LOCALadk Magazine

Making a team out of Earl and Ken is like pairing a patient grasshopper with a bull ready to charge. ough it might seem an odd combination at first, it actually makes sense. is kind of undertaking requires both kinds of energy. e first logs were laid out in mid-May inside Ken's pole barn. Progress went quickly because Earl and his partner, Sue, had canceled their cross-country camping trip thanks to Covid. Earl was happy with the distraction of the project and a chance to work with his hands in helping to create a classic Adirondack lean-to—something he holds dear. Ken worked hard to have the logs peeled and ready for when Earl would need them. He kept thinking ahead to make sure things fell into place at just the right time. Our camp is located in Beaver River on the Stillwater Reservoir, a solid square mile of private property with about eighty private camps—all of it completely surrounded by state land. ere are no direct roads to the camp, so you have to either run a private boat seven miles down the reservoir or put your car on a small barge—operated by the ompson family. (ey own and run the Norridgewock Lodge.) On August 6th the work crew loaded two trucks and trailers with supplies and half of the wood, all cut and carefully labeled for reconstruction. e trip included nine miles of dirt road before reaching Stillwater, a two-mile barge trip, and another six miles of rough dirt road before reaching camp. We carefully selected the best spot to pour the foundation blocks. It's where the summer sun rises directly into the lean-to; when the moon is full, it casts its bright reflection across the water and illuminates the sky and trees surrounding the lean-to. On August 14th a bigger work crew arrived, including another brother, Earl and Sue, and our camp neighbors and life-long friends, the Brods. One more convoy of trucks and trailers filled the barge and thus began the long, slow drive down the last six miles. e weather was perfect for building a lean-to. We were eager to start. Earl's meticulous scribe-work and the prelabeled logs made reassembly easy. e pieces fit together like a well-made puzzle — so well, in fact, that no light filters in whatsoever. Ken and Earl guided the rest of us as we used muscles, skills, and enthusiasm to get the job done. We finished building the lean-to in three days. It fits perfectly in its new surroundings. We wish our parents were here to enjoy the lean-to with us; we know they'd love it, too. My mom always wanted a lean-to. I can see her reading a book and keeping an eye and ear out for loons. And Dad is here as well, in the logs he lovingly planted so many years ago. Although this is a private place, we love sharing it with family and friends, and are happy and proud to show it off to anyone interested in seeing it. LOCALadk 36

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