April showers bring spring aeration. Soggy conditions May not make for the postcard perfect moments conjured by the imagination, but they certainly make for more efficient lawn maintenance. Powerful core drills sink into the supple soil pulling earthy plugs up onto the surface where they will dissolve in the coming days. And perforated ground improves air circulation which fortifies root growth, holistically invigorating the health of the turf.
In keeping with our holistic approach to gardening, orcharding, and landscaping, we’ve come to rely upon… [aeration] to ensure robust lawns. Experience has shown us that a healthy diet of organic fertilizer, zero pesticide, and aeration nurtures not only an attractive ground cover, but a resilient heterogenous sod that rebounds quickly after drought, etc. (Source: Autumn Aeration – Rosslyn Redux)
After Aerating Lawn at ADK Oasis Lakeside (Source: Tony Foster)
In the photograph above Tony Foster captured a “portrait” of the lawn aerator (DR Power) posing proudly in front of ADK Oasis Lakeside. He had just completed spring aeration of all three properties, marking another noteworthy accomplishment. Hurrah, Tony! Thank you.
Holistic Lawn Care
Upon arriving at Susan’s parents’ home in Montclair, New Jersey one afternoon about a decade ago we found the lawn perimeter marked with small “Beware poison!” flags.
A passionate but shortlived skirmish about lawn pesticides later my bride and my mother-in-law yielded in deténte. Susan reminded her mother that we’ve never once used pesticides at Rosslyn. Shirley countered, “And that’s why your lawn’s covered in weeds!” I guess that they both one?
The fact of the matter is that our holistic approach to lawn care — from fall and spring aeration to biennial organic fertilizer (mostly bat guano), from hand weeding thistles and any other especially disagreeable invaders to resisting the urge to trim grass super close to the ground — have gradually evolved our lawns into a robust heterogeneous turf that feels comfortable underfoot, appears pleasant to the eye, endures and/or rebounds from fluctuations in weather conditions, and requires no irrigation or synthetic supplements.
Yep, that was a hypoxic run-on sentence bristling with braggadocio. Apologies!
Long story short, holistic gardening works. Especially when the inimitable Tony Foster is piloting the aerator!
Almost one month ago, on March 19, I shared a T&G nickel gap progress report. Needless to say, I was bullish at the time. It had taken a while to make the transition to interior paneling, but once we started, I was optimistic that we’d make swift progress. That was then. It turns out that “nickel gapping” the walls and ceiling inside the icehouse would be intermittent and slower than anticipated.
Peter & Supi Nickel Gapping (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Although most of the extended team has helped with nickel gapping the icehouse interior in one way or another, at one time or another, much of the recent progress has been made by Supi.
Nickel Gapping South Elevation (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Almost exactly two years ago we were shiplapping the interior of ADK Oasis Lakeside. It’s a big house with lots and lots and lots of shiplap. And the persistent shiplap installation timeline weighed heavily on final month and a half. Having personally undertaken two sections of shiplap, I was a receptive to the proposal to change from shiplap to T&G nickel gap. Installation would be much quicker, I was assured. Much quicker? How much quicker? That turns out to have been an overly optimistic perspective. Nevertheless, we are entering the homestretch.
Nickel Gapping Entrance Area (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
With less than a month before the windows arrive, we really need to wrap up with nickel gapping so that we can start installing the variable width ash and elm flooring the team has been preparing for months. And the garapa paneling in the bathroom, another time consuming project is yet to be started. And there’s plenty more: stair risers, treads, and ;handrail; trimming and cabinetry (ie. coffee bar); decking east and west decks; hot tub and mini split slabs, hot tub installation, hardscaping (stone walls, steps, and pavers); brackets and tie rods to install; and… so… much… more!
Icehouse Ceiling, Looking West (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
With deadlines looming and still heady punchlists, it’s easy to get angsty. But there’s a mountain of accomplishment in the rearview mirror to offset concern and foster guarded optimism.
For now we stay focused, sprint toward the finish line, and trust the process. Nickel gapping today, hardwood floor installation soon.
Icehouse Ceiling, Looking East (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
Bowtie & Broken Memento, January 25, 2023 (Photo: Geo Davis)
Bowtie & Broken Memento: Poem
Amidst broken memento
and fragmented hope,
fractured sculpture
and ruptured carpentry,
a bowtie binds bitter ends.
