Asides

Finishing Floor & Staircase

Finishing, not finished. Yet. But soon. I hope! The icehouse main floor and staircase are slinking slowly toward completion. Sashaying? No. Sauntering. Slowly sauntering. But at last I can say that we’re finishing the floor and the staircase in Rosslyn’s icehouse.

Finishing Floor (Photo: Geo Davis)

We’ve been using Safecoat® Polyureseal BP to seal our hardwood floors for about twenty years. It’s an almost zero VOC alternative to conventional polyurethanes, and it performs really well. For the mixed species, ash and elm, variable with flooring we’re applying six coats with light, fine grit sanding in between coats. We’re not done yet, but the photo above captures the unique character of this homegrown, stump-to-floor hardwood, revealed and enhanced in no small part by the Polyureseal BP. Tony has been responsible for sealing all of the floors in the icehouse including the downstairs ash and elm, and the upstairs beach. Thanks, Tony. Almost done!

Near the top edge of the photograph above, you can catch a glimpse of the last section of the staircase to be completed. Let’s take a closer look.

Finishing Staircase (Photo: Geo Davis)

Supi has recently finished installing the T&G nickel gap paneling. Glen has been following with the paint brush. And Peter is working on the trims, cabinet doors (left), and the bookshelf (right). Home stretch! Well, except for the railings and balusters…Back on February 14, 2023 I was assured by a cabinetry carpenter named Bernie that tackling the banister (+/-2 weeks) and staircase railings would be “a piece of pie”. Unfortunately it’s proven to be a very slooow pie preparation. Hopefully we’ll see the cabinets and railing soon.

July 8, 2023
Rain Drenched Orchard

To say that it’s been soggy lately would usher restraint and understatement into new chapters. Yesterday’s super saturating deluge came on the heels of day-after-day drizzles and downpours. This evening’s rain drenched orchard snapshots hint at some pros and cons of rain, rain, rain,…

Rain Drenched Orchard (Photo: Geo Davis)

Let’s start with the lush tree foliage and grass. The verdant canopies and remarkable new growth. The ubiquitous green!

No drought here, ladies and gentlemen.

On the contrary, the ground is spongy. Practically boggy. And some vegetable plants in the garden are even slightly anemic, healthy green paling to a sickly yellow-green from wet roots.

Rain Drenched Orchard (Photo: Geo Davis)

The rain drenched orchard nevertheless appears healthy. Lots of baby apples promise a robust harvest in 2-3 months. Unfortunately two applications of kaolin clay — part of our holistic orcharding regimen — have been rinsed off, leaving fruit and leaves vulnerable to pests. As soon as the rain abates for a stretch we’ll apply s third coat.

June 29, 2023
Adirondack Guideboat or Vermont Dory?

“Today,” as the cool kids say, “I did a thing.” I’ve been lusting after an Adirondack Guideboat, well, probably since the late 1970’s when I enjoyed my first rowed ride in this quintessentially ADK conveyance at the Ausable Club. During the early days of the pandemic my mind returned this timeless watercraft, as elegant today as it was in the 1800s, and somehow inviting wistfuldaydreams of calmer, simpler times. I connected with the good folks at Adirondack Guideboat, and began to educate myself. They tried to convince me that a 14′ Vermont Dory, their most popular boat, was better suited to my location. Three summers later, after a 2022 return visit to revisit consideration with brother owners, Justin and Ian Martin, I decided it was time to commit.

14′ Vermont Dory (Photo: Geo Davis)

That green beauty above is my new skiff, a cherry trimmed Kevlar Vermont dory perfectly suited to ply the early morning and early evening waters of Lake Champlain.

14′ Vermont Dory (Photo: Adirondack Guideboat)

14′ Vermont Dory

This swift ship (of decidedly diminutive but handsomely conceived proportions) appears to be well built, user friendly, and applauded by the vast majority of their clientele. Or so Justin and Ian assure me.

