Who would have thought ...

.... that I'd be climbing the beams of a straw bale structure, tightening the straw and helping place the metal roofing sheets? That little dot near the peak in the left picture is me!
I recently wrote about a day we spent at Orchard Hill Farm, helping raise the structure of the apprentice cabin. Yesterday, under moody skies and surrounded by the beautiful, bare forest, Robin and I returned to help as the tin roof was installed (actually, not tin; the roofing is made of a new product called galvalume). The wood planking and straw bales were already in place, and the North face of the roof was completed the day before, so all we really had to do was be keen and follow instructions. Which we did. Mostly. We did have a minor incident drilling a hole where no hole was supposed to be drilled, but that's another story.

And to see the world from the top! With a view like this, it didn't feel like work (as always, click on the image for a bigger picture)

And the view to the north is pretty nice too.




Because I am the guy that I am, I have to say we had a wonderful lunch; warming by the wood stove, we had homemade tomato soup, and bread you could top with fresh butter and cheese. There was thick sliced salami for those of that persuasion and coffee with raisin, date or apricot squares for dessert.

By the end of the day, as the sun began it's journey towards the horizon, the south face of the roof was complete, including the cap running the length of the peak and a patch over the hole for the stove stack. From condo living to tin roof laying, in 6 months.
I can't wait to see what's next.