A major milestone in the construction of the wranch house is underway: the installation of the columns, beam and truss which support the cantilevered gabled roof over the front patio. This structure brings stability, imbues personality and provides protection. This is the bow of my ship, from which I can look out into the future, the present and the past.
This house would seem fixed to its foundation, but it sails through the waves of Time, which bring calm waters and safe harbors as well as shoals and raging storms.
There is history here, known to the trees, rooted to the earth like my house and in the fading memories of the peoples who may have wandered by in ancient times.
There is an eternal spirit here waiting to be known and which can only be known in the fleeting moment of a thought, which disappears before it is fully grasped and cannot be described.
The future reveals itself as though it were the past: like echoes of laughter, or sunset’s red gleam, or a comet’s trail. It is a mixture of hope and illusion, which may be the same thing.
I watch as a leaf breaks free from its stem, flutters in its freedom, and lands upon the time-hallowed soil. Which was the past, the present, the future?
Time converges to the present. It exists for the instant that we are aware of it, but that awareness, fleeting as a smile, lasts forever. There is no consciousness of Time past or Time future, only memory or hope. Yet grasping the present, we sense the immensity of Time and the sacredness of Life.
Phil, Tim and Alex came up last weekend. We were not so lucky on the hog hunting effort but we did enjoy a couple great evenings around the campfire. We also cut up some old trees and made firewood, using Scott’s hydraulic log-splitter.
JP also visited the wranch for a couple days and got a taste of the property. We had dinner at Scott and Katita’s along with Kinsey and daughter Dottie. Scott cooked up a sampling of steak, ribs and cod and later we finished off the evening with añejo and 100% dark chocolate. The next day, JP took the buggy and drove around part of the wranch, including Ghostly Glade. We also visited Katpaw creek and pondered how and where to build a bridge across it.
Godspeed and fair winds, brothers and sisters!
May the swells roll soft beneath your keel
May the trade winds rise to fill your sail
May the sun gild soft upon your bow
May the skies glow red at night
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand
Adapted from the Celtic blessing
JP Ranch 
Hi Jim, I love reading these posts. For some reas
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Red sky in morning, sailors take warning- – Red sky at night, sailors delight.
Is the Wranch looking good or what! Of course some of the pictures made me hungry. All the pieces of lumber laying out to be painted/stained or whatever. Sometimes – er, most of the times I wish I was closer. It is only thirteen hundred miles away. Oh well, I will get there eventually. To see the finished product would be a treat.
Maybe a book is in order after all is said and done?
Stay healthy Jim and Paula- – it is looking beautiful. Oh yea, I’m still hungry.
If this come up the turtlepioneer- – well I guess I really am the turtle pioneer.
alias, cousin mike
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