A patchwork harvest
of homegrown cherry,
felled and milled,
cured and crafted,
offcuts conjoined,
scrappy remnants
sewn in singalong,
cradling conversation,
cutlery, crockery,
and nourishment.
Sun soaked, finger
tipped tenderly,
inadvertently
in thought,
in conversation,
in fast breaking —
the only breaking
the bowtie abides —
there's comforting
contrast and real
reassurance
in an inlaid
joint pulling
the pieces
together.
Bowtie & Broken Memento: Afterward
Sometimes, as I shared with a friend the other day, a hug is more articulate than a hailstorm of words. The same is true with a passing shower, a mist passing over, passing through.
This draft poem is still prenatal. Preliminary. A furtive foray into the curious coalescence of still tender fractures and ruptures that drew me back to Rosslyn (and that continue to disclose themselves each day of my stay, reminders of quaking in recent weeks) but also the durable bonds and the abiding beauty that hold it all together.
I reflected on the shell in the photograph above (when still unbroken) in an Instagram post a little over a year ago.
Muscle shell “name tags” for seating arrangement at a wedding reception celebrating Elizabeth — one of Susan’s clever cousins — and Nick in Maine some summers ago. We were invited to keep them, so we did, and they’re now nesting in a maple burl bowl on our morning room table. This beautiful vessel was gifted to us by our friend Pam in memory of her late husband, Bob. He had gathered the burl from a fallen maple at Rosslyn, an immense centenarian, perhaps even a duo-centenarian, that succumbed to a windstorm, nearly striking the house. I watched it fall. Bob had intended to craft the character-rich burl into bowls, but his honorable journey was abbreviated prematurely, suddenly, tragically by the mysterious fates. Pam fulfilled his plans with the help of another friend, Ron Bauer, a local woodworker who built for us the black cherry harvest table upon which this burl bowl rests and where we eat virtually all of our Essex breakfasts and many of our lunches and dinners. Ron turned this bowl, and Pam presented it to us last spring, a year after she lost her husband. So much life and memory and gratitude resident in a few vignetted artifacts, a daily memorial, commingling the stories and characters and nostalgia and beauty that enrich even our most quotidian moments. This is the abundance and texture that invests a poetics of place. This is the “singing underneath”. This is the art of wabi sabi living… — @rosslynredux, October 3, 2021
Today I met with Ron to collaborate on a new table. We talked about bowtie inlays, turning burls into bowls, wood, joinery, and the unique cutting boards he has made for us out of this same cherry that once grew just west of the icehouse and that we gift to some of guests at ADK Oasis.
This evening I will hold in my head the memory of our conversation, a meditation on bowtie joints as well as other acts, art, artifacts that resist fragmentation and fracture. I will dwell on the humble bowtie instead of broken mementos.
A butterfly joint, also called a bow tie, dovetail key, Dutchman joint, or Nakashima joint, is a type of joint or inlay used to hold two or more pieces of woods together. (Source: Wikipedia)
Hurrah! As of today we’ve begun installing tongue and groove nickel gap (aka “nickel gap” T&G) in the icehouse loft.
Installing tongue and groove nickel gap in the icehouse loft (Photo: Geo Davis)
Kudos to Matt Sayward for initiating tongue and groove nickel gap installation in the icehouse today. With Peter Vaiciulis guiding (and weeks’ worth of prepping, priming, and painting the paneling almost complete) we’ve launched a new chapter in our rehabilitation project. An exciting and long anticipated chapter because it marks the metaphorical skinning in of the preparatory work — sooo much structural and mechanical accomplishment — underpinning the transformation of Rosslyn’s late 1800s icehouse into a 21st century work+play hub.
Tongue and Groove vs Shiplap
Why did we decide to install tongue and groove nickel gap paneling inside the icehouse instead of shiplap as originally envisioned?
Credit goes first and foremost to Eric Crowningshield whose team collaborated on many, many, many linear feet of shiplap during the ADK Oasis Lakeside renovation, a couple of years ago. He encouraged us to consider switching to tongue and groove instead. By milling the paneling with a nickel gap, the finished results are indistinguishable from shiplap but the installation process is improved (and I believe that the structural integrity is also superior.)
In many respects, Matt took the lead installing the paneling on that project as well, so it’s feels fitting to witness him inaugurating this new chapter today. and the results are handsome. I’m looking forward to another day’s progress tomorrow.
