 |
| Installing Codfish Cupola on the old garage |
The day after Thanksgiving was sunny and warm. It was good working weather and the Lacey boys were back. The big trailer was parked in the driveway again and the tools were humming. They were going to finish the work on the front porch. It had been quiet around Ladd Neck so it was great to have this level of activity bring back some of the energy from the summer.
 |
| Tight tongue and groove bead-board ceiling |
The front of our house faces northeast which makes it cool and lovely in the summer time but exposes it to northeast gales in the winter. So weeks beforehand we had decided on an all-natural look for the front porch that would be handsome and durable. We chose bead-board for the ceiling, red cedar casing for the posts and beams and a mahogany banister. Throughout the day we watched Chuck calculate the angle cut for every rail support so that all the pieces fit perfectly. Chuck Jr. manned the saw while Kevin swung the hammer. Flashbacks to the summer when the construction was moving so fast we couldn’t keep up with it. Months ago Paul had hand selected cedar caps for the railing posts for the front porch. When the Lacey boys finally put their tools down Paul glued and nailed the caps in place. Then everyone clambered up the stairs for a team picture.
 |
| Aligning the banister |
 |
| Paul Pacella and the Laceys |
Michael had flown in from Chicago to spend the holiday with us. He was anxious to get to the house to see what had been done since his last visit in early September.
While the Laceys were measuring and cutting,I busied myself raking leaves and running them up onto mulch piles. Michael scouted around the property and decided that he wanted to build a bench on the waterfront. He corralled Chris into helping him carry 2 6x6 leftover porch timbers and a 6-foot 2x10 down to a clearing by the river. This part of the property had been allowed to go wild, chocked with thicket and poison ivy. Chris and Michael had been assiduously working to clear it for the past couple of summers. He selected a spot with a panoramic view up and down the river. And after some tough digging, setting of posts, nailing the wide plank, Michael had fashioned a seat for watching life on the water.
 |
| Mike's new bench with a river view |
