And they lived...

So Mark and Jennifer share their joy in the sharing of Shepherd's Glen.  As Mark said, it is built as a place to come away and be still, reconnecting with the Lord and His creation.  A place for relationship, solitude, respite, healing...

...it is The Good Shepherd's Glen -

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall want nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

and leads me beside the waters of peace;

he renews life within me,

and for his name's sake guides me in the right path.

Even though I walk through a valley dark as death

I fear no evil, for thou art with me,

thy staff and thy crook are my comfort.

Thou spreadest a table for me in the sight of my enemies;

thou hast richly bathed my head wtih oil,

and my cup runs over.

Goodness and love unfailing, these will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

my whole life long."

Psalm 23

New English Version

Celebration of Thanks

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we invited all those who had been part of the process in the design, creation and completion of Shepherd's Glen to come and enjoy the finished product along with their families.  Over sixty people were able to attend the gathering.  Mark shared words of gratitude highlighting the efforts of everyone as important and valuable towards the accomplishment of the dream. 

The family members got to appreciate the hard work and creativity of each craftsman.

Mark and Mike exchanged appreciation. 

Barbeque was the meal of thanks!

Not only were two cabins built,

but relationships have also been built over the course of this project.

We give thanks for all of these new friends.

Remembering Montana

Our joy in the thanksgiving gathering was overshadowed by a very sad event.  Montana, our beloved thirteen year old labrador, took off on a morning hike/run in up to the ridge and did not return.  We searched the road, trails, ridge, and hollows with no sign of him.  He belonged to Lauren and shared his joy and gentle nature with the family for all of those thirteen years.  His sweet face and happy tail will be greatly missed.  We always hoped his departure would occur on the trail which was the place he loved...we just did not want it to be quite yet.  Montana, we love and remember you.

Welcome Thanksgiving Guests!

 

 Jane Maley welcomes guests as they arrive at Shepherd's Glen for Thanksgiving.  We have dreamed of sharing holiday meals and time together for two years.  What a joy to have the time finally arrive to open the door for a holiday celebration.  

Perfectly poised persimmons...

Enjoying the spread.

After dinner battleship and reading by the fireside

You Guys Have Really Outdone Yourselves!

I arrived to bring some fireplace grates and screens on my way to Franklin.  Devin and I arrived as dirt was being moved around with big equipment so we scurried inside to be out of the way.  I got her settled, warmed up her lunch, and brought in another load from the van.  The sun was warming up so I opened up the screened porch door for the fresh breezes...something was different...what was it???  Suddenly, I realized there was the shimmer of light on the porch ceiling.  Light?  From where?  Running out to the ramp, I glimpsed the blue-green POND in all its sun-sparkled glory.  Raptured, I nearly threw myself off the edge into the water until I calmed myself down and remembered it was a November day and the pond is fed by spring water.  Instead I ran out to find Mike and express my gratitude.  He thought I was more excited about the pond and waterfalls then I'd been over the cabins.  Well, the cabins gradually took shape over two years while this was an unexpected surprise in one week!   It is more beautiful than I dreamed possible.  The guys humbly said that they had made it up as they went.  They really outdid themselves this time! 

Furniture Delivery

Sofa and host-chair manufacturing, cushion completion, and table crafting all came together in the same week.  It was perfect timing to schedule the moving van to bring some antiques from home as well as the refrigerator and completed furnishings just in time for friends to gather for a canoe trip in the brisk fall temperatures.  A Man and A Van braved the trek into the wilderness - wondering at times how far off the main road I would lead them.  DCF made the wonderful upholstered furnishings according to Kim's fabric picks and design input.  Terry outdid himself with the dining table and bench seating.  The table top was made from an oak tree that was removed from our home a few years ago.  Terry combined that "new" wood with old timbers to make a work of art.   



Call it "Complete"

All that is left is the landscaping.  Many are to be thanked for this project.  From idea and inspiration to creation and completion - Shepherd's Glen is a beautiful culmination of everyone's talents and gifts.  Thank you to the long list of individuals to whom we extend our appreciation. 

