The NEW Lodge at Black Rapids

Weekly School Update: Session #9

Session #9: August 18 – August 24

The Final Touches

And so…this chapter is coming to a close. We are near the crowning touches, the belvedere and the hexagon. The last beams arrived from Tok and the final pieces of joinery are being cut. The rafters are being fixed to the center iron ring (or “chase”), which will be lifted up to cap off the belvedere on Tuesday.

Did you catch the coverage in the Fairbanks News Miner on Saturday? Their reporter (Mary Beth Smetzer) really did a terrific job, and her photos were splendid. Our Ian arrived safely back in Washington but doesn’t yet know of his local fame – he’s featured in one of the photos.

The project – so tentative and dicey a mere three months ago – is now inescapably real: round the bend at One Mile Creek going south and there it is. From dream to proud structure astride the Black Rapids skyline. Once final timbers are in place, we hope then to lay the roof in the first two weeks of September.

We have, as always, a menagerie of visitors and volunteers this week. Just as Kelly and Ian pulled out, Victor joined us, full of energy for this week’s challenge. He is another Alaskan “can do” and exactly what’s needed. My best friend, Janet, arrived with her business partner Kathy, up from Houston. (Janet had me up late at night singing, like our old front porch days in college; we even had an audience of sorts, Chris and Dominique.) Janet and Kathy brought with them this week’s supply of food, drink, movies for the kids and the assorted comforts that come with RV camping. They also sponsored our web site. Kathy will be moving her husband here as soon as she returns. This was of course, roughing it, for my mother who arrived earlier in the week.

And, to top it off, my mother arrived – roughing it, good humor in tow, queenly claiming the comforts of RV luxury (well, what passes for luxury in these here parts) when the wind blew (which it did, often and fiercely, this weekend). She is in awe of the Alaskan skyline and (a bit more mysteriously) the Stanford building in Delta Junction. Mom accompanied the gang to the Delta Junction Fair, Rika’s Roadhouse and a few gift shops. Annie met up with the Lt. Governor and Representative Harris hoping to lure them to our site to see the historical site and the new building [?]. We were especially engrossed in the SPAM contest, where our delightful Sam won with his, “Sam I Am” carving in SPAM, a self portrait. [HUH??? —> We know Kim would have savored every moment of this event had he had the opportunity to be there!] His artistic rep assured, Sam also returned to help again this week. Exhausted from keeping an eye on her secret agent grandchildren roam the hillsides at Black Rapids, Mom slept for 10 hours upon her return to civilization (well, what passes for . . . ).

Richard, Kathi, Ben and Alex returned for another fine cooked pot of chili and Kathi took over Annie in the kitchen while she gave a tour of the cabin site to our Texans. Ben interviewed Michael for a school project while Brent stopped in to say good-byes. Other visitors and future possible volunteers stopped in promised to bring youth from Frontier High School next week to help with the roadhouse project.

The rain has held off – the gods must be smiling (or signing, as Michael would have it) as we finished this later addition to their ancient work.

Photos from Session #9:

Articles and Photos:

Introduction
Session #1: June 2 – June 8
Session #2: June 12 – June 18
Session #3: June 23 – June 29
Session #4: July 3 – July 9
Session #5: July 14 – July 20
Session #6: July 24 – July 30
Session #7: August 4 – August 10
Session #8: August 14 – August 20
Session #9: August 18 – August 24
The Final Push: Weeks 10 and 11

Letter to Prospective Students and a Letter from Jon Gantenbein, one of our Timber Framing Instructors.

Sponsored by the Black Rapids Trust, Inc. a newly formed non-profit.