Brushed vs Rolled Finish
In related news, Pam salvaged, four cut-offs from Matt’s work to experiment with re-painting solutions to the problem I broached yesterday. One cutting was preserved, as-is with the dimpled (i.e. orange peel) finish resulting from roller nap. The other samples received three different applications: a third coat with stiff bristle brush, a fourth coat with stiff bristle brush, and a preliminary sanding followed by a third coat with stiff bristle brush.
Although my photo failed to capture the textural differences, applying two additional brushed coats of Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) made a significant improvement. So once Matt finishes installing the tongue and groove nickel gap on the east wall of the loft, we will apply to additional coats. Hoping it will look great!
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth
Collaborate. Incubate. Collaboration. Incubation. Potent verbs. Evocative nouns. Language compromised by overuse. Overuse in terms of frequency, but also in terms of overgeneralized application. Genericized. Peppered across erroneous contexts. Trotted out like currency, displayed like ruffed grouse plumage to impress or intimidate. Potency diminished. Evocation enfeebled.
It’s funny how words (especially trendy buzzwords) and the notions they conjure in our minds give us the sometimes overconfident conviction that we understand one another. That we are communicating apples-to-apples and oranges-to-oranges. But maybe we aren’t. Or, at least, maybe sometimes we aren’t. We bob and nod and smile and volley words and ideas back and forth, feeling smug and productive and accomplished. And yet, a cartoonist might draw little thought bubbles above our heads betraying our inner monologues and assumptions and questions, thought bubbles that show a small and sometimes a huge discrepancy between the world collage we’re creating and any semblance of comprehension.
Pamuela Murphy, July 2022: Kudos to the queen of collaborative incubation! (Photo: Geo Davis)
Collaborative Incubation
Collaboration in’t the plug-and-play gizmo we make it out to be. It’s hard work. Immensely rewarding, but challenging. Collaboration demands much of the contributors. Skills. Expertise. Commitment. Followthrough. Respect for one another. Humility. Ambition. Confidence in the potential for a sum greater than its constituent parts… And it requires a willingness to bridle ego in service to the team, a commitment to second personal pride to the potential for collective accomplishment.
Like I said, it’s hard work. But when everything falls into place, the rewards transcend productivity and accomplishment, which are ample and impressive. The ultimate reward is in the doing, in the collaboration itself. Teamwork, well executed, is immensely satisfying in and of itself.
So how do we incubate collaboration?
Bring together good people. Good skills. Good character. Good minds. Good work ethics. But ingredients don’t make a cake no matter how fine the quality, no matter how long you wait. They’re still just ingredients.
A chef combines the ingredients and sets the chemistry in motion. A catalyst as invested and passionate and humble and ambitious as everyone else on the team. A leader. A captain. A shepherd. Successful collaboration usually originates in successful incubation. Let’s call this collaborative incubation. And then let’s invert the words for a moment… You with me?
Incubating Collaboration
If collaboration profits from (and often requires) incubation — and I’m convinced it does — then it’s worth reflecting on the relationship between collaboration and incubation.
Friday isn’t really TGIF for Rosslyn’s icehouse rehab team. For some members of the crew it’s starting time. As their workweek schedule reaches the finish line, their “side hustle” schedule reaches the starting line. So today, as we wind down another Monday-through-Friday and transition into another productive weekend, I’m feeling profoundly grateful to the many men and women who choose to make our work their work. Thank you for transforming our hopes and schemes into brick and mortar reality. With multiple concurrent projects underway at Rosslyn (icehouse, boathouse gangway, leftover deck rebuild projects, and inside the home), and some but not much overlap between them, there are too many individuals deserving thanks to list here. But there in one individual who keeps all of the moving parts in motion. One humble hustler guarantees that everything is progressing, collision-free. One reliable leader supports the entire team while ensuring quality control, upbeat and respectful morale, impeccable communication with Susan and me. I refer to this point person as the “air traffic controller”, and not just for the myriad projects at Rosslyn. She concurrently manages ADK Oasis Highlawn and ADK Oasis Lakeside, as well as the Westport Yacht Club. And we’re only about half of the properties in her portfolio.
