This probably sounds like a familiar refrain to many people. With unemployment rates at such a high level right now, many of us are looking for jobs! I keep hearing that the job market is so tight right now, people aren't hiring, there isn't any work out there, etc. etc.
While this may be true, I prefer not to pay attention to the negative and feed the increasing fear in our communities. The more and more attention we give it, the larger and larger it grows. The more gloom and doom stories we watch on TV or listen to on the radio, the more fearful we become, and the worse the situation gets.
I know that looking for a job is not easy. Indeed it can be a very stressful event. I do believe however, that the more positive your outlook, and the more confidence you have in the search, the easier time you'll have in gravitating toward that job that was meant for you. I really believe in the mantra that 'whatever you put your attention on, expands and grows.' I cannot then, put my attention on the dark gloomy stories everyone is telling these days. I know there are jobs out there- just look at the ads online, there's ton of them!
Now the tricky part is going to be to find where that job is, and exactly what type of job it is that I want. I'll be finished with my historic preservation degree a semester early, that means I'll be done in mid-December. That's a short two months away. Now is the time for me to start making some contacts and getting my resume out there. Since I'm already in Colorado, and I'm quite fond of the mountains, climate, proximity to home, and central location, it seems like a good idea to be looking in the general area. I'm not opposed to moving elsewhere, but its a place to start anyway.
In my studies over the last year, I've learned that there are sooo many aspects to preservation. There are countless ways to be involved, from a surveyor to a mason, to a carpenter, to an administrator, to a architect, archaeologist, professor, politician, community planner, cultural resource specialist, historian, etc. etc. It's quite exciting to have so much diversity and all be working together toward the same goal.
Exactly where I fit in is still to be determined. I've had plenty of experience in the administrative non-profit world. I know I would do well with advocacy and planning. I also got my undergraduate degree in Anthropology and have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with cultural resources and archaeology. Additionally I am completely in love with the hands-on trades of preservation. The construction and rehabilitation work I did this summer was fantastic. I could definitely see myself excelling in the trades arena.
I would be happy with many variations of the above. Perhaps a job that has a little of all- perfect! Now it's just a matter of getting down to business, researching what is out there and making it all happen. Oh, and if anyone happens to come across any fabulous preservation opportunities, please send my way!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
A Pint of Preservation
That's right folks, this week we're talking about beer. It may seem completely unrelated to historic preservation, but stick with me for a moment and you'll see that it has everything to do with it.
In my historic preservation law and economics class, we're reading an interesting book called The Restoration Economy written by Storm Cunningham. In the book I came across a fascinating story of the William Brothers Brewing Company in Scotland.
You probably know that beer has been a major staple of most cultures for millennia. Without a refrigeration system, letting grains and yeast ferment was a safe way to preserve food supplies. In some places of the world fermented beverages were also a healthier alternative to local water. According to Cunningham, archaeologists have discovered remnants of brewing sites in Scotland dating back over 4,000 years. The Scots have a long history of ales that used such local ingredients as leaves, flowers, berries, pine needles, bushes and even seaweed. Heather ale is likely the most well known. As Scotland is so famous for its beautiful Heather this is no surprise.
This image was taken from: www.lastminutecottageholiday.co.ukCunningham further notes that these homemade brews were forbidden by English invaders. Thus, many of the original recipes were lost. Instead, Scots were required by law to only make beer using ingredients like barely malt and hops. For those of you sold on 'American Lager', I must include this quote: "Of course, even this formula is far superior to the corn-based chemical soup that comes from the major U.S. industrial brewers, many of whom add plastics to form a longer-lasting head." Ouch!
As the House of Lords owned all of the hop farms, we can see why this law was enacted. Indeed those were dark days for the Scots, but rejoice in the fact that the Williams Brothers have brought these original homemade brews back to life! These beers have quite the reputation world wide, winning countless awards along the way. Please visit their website for a bit more on the history and the outstanding different flavors: www.williamsbrosbrew.com
Besides making a great brew, the brewery operates out of an early 18th century mill which was restored under the non-profit Scottish Heritage. Furthermore, the brewery saved a square mile of peat-and-heather-based ecosystem known as flat moss from being turned into a monoculture tree farm. The widely popular Fraoch ale relies on this moss, and the brewery pays the tenant for its harvests. If anyone is going to Scotland soon, or if there's an extremely well stocked liquor store in your area, would you please buy me one of these, I'm dying to try one!
Actually, scratch that, I think I'd rather try a Kelpie. Ok, if there was ever a beer that was good for you this has got to be it:
A beer both good for you and the earth! The Kelpie brew is made with bladderwack seaweed. This is important because a traditional Scottish method of fertilizing fields uses this seaweed. This use was dying out in recent times but has enjoyed a bit of recovery thanks to the brewery. Seaweed is an incredibly rich resource of vitamins and minerals, and quite tasty too! The barley used in their production is organically grown on a farm that has revived this important practice.
