After taking the past two weeks off, we are back at home and getting into the swing of things. In the hustle of packing and getting everything ready before our trip, we didn’t get a change to post any photos, but here is what the house looks like now.

We were able to meet our deadline and got the house all wrapped in tar paper before we left, and lucky we did. Its been raining here quite a bit.

The whole time we were back east, I was looking for inspiration from the built and natural environment. Although my first thought was to examine buildings, I found a lot more to motivate me.

New England is not the east coast I am familiar with. I am realizing that my image of the east is obscured by my experiences of dense sprawling suburbs, and the overwhelming hustle and bustle of even denser cities. This was really my first experience of the glorious and rugged untamed forests of Vermont and New York. And I have to say, I was captivated.

We were also able to find inspiration in the skilled craftsmanship of barn and boat builders alike. The boat pictured is an Adirondack guide boat, built in the year 1900 by H. Dwight Grant. These boats are able to carry up to 1000 pounds of gear, and are light enough to be picked up and carried over land.

Dwight Grant was a guide, a woodsman, a caretaker, a politician, a civil war veteran, and in the winter he built boats in his back yard shop in Utica, NY. He averaged about 14 boats a year, with the help of a few trusted carpenters.

Now that we are back, we are going to be working and building in all of our free time. Currently on the agenda, designing our doors and windows.