a sea lion briefly beached itself on Doran Beach this morning as we were walking by During our morning walk along Doran Beach, Ene and I were greeted by a friendly sea lion, who watched us from the surf before proceeding to briefly beach himself within yards of us as if to say hello. We’ve […]
Category Archives: daily handwork
Touching the Wood
My projects always begin with sorting the pile, touching the wood Like cooking, working with wood engages all of the senses in symphony. Touch plays a major role in the early stages of a project, especially at the scale of fitting out the interior of a new building, like the Guest House that now requires […]
The Value of Apprenticeship
the house I built with George Smith, Germantown, NY, 1988-89 I’m a strong believer in apprenticeship as a paradigm for learning anything. Much of what I have put into practice in woodcraft and architecture I owe to my friend and mentor, George Smith of Tivoli, New York, with whom I worked side by side building […]
Hoshigaki
nearly ripe Hachiya Persimmon, ready to be peeled and hung to dry Looking up at the persimmon tree’s wild constellation of fruit still languidly dangling, you’d hardly know we already picked over two bushels for drying. Ene recently discovered the Japanese art of Hoshigaki, a technique of drying fruit by a combination of open-air hanging […]
Uses of Wood Ash
This time of year we produce a steady supply of ash from our wood-burning stoves, our primary source of heat. I get an odd thrill from collecting the ash and putting it to use. ????? ??????? ivermectin pour on cattle Ash from hardwood is very fine, with an almost soapy consistency. It’s loose but sort […]
Ene’s Winter Garden 2
freshly picked Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) from Ene’s Winter Garden I never notice our pineapple guava bush, which frames the back entry to our vegetable garden, until the ripe fruit drops from its branches. This morning I picked most of the feijoa, about 2 gallons, which we’ll make into salsa, smoothies and muffins. As always, […]
The Week in Bloom
Hachiya persimmon are ripening early this year The raccoons have commenced their furtive nighttime raids on the persimmon tree, whose fruits are prematurely ripe by a few weeks. We’re still trying to figure out how best to use the hundreds of Hachiya persimmon produced by our single tree each winter, and have been picking and […]