This is truly a brewery I could stand behind. I've never given much thought to beer production in the past. And coming from Missouri I can't say I've ever felt much loyalty to Budweiser. But a brewery that has revived an ancient method of brewing, using recipes that were lost for thousands of years, brewing in a historic building, and encouraging environmentally sound practices, I'll toast to that!
*This blog is dedicated to Jimmy and Tyler- you know why!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Computer Aided Drawing (Design)
One of my classes this semester is CAD class. Before starting the class I can't say that I had any particular expectations, but I knew it would be cool to play around with 3-D drawings on the computer.
Cool indeed! It's a lot of fun to learn how to draw like an architect without needing all that complicated equipment and learning those writing techniques. Man we have it so much easier these days! In the past you had to take many many classes of learning how to draw like an architect, and even how to write like an architect. I always thought it was odd that every architect I knew wrote so neatly. Now I know why, they actually have to take a class to write like that!
Instead, we spend time learning how to use ArciCad, a really amazing computer program that let's you draw your 3-D home with all the important specifications. Just look at what my future kitchen will look like:
I know that's not the greatest picture. But if you can tell, I have a great set up with eco-friendly stainless steel appliances, a great chrome island and super cute red and grey pantry cabinet in the corner. Here's a start of what the outside will look like...
That's right, I love me some purple and red. I know you think it sounds absurd but it's going to look super cool. That's the great thing about ArciCad, the sky's the limit and you can do anything you want!
Cool indeed! It's a lot of fun to learn how to draw like an architect without needing all that complicated equipment and learning those writing techniques. Man we have it so much easier these days! In the past you had to take many many classes of learning how to draw like an architect, and even how to write like an architect. I always thought it was odd that every architect I knew wrote so neatly. Now I know why, they actually have to take a class to write like that!
Instead, we spend time learning how to use ArciCad, a really amazing computer program that let's you draw your 3-D home with all the important specifications. Just look at what my future kitchen will look like:
I know that's not the greatest picture. But if you can tell, I have a great set up with eco-friendly stainless steel appliances, a great chrome island and super cute red and grey pantry cabinet in the corner. Here's a start of what the outside will look like...
That's right, I love me some purple and red. I know you think it sounds absurd but it's going to look super cool. That's the great thing about ArciCad, the sky's the limit and you can do anything you want!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Mixing mud and laying brick!
This reason I chose Colorado Mountain College for my Historic Preservation degree was because it's one of very few colleges that offer a trade based program. Needless to say, the hands-on classes are by far my favorite. So last week when we got to lay some brick in my Masonry class, I was really excited!
Our class is at Hayden Ranch- our colleges very own historic laboratory. One of the old bunk houses desperately needed some attention to its chimney. Here it was before:
The existing mortar on the 15 courses you see here was incredibly fragile. We could literally pick up the bricks with our hands and remove them from the course below. The original chimney had 22 courses- so we intended to restore it to the original. (I wish I could say the age of this particular building but I really don't know.)
There are so many things to consider when restoring brick. It's very important to match the color of the mortar, the color of the brick, the strength and make-up of the mortar and brick as well. It might seem pretty simply, but that's a lot to get right. You have to consider the mixture of the mortar- what's the recipe? Is it one part lime, one part portland cement, six parts sand? There are actually many different recipes for different needs. Different masons have different opinions as to the best recipe. Some masons truly believe in using hydraulic lime only. So many options....to see more about mortars click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_mortar
The first thing we needed to do for this chimney was make up some sample mixes or mortar to see if we could at least match the color. This bunk house has not been occupied for a long time, and there are no plans to change that, so this chimney will not be functioning. The main purpose of the restoration is for aesthetics and basic structural integrity. Fortunately for us that meant we didn't have to get things absolutely perfect, just pretty close. So we mixed up a few batches until we got a close match:
After letting each batch dry, we had a better idea of what the color was. After coming up with a pretty close mix, we were ready to lay some brick!
This was the exciting part. I love getting my hands dirty and actually making something. You know, something you can actually touch and feel and see. I also love being on roofs. I'm not sure why exactly, but I've always loved it. Maybe it's because you're not supposed to be on a roof, it feels a bit mischievous. Maybe its because you gain a new perspective, everything looks smaller from up high, and your worries do too. Maybe it's just because the view is so awesome!
Whatever the reason, it was great to be up there and learn some masonry skills. Our teacher, Terry Alexander has been a mason for practically his whole life (learning the trade from his father.) He's a great mason and a good person to show you the basics. On the homepage of his website you can see a really beautiful sculpture that his father made. Who would of thought of a brick sculpture!? You can visit his website here: http://gostonecraft.com/index.php
We only had about 7 courses of brick to lay, but it took much longer than I would have thought. Fortunately we had most of the original brick from the chimney, but not quite all of it. Well, I think we did have all of it but a lot of it crumbled and was unusable. So, we did our best to find a color that was close and would blend in well. That was not an easy task. You'll be able to see from the picture below which bricks were not original. The good thing about that however, is that time will lay a nice patina on these bricks, and eventually they'll fade right in.
I think the finished product looks pretty dang good for our first try. And remember, time will be to our advantage with the aesthetics. I think I really like masonry. No sharp chisels, no splinters or hammered thumbs, no table saw kick-backs. It so much more peaceful than working with wood!