I’m referring to Pam Murphy. She’s the glue that holds it all together. She’s the hub at the center of the spinning wheel. She’s the wizard wrangling hundreds of collaborators and plans and materials and deadlines. She’s the friend and colleague incubating collaboration day after day after day. And Susan and I are among the grateful beneficiaries. For years now. No buzzwords needed. Just profound respect for her intelligence, her intuitive interpersonal dynamics, her methodical organization and communication, her curiosity and appetite for learning, her perennial wellspring of energy, her empathy for everyone on the team, her attention to detail, her fierce loyalty to us and to everyone else with whom she works, her morally unambiguous clarity and conviction, and the confidence she has placed in us over the years to reciprocate the trust, respect, support, and affection that she has always given to us.
When I talk about collaboration, collaborative incubation, and incubating collaboration, the thought bubble above my head is a cartoon of Pam accomplishing a dozen tasks at once while she smiles and all of the cartoon figures around her smile along with her!
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” – Amy Poehler
We survived 2022, friends, and in some fortunate cases, we even thrived. Cheers to surviving and thriving an occasionally challenging year!
New Year’s Day: Writer’s Garret (Photo: Hroth Ottosen)
That means it’s time for a meandering year-ender…
Retrospective
I’d like to jumpstart my retrospective with a positive personal milestone.
Yesterday’s post, “New Year’s Eve”, was my 153rd post in a row, completing a 5-month streak of daily updates without missing a single day. It’s an impartial victory at this point with seven months still on the to-do side of the ledger, but it’s an accomplishment that underpins my optimism — indeed my confidence — that I can achieve my goal of 365 days of uninterrupted Rosslyn updates. (Wondering why one year is a significant benchmark? I’ll explain soon, I promise.) In broad strokes, this is beginning to feel like actual, believable progress toward resuscitating Rosslyn Redux, my multidisciplinary meditation on the *art of homing*. There are so many reasons why this is important to me, and I’ve poked at a bunch on them in recent months, but for now I hope you’ll just allow that this exploration, this inside-out creative experiment, this quasi crowdsourced inquiry, and the resulting nexus of artifacts and stories and visuals and poems and all of the esoteric marginalia that has accreted over the last seventeen years since Susan and I bought Rosslyn is meaningful. Heck, to be 100% candid, for me it’s not just meaningful; it’s vital.
But enough heavy handed me-centrism. I’m flirting dangerously close to catharsis, so it’s time to lighten up. Time to imbue the balance of this post with effervescent toast-worthy bullet points like champagne bubbles rising giddily. Time for levity.
But first, an aside. I’m trying to distill my year-ender into a positive, celebratory retrospective without slipping into a post-mortem review of some of the less celebratory events. For this reason I started with a little victory dance celebrating the Rosslyn Redux momentum. My re-immersion has been stimulating and it’s catalyzing all sorts of overdue transformation. For this I’m profoundly grateful. And I’m doubling down on my commitment to see this challenge through to its conclusion.
There’s actually much more to celebrate, but to avoid overburdening this retrospective I’ll streamline my recap by simply listing and linking some of the most notable highlights. That way you can follow the links to more specific updates if you’re interested. And I’ll add a coming-soon placeholder in lieu of a link for those I haven’t yet covered. I’m hoping that this will keep things as lean as possible, because isn’t that always on our New Year‘s resolutions?!?!
High on the happy news is the ongoing icehouse rehab. It’s been a looong fantasized vision (and an almost equally long unrealized vision) that involves rehabilitating the last of the four buildings we set out to revitalize back in 2006. And, in this case, there’s a self-serving motive fueling my push. I perennially pine for a writer’s “garret”, and at last the icehouse loft will become that sanctuary just far enough removed to allow me to spread my stacks and sink into my writing projects. I. Can’t. Wait.
In addition to the icehouse rehab (and a writer’s hideaway), another biggy on the decade plus wishlist came tyre. In late winter off 2022 we finally invested in a high tunnel for the Rosslyn vegetable garden. It’s been a fascinating learning curve, and in a couple of months we’ll be getting it ready for another growing season with the benefit of one year already under our belts. Totally unrelated to gardening but similarly braided into the lakeside lifestyle that draws us to this remarkable property, we’ve made a change in our aquatic locomotion. You may recall that Errant, our 31′ sloop was sold in the hopes of replacing it with a slightly larger sailboat. Well, that plan was impacted by the attenuated pandemic which distorted the boat market and compelled us to stall long enough to deep-think our wants/needs. In short, our plans evolved significantly. Last summer we took delivery of a new 28′ Chris Craft launch that has become our entertaining and “picnic boat”, allowing our ski/surf boat to serve it’s proper purpose despite serving as our “everything boat” for years. This decision was part of sailboat shift as well. In a pretty significant reorientation we’ve been exploring the possibility of our future sailing adventures happening along the California, initially, and then possibly further north and south. This spring we’ll again sail on the west coast and continue to experiment with different iterations for our future sailing plans.
