2003 Rendezvous

Phelps Barn Restoration & Rendezvous
Elmwood, Illinois
June 15-28, 2003

Day 3 Report

We have discovered some amazing patches, and secreted piles of bug and rodent debris as the rest of the skins and floors slowly yield their histories to the bright sun. A crew from a TV station in Peopria turned up today and asked a lot of surprisingly well-informed questions. We expect to see them again next week.

Midday (but not the hottest part) we took a break to look at another frame that Rick Collins was working on about 20 minutes away.

Folks in town are stopping by the site in increasing numbers, and we are putting them to work as best we can talk them into it. Today Neville Bodsworth (Sioux Lookout, Ontario) is putting the finishing touches on a long scarfed sill to replace one that we were able to remove with just brooms, after Joe Miller jacked the entire structure up another few inches. Back under the tarps, Tom Cundiff is scratching away at the layout, and Carl Reinking has his hands full with a pair of very dry hickory eave plates.

The horizon (which was pretty far away to begin with) has disappered into the haze, and we're almost hoping for showers this afternoon. New arrivals include Denny Hambruch from New York and Cathy Williams all the way from Golden, BC. Today's only departure is Chris Koehn who has to start a raising tomorrow morning way up in Wisconsin. We still got a good half day out him in the Scarf Department. A pretty long drive for just two days of work, for which we are grateful.

Certainly the frame looks straighter and taller than it did yesterday at this hour. Come on by and take a look.

Joe Miller atop staging.	Bad weather coming?	Chris Koehn
Carl Reinking.	Jeff Holmes	John Falotico
Gary Fry
MORE PHOTOS