HI All

Things are consistently busy. Work goes on and is turning really rewarding. This crazy dream of resurecting an old synagogue roof by hand is really taking shape.

We've turnes our assemblies right side up and stacked them on top of each other. Just in case I never explained our process, here a short recap:

In order to condense the building time we've had to break the structure up into three sections. The Logwalls which make up the base, The Boxframe on top of that and then the Roof and Rafter assembly all the way to the peak. The ceiling which will be the center part of this exhibit piece is the fourth major part of this endeavour. All these stations have been building their part independently and are now being put together. Where we were all spread out for the last four five weeks, we are now buzzing around this 36 x36 foot box, inside and out. The roof will not be entirely raised, only a token rafter pair will be installed for a photo op, so that the shape of the building will be apparent.

This photo op is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Let's hope we have good weather and get things done until then.

Tomorrow is a work day, to make up for Thursdays Corpus Christi Day, a very high holiday here in Poland. The timber framers took the day for a trip to L'viv in Ukraine. A little adventure with border controls that most Europeans are no longer used to and most Americans have never experienced.

The roads in Ukraine are also something that most of us have never experienced. Pot holes over potholes made for very slow progress once over the border. This made the ride through the countryside seem much longer, but gave us time to take in the rugged landscape. We left the foothills of the Carpathian mountains and headed down a very straight and flat road, coming through only one bigger city before reaching L'viv. There was a market going on all over town and the place was bustling, much like the market scenes I remember seeing on TV from Africa or Asia. The bus wove its way through that as well, and after a quick nap we arrived in downtown L'viv.

This was a major trading point in eastern Europe and the old wealth still shows in the architecture. I was reminded of Havanna, Cuba more than once. We had a thorough tour of downtown and then set off to find food and beer and do a little shopping. The time was barely enough to get a first taste of the city, but I doubt that any one of us left the city without feeling charmed by it. I for myself would love to come back some time to see it reemerge from the deep sleep induced by communism. The one thing to be said in favor of this recent past is that it has preserved a lot of the original buildings and not imposed the ravages of urban renewal as other places have.

I'll post plenty of pictures!

And then I'm off to town...