As the current owners of Adirondack Guideboat, brothers Justin and Ian Martin have over 40 years of combined experience building boats. Before buying the company in 2012, the Martin brothers worked for Adirondack Guideboat company founder, Steve Kaulback, and president, David Rosen and Mad River Canoe. While they remain committed to the tradition of building wooden guideboats, Justin and Ian also use contemporary materials and tooling to create composite guideboats. (Source: Meet the crew of Adirondack Guideboat, Custom Row Boat Craftspeople)

I liked the brothers from our first encounter. Understated. Confident. Enthusiastic and confident.

And soon they’ll be arriving to deliver my new Vermont Dory to Rosslyn’s waterfront. I’m looking forward to an early morning outing with Carley to enjoy sunrise, a cup of tea, and a content canine companion.

And, there’s an additional perk. When they deliver my new green skiff, they’ll pick up our old hand-me-down canoe for midwinter replacement of the rotten wood gunnels. Win, win!

June 23, 2023
Iconic Adirondack Chair

So many sweet moments as I re-enter our Adirondack Coast orbit, and this one is less verbal than visual rumination. I’m thinking of the iconic Adirondack chair that appears all around the world.

Iconic Adirondack Chair (Photo: Geo Davis)

And all around the world is not an exaggeration. In fact, the iconic Adirondack chairs in this post were photographed by me a few days ago in Algonquin Provincial Park, a day’s drive away in Canada.

Everywhere you go, Adirondack chairs. At least, everywhere serene, soothing, and inviting!

Let’s revisit an earlier look at the iconic Adirondack chair.

Adirondack Chairs, originally invented by Thomas Lee in 1903… copied and adapted by countless carpenters since… [and patented by] Harry C. Bunnel… without his [Lee’s] permission… Lee seems to have been gracious and let the matter go, permitting his friend to produce the Adirondack chairs for profit for a quarter century. (Source: Adirondack Chairs Revisited)

As we wound down our 2-week adventure between Santa Fe and Essex — by way of Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Manitoba, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, and Quebec — we came upon these familiar recliners while staying at Killarney Lodge in Algonquin Park. And despite the fact that we were still a 6 1/2 hour drive from Essex, we began to feel like we were almost home.

Iconic Adirondack Chair (Photo: Geo Davis)

And, now that we’re once again installed in our Adirondack Coast oasis, lolling in our comfy lakeside recliners we realize that these iconic Adirondack chairs have become a sort of metaphorical umbilical cord, no matter where we wander, to the lifestyle we love at Rosslyn.

June 22, 2023
Summer Solstice: Shortest Midday Shadows

Summer solstice is upon us, and it seems all too poetic that our return to Rosslyn after far flung vagabonding coincided with the end is spring and beginning of summer.

Summer Solstice, 2023 (Photo: Geo Davis)

Summer Solstice?!?!

The official start of summer, the longest day, the shortest shadow… What exactly is the summer solstice?

The June solstice marks the exact moment when the noon sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer, a line of latitude 23.5 degrees north of Earth’s equator. It’s the northernmost point where the sun can be seen straight overhead (90 degrees above the horizon) all year.

In the Northern Hemisphere we see the sun take its longest and highest path across the southern sky. The high sun angle means you will cast your shortest midday shadow of the year on the summer solstice.

Solstice means “sun standing still” in Latin. On the summer solstice, the sun’s daily northward movement in the sky appears to pause… (Source: Washington Post)

Sun standing still. Yes, an illusion, but an engrossing illusion. And such lovely language! Found poetry pollinating the day.

Shortest Shadow

And what about casting our shortest shadow? Neat. But a little bit challenging to witness convincingly.

In India, cities like Ujjain and Gandhi Nagar witness a zero shadows moment when shadows disappear at noon. (Source: The Weather Channel )

I’m pretty certain that casting no shadow at all would make an impression. But such luck isn’t ours at Rosslyn. Our summer solstice is the shortest shadow day. Midday, mini shadow.

