…they’ll want to build a house with it.
And if they build a new house, they’ll need to take the old one down first.
Making a new house reminds them that they’ll need a plan.
So they’ll meet with old friends, and they’ll open books and make drawings.
Once they have a plan, they’ll want to hew round logs square.
And to hew round logs into timbers for building, they’ll need the right ax.
So their blacksmith will make them one.
They’ll need charcoal to bring iron and steel to a great heat.
For that they’ll build a collier’s pit and burn the earth and the wood inside.
And if they build a coal-pit in a field, they’ll need to mow tall hay with a scythe.
Once they have the field, the pit, the charcoal, and the ax, they can hew the oak.
When they’re finished hewing one, they’ll want to hew another.
And another.
And another.
And when they’ve squared enough timber,
they’ll pit-saw some of the big pieces into smaller ones.
They’ll start pit-sawing.
The work will remind them of old friends they used to saw with.
Some will even come to saw with them.
Soon, they’ll have enough timber to frame a cottage.
And if they build a house, they’ll probably want to put a roof on it.
So they’ll put down their axes and go to the marsh to gather thatch.
And after they go to the marsh for thatch, they’ll need a place to dry all of it.
When the thatch has seasoned and been put away, they’ll want to return to the frame.
They’ll scratch their heads and pull their beards & carefully lay out the oak timbers.
To cut the joints, they’ll need sharp chisels and saws.
When they start joining parts together, they’ll want to share their labors
with people who are interested in what they do.
When enough timbers are ready, they’ll need to clear the lot,
and dig holes for the corner posts.
They’ll join the squared oak pieces together on the ground.
And because the oak is heavy, they’ll invite some friends to come help them raise the frame.
After two posts are put in, they’ll all want to put in two more,
and set them firmly in the ground.
And having so many friends there to help, they’ll want to carry over big timbers
to put on top of the posts and beams.
And chances are, if they build a house where the old one once stood…
…they’ll want an oak tree to help finish it.
photos by Marie Pelletier, Peter Follansbee, and Sally Rothemich
Tags: hewing, hewing a log, oak, pilgrim house, Plimoth Plantation, The Francis Cooke House, timber frame
So great to see it all together,such an undertaking!
Rick – I’m going to start a sentence with my least-favorite opener – “you should” – pull this post down, take it to Marie for some layout/design, and you have your first book. Absolutely great. Made our day here at Landing Rd. The kids read it to me. Nice going. Maureen said “only a parent would get it” but think about how many parents traipse thru PP. dig it.
Great narrative. Makes me want a cookie!
a book did you say a book–well why not.
Great post, and yes this is one or two steps away from a childrens book. Which I would totally read to my son.
What a great post! One of the best I’ve read in a long time, felicitation!!
Cheers
David
….. and this is the house that Jack built! Makes my hands itch, it really does.
I wanna see more!
You forgot to ad-And make clapboards!
Ed Winslow
That’s in the next installment Ed!
A great year! Fantastic post. Agree with the others…book material.
PHAT!
“Many hands make light work.”
Great job !
WOW! Amazing coincidence that my 25 students just finished studying “Circle Stories” and each wrote their own. I will be showing them this one as a wonderful culmination to our unit! Thanks!
Only thing missing… I watched Chris Anderson cut A LOT of clap boards for this house and no inclusion in the story? Houses certainly remind me of clapboards!… Hope to see that in book 2!
Oh we haven’t forgotten a bit about Chris and all the great work he’s done this season, Pattyann! Though thanks for the reminder. These last few posts have been pretty frame-specific. We’ll blog a bunch about the house’s finishing as we move towards that.
Glad to hear our story dovetailed with your class studies! Thanks for letting us know!
Rick
PS: Have you heard Chris play the bagpipes? He played for us at the end of his last day and it was brilliant!
My students LOVED this circle story as we showed it to them on a big screen… perfect fit with our studies AND so informational for them to see such amazing work!
I’m so glad it worked out for your class, Pattyann! We must have been a little scary to look at up on the bigscreen!
Amazing post – I love what you guys do.
Thanks for saying, Kev. We appreciate the feedback!