8: Cabin dialogue

Cabin update: Today, I both cheated, and I taught myself a skill that altruists would applaud. Cryptic enough? The truth is probably fairly boring. I posted this on Facebook. My friend Joel, a colleague at the NOC Chattooga outpost in 1989, with whom I rode now-classic-vintage mountain bikes to a fire tower back in the day, with whom I recently reconnected while paddling the Cheoah River last year and then shuttling folk while I had a busted wing this fall weighed in.

Joel: "Underwear is most comfortable when worn right side forward."

Me: "Nope. Must be cabin-building-related, not one of my everyday challenges."

OK, so I'll keep the cheating a secret, but I did learn how to sharpen a carpentry hatchet. I could -almost- cut hair with it.

Joel: "I figured this was going to be something about glue and tape. Careful that you don't much up the temper doing whatever you are doing to a fine, precision tool..."

Me: "Ordered a special file and stone from here after calling and talking to a guy there (who ironically used to work at the center!): http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.aspx"

Joel: "don't cut yerself....when I helped Bob McDonough build Kurt Doetger's house, I remember how sharp those slicks were...youch!!!!"

Me: "And yeah -- I got the slick sharper than I got the hatchet."

Joel: "worked on the timber frame over the winter in the early 90's. We were located at the raft barn on the Nanny. Timbers were of green red oak. Shaved like firm butter."

Me: "And OK -- the cheating involves treated floor joists and some hardware. You'll never see the joist hangers after the subfloor goes in..."