Our class is at Hayden Ranch- our colleges very own historic laboratory. One of the old bunk houses desperately needed some attention to its chimney. Here it was before:
The existing mortar on the 15 courses you see here was incredibly fragile. We could literally pick up the bricks with our hands and remove them from the course below. The original chimney had 22 courses- so we intended to restore it to the original. (I wish I could say the age of this particular building but I really don't know.)
There are so many things to consider when restoring brick. It's very important to match the color of the mortar, the color of the brick, the strength and make-up of the mortar and brick as well. It might seem pretty simply, but that's a lot to get right. You have to consider the mixture of the mortar- what's the recipe? Is it one part lime, one part portland cement, six parts sand? There are actually many different recipes for different needs. Different masons have different opinions as to the best recipe. Some masons truly believe in using hydraulic lime only. So many options....to see more about mortars click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_mortar
The first thing we needed to do for this chimney was make up some sample mixes or mortar to see if we could at least match the color. This bunk house has not been occupied for a long time, and there are no plans to change that, so this chimney will not be functioning. The main purpose of the restoration is for aesthetics and basic structural integrity. Fortunately for us that meant we didn't have to get things absolutely perfect, just pretty close. So we mixed up a few batches until we got a close match:
After letting each batch dry, we had a better idea of what the color was. After coming up with a pretty close mix, we were ready to lay some brick!
This was the exciting part. I love getting my hands dirty and actually making something. You know, something you can actually touch and feel and see. I also love being on roofs. I'm not sure why exactly, but I've always loved it. Maybe it's because you're not supposed to be on a roof, it feels a bit mischievous. Maybe its because you gain a new perspective, everything looks smaller from up high, and your worries do too. Maybe it's just because the view is so awesome!
Whatever the reason, it was great to be up there and learn some masonry skills. Our teacher, Terry Alexander has been a mason for practically his whole life (learning the trade from his father.) He's a great mason and a good person to show you the basics. On the homepage of his website you can see a really beautiful sculpture that his father made. Who would of thought of a brick sculpture!? You can visit his website here: http://gostonecraft.com/index.php
We only had about 7 courses of brick to lay, but it took much longer than I would have thought. Fortunately we had most of the original brick from the chimney, but not quite all of it. Well, I think we did have all of it but a lot of it crumbled and was unusable. So, we did our best to find a color that was close and would blend in well. That was not an easy task. You'll be able to see from the picture below which bricks were not original. The good thing about that however, is that time will lay a nice patina on these bricks, and eventually they'll fade right in.
I think the finished product looks pretty dang good for our first try. And remember, time will be to our advantage with the aesthetics. I think I really like masonry. No sharp chisels, no splinters or hammered thumbs, no table saw kick-backs. It so much more peaceful than working with wood!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Ahh, Remember the Drive In!
That should bring back some memories! Remember when drive-ins where cool?! You know, the days before you could tape a movie on your VCR, before Blockbuster, then Pay-Per-View, then Tevo, then Netflix?? Remember the days when people actually had to leave their homes to see the latest feature? I can remember it clearly, it wasn't that long ago. In fact, I remember being about 7 or so and hiding between my sisters legs in the front seat of the car while she read the newspaper over my head in order to hide me. Meanwhile, my brother was in the trunk. What a valiant attempt to hide us both and save the $2 entry fee for us. Only to find out later the admittance was per car, not per person. Thanks Liz!
This childhood trauma is not what inspired this blog however, I became inspired to write about the dying Drive-In industry after yet another 'bike ride find'. Last weekend I decided to take my road bike down to Buena Vista, about 30 miles South of Leadville and generally 20 degrees warmer. I had no plans on where to go, I just thought I'd get on the bike and let the wind take me where it chose. (Quite literally, there was a crazy headwind that day.) I like doing this, you never have any idea what's around the next turn. Sometimes it's just boring open expanses of nothing, sometimes you find cool stuff like this old Drive-In!
Normally I might have just ridden on past something like this, but I was struck by several things on this day. First, this Drive-In seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. I guess they usually are for obvious reasons, but I never expected to see it here. I have also never seen quite a backdrop for a movie theater before. Everywhere you look you see grand Rocky Mountains behind the screen. Pretty cool. The deserted feel was also kind of spooky. There was tall grass and weeds growing all along the parking area and speakers. (Needless to say I was very surprised to learn that this drive-in had been in use until 2008!) -more on that in a second. The last thing that caught my attention was the name.
That's right, Comanche Drive-In! You just wouldn't get away with such political incorrectness today. Though we have a lot to learn on this front, I believe we've come a long way in the 36 years I've been alive. I can remember learning all kinds of crazy culturally insensitive things when I was little. Those same things just wouldn't happen today.
