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March 16, 2005
"You're invited…"

On March 9, 2005, our 26-foot, 2,600 lb. center column was finally delivered.  It was supposed to have been delivered the day before, but the driver refused to take the winding roads any farther than San Andreas.  The highway past that point was a "red zone," and the driver had not been given a pilot car.

Gail had to resolve yet another exercise in logistics.  She hired our neighbor Scott to meet the driver in San Andreas and tractor the column the rest of the way up to our building site.  The shipment also included additional materials that had been left out of the original delivery.  That evening, Scott called to let us know that everything had been received and transported with no problem.

On March 10, Gail and Russell took a day trip up to the mountain to confirm delivery and continue inventory.  Although the weather has so far been clear since delivery, the forecast called for another storm, so we also had to cover every stack of material in black plastic.  On March 14, Gail and Cameron took yet another day trip up to continue the work.  Needless to say, many parts in the inventory were either missing, incorrect, or just plain mysterious.  Gail assembled a list and forwarded it to Topsider.

Gail takes a break while doing inventory.  She is leaning against the eight cast-iron corner posts.  At the left is the 26 foot, 2,600 lb. center column.

At this point, our priority was to wait for a reliable spell of good weather.  Finally, on March 16, 2005, we put a stake in the ground and sent the following invitation to our friends and family…

SUBJECT: HOUSE BUILDING PARTY WITH GAIL AND RUSSELL

Have you ever wanted to build your own house?

Have you ever desired to work together with a team of fun and interesting people?

Have you ever craved the satisfaction of doing hard, manual labor and then stepping back to see what you've accomplished?

Have you ever dreamed of toiling with no hope of monetary reward, barely one step above slave labor?

WELL, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!

Russell and Gail (and Cameron and Joss) are about to embark on their next daring (and foolhardy) adventure, which is to build an entire house in the mountains.

We are hosting a house-raising "party" beginning on Saturday, April 16, 2005. We are looking for a number of people who are interested in helping us to lift heavy objects, wield tools, and share the experience as we try to learn how to build a house.

THINGS TO KNOW IF YOU JUST WANT A GOOD LAUGH:

• Russell and Gail recently purchased a 50+ acre parcel of land in Gold Country. This is a beautiful mountain top with an almost 360-degree panoramic view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east and the Central Valley to the west.
• We have had a 1900+ sq ft vacation home "kit" delivered to the top of the mountain. This is a unique octagonal, post-and-beam two-story house with floor-to-ceiling window walls. Everything is in pieces, and needs to be put together.
• We don't know a thing about building a house either. We're going to make it up as we go along.

THINGS TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO COME AND HELP:

• We are hosting a house-raising "party" beginning on Saturday, April 16 for a whole week through Sunday, April 24 (we are actually driving up there on Friday evening, April 15). This is Spring break week -- at least, our kids are out of school. We would welcome your help on either of the weekends or anytime during the week. You can even just come up for a day.
• This date is highly dependent upon the weather. If it's pouring rain, we'll reschedule.
• You do not need to know a thing about building a house -- we don't either. The main thing we are looking for is people who are willing to help lift heavy things, wield tools, and have a good time. (If you've ever been around Russell and Gail before, you know that we know how to have fun!)
• There is plenty of room for camping on the property. It is a gorgeous location, with trees, hiking trails, panoramic views, and sunsets to die for. Unfortunately, besides a water spigot, there is nothing other than what you bring. If you want to camp, you will need sleeping bags, tents, food, gear, etc. We have a fire pit, gas grill, and pit toilet.
• Families and children are welcome. They don't have to help; they can just explore and play. Be aware that there is poison oak on the property.
• Unfortunately, we cannot offer any compensation, other than the joy and experience of the adventure. And, of course, use of the vacation home after it's finished (which is actually not a bad trade!)
• We anticipate days of hard work, interspersed with good food among warm and friendly people, followed by beautiful sunsets and even more beautiful star-filled night skies. If you want to get away from it all, this is literally paradise on earth.

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