The Cabin's Arrival


Friday, March 13, 2020--The truck with the cabin kit arrives, just 15 minutes behind schedule.

Alas! the driver does not want to attempt to back in. Scott Rider, owner of Dogwood Mountain, agreed with the driver. The truck would have gotten stuck in the mud had it tried. In 45 minutes, Erwin, in a fork truck, hauled bundles of parts and logs from semi to cabin site.



Erwin shared that he used to be a truck driver until a semi, going to fast for a heavy, deep snowfall, jack knifed in front of him. Erwin's head is now screwed onto his neck with a plate in front and loops of metal in the back. One wrist is held together with a plate. Zane Cyzick, my contractor, hired Erin, 18-months post accident for a day. Impressed with Erwin's work, he is now Zane's foreman.

Daughter AnnaMaria (2d from right) is amused by and appreciative of my "fan club". There has been a gathering at every step during this project--staking out the land, prayer walks, groundbreaking....

Today LaVonne (right) and her home schooled kids enjoyed the opportunity to learn and observe without having to sit at a desk.

Ms. A, standing beside me in shawl and skirt, is concerned. The footprint, in her mind, doesn't look big enough for Ms. Winnie, my blue heeler, Australian cattle dog. She didn't seem assured by the assurances that Ms. Winnie will have two full acres outside to play in.







Scott (in yellow) answers many questions.














The kids wanted to know what the logs actually look like.
With Scott's okay, I pulled up a plastic cover and showed
them.
















The curved sides are the outside walls (visible from outside), and the flat sides inside outer walls. Drywall will divide the great room from the back half, and the back half will be dry walled into thirds--two bedrooms with a bathroom between them.








What happens next is uncertain. Rockingham County (VA) schools had closed for the day to decide on a response to COVID-19; by the end of the day Rockingham announced at least a two-week closure.

Though we are now finding our ways amidst unplanned changes in routine, I remain confident that The One who has cared for the details thus far will continue to do so.

PHOTO CREDITS: Steven David Johnson captured these images. He conservation photograph work is published in Focal Plane: A Journal for Photography Educators and Students (Spring 2019), on Facebook and Instagram, and several other journals. He teaches visual arts at Eastern Mennonite University, but is on sabbatical this spring to capture images of salamanders and other critters for a book. 





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