But I’m drifting of course, so I’d better tack back toward Rosslyn.
New Year’s Day: Writer’s Garret (Photo: Hroth Ottosen)
Despite a disheartening debacle a year or so ago during our first foray into repairs on the Rosslyn’s boathouse gangway, the summer of 2022 marked a turning point. First came Patrick McAuliff‘s monumental transformation of Rosslyn’s front yard, replacing the overgrown, toppling arborvitae hedge with a handsome hemlock hedge. This quick summary oversimplifies (and leapfrogs a mysterious discovery), but I’ll unravel this yearn soon enough, I promise.
And then there was Rosslyn’s deck rebuild. This story had been evolving for a while (all the way back to TimberSIL). Most recently the same OPUD who cost us dearly on the boathouse gangway effectively hamstrung us on the deck as well. We retreated to Essex from Santa Fe earlier than normal to escape the worst forest fires in New Mexico history. With boathouse and deck in unsafe and unusable condition we began cancelling summer guests and plans…
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m sidestepping into the post-mortem that I intended to keep separate. Back to the deck rebuild which is complete, sturdy as can be, and stunningly beautiful (Hurrah, garapa decking!). And better yet, the ingredients for this rebuild included an outstanding team of friends and family and former collaborators on projects like the ADK Oasis Lakeside renovation who coalesced at the last minute and quickly became a skilled, collegial, productive, and fun loving team. In fact, much of this team is what has now evolved into the icehouse team.
After the boathouse gangway’s false start, there’s good news on Rosslyn’s waterfront as well. After the deeply discouraging setback inherited from the OPUD, after dismantling much of their work in order to rebuild correctly (the verdict of every single contractor who evaluated the miscarried first attempt), and after painstakingly recreating the original conditions instead of perpetuating the errors inherited from the OPUD, we’re back on track with a capable, experienced team. Fingers crossed that the boathouse gangway will be good as new next spring!
And there’s sooo much more. But I’ve waxed wordy, and my update has gotten too long. So I’ll abbreviate boldly with that list I promised earlier. Better late than never.
Trail building was advanced significantly with the hard work of Tony Foster, the guidance of John Davis, and the oversight of Pam Murphy. Rewilding progress was made, and thriving wildlife population documented. Tile and grout maintenance underway in bathrooms and kitchen by Clay Belzile. Stone wall reveal and landscaping at ADK Oasis Highlawn, and orchard restoration and stone wall rebuilding at ADK Oasis Lakeside. Too many contributors to these projects to list them all, but some notables were Bob Kaleita, Phil Valachovic, Patrick McAuliff, Roger King, Aaron Valachovic, and Tony Foster.
Other highlights include excellent gardening assistance on all three properties by our incredibly hardworking Amish neighbors, re-homing the zero-turn and the truckling, and one of our best apple and pear seasons in the orchard.
I’ll close with an admission that I didn’t succeed 100% in restricting my retrospective to the celebratory highlights. I drifted into post-mortem territory a couple of times. But, for now at least, I’ve edited out our unfortunate encounter with Covid, my father’s health upset, and Susan’s miraculous recovery from a life threatening tragedy this autumn. Today is a day to embrace success and optimism. And from the vantage point of January 1st even the most difficult challenges of the last year give me cause for celebrating success and renewing optimism.
John Deere Gator: Three Generations (Source: Geo Davis)
With 70+acres to maintain at Rosslyn, ADK Oasis “Highlawn”, and ADK Oasis “Lakeside”, the John Deere Gator is an omnipresent and much depended upon utility vehicle for us. Whether hauling compost or pulling the wood splitter or chipper; moving fire pits or transporting waterskis, windsurfers, paddle boards, wetsuits and life jackets back-and-forth, to-and-from the boathouse; assisting with peach, apple, and pear harvest or just a quick inspection of the wildlife habitat along Library Brook; our Gators are indispensable.
