Today was the day before our big day off, and it felt like it. Andrew and I cut the entire shelving structure and planed each piece. We ended up with many pieces, too many, hopefully they were all there. We rapped up the shelving structure making it a shelving structure in a box. All it needed now was an instruction manual. We cut early and a much-needed day off was ahead.

Today started with a stop at the donut shop, we were 15 min late so we had to get the goods. After some prep work and cruising materials around with the fork lift we began work. After some minor adjustments to the loft we sheathed it and had a second level. Some mock ups were made for the siding and I began to see just what it was my family had donated. The old face of the granary was showing through. I never thought that that old granary would ever become something other than a pile of splinters. I grew up with it my whole life, walking past everyday, but now I see it. It was hot, demanding, a lot of work to carefully dismantle the granary, but as I walked away today it was worth it.

Adjusting still from day to day with different tasks, today began differently, slower it seemed. Time seemed to move fast, but the work moved slow. It may have been in anticipation of the several visits we received today. As we worked several people walked though asking about and investigating our work. It felt good to have other people excited about what we were doing, finally someone took notice. After visiting and saying our goodbyes, we pushed full force to finish putting up the TJI Joists. Also part of the loft went up today. It is such a change of space once that went up. We now have vastness and confined comfort under the same roof. I have to admit, today was the most challenging day as far as things going right, but in the end everything seemed to work out. I hope tomorrow is different though. I again sat in the window at the end of the day and looked up at the buildings ribs knowing that though today went slow, we could start to feel the space forming.

Today started with some coffee, I could still feel exactly where the harness sat on my back as if I was still wearing it. We started in various sides of the house while others sheathed the interior and exterior. Chris is a wall building champ and took control of the interior walls while Paul and Mike trouble shot the shading structure, two creative minds, I’m glad they got to work on it today. After all the sheathing and cutting it was time to excavate the interior of all the scrap wood and various tools. The interior had finally been revealed for the first time excluding some walls and a stair structure but close enough my brain began to imagine with a better scale now. I never thought I would be sitting the outcome of so many models I imagined myself moving through. After a two trips to the lumber yard we had what we needed and the infamous beam was created. The harness hung staring back, I knew I had to get back in it. Andrew and I went skyward and with the help of some scissor lifts we were able to get the beam in place. It was a late day, I left at 9pm and began to cycle tomorrows tasks through my head on the ride home.

-ty