Past Projects

Over the weekend, the weather worsened, as the East Coast suffered through an almost unbearable heat wave. Fortunately, the Smithsonian museums surrounding the Mall are air-conditioned and, best of all, free, so that we could escape from the heat for a few hours and view the dinosaurs, lunar modules, Mary Cassatt exhibit, or whatever grabbed our fancy.

Arnold Graton, Jr., roofing the covered bridge. On Friday, he and his father, Arnold Graton, Sr., were interviewed by NBC Today's Willard Scott and the bridge was featured in a segment on the morning show. They are historic buildings and covered bridge conservationists.

A panel of timber framing experts, composed of Tedd Benson, Roy Hutchinson, Arnold Graton, and Joel McCarty, discussed the benefits of this building style on one of the public stages.

Among the many fascinating exhibits in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History are woodworking tools, clearly recognizable to timber framers, and (below) the Tucker, one of about 50 cars made in the 1940s before the Tucker Automobile Company went out of business. These cars were memorable for their sleek styling and safety features. I'll take two.