John Deere Gator: The New Generation (Source: Geo Davis)
And so it happens that we decided at the end of last summer that it was time to place an order for a new TH 6×4 John Deere. This workhorse remains one of the best performance utility vehicles in their lineup, and we’ve been fans for a long time. But, speaking of long times, this 6-wheeler wasn’t always a 6-wheeler. What? That’s right, you can see the new arrival above. Two front wheels for steering, and four wheels under the bed to help spread the heavy load and provide reliable 4×4 traction. But if you look at the middle of three John Deere utility vehicles in the first / top image (above) you’ll see that it only has five wheels. That’s right, only one wheel up front.
John Deere Gator Wrangling
For the sake of accuracy it’s worth noting that the 5-wheeler technically isn’t a Gator. It’s a John Deere AMT 626, and it was the oldest of these utility vehicles in our fleet. We actually inherited from my parents when they sold their Rock Harbor home a couple of years ago. It’s vintage! But it was built John Deere tough, and I expect it’s got a good many years still in it.
That said, it wasn’t starting. Not sure why, but it would crank and fail to catch. So we combined delivery of the new Gator with servicing for the AMT 626 and our other 6-wheel Gator. With luck we’ll get good news on the 5-wheeler AND 6-wheeler soon which means we’ll have the chance to re-home the AMT 626. We had good luck re-homing our Husqvarna EZ4824 zero turn mower earlier this summer, so I’m waxing Pollyanna on another opportunity to downsize while helping out a neighbor. Stay tuned.
As it turns out, watching the recovery of the unwilling-to-start AMT 626 was fun, so I posted a short Instagram video update, “Gator Wrangling?!?!” Perhaps my sense of humor (and wonder) is an acquired taste…
John Deere Gator: Servicing 1st and 2nd Generation (Source: Geo Davis)
In the photo above the older John Deere Gator (left) and the 5-wheel John Deere AMT 626 are loaded onto the flatbed for the journey north to United Ag & Turf for service. Many thanks for the delivery and pickup. And thank you, Mowie (supervising from the Gator bed in the photo below) for supervising.
John Deere Gator: Off with the old… (Source: Geo Davis)
Autumn Aeration: Tony Foster preparing Rosslyn’s lawns for a healthy, holistic 2023 growing season (Source: R.P. Murphy)
If perfection were possible, then Rosslyn’s lawns would be dethatched and perforated deep into the soil every spring and every autumn to ensure healthy circulation of water, nutrients, and air. Needless to say, most years (every year?!?!) perfection eludes us. But, in keeping with our holistic approach to gardening, orcharding, and landscaping, we’ve come to rely upon at least once yearly (autumn aeration is preferable when we only have time for once-a-year) to ensure robust lawns. Experience has shown us that a healthy diet of organic fertilizer, zero pesticide, and aeration nurtures not only an attractive ground cover, but a resilient heterogenous sod that rebounds quickly after drought, etc.
Before continuing, a quick thought on why I favor autumn aeration over spring aeration, all things being equal. September and especially October offer the perfect balance of still-warm soil, ensuring efficient coring (spring can be muddy, gumming up the aerator) and cool temperatures slowing the growth of the grass as it approaches winter dormancy. It’s always better to prune, trim, and aerate with a minimum of impact to the plants, so the closer to dormancy, the better.
Tony Foster aerating Rosslyn’s lawns to ensure root-deep circulation of water, nutrients, and air during the coming year (Source: R.P. Murphy)
The photographs in this post show the indispensable Tony Foster, jack of all trades (master of all that requires physical exertion), patiently aerating. Shortly he will follow up with organic fall fertilizer and grass over-seeding. These bedfellows will slumber together over the long winter months, and by springtime they’ll be ready to fortify the lawn for another season of dog and human activity.
Tony has also aerated the lawns for us up the lake at our ADK Oasis vacation rental properties, so his perspective is informed when he explains the benefits of autumn aeration.
“It’s very loving, very caring for life. It gives air to the roots. And water. We need these things to live.” — Tony Foster
If only I’d been so succinct! Tony is spot on. Autumn aeration (and spring aeration, when we have the luxury of time) provides to our heterogeneous mix of grasses what it needs to thrive.
It takes about 3 hours to aerate a lawn depending on acreage. It’s simple. It involves punching holes into the ground sending oxygen and water to the roots. There are professional size aerateors to cover more ground. Similar to mowing a lawn, Aerating lawns relieves packed soil and allows air water and essential nutrients to reach grass roots. Almost Any lawn can benefit from this process given the low water table in the area causing lawns and gardens to grow poorly.
