Gordon “Bud” Shaftoe and I liked drinking gin martinis. We enjoyed going down to the NH State Liquor Store to buy Gordon’s Gin which, Bud said, was named after him. Either that or it was cheap. And he often ran out of Vermouth but who says you have to cut the gin with anything else? Those were some strong martinis!
No matter, Bud and I started the plans for building our new addition to Camp Singley. This was after one or two drinks. Okay, maybe four. It was to be an ambitious project, expanding the whole length of the waterfront side, adding a family room and a master bedroom. The first step was to figure out the placement of the concrete block piers anchoring the addition to the ground. Bud drew a map of where each one was to go. That being a Sunday afternoon, Bud and his wife “Prilly” (Priscilla) later left for home in North Attleboro, MA. They had to work in the morning. I also departed to get back to the church.
So Sandy and the kids dug the holes for the piers.
You may know that New Hampshire is known for rocky soil. Really rocky soil. So rocky, in fact, that shovels alone would not do the job. So Sandy and the kids took spoons to dig out the rocks in the places shovels refused to go. That’s why we have no spoons in our kitchen! Only kidding! But they did “spoon out” all those holes for the foundation piers.
Fast forward to the following weekend. Bud and Prilly returned to their place across the lake and paddled a canoe over to Camp Singley to check on the progress. Sandy and the kids proudly showed off their handiwork, deep “spoon dug” holes ready for concrete to be poured.
“Hmmm,” Bud muttered. Taking out a tape measure he checked the distances between the holes.
“They’re not right!” Bud said.
“What do you mean ‘they’re not right’?” asked Sandy. “We put them exactly where you told us to put them. Here’s the map you drew!”
Lesson learned: do not draw building plans under the influence of martinis!
So the holes had to be re-dug. Even then they weren’t exactly right.
Framing up on a not-exactly-placed pier!
We learned that lesson when Bud and I added the doorway to the side of the addition. It was a little crooked. Swung closed all by itself. Sandy said, “Something’s wrong with that door!” Bud said, “That’s good that the door closes by itself! You don’t have to do it yourself.” I said nothing. Just poured us another martini. The next day we took out the door and built a wall instead.
The Camp Singley building project came in over budget and way past the deadline. But we had a hell of a great time doing it. Along with Bud and Prilly, a bunch of our friends from North Attleboro spent weekends with us swinging hammers, ripping boards and bringing our dream to life. We laughed, and sipped adult beverages, and sat around the campfire at night. Around midnight, Bud and Prilly paddled their canoe back to their place across the lake. Ever notice how sound carries over a lake at night?
“Bud, there’s a rock up ahead!”
“No, Prilly, that’s just a shadow!”
Thump.
Splash.
Sandy’s Construction Co.
Thanks for another great story. Brings back memories of when my dad and two uncles tore down a barn for the wood they used to build a cabin on the Illinois river when I was a girl. The three families and our grandparents had many wonderful times there. No martinis were consumed, though there was usually plenty of beer.
Thanks for sharing that, Linda. Funny how “camp stories” run through many of our lives!! I hope all is well with you and yours!
Wonderful story and a beautiful addition. I’m sure you, family and friends will enjoy.
I love you writings. and your building handiwork.
Really rich memories that spark some of my own! (Reminds me of mixing martinis for my Mom and Dad (and many of their guests! Woo-hoo!) starting around the age of 6! That was SOME fun! It never materialized into a career, however, leaving me to wonder if the martinis I mixed for those guests weren’t quite up to par……)Thanks for the kindling!
Scot, I’d be happy to sample one of those martinis and tell you if they’re any good!…:)
Marty, if I still had “the touch” I’d do it in a heartbeat!….