Posted by ppeery on January 11th, 2011

Yesterday we completed all the framing up to the upper beam….and after
I left the crew spent the afternoon cleaning up the site for the
Christmas Holiday and the increasing flow of prospective clients being
shown the venue….

Seeing it come together over this five/six time frame has been an
emotional experience–to say the least.  We have battled some extreme
weather conditions with below zero wind chills, heavy rains and more
recently snow….not to mention the omnipresent red Virginia mud in
between all the above…but throughout this first leg of the odyssey we
have seen the beauty of what we are privileged to create, experienced
the warmth of our clients’ appreciation, one another’s encouragement,
camaraderie and support that has made even the hardest days worth the
effort.  The building gets bigger every week and we have not even
started on the tasting room on top of the massive foundation just
poured–which will be over 40′ tall from the basement up.

It is very humbling to think of a project not in terms of this being
just like another structure so at least we know where we are headed–but
rather risking doing something so much bigger and complex that every day
is a taste and test of a new venture.  We are simultaneously both
exploring and discovering what we can do –and with this awareness comes
an extraordinary sense of gratitude to our clients–and each other–for
entrusting us with something that is both an awesome privilege and
responsibility.  While I believe with all my heart that this will turn
out well–the journey has already been a blessing beyond
measure–something undeserved and unexpected–and filled with grace in
allowing us to be a part of something this challenging and
overwhelming–something I can only see as a gift.

I am listening to George Winston playing Pachebel’s Canon–which at its
time was the first syncopated music of its kind–daring to tread into
unknown territory–and has always deeply moved my heart.  As
builders–Pippin Hill has already given us a taste of being a part of a
beautiful project and place at Bundoran Farm….somewhere we are humbly
learning to go with no little awe and a sense of joy….even at just
this beginning.

My best wishes and heartfelt prayers for a blessed Christmas and New
Year….and looking forward to coming back from France in a couple of
weeks for our next effort.

george abetti – geobarns

Filed under: General, Geobarns Updates, Green Building, Nature/Environment