In our area early fall and spring are some of the best times of year to do this. Aerating can be tough to do in dry soil, so you are best to aerate when the soil is damp or a few days after it rains.
The equipment can be rented if you would like to do your own lawn from several lawn and garden stores or you can hire someone proficient in the process.
You want to stay away from roots or stumps because it can damage the machine. — Tony Foster
Autumn Aeration: Tony Foster preparing lawns for a healthy 2023 growing season (Source: R.P. Murphy)
Autumn Aeration for a Tennis Court?
Back on May 8, 2012 I posted a thinly fictionalized account of aerating the lawn, and I focused on a specific area of Rosslyn’s yard. Adjacent to the icehouse now being rehabilitated, once upon a time there was a clay tennis court. This area has long since returned to grass, but it’s still recognizable despite the fact that we’ve removed almost all vestigial indications (actually one steel net post remains as a sort of memorial… for now.) The perfectly level lawn and the outline of a tennis court were until recently notably if you wandered uphill as Tony is doing in the photo above. We’ve used this area over the years as a perfect volleyball and croquet court.
In that post we decided not to aerate the old tennis court area of the lawn.
“You don’t want me to run that thing on the tennis court, do ya?” he asked, referring to the lawn aerator we had rented…
[…]
“Good question, Wes. I didn’t think about that.”
[…]
“I was just thinking about the clay, you know?”
“You’re probably right. You don’t want to get bogged down in clay. Let’s skip the tennis court and focus on whatever else remains around the carriage barn and back around the gardens.” (Source: Rifle & Eggs)
In recent years I’ve recently second guessed that decision to forgo aerating the tennis court. After all, the clay is especially compacted and it drains poorly. What better candidate for aeration? And so we now include it in the acres of green that Tony patiently nurtures with autumn aeration, fertilizing, and overseeing.
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!
ADK Oasis Highlawn: Looking West (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
If you’ve ever wanted to visit the Adirondack Coast, I have some good news for you. Late last year we decided to purchase a new property north of Rosslyn, and as of last month we’ve launched an AirBnB that we’re calling ADK Oasis (www.adkoasis.com as well as www.airbnb.com and @adkoasis). (Updated in 2019 to ADK Oasis Highlawn to distinguish it from second adjoining vacation rental we’re calling ADK Oasis Lakeside.)
Susan and I have been variously involved in the vacation rental market for a few years. I developed a luxury property called Maison Margaux in Paris’s Faubourg Saint-Germain almost two decades ago, and Susan and I launched Adobe Oasis (www.adobeoasis.com) is Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Historic Eastside in 2013. We’ve come to believe that the distinctly authentic and immersive travel experience made possible with well designed, well located, and well maintained vacation rentals is one of the best concepts in travel accommodation. And given the somewhat slender “bed base” in our region, we’re hoping to provide an alternative for visitors eager to discover the Adirondack Coast lifestyle.
ADK Oasis Highlawn
Commanding a panoramic view of Lake Champlain and Vermont’s Green Mountains, this totally private vacation rental is nestled into into lush landscape on seven lakeside acres. Renters rave about the revitalizing rhythm as much as the view. And the fire pit in summer, fire pit in winter. With a well stock, open plan kitchen, you’ll love chef-ing up locally produced ingredients. With kayaks, paddleboard, snowshoes, and all sorts of revitalizing activities waiting for you, we’re hoping that you’ll fall in love with ADK Oasis, your very own Adirondack sanctuary on the Adirondack Coast.
Here’s a sneak peek at our ADK Oasis Highlawn vacation rental.
ADK Oasis Highlawn (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn Firepit (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn Pebble Beach (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn Pebble Beach (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn Living Room (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn: Deck View (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn Master Bedroom (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn: Workspace (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn: Looking West (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
ADK Oasis Highlawn: Looking West (Source: Julia Rebecca Photography)
Autumn Aeration: Tony Foster preparing Rosslyn’s lawns for a healthy, holistic 2023 growing season (Source: R.P. Murphy)
Autumn Aeration: Tony Foster preparing lawns for a healthy 2023 growing season (Source: R.P. Murphy)
Truckling’s New Owners, Lee and Heather Maxey, Heading Home (Photo: R.P. Murphy)
John Deere Truckling Rehomed and Renamed! (Photo: Lee Maxey)
