. It was actually one day before the official Thanksgiving holiday, but we had decided to celebrate together as a crew. The team had been working on our Rosslyn rehabilitation project for over a year. And many had been working for us on a previous project as well, but we’d never celebrated a holiday together. But that year everyone wanted to add on a special pre-Thanksgiving celebration, and we loved the idea. After all, we were unbelievably grateful to everyone who was working long hours, often in challenging conditions, to help transform our ever-evolving vision into reality. The potluck was a fun mix of dishes contributed by everyone. The centerpiece was Mike “Dutchy” Ahrent’s turkey. He’s a keen hunter, and the wild turkey was a trophy from a hunting expedition. He spent all afternoon deep fat frying it, a technique that many of us hadn’t tasted before. We ate in the parlor, the only semi-finished space in the house, using lawn chairs and compound buckets as makeshift stools. The meal was delicious, and the various toasts and roasts filled the room with laughter. Lots of shared experiences and memories, and a delicious meal. As everyone was getting ready for desert, Dutchy asked Susan if she would try his turkey. He knew she was/is a vegetarian. So did everyone else. Susan looked startled. The room grew quiet. Dutchy explained that the turkey was as natural as you could get, and he just wanted to see if she would be willing to give it a small taste. She smiled and accepted a piece of Dutch’s turkey. She ate it, smiled, and complemented it. Dutchy was thrilled and everyone smiled. It was the first time Susan had tasted meat in about twenty years!
2007 Thanksgiving Remembered: Susan, Mike, and Dutchy (Photo: Geo Davis)
That was November 28, 2013. I never finished the post. I vaguely recollect digging through the old photographs, some of which are included in this post and in the Instagram video accompanying it. Looking through the photos — then and again this morning — I experienced a mix of nostalgia (mostly for how young we all looked then!) and profound gratitude. Most of the people in these photographs played enormous roles in Rosslyn’s rehabilitation and in our personal lives. The project began in the summer of 2006 and it wasn’t until the end of 2008, the beginning of 2009, really, that the majority of the rehab was complete. And to a real estate the project continued off-and-on right up through the present! We all got to know each other really well. Sometimes we quibbled and sometimes we struggled, but in 2013 as I sat looking through those photographs, it was the successes, the incredible accomplishments, the camaraderie, the laughter, the parade of positives that flooded my memory.
Today, I returned to the “orphaned” post from 2013. Once again, I returned to the photographs from November 21, 2007. Once again I was swept up in poignant recollections. I’m struck by the connections we’ve made over the years with the contractors, carpenters, masons, plumbers, electricians, tradespeople of all sorts with whom we’ve been fortunate to work. To be sure, not every project works out perfectly, but in hindsight it’s truly miraculous that most do. Susan and I have overseen about a dozen renovation projects together, and unlike most of our family and friends, we are 100% hands on every time. I’m sure some of the the people who’ve worked with us wished otherwise, but we run our own projects. And while that can create some challenges for contractors and subs unaccustomed to having the homeowner be the G.C., almost everyone we’ve ever worked with has adapted and exceeded our (or their own) expectations. So many enduring relationships, indeed so many close friendships, for Susan and for me germinated from construction projects.
2007 Thanksgiving Remembered: Larry, Jamie, and me (Photo: Geo Davis)
As we celebrate another Thanksgiving, November 24, 2022, we find ourselves once again midstream several simultaneous construction projects. I’ve updated Rosslyn Redux often in recent months celebrating the many remarkable accomplishments of the skilled craftsman once again transforming our dreams into reality. That said, the teams working diligently at Rosslyn (as well as our vacation rentals, ADK Oasis Highlawn and ADK Oasis Lakeside), prove day after day that our gratitude is only one small part of the puzzle. They earn our respect again and again. They amplify our knowledge and ensure our confidence. Their collegiality and respect and creativity augment and expand the vision with which we initially launched each project. They collaborate, and they co-create. And this, perhaps more than anything else, is the secret sauce that makes the projects succeed and the memories so poignant, even many years later.
And so today, when there are so many things for which to be grateful, I’m moved to finally complete the post I initiated so long ago. An orphaned blog post, a flashback “film” composed of those 2007 photographs from our team Thanksgiving dinner, and a fresh round of thanks for everyone in these photos: Doug, Jamie, Larry, “Dutchy”, Dick, Randy, Travis, “Chico”, Mike, and “Boulder”.
Here’s a quick mashup of some more photos from that long-ago Thanksgiving. Cheers!
Truckling’s New Owners, Lee and Heather Maxey, Heading Home (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
John Deere Truckling Rehomed and Renamed! (Photo: Lee Maxey)