Solsticing… Again

Today’s celestial inception prompted a fleeting reverie, winter solstice, half a year ago. Seems like yesterday. And looong ago. A peculiar trick of time.

Welcome to day one of the Adirondack Coast‘s coldest season. Today is the winter solstice, the first official day of winter, and — more importantly for the likes of my mother and others who favor longer days and shorter nights — the threshold between the briefest day and the most prolonged night and imperceptibly-but-steadily lengthening daylight. (Source: Winter Solstice: Longer Days Ahead)

And tonight we’re on the flip side of imperceptibly-but-steadily lengthening daylight. Tomorrow the nights begin to lengthen and the days shorten. Imperceptibly. But inevitably…

June 21, 2023
When Apertures Become Windows

We’ve been finalizing a timely transition from porosity to fenestration in the icehouse rehab. Framed but temporarily concealed apertures have been cut out and transformed into doorways and windows. Jamb extensions, sills, and trims — carpentry confections that conjoin and integrate discrete elements into a cohesive architectural whole — are finally complete inside the icehouse. Exterior trims are still in the works.

When Apertures Become Windows (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

In the photograph above the north facing windows in the main room exemplify the coalescing of elements, framing a view of… gravel and dirt!

This view is evolving as I type. Stone walls and stone steps will define the levels and the transitions between them. In the near ground, a lawn will yield to a stone bordered area of plantings that will bridge the lower elevation outside the deck to the upper elevation where the volleyball and croquet court will once again be located.

When Apertures Become Windows (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

With the jamb extensions complete and the window trims installed the next step will be to scrape paint from the windows and install the hardware. Plenty of convergence and completion happening each day…

XXX

June 17, 2023
West Elevation Doorway Installed

I’m thrilled to showcase the icehouse’s west facade with new double doors flanked with full-height side lites. What a transformation. With the west elevation doorway installed we’re approaching the point where reality resembles Tiho’s renderings.

Rendering for Icehouse Rehabilitation, West Elevation (Source: Tiho Dimitrov)

Remember that west elevation drawing Tiho created to help the team visualize where we were headed? The image below captures the same view, the partially fenestrated west facade, just prior to the day the west elevation doorway was installed.

Partially Fenestrated West Facade (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

I jumped the gun, announcing fenestration progress when we were still short of completion.

Aside from window and door trim, three out of four elevations — east (above), south, and north — are now exhibiting their close-to-final appearance. (Source: Fenestrated Facades)

One of the many workflow challenges we’ve navigated was delaying installation of the glass doors.

Only the west elevation (below) is still waiting on installation of the 1st floor double doors and flanking windows. And that’s on hold until flooring is complete. So, hopefully soon! (Source: Fenestrated Facades)

Fortunately the flooring installation was completed, and we were able to proceed with the doors.

Once the double doors, flanked with windows, four glass apertures balancing the gable window above, are installed, this west-facing elevation will allow for a seamless interplay of interior and exterior living area. So long anticipated, these fenestrated facades are beginning to bridge the envisioned and the actual. (Source: Fenestrated Facades)

And here it is! West wall opening, doors being installed.

Installing West Elevation Doorway (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

With Peter overseeing, Matt (green shirt) and Supi (red shirt) secured and fine tuned the Marvin double door unit. In the photo below they appear to be celebrating their success. Actually, rather than a victory lap I think they’re troubleshooting to ensure the install was perfectly executed.

Installing West Elevation Doorway (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

And then came the glass slabs flanking the doors.

West Elevation Doorway (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

Once trimmed, these four glass apertures will be mulled into a contiguous element that looks as handsome from without as within. Soon I promise to share the inside-out perspective!

June 9, 2023
Flooring Installation Complete

A couple of weeks ago I shared a “Flooring Sneak Peek” and four days ago I shared an update on the icehouse flooring focused on “Variable Width Floorboards”. Today I’m pleased to announce that the mixed species ash and elm flooring installation is complete. Eureka!