Besides the name, the drive-in itself is an example of a great, yet dying, American tradition. A little poking around online dug up some interesting facts on the history of the drive-in. From the information I found, it appears that the alternative movie watching venue creator was Richard Hollingshead. It was his attempt to combine two great American loves: movies and cars! In the early 1930's he played around in his own driveway with a Kodak projector and a sheet nailed to some trees with a radio behind it. After lots of trial and error, Richard opened the first drive-in in June of 1933. This first drive in was in Camden, New Jersey and the price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.
Drive-ins where slow to catch on, but when they did, they boomed! In 1946 the number of theaters was about 150. By 1948 that number grew to 820! By 1958, there were almost 5,000 drive-ins! This is actually the peak of the business. From here, the numbers begin to decline. The 60's and 70's were fairly stagnate, and the 80's saw a huge decline. Theater's began to be torn down for lack of attendance. (Hmmm, I believe my family got it's first VCR around 1983ish...). There was a very small resurgence in the 90's, well, nostalgia really. The around 400 dive-ins that are left are really trying to hang on, and there's plenty of people out there advocating for their survival. Americans are quite nostalgic after all.
The Comanche Drive-in I've shown you hear was built in 1966 by John Groy. It was owned and operated by the Groy family until 2008. It appears that Mrs. Groy suddenly passed away in 2008 and the rest is history. I'm amazed it was still going strong until so recently. I for one, would definitely go to a drive-in if there was one close by. (Actually, I would probably ride my bike instead of drive but its the same concept.) How wonderful to enjoy a movie in the fresh air, under the stairs, in the wide open! I think we may need to start a preservation movement here. I'll tell you one thing though, I'm not hiding in the front seat, or in the trunk for that matter to save a couple of bucks!
*Interestingly it appears that a documentary on drive-ins is currently in the works, check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfVfWkx4Og&feature=player_embedded
All of the information for this blog was taken from the following websites: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980121.htm, http://www.driveintheater.com/,
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/11721/
This childhood trauma is not what inspired this blog however, I became inspired to write about the dying Drive-In industry after yet another 'bike ride find'. Last weekend I decided to take my road bike down to Buena Vista, about 30 miles South of Leadville and generally 20 degrees warmer. I had no plans on where to go, I just thought I'd get on the bike and let the wind take me where it chose. (Quite literally, there was a crazy headwind that day.) I like doing this, you never have any idea what's around the next turn. Sometimes it's just boring open expanses of nothing, sometimes you find cool stuff like this old Drive-In!
Normally I might have just ridden on past something like this, but I was struck by several things on this day. First, this Drive-In seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. I guess they usually are for obvious reasons, but I never expected to see it here. I have also never seen quite a backdrop for a movie theater before. Everywhere you look you see grand Rocky Mountains behind the screen. Pretty cool. The deserted feel was also kind of spooky. There was tall grass and weeds growing all along the parking area and speakers. (Needless to say I was very surprised to learn that this drive-in had been in use until 2008!) -more on that in a second. The last thing that caught my attention was the name.
That's right, Comanche Drive-In! You just wouldn't get away with such political incorrectness today. Though we have a lot to learn on this front, I believe we've come a long way in the 36 years I've been alive. I can remember learning all kinds of crazy culturally insensitive things when I was little. Those same things just wouldn't happen today.
Besides the name, the drive-in itself is an example of a great, yet dying, American tradition. A little poking around online dug up some interesting facts on the history of the drive-in. From the information I found, it appears that the alternative movie watching venue creator was Richard Hollingshead. It was his attempt to combine two great American loves: movies and cars! In the early 1930's he played around in his own driveway with a Kodak projector and a sheet nailed to some trees with a radio behind it. After lots of trial and error, Richard opened the first drive-in in June of 1933. This first drive in was in Camden, New Jersey and the price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.
Drive-ins where slow to catch on, but when they did, they boomed! In 1946 the number of theaters was about 150. By 1948 that number grew to 820! By 1958, there were almost 5,000 drive-ins! This is actually the peak of the business. From here, the numbers begin to decline. The 60's and 70's were fairly stagnate, and the 80's saw a huge decline. Theater's began to be torn down for lack of attendance. (Hmmm, I believe my family got it's first VCR around 1983ish...). There was a very small resurgence in the 90's, well, nostalgia really. The around 400 dive-ins that are left are really trying to hang on, and there's plenty of people out there advocating for their survival. Americans are quite nostalgic after all.
The Comanche Drive-in I've shown you hear was built in 1966 by John Groy. It was owned and operated by the Groy family until 2008. It appears that Mrs. Groy suddenly passed away in 2008 and the rest is history. I'm amazed it was still going strong until so recently. I for one, would definitely go to a drive-in if there was one close by. (Actually, I would probably ride my bike instead of drive but its the same concept.) How wonderful to enjoy a movie in the fresh air, under the stairs, in the wide open! I think we may need to start a preservation movement here. I'll tell you one thing though, I'm not hiding in the front seat, or in the trunk for that matter to save a couple of bucks!
*Interestingly it appears that a documentary on drive-ins is currently in the works, check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfVfWkx4Og&feature=player_embedded
All of the information for this blog was taken from the following websites: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980121.htm, http://www.driveintheater.com/,
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/11721/
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Beautiful Kennecott Alaska!