Our desire was to create a place of refuge where one could enjoy the pristine beauty of creation. Our structure was intended to honor the land with minimal impact; looking like it has been in place for a hundred years. Using reclaimed wood and alternative energy, we hoped to remain good stewards of the gift the land is to us and our heirs.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Psalm 24:1

Window Seat Cushions

DCF in Tupelo made the perfectly fitting window seat cushions (note the "Shepherd's Glen" monogrammed pillow) in which Lauren slept for her first weekend home in nine months.  She declared the best spot in the cabin is the window seat!  It is hard to argue with the fall colors in glorious splendor outside the huge expanse of glass.  What joy to share this great place with friends and family.

Dustin the Woodcarver

 Dustin and Janet are neighbors.  They rode their bicycles over with baby Esther in a backpack carrier to view Dustin's handiwork newly residing in the cabin.  We commissioned Dustin to carve stools for the kitchen counter.  He suggested a "goblet" style using a whole log of poplar for the three stools.  They perched on the beautiful stools for snacktime with Mark while Esther slept on Devin's bed. 

New Tenants

A trip to our attic unearthed long-forgotten friends packed away.  Invited out, they have all bathed and clamored into the dresser drawers being taken up to the Glen.  Sweet happy faces ready to grace the kid's loft in the cabin.  Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, Madeline, Floppy Puppy, Lambie and Teddy Bears are all looking forward to new adventures at Shepherd's Glen.

Loving Tears...

In our family, when you cry because you are so happy or because you are overwhelmed with love and gratitude, we call it having "loving tears".  Labor Day weekend brought many opportunities for loving tears to fill my eyes as we moved the first load of furniture, kitchen items, and towels into the main cabin.   I went up a day ahead to clean rafters to floor.  Grandpa and Grandma Shepherd arrived Friday afternoon with inflatable beds, blankets, quilts (of course!), a lovely porch swing, and a cooler full of food.  She was the cupboard and drawer scrubber.  Mark and Devin arrived for the dinner meal with the pots and pans.  Scott, Greg, and Ryan came on Saturday.  We had a wonderful time together getting the few things settled and sharing meals, laughter, and work.  Very few items remain until we can call it completed. 

After two years of construction, it was surreal to actually be living in the cabin.  What a great gift it is.  Here are some glimpses of the weekend...

Antique linens from Grandma Shepherd's cedar chest.

Devin slept in the window seat.

Finally got to enjoy the tub!Grilled burgers and s'mores on the porch.

Cousin Greg was home from college.

Portable table and tripod camp chairs.

Grandpa and Montana enjoying the gathering room. 

Scott and Ryan sharing conversation, laughter, and a glass of milk!

Bookshelves

Barry and Smiley installed the bookshelves in the gathering room and in the writer's room.  This completes the cabinetry for both cabins.  The lower portion is made from reclaimed oak and poplar.  Poplar is the inset wood.  The contrast is beautiful.  After all this time, Mike was mentioning at lunch a few weeks ago that we lacked a bit of lumber for the final touches.  Rickey, in between bites of his sandwich, said "Well, you could get some at my farm.  There are a couple of old homesteads with wide planks of poplar."  We all laughed that only now he mentioned this wood.  So to Gooch Holler they went to secure the final wood.  It turned out to be wonderful.  Better late than never!

Backsplash

The backsplash completes the cooking area of the kitchen!  All that remains is the refrigerator.  That is waiting for a moving van to move porch furniture and sofas at the same time.  As Labor Day weekend approaches, I am packing cleaning supplies, cook and dishware, linens, food, and a bundle of excitement for our first weekend spent in the main cabin.  There will still be some "camping" as the bed mattresses and some major furniture items are still lacking.  Undaunted, we'll be there on our backpacking pads!

Tractor Funnels?

