Well Made and Enduring Pt. 03

The floorboards were hand-cut and over 200 years old. Removing a century of grime had uncovered some spectacular inlay designs built into the floor. Should they be sanded for refinishing? Complicating the decision were numerous patches of newer wood, sometimes for damage, but more often where a plaster wall was removed and new flooring was needed. Reluctantly, after consultation with Dr. Richards, Sheila Richards, and the Amish with woodworking skills, Elspeth gave the go-ahead.

This was the pattern for the coming months. On one side Dr. Lu, the Dean of Yale's School of Architecture and the listed architect, occasionally had input. Much more often, the day's questions came from the construction firm, via Larry Cox or James Maneeson. On the other side were the needs of the many cable show crews. Less often, but with increasing regularity, comments, requests, or questions came from outside, particularly companies interested in buying hardwood.

A typical morning would start with determining how much of the previous day timber could be released for firewood. That pile was divided into salable and stockpile. Next came the discussions of the next day's timber cutting. These could be difficult since some of the trees were two hundred years old and could take out many other trees when felled. Throughout, there was the current day's work to supervise. Intermixed would be squabbles over access to the electrical generators, the high-pressure-air lines, priority for anything―eg the big saws, air-powered tools, cured wood, wood curing space, etc.―and purchasing requests. Then, the contestants for the design show arrived.

HGTV had a long history of design shows. The first season of Design Star was won by the same David Bromstad who did the many frescoes around the house. He would MC the new season, which would use the various bedrooms, parlors, and utilitarian rooms of the house as episodes of the competition.

For example, the first episode had the contestants furnishing and decorating the kitchen and pantry. Before the program, the kitchen contained an LP gas stove, a modern wood burning stove and wood box, a large stone floor sink, and a stainless-steel triple sink. Off to one side were two bare rooms for storage and a walk-in refrigerator and freezer. Also available for the contestant's use were a butcher-block slab and 40 feet of countertop granite.

First up were the floor plan designs for the kitchen. One contestant was sent home without ever touching a tool. Overnight, the crew mocked up the locations of the counters and work stations. The main part of the episode had the contestants, in teams of two, setting up storage, window treatments, and decorative touches. The winning team built overhead hangers for pots and pans, using old wagon wheel rims.

Other team competitions dealt with the formal dining room―Dr. Richards' favorite episode―furnishing the den/library, master bedroom, and office. Individual competitions covered smaller bedrooms, baths, and hallways. The main entrance and large parlor were reserved for the finale, partly to showcase the original construction.

The entrance had a large star design built into the floor using three types of hardwood for contrasting colors. The main parlor had a dark/light stripe pattern built into the floor and the stonework of the fireplace, plus a David Bromstad fresco opposite the fireplace. The finale brought back eliminated players, to assist the two finalists. The winner received $100,000 and a cover article in New England Design.

In all, the program encompassed the entrance hall, an attic space, two parlors, eleven rooms, a kitchen and pantries, four bathrooms, connecting hallways, and an outdoor space. All moved from bare to finished and furnished. Another show covered the construction of kitchen cabinets, beginning with a standing-dead oak tree. A different channel covered the construction and equipping of a forge, in which an Amish blacksmith took residence. Later stages of the design competition had access to his metalwork, time permitting.

And so it went. The list of shows seemed endless. Maple syrup had a show. Water filtration and storage had a show. A gazebo on a rocky nob overlooking the Merrimack River had a show. The tree survey had a show. The salmon survey had a show. Even the weather channel had a show. When each of the shows finished, the show people packed their tools and left. Elspeth then organized the cleanup and refinishing. It was something she proved to be good at doing.

Almost without thinking about it, Elspeth assembled a staff. Some were full-time, like the carpenter, the handyman, and the blacksmith. Many were part-time, such as the smith's wife, the couriers, and the various assistants. Still, others were professionals, by contract or appointment, such as plumber, arborist, cabinet maker, glazier, stonemason.

There were also people cutting and transporting firewood, people collecting and processing maple sap, people stocking the wood kiln and an expert typing and grading the dried wood, people operating the dock and the loading equipment, and people on call for whatever came up. Elspeth was getting overwhelmed and James Maneeson was not far behind. Fortunately, Dr., the Honorable, Representative-elect Richards decided to visit.

For such an occasion, James Maneeson and David Bromstad made an afternoon available. Dr. Richards did not disappoint. David gave her a tour of the remodeled and refurbished house, then James took her to see the rest of the construction, ending at the gazebo. Without further prompting, Dr. Richards told Mr. Maneeson that she would have a site manager shortly, then she told Elspeth it would be Trip and that Elspeth would also have a position, as house manager.

Elspeth felt faint.

Epilogue

Elspeth Marie Otis-Endicott and Leon Linville "Trip" Lusk were married Christmas day, 20XX. Their first child was born a week before Halloween, followed by another on the last day of the following July. By the time Dr. Richards had her first two, identical twins, Elspeth had four. Eventually, they would have nine between them. The family continues to live in the penthouse apartment in Nashua, though they also have a room at Cloudrest, for when they need to stay over.

Elspeth supervised home-schooling of her children and the Gunter-Richards offspring. In theory, the children could attend public school, but the county road was unsafe for school bus use. By the time the county upgraded the road, Elspeth's oldest was a freshman at Columbia.

In addition to managing the house and school, Elspeth wrote Cloudrest, a bestselling book on the renewal of the house and property. She also published a book of short stories and a series of children's books. Her second nonfiction book made #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Titled Life on the Merry-Go-Round, the book recounts the life of newly elected Senator Siobhan Gunter-Richards. She is currently researching a book on the life of multiple Olympic gold medal winner Cindy Richards. Unofficially, she also publishes erotica under several pen names.

Trip Lusk manages Cloudrest Industries, a collection of companies centered on Cloudrest. The various companies make and sell firewood, lumber and trim, furniture and cabinetry, apple, cherry, and berry products, maple syrup, canned goods, handcrafts, and contract for custom woodworking and smithing. Though almost unknown outside southern New Hampshire, the businesses net well over seven figures per year.

Dr. Richards served three terms in Congress, then was elected to the Senate and is now in her third term. Her niece Cindy won five gymnastics medals and a record four gold medals at the 20XX Olympiad. Cindy's mother, Sheila, won several Academy Awards for cinematography, but never attended the award ceremony for any of them. Francine Martel acquired a collection of Toni awards for producing Broadway plays and a Best Picture Oscar for The Gold Standard.

That's all from Cloudrest Times. I am your host, Francine Gunter. Good day.