Wow, that's a great sight huh! Of all the amazing places in Alaska, Kennecott remains one of my favorite. Located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, this abandoned mining camp is a historical treasure. As the story goes, the camp was started around 1900 when two prospectors located a nice green patch where they could graze their horses. Of course this green patch turned out to be copper ore. Seizing this opportunity, a group of men promptly created the Chitina Mining and Exploration Company.
The mine was extremely profitable, some saying it was the richest copper mine in the world. It operated for about 25 years and extracted about $210 million worth of copper.
How they made this happen is unbelievable. Today, there is a road that leads (almost) to the town. I say almost, because you still have to get out and park your car about 5 miles from the mine. And I haven't even told you about the road coming in! The drive to Kennecott is one of the bumpiest, flat-tire producing, slowest roads I've been on. But this is a good thing, keeps all those dang tourists away! Of course, tourists still come, but at very manageable numbers. My point being, this is a very remote, very difficult place to get to. I can not even fathom how these men got all of this equipment here in 1900. This should make my point:
That's some insanely hard work to produce some copper. I hope you're all appreciating those pipes and electrical cables most of us take for granted!
In the early 1930's, the mine was pretty much abandoned after most of the high grade ore was depleted. They had some watchmen for a few years but eventually they left too. It's a harsh winter out here, and getting supplies and food can be quite the challenge, even deadly. I don't blame them for not sticking around. So the mine was left to it's own. When I visited in 2004, I was amazed that the entire place was not condemned. There were SO many accidents waiting to happen. Buildings holding on by a single nail that I was sure were going to collapse to the ground at any moment. Of course, this did not stop me from climbing inside them and exploring every nook and cranny I could find. Dangerous maybe, but too lucrative to stop me!
You can see from this picture above that the building has really aged, just look at that 'ladder'. That's how most of the mine's buildings looked when I was there. There has been a tremendous amount of work done since then however. It likely looks pretty stable to you now. Kennecott was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The National Park Service has been stabilizing many of the buildings in the last few years. They've done some amazing work! Though the precarious ghost town was fun to run around in, I'm glad these buildings will saved for many generations to enjoy. It tells such a great story of our past, and what man will do for survival and money.
Though the camps were very primitive in the beginning. They had such success they began to live quite nicely in camp.
This was such a massive production site, they've even started to give guided tours through the mine. Getting a look at the inside were all the real production happened was amazing. I still can't believe they actually got all of this heavy equipment here!
There's so much to explore and see here, I could on and on. But you get the main idea. This is truly an amazing and inspiring site to see. If you ever get to Alaska, don't miss a trip to Kennecott, you'll be glad you did. Just remember to bring some instant flat-fixer- that road is precarious!
Alpine Guard Station Update
After a long summer of hard work, it looks like the Alpine Guard station is ready for business! I just heard from Elizabeth that almost all of the work has been completed. That's excellent news because we were very concerned that it wouldn't get done before the snow started falling.
Since I've been blogging on a weekly basis all summer, you pretty much know what we did and how we did it on each of the three buildings. So for this blog I'm just going to show you some amazing before and after pictures. Some things will look exactly the same- but rest assured there was a lot of hard work to keep it that way! That's one frustration with preservation, sometimes the better your work is, the more it looks like nothing was done! You'll also see some significant changes too. But first lets start with this incredible picture from many years ago...
Seeing that photo made me quite inspired to work on these buildings. If we thought it was hard to get all those supplies up there via a work truck and trailer, I can't imagine how difficult it was via horse! Here's a picture of what this same building looked like when we arrived in June:
Looks like 100 years has taken it's toll on it. Now here's a picture of how it looks today:
Here's a before and after of the interior of this cabin:
Now here's a before and after of the main cabin. Doesn't the porch look awesome! (The porch was original to the building though it failed after only 2 or 3 years. We decided to add it back in a more structurally sound manner).
I think everything looks great, and I'm really proud of our team for getting so much accomplished. We put in some long hard days out there, but it was so worth it! Now if you want to spend a great vacation in the middle of pristine mountain landscapes, fantastic fly fishing and wonderful restored forest service cabins- you can rent this out!
I hope to get more opportunities like this in the future. This is why I decided to get into this field! Thanks to Elizabeth for sending me all the great photos. And here's a special one to leave you with...it really was amazing up there!
Since I've been blogging on a weekly basis all summer, you pretty much know what we did and how we did it on each of the three buildings. So for this blog I'm just going to show you some amazing before and after pictures. Some things will look exactly the same- but rest assured there was a lot of hard work to keep it that way! That's one frustration with preservation, sometimes the better your work is, the more it looks like nothing was done! You'll also see some significant changes too. But first lets start with this incredible picture from many years ago...
Seeing that photo made me quite inspired to work on these buildings. If we thought it was hard to get all those supplies up there via a work truck and trailer, I can't imagine how difficult it was via horse! Here's a picture of what this same building looked like when we arrived in June:
Looks like 100 years has taken it's toll on it. Now here's a picture of how it looks today:
Here's a before and after of the interior of this cabin:
Now here's a before and after of the main cabin. Doesn't the porch look awesome! (The porch was original to the building though it failed after only 2 or 3 years. We decided to add it back in a more structurally sound manner).