Had a real challenge to find the perfect pendant lights to hang over the kitchen island.  They had to drop 10 feet from the ceiling and fit in with the decor and not break the budget.  Meeting all the criteria proved difficult.  Terry (cabinets) came through with the cleverest idea.  He made three fixtures using galvanized tractor funnels.  They are painted copper and rubbed to looked aged to tie in with the vent hood.  Low voltage cfl bulbs provide a great ambience in the kitchen.  I love how this project has given so many an outlet for their creative problem-solving skills.

Cookin' on Gas

One step closer towards completion!  The delivery of our all-gas DeLonghi range gets the kitchen in order.  The tile did not get installed prior to the range installation as planned.  A cream-glazed subway tile by Cobsa will go behind the range.  The hardware is now on the cabinetry and looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to cooking on the stove and eating in the cabin.

Dining View

I can barely wait for us to gather in the kitchen/dining area with food, family, friends, laughter, music...and cool breezes slipping across the screened porch into the cabin through the wide open window-wall.  As it is presently 100 degrees and super-humid, the dream will have to continue for a few months longer.  At least the view is glorious and the imagining is truly half the fun. 

Dog's Life

Montana is nearly 13 years old.  He's such a good dog - the kind that is content to lay around and wait for a pat or mealtime.  He is taking it easy in the doorway of the Hamilton Cabin's writer's room.  Who knows, maybe there is the seed for a novel about a cabin, the woods, and a dog.  Marley, Sounder, Lassie, Where the Red Fern Grows... Montana may be the next doggie best seller.

Pull the Chain

Isn't this a great commode?  We have not gotten to pull the chain yet, so the hope is it functions in addition to providing aesthetic value.  It is a reproduction with all the environmental water-savings design of present day toilets.  Remy's stone work is nicely visible behind the plumbing lines.  The different wall textures are very pleasing to the eye.  The plaster, stone, and beams all combine to sing nature's harmony!

Solutions

There have been many opportunities for on-site solutions.  This is the master bathroom door.  Mike framed the opening according to framing measurements in the plans.  Terry made the door in Mississippi based upon the door schedule.  The delivered door was 7' in height, the opening 8'.  Oops...we have twelve empty inches, the plaster completed, no other use for this 7' door...we do have a bit of a problem.  I asked Terry if he thought he could make a transom to take up the remaining space.  Oh, yes, he could...but he could even do better than that.  His wife, Cindy works with stained glass as a hobby.  Now we're talking about a whole new direction and I like it!  Cindy asked Terry if she shouldn't get my approval for the design.  Terry confidently said, "No, she'll love it - let's surprise her!"  This installed transom was my first view of it and he was right.  It is really beautiful.  It makes my heart sing!

TuTu's Chandelier

Remember that thought about finding a crystal chandelier somewhere in the rustic log cabin?  Well here it is!   TuTu bequeathed her chandelier to Lauren and it has remained boxed in the attic for years.  It has special meaning to Lauren, who as a three-year-old, exclaimed at her first visit to TuTu's southern Arizona home, "Oh, TuTu, I love your prisms!" (She was a Pollyanna fan and had watched the scene many times where the kids discover chandelier crystals create rainbows in the sunlight.)  So, dearest Grandma, if you are catching a peek from Glory, I hope you see the joy your beautiful light fixture continues to bring...perhaps even a rainbow upon occassion.  Thank you.

Home for an Elk

Uncle Scott went elk hunting in Colorado years ago.  A trophy elk isn't something just any home can have hanging around.  Since Scott moved from his prior home, Mr. Elk had been in storage, unable to impress anyone.  He's now mounted up on the the main cabin's fireplace to preside over the gathering room.  We are so glad to have an amazing hunter in the family and that he allowed Mr. Elk to come live in the cabin!  Thank you, Uncle Scott!

Garage Doors

Western cedar garage doors have been installed by Ringers out of Florence Alabama.  With the hardware added on, the look resembles traditional carriage house doors.  The new wood and old woods are blending together quite nicely.  The height on the doors will accommodate our accessible van.  Poor van has never known what its like to be kept under a roof. 