Flooring Installation Complete (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

Many, many months into our homegrown, stump-to-floor journey, the first floor of the icehouse is complete.

You may recall that we decided to mix ash and elm for the icehouse flooring, showcasing a decade and a half worth of lumber that we had harvested, milled, seasoned, dimensioned, and finished on-site. (Source: Variable Width Floorboards)

And the result is simply sensational. Character-rich wood exhibiting a remarkable breadth and depth of color and pattern.

Flooring Installation Complete (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

Note that these snapshots were taken shortly after installation was completed. Still ahead? Sanding and sealing. This still anticipated floor finishing will further enhance the natural grain and hues of the ash and elm.

For a change I’m actually at a loss for words. Such a slow, painstaking labor of love, from long ago felled timber to meticulously dimensioned and plained flooring… it’s been a quest!

June 7, 2023
Holistic Orcharding: Kaolin Clay

Holistic Orcharding: Kaolin Clay (Photo: Tony Foster)

Kudos to Tony Foster for completing the first kaolin clay treatment in the orchard. Spraying Rosslyn’s fruit trees with kaolin clay is part of our nontoxic, organic, holistic orcharding regimen. It’s an effective way to reduce plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) larvae and European apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea) larvae without resorting to toxic pesticides.

Here’s the scoop from holistic orcharding guru, Michael Phillips.

We deal with two “petal-fall pests” in the eastern half of the United States… Plum curculio larvae get their start in a crescent-like scar the female weevil makes to prevent the growing fruitlet from crushing her egg; European apple sawfly larvae first scratch the surface of a pea-sized fruitlet, and then go on to eat the seeds in another three or four fruitlets… Those petal-fall pests… can be held effectively in check with a nontoxic white clay covering applied over the entire surface of the tree. The kaolin clay panicles confuse the insect adults and prove incredibly irritating… Application begins as the blossoms start to fall and needs to be thorough. It takes two or three initial sprays to build up a thick enough base to repel these insects. Renew the clay weekly for the next month. (Source: Holistic Orcharding: Michael Phillips)

Sure, spraying kaolin clay onto the trees creates a curious camouflage look, but it’s proven quite an effective deterrent.

Holistic Orcharding: Kaolin Clay (Photo: Tony Foster)

And, given that the alternative, fruit marred with plum curculio larvae and European apple sawfly larvae isn’t particularly pleasant, we’ve found that several coatings of white kaolin clay early in the fruiting season is a super solution.

Holistic Orcharding: Kaolin Clay (Photo: Tony Foster)

Thank you, Tony, for following up installation of the Tanglefoot wraps with round one of kaolin clay spraying. Round two as soon as the rain begins to diminish the white mottling…

June 1, 2023
Home is Wherever I’m with You

Sailing in San Diego, April 27, 2023 (Photo: Richard Darmanin)

Homecoming! After a week in the Gila Wilderness with John Davis and other Rewilding friends I’m reunited with my beautiful bride. The photo above has *almost* nothing to do with my backcountry adventures in the middle of 3 million acres of New Mexico wilderness. That image was taken about a month ago when Susan and I were sailing in San Diego. The common denominator? “Home is wherever I’m with you…”

Instead of getting tangled up in words and thoughts about homecoming, today’s post will lean into the lyrics of the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros… “from Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ debut album ‘Up From Below’…”

Oh, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I’m with you
Oh, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I’m with you

Sometimes it takes being away from home to identify “homeness”. I’ve been meditating on this question of what makes a house a home for a looong time. And I’m not ready to offer a definitive answer yet. But juxtaposing glimpses — one above, and the other in my unplugged memories of six days and nights in the Gila — reminds me that a BIG piece of the puzzle is Susan. Home is wherever I’m with you!

If you don’t know this catchy song by by Alexander Ebert and Jade Allyson Castrinos, here’s the full adventure.