I think everything looks great, and I'm really proud of our team for getting so much accomplished. We put in some long hard days out there, but it was so worth it! Now if you want to spend a great vacation in the middle of pristine mountain landscapes, fantastic fly fishing and wonderful restored forest service cabins- you can rent this out!
I hope to get more opportunities like this in the future. This is why I decided to get into this field! Thanks to Elizabeth for sending me all the great photos. And here's a special one to leave you with...it really was amazing up there!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tight Spaces and Precarious Places
Oh the things we'll do in the name of preservation.
I recently heard from my co-workers from the Alpine Guard Station that nearly everything was finished up in the last days of September. That's fantastic news as we began to have our doubts we'd get it finished this year.
Elizabeth sent me some photos from her last day and the results are just awesome. Stay tuned for a blog with those photos. In the meantime I was looking through my 'before' photos and realized that we really went the extra mile with this project. Well, at least lets say that I did some things I would never have done in 'normal' civilization.
For one, I lived among the rats, mice and chipmunks day in and out. (We all did for that matter). I know I might sound rather whiny here- I mean that's just how the natural world works. But I'm a product of this modern environment, and I've become quite used to rodent free home. Ugh, who wants these things around anyway:
Luckily that one was shot by Helaman. We also put out so much rat poison that I'm sure their numbers dwindled substantially.
Then there were the very odd and cumbersome spots in the cabin that were just dang hard to reach. Like the foundation for example. When we tore up the floors inside the cabin it was obvious that the foundation needed some work. The floor joists pretty much just rested on the dirt underneath. Well, then how do we get down there and fix it. Oh, this is how...
Don't ask me how I squeezed into that little hole. I didn't mind the tight space really, but it was kind of scary thinking about what was in that dirt that I couldn't see- there were holes and stuff down there...spooky. Nothing bit or grabbed me though so it all worked out.
The one that really takes the cake though was the day that Helaman installed our new vault toilet! Was that a glorious day or what. After three months of fertilizing the Rocky Mountain Wilderness we finally got a toilet! Mind it was only a vault, it's not like it flushed or anything but I sure didn't care.
First we dug an enormous pit for the vault, then laid it in, and poured concrete all around it. From here we built an outhouse on top of the concrete. Our very own bathroom. Helaman then installed the toilet. Unfortunately for me, he dropped a wrench down the hole when he was installing it. That's right, I was the lucky one that had to be lowered down into that scary dark dungeon. (Don't Worry- it had not been used yet!!) It was still freaky though. Just the thought of the fact that I was getting lowered into the toilet was weird. I must admit it was pretty hilarious though. Helaman's a tough dude. I grabbed onto his arms and he lowered me down- like he was setting down a book- dang.
It was awfully dark down there! I found his wrench though, and then he grabbed onto my hands and pulled me back up. We were laughing so hard at the insanity of the situation I almost didn't make it.
There are plenty of other examples, but these just happened to be the ones I caught pictures of. You know, photos to show the kids some day so they can be so proud of their mom!
I recently heard from my co-workers from the Alpine Guard Station that nearly everything was finished up in the last days of September. That's fantastic news as we began to have our doubts we'd get it finished this year.
Elizabeth sent me some photos from her last day and the results are just awesome. Stay tuned for a blog with those photos. In the meantime I was looking through my 'before' photos and realized that we really went the extra mile with this project. Well, at least lets say that I did some things I would never have done in 'normal' civilization.
For one, I lived among the rats, mice and chipmunks day in and out. (We all did for that matter). I know I might sound rather whiny here- I mean that's just how the natural world works. But I'm a product of this modern environment, and I've become quite used to rodent free home. Ugh, who wants these things around anyway:
Luckily that one was shot by Helaman. We also put out so much rat poison that I'm sure their numbers dwindled substantially.
Then there were the very odd and cumbersome spots in the cabin that were just dang hard to reach. Like the foundation for example. When we tore up the floors inside the cabin it was obvious that the foundation needed some work. The floor joists pretty much just rested on the dirt underneath. Well, then how do we get down there and fix it. Oh, this is how...
Don't ask me how I squeezed into that little hole. I didn't mind the tight space really, but it was kind of scary thinking about what was in that dirt that I couldn't see- there were holes and stuff down there...spooky. Nothing bit or grabbed me though so it all worked out.
The one that really takes the cake though was the day that Helaman installed our new vault toilet! Was that a glorious day or what. After three months of fertilizing the Rocky Mountain Wilderness we finally got a toilet! Mind it was only a vault, it's not like it flushed or anything but I sure didn't care.