Devin's Ramp and the Porch

This ramp leads from the screened porch on the main cabin down along the pond.  Philip and Alan fashioned the railings.  Cannot wait to wheel Devin up and down the ramp! 

Here is the inside of the porch, looking out over the ramp.  Although the heat was excessive outin the sun, the covered porch was relatively comfortable.  Perhaps that living roof is working!

Floors

Oh, will you look at the incredible beauty of the reclaimed white oak flooring?  Arc Wood and Timbers are a source of amazing materials.  Gary and Lisa delivered the flooring over Memorial Weekend.  We enjoyed seeing them again; they had provided the large hewn beams and logs last year.  The flooring has been waiting in the cabin for a month to acclimate to our humidity.  "Doodle" prepared the floor and carefully put three coats of finish on the wood.  Once again, the efforts of  people from San Francisco to Ohio to Tennessee...everyone involved put forth their best and the results reveal a tribute to craftsmanship. 

Living Roof

The roof over our screened porch has been waiting for months to receive its covering.  Finally the day arrived when Southeast GreenRoofs made the delivery.  Glorious pallets of a variety of sedum plants have been placed onto the waterproof membrane.  The pallets make it easy to install a field of plants fully grown and filled out.  Easy, except for the intense July heat radiating off of the black rubber.  Happily, the requirement for a thorough watering came in the form of an afternoon shower - the first rain in two weeks. How perfectly timed!

This type of roof has several benefits.  One, of course, is the beauty.  Another is the value of temperature moderation.  It acts as an insulator for the space below.  With the heat and humidity in the South, we are hoping it will make the porch a more comfortable location to enjoy.  As the plants continue to mature, there should be a few tendrils that manage to grow over the edge.  If you are wondering about maintenance - yes, there will be some, but we were created in a garden and I count it joy to continue to tend and keep a garden, whether in my heart or on the roof!
 

Last Stone

Myron, John, Frank, and Nolan (who replaced Robert today) are placing the last stones in the last area.  This is the retaining wall beside the garage behind which the propane tank resides.  One of the most impressive sights at Shepherd's Glen is the magnificent rock work in the fireplaces, around the foundations, walkway, and retaining walls.  The day Myron was recommended to me as the "best stone mason in these parts"...well, that was a good day. 

Old Lights

Where did this lovely fixture hang in its original home?  Do you wonder what stories antiques would share if they could speak?  Likely it held a candle before electricity was available.  J. Britt's Gallery has wired it to hold a bulb (yes, an energy saving LED bulb) and it proudly hangs in Devin's bathroom.  The ceiling and walls are American Clay hand-rubbed plaster.  It is a beautiful backdrop for this amazing light. 

Granite

Glorious granite!  Stone Works in Nashville is the most wonderful place to wander around the stone yard!  There are remnant pieces of stone slabs left from other jobs.  The selection process is challenging because they are all so very beautiful and unique.  After three visits, the selections were finally made.  For the Hamilton Cabin bathroom, Typhoon Bordeaux was selected.  Caramel, cream, and gray patterns perfectly complement the slate in the shower.

The second photo is the master bathroom vanity.  Surf green was the selection for this two-sink area.  It looks like fine sand with delicate green plantlife washed up by the waves.  Flecks of red garnet are visible, lending a harmonious blend of the colors I love so much.  Polished nickel sugarbear faucets were Lynn's suggestion at 1717 Bath Design Studio. 

The kitchen counter top was not a remnant, but a difficult search by Mary to find a good source for Peacock Gold.  The blue-green base color has deep tones of gold and quartz for a wonderfully elegant appearance.  I know that 'elegance' and 'rustic cabin' may not appear synonymous, but it is my opinion, that as nature surprises us with extravagant and often unexpectedly delicate findings, the same should be welcome in a cabin.  Who knows, you might just see a crystal chandelier around a corner?!