“Home” is a song written and recorded by American group Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was released in January 2010 as the second single from the album, Up from Below… The song is a duet between Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos, with portions of spoken word from both. (Source: Wikipedia)

A quick post for a contemplative homecoming. Ideas percolating…

May 30, 2023
Windowing

Remember our upside down, inside out window installation plan? Repeated delays during the window ordering process combined with a looong, slooow fabrication and delivery schedule compelled us to invert the standard installation sequence. Instead of installing windows and doors first, then siding the exterior and interior, and then trimming everything in, we flip-flopped windows/doors and siding. That’s right, in order to maintain an ambitious timetable, we’ve executed an exterior and interior cladding prior to installing the windows. his involved some unintuitive workarounds, reverse engineering an otherwise routine process. So, yes, “windowing” the icehouse has been a unique challenge.

Supi Windowing the Icehouse (Photo: R.P. Murphy)

And yet this nimble team of problem solvers have have managed to make it work. And, I might add, much of the windowing work has fallen to Supi who has been stretching to simultaneously succeed on diverse, often disjointed projects (also heading up stone hardscape team in charge of an ambitious stone masonry design for the west and northwest of the icehouse deck.)

So today I tip my cap to this perennially willing, hardworking, and understated member of the team. Supi, you’ve been a benison beyond compare. A Jeroboam of gratitude! Whether designing, shaping, and mentoring stone masonry; workhorsing a concrete pour; rebuilding the boathouse gangway; or windowing the icehouse; we couldn’t have made it this far with out you.

Thank you.

May 20, 2023
Friend or Foe: Dandelions

It’s that remarkable season of reawakening, spring, glorious springtime! And more than all of the other blooms that announce the season of unslumbering, Dandelions remind us that nature is nourishing and vibrant and brilliantly colorful.

Routinely dismissed, even abhored, as an annoying weed, dandelions are for me a welcome harbinger of warming temperatures, greening environs, several seasons of blooms and fruit and vegetables. And yet dandelions remain mostly symbolic representatives of reawakening, vivid reminders of the abundance we’ll soon celebrate.

Friend or Foe: Dandelions (Photo: Geo Davis)

A decade or more ago Tom Duca introduced me and a gathering of Essex area friends to The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion by Anita Sanchez. His enthusiasm for her enthusiasm about dandelions made an impression on me that afternoon. I planned to read it, but it slipped off my radar. Until now. I’ve located a copy that is presently wending is way to me. So, soon I’ll be able to amplify my understanding (and presumably my appreciation) for dandelions.

But even before educating myself I’ll comfortably come down on the side of dandelions bring friends. Yes, I know that many might consider them an invasive scourge peppering the perfection of an otherwise green lawn.

Friend or Foe: Dandelions (Photo: Geo Davis)

But I do not share this disdain. Rather, dandelions evoke childhood wonder and enthusiasm for spring a perennially optimism inspiring season for me. Simply put springtime is seasonality’s metaphorical morning. And rambunctious riots of dandelions are one of the most exuberant symbols of the season. Persistent, yes, but in so many cases we’re able to recognize the merits of persistence. Why not dandelions?

We know too that dandelions are a forager’s friends, Nature’s nourishing gift of vitamins and minerals after months of hibernal stinginess. I’ve enjoyed tender dandelion greens in a spring salad mixes from the store, but I’ve rarely made the effort to harvest these spicy freebies from the yard. It’s an embarrassing oversight I intend to remedy. Soon. And dandelion wine? So many experiments to explore…

Friend or Foe: Dandelions (Photo: Geo Davis)

So for now, I’ll optimistically file dandelions as friend (and not foe) despite the proclivity of so many among my gardening aficionado cohort to vilify and endeavor to extirpate this sunny sojourner. If designation by and large comes down to bias, I’ve now made mine known. Caveat emptor. And once I’ve made it through Sanchez’s book I’ll be able to update this post with a meatier installment justifying my somewhat sentimental declaration that dandelions are our friends. Stay tuned…

May 14, 2023