First we dug an enormous pit for the vault, then laid it in, and poured concrete all around it. From here we built an outhouse on top of the concrete. Our very own bathroom. Helaman then installed the toilet. Unfortunately for me, he dropped a wrench down the hole when he was installing it. That's right, I was the lucky one that had to be lowered down into that scary dark dungeon. (Don't Worry- it had not been used yet!!) It was still freaky though. Just the thought of the fact that I was getting lowered into the toilet was weird. I must admit it was pretty hilarious though. Helaman's a tough dude. I grabbed onto his arms and he lowered me down- like he was setting down a book- dang.
It was awfully dark down there! I found his wrench though, and then he grabbed onto my hands and pulled me back up. We were laughing so hard at the insanity of the situation I almost didn't make it.
There are plenty of other examples, but these just happened to be the ones I caught pictures of. You know, photos to show the kids some day so they can be so proud of their mom!
Monday, October 4, 2010
What are these?? ...Anyone.... Anyone...
Now that it's October (my very favorite month!) I'm getting in as much outdoor activity as possible before the season changes to bitter cold. Unfortunately that doesn't equate to much activity- chemistry just takes up so much time! I was able to sneak in a quick bike ride this past weekend though.
Surprisingly, there aren't as many mountain biking trails in this area one might expect. I mean, we're in the heart of the Rocky Mountains here- the biggest outdoor playground in the country. Leadville also hosts the Leadville Trail 100 every year. You know, that little bike rice that's 100 miles over massive rocky mountain terrain. The one that Lance Armstrong occasionally makes an appearance at and blows away all the other riders. So yes, I'm a little bitter that there is not more single track terrain to play on, but I'll take what I can get. I drove my car out of Leadville towards Tennessee Pass- about 10 miles or so; directly across from the Ski Cooper ski area.
There are some trails around here that I've seen before, but I can't find any information on them. It's important to know what kind of trail you're getting on- is it for Beginners or Experts? Are there long climbs or descents? Is it technical with lots of rocks, roots and switchbacks? These are things I like to know before I start pedaling. In the case of Leadville however, sometimes you just gotta get on the trail because there's no other way to know.
This is exactly what I did on Sunday- I started on a trail just North of the Tennessee pass trail. Turns out this trail was part of both the Continental Divide Trail, and the Colorado Trail (goes from Durango to Denver). Ok so that sounds pretty cool. I started pedaling for a 1/2 mile or so, and then I came across an open field where I see this:
Woa! What is that I thought? I had to get off my bike and go investigate. This kind of looked like a falling down igloo, only made with rocks. The rocks were rudimentary stacks with sand in-between. It was used for fire of some sort. The entire inside was completely covered with soot. Then as I was wondering, I noticed that there were more, only they were mostly gone. There were about five in total- mostly just the ring at the base was left. Two were of this primitive stone, the others were made of brick. What was going on here?
My first thought was that these were some kind of shelter many years ago. But then that didn't make sense, why would they be here? And there was so much soot and ash covering the inside, maybe these were some kind of kilns? But then for what? Then I thought about the 10th Mountain Division. This was a division of the Army that trained in this area during WWII. They trained here in preparation for fighting in the Alps. (Stay tuned for an entire blog dedicated to this fascinating story.) So were these used by the soldiers? Some kind of training activity, or armory?
I attempted to find something online, but my search has proved futile thus far. I don't even know what to call these so how do I search for them? So, here's where I'm putting out the request to all you readers. I know that someone knows what these are. And I'm sure there is a very simple explanation that I'm overlooking. So dear reader, if you have any insight into these stone igloos- please solve the mystery and let us know what these are!
Surprisingly, there aren't as many mountain biking trails in this area one might expect. I mean, we're in the heart of the Rocky Mountains here- the biggest outdoor playground in the country. Leadville also hosts the Leadville Trail 100 every year. You know, that little bike rice that's 100 miles over massive rocky mountain terrain. The one that Lance Armstrong occasionally makes an appearance at and blows away all the other riders. So yes, I'm a little bitter that there is not more single track terrain to play on, but I'll take what I can get. I drove my car out of Leadville towards Tennessee Pass- about 10 miles or so; directly across from the Ski Cooper ski area.
There are some trails around here that I've seen before, but I can't find any information on them. It's important to know what kind of trail you're getting on- is it for Beginners or Experts? Are there long climbs or descents? Is it technical with lots of rocks, roots and switchbacks? These are things I like to know before I start pedaling. In the case of Leadville however, sometimes you just gotta get on the trail because there's no other way to know.
This is exactly what I did on Sunday- I started on a trail just North of the Tennessee pass trail. Turns out this trail was part of both the Continental Divide Trail, and the Colorado Trail (goes from Durango to Denver). Ok so that sounds pretty cool. I started pedaling for a 1/2 mile or so, and then I came across an open field where I see this:
Woa! What is that I thought? I had to get off my bike and go investigate. This kind of looked like a falling down igloo, only made with rocks. The rocks were rudimentary stacks with sand in-between. It was used for fire of some sort. The entire inside was completely covered with soot. Then as I was wondering, I noticed that there were more, only they were mostly gone. There were about five in total- mostly just the ring at the base was left. Two were of this primitive stone, the others were made of brick. What was going on here?
