A Vermont barn raising 2022. A barn raising as defined by Merriam-Webster is “a gathering for the purpose of erecting a barn.” Gather they did …
Our treed and rolling landscape had been excavated over the past many weeks in preparation for a new structure. A red barn designed to be built this spring and summer. Boulders had been unearthed in improbable dimensions. Geologically Jurassic. The Vermont soil is rich, and the land rugged…
A cement foundation had been poured. Framing completed too. Today. This mid-June morning the trusses were scheduled to be put in place. Sixteen trusses had been delivered a week or so ago…
One truss after the other was carried via a crane slowly yet smoothly somewhere before 7 a.m. this morning. The wooden truss rhythmically swayed to the imaginary click of a metronome. Gracefully dangling in the crisp air one truss after the next floated to the waiting and anticipatory arms of the two builders. Surefooted on a narrow cement ledge they thoughtfully focused on the “what next.” Immediately they hastened to secure each truss in its proper place. A hustle dependent on swift and certain action. The only sound that emanated was that of a boom crane. The builder skilled, strong, and capable worked seamlessly in conjunction with his fellow artisan. They spoke to one another in a familiar language that required no words. A well-orchestrated collaboration beautifully executed…
The builder’s feet straddled the timbers while he shimmied up the wobble of trusses and physically maintained a near perfect wooden structural parallel. I nervously watched from both outdoors and in. My studio provided a bird’s eye view. Their safety was paramount. The builder’s near vertical balance beam routine was dependent on the precision of his every movement. There was no room for error…
The last truss has been placed in position in less than an hour. I began to slow my breath as the builder repeated the dance, he was so apt at. I noticed while he was at the peak of the truss with a substantial drop below him that his left-hand jumped back while he remarkably maintained his shaky stance. I was certain he was injured but he skipped not a beat. He completed what needed to be done. Vermont…
“All in all, Vermont is a jewel state, small but precious.” – Pearl S. Buck (author)