My first thought was that these were some kind of shelter many years ago. But then that didn't make sense, why would they be here? And there was so much soot and ash covering the inside, maybe these were some kind of kilns? But then for what? Then I thought about the 10th Mountain Division. This was a division of the Army that trained in this area during WWII. They trained here in preparation for fighting in the Alps. (Stay tuned for an entire blog dedicated to this fascinating story.) So were these used by the soldiers? Some kind of training activity, or armory?
I attempted to find something online, but my search has proved futile thus far. I don't even know what to call these so how do I search for them? So, here's where I'm putting out the request to all you readers. I know that someone knows what these are. And I'm sure there is a very simple explanation that I'm overlooking. So dear reader, if you have any insight into these stone igloos- please solve the mystery and let us know what these are!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Cool East Coast Towns!
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit some family on the Delaware Coast. We got very lucky with 80 degree temperatures and luxuriously warm ocean water temperatures. It was a fantastic week of swimming, playing tennis, and of course, doing homework. But besides that- I got to see some great historic towns. What else do expect of the East Coast!
First up was Ocean City, Maryland. Ok, I know that this seems far from a 'historic' town, but it does have a great history. (If you've never been there, think kitschy boardwalk, over-priced amusement park rides, water slides and LOTS of miniature golf. You can see what I mean from the picture below.
Don't let that fool you though, Ocean City has kept some of it's historic feel, just not a lot. Here is a classic example of a town investing in the tourist trade at all costs for economic gain. And sometimes, that's just what towns have to do to survive.
I'll be the fist to admit that I take full advantage of such craziness. You gotta look closely at that second picture- I just love the severed head behind Jimmy and I!
In a way this is all right in line with it's history. The town started as resort town in the mid to late 1800's and it's simply evolved with the times.
Ok, so Ocean City is fun and all, but let's move on to a real historic town. We visited Easton, Maryland one warm day and explored it's historic downtown. Colonists permanently settled in Easton in 1695 and the town was formally established in 1725. (Sure puts these Colorado towns to shame!) Here's a fantastic brick home circa 1805:
Since the late 17th and 18th century iron has been the towns industry. Later came steel, the Morse automobile, cotton and thread mills, and my personal favorite, the location of the spring supplying the oldest carbonated beverage company in the country.
The town has done a great job of restoring its older homes. Here's a few of my favorites:
The other thing about Easton homes that I absolutely loved are the big porches on most of the homes. Porches were very important in the days pre-airconditioning. Summers can get very hot and very humid in Maryland. Folks couldn't just adjust their thermostat on scorching hot days 100 years ago. Today porches are an after-thought, if they're considered at all when building new homes. We've lost the art of sitting outside on a summer evening and conversing with our friends and neighbors. I think we need to add a 'porch' movement to the increasingly popular 'slow food' movement. If only Americans could learn how to slow down and relax- we might see the beauty in these grand home additions.
Unfortunately we only had time to stop here in Easton for a little while. It was quite a tease for me really. To think of the plethora of fantastic historic towns all up and down the east coast- there's so much to see! I guess I'll just have to go back again soon and do more 'research'!
First up was Ocean City, Maryland. Ok, I know that this seems far from a 'historic' town, but it does have a great history. (If you've never been there, think kitschy boardwalk, over-priced amusement park rides, water slides and LOTS of miniature golf. You can see what I mean from the picture below.
Don't let that fool you though, Ocean City has kept some of it's historic feel, just not a lot. Here is a classic example of a town investing in the tourist trade at all costs for economic gain. And sometimes, that's just what towns have to do to survive.
I'll be the fist to admit that I take full advantage of such craziness. You gotta look closely at that second picture- I just love the severed head behind Jimmy and I!
In a way this is all right in line with it's history. The town started as resort town in the mid to late 1800's and it's simply evolved with the times.
Ok, so Ocean City is fun and all, but let's move on to a real historic town. We visited Easton, Maryland one warm day and explored it's historic downtown. Colonists permanently settled in Easton in 1695 and the town was formally established in 1725. (Sure puts these Colorado towns to shame!) Here's a fantastic brick home circa 1805:
Since the late 17th and 18th century iron has been the towns industry. Later came steel, the Morse automobile, cotton and thread mills, and my personal favorite, the location of the spring supplying the oldest carbonated beverage company in the country.
The town has done a great job of restoring its older homes. Here's a few of my favorites:
The other thing about Easton homes that I absolutely loved are the big porches on most of the homes. Porches were very important in the days pre-airconditioning. Summers can get very hot and very humid in Maryland. Folks couldn't just adjust their thermostat on scorching hot days 100 years ago. Today porches are an after-thought, if they're considered at all when building new homes. We've lost the art of sitting outside on a summer evening and conversing with our friends and neighbors. I think we need to add a 'porch' movement to the increasingly popular 'slow food' movement. If only Americans could learn how to slow down and relax- we might see the beauty in these grand home additions.
Unfortunately we only had time to stop here in Easton for a little while. It was quite a tease for me really. To think of the plethora of fantastic historic towns all up and down the east coast- there's so much to see! I guess I'll just have to go back again soon and do more 'research'!
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