Story Winter in Astoria

C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Something New
In a few days Ranger Ben arrives with his new RV. He had a career in the military, with the requisite moves. He developed a process of buying rental houses around each of his locations. He kept them for 5 years, selling the old locations and investing in his later locations. With a couple of lucky swings in the markets they have contributed to his light grey StealthMode4x4 van. He was planning to tour the country bumping into places he hadn't been and friends that had scattered to the wind.

Paul said, "Ben could you help me install some fencing into our cliff room?" "We have this rock drill and we can haul the trailer mounted air compressor over with the tractor."

Ben replied, "Sure I'll throw a bag of tools on the trailer."


Since we are in the barn anyway, I took a side trip and show Ben this end of the tunnel including the disconnected motor. He wipes off the informational plate which showed its capacity as 4 people and 76 vertical feet.

As they go to the cave in the cliff, Paul said, "I decided on this orange plastic fence." "In my mind the goal isn't defending the hole, but keeping the innocents away from swan diving." "The six foot height is a little much, but 4 feet was so short." "We can sink 2 JBolts in to each walls and then 2 eye bolts on the floor." "A cable through the fence webbing hanging from the upper bolts will keep it from sagging." "It will be easy enough to lift off if we need access to the tunnel from here."

With ear protection they were comfortable with the noise the tools created. After the holes were dug they could take their ear protection off and Ben said, "Looking up the cap is secure, but not water proof." "We could mount a tarp just as a local roof here to collect water and pass it the cave entrance."

Paul replied, "I like that idea, but the water has been running by here for years and we aren't seeing any puddling that will impact what we store here for now."


Back at the house, Nancy was finishing up a dinner of meatloaf casserole. Paul introduced a small research effort on the Canes for the Pueblo Governors and January 6th King's/Officer Day in New Mexico from his larger Southwest research.

Paul said, "It didn't take long to discover ceremonial canes when I started looking at New Mexico history." "Normally the only time to see a few is on January 6th Three Kings Day as the Pueblo Governor title shifts to a new officer." "It turns out each Pueblo has been given at least 6 of the ceremonial canes over the years."

Nancy responded, "When did the tradition start?"

Paul continued, "The first cane was presented by King Phillip III of Spain in 1620, identifying the local official and binding the population back to Spain." "It didn't prevent the torture and turning into slaves that occurred in that time frame." "Mexico also presented canes to the Pueblo Governors when they took over the area in 1821." "The tradition continued with President Lincoln in 1863 and NM Governor Bruce King in 1980." "Two other canes have been presented to represent their historical significance by the Spanish King Juan Carlos in 1987 and a descendant of Christopher Columbus presented canes in 1992." "Taos pueblo received an additional cane from President Nixon in 1970 after legislation returning the Blue Lake area to the Pueblo. Roosevelt had taken it for the national forest designation.
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Round To It
The next morning it was time to say farewell to Ranger Ben and his RV in a soft rain. His next stop was the 4 corners area and Cortez specifically. Nancy and I went over to fruit trees and ended up at the cave to look at the fence project. Nancy says, "You need to buy some fertilizer for the orchard." "You could turn the fertilizer into the ground including the mulch we added when we planted the trees last fall." "We should add a new layer of mulch for weed control and spray some organic neem oil before bud break to keep the pests out of here." "It looks like this area is a couple of weeks ahead of the rest of the yard."

My answer, "I remembered Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop novel mentioned fruit trees in front of a rock cliff would winter better along Bishop's Road in Santa Fe." "I was betting the same trick would work here in the milder coastal climate." "Her novel tells the arrival of the French Catholic missionaries sent to replace the Mexican priests." "I will have to look for some animal farms in the area for composted manure." "We have the draught resistant plantings with some native trees and we have the vegetable garden with these fruit trees." "We need to plant a field with ground cover as our alternate garden site, but use some of it for mulch."

Nancy's comment, "We should plan a trip to the Southwest with the winter storms ending on the bar and our early spring tasks done here."

My enthusiastic reply, "That gives me something to work toward." "Actually later in the summer between August 4th and the 12th would allow us to see a couple of Feast Days." "It is a good introduction to the Pueblos in the Santa Fe area including Kewa Pueblo's Saint Dominic Feast Day on the 4th and Santa Clara's Feast Day on the 12th. We should see Corn Dances and possibly a Buffalo Dance." "On the 10th we can look for Anniversaries of the Pueblo Revolt and San Lorenzo Day." "We can consider a spring time visit next year for some smaller ceremonies."

Nancy asks, "Tell me a little more about what Feast Day covers."

I say, "They are religious days frequently named for the patron saint of the Pueblo." "They promote good crops and fertile fields." "Frequently there are booths selling native goods and food." "There can be processions in the streets." "They are chances to invite your friends to come and eat." "Typically each Rio Grande pueblos is divided into the Pumpkin and Turquois "sides" each with a Kiva and a community house." "Large pueblos will have hundreds of people dancing on each side." "A Kiva is a round building about 60 feet in diameter typically with a ladder poking through the roof." "The community house holds meals for the dancers."

Nancy asks, "Are these the fancy dancers from a pow wow?"

My reply, "Remember these are ceremonies and not performances, you can spot the newbies when they clap." "The male dancers wear kilts with bells strung over their chests and rattles in their hands." "Frequently with animal skins hanging from their belts and feather head ornaments in their hair." "Their ankles are covered in skunk fur." "The female dancers are typically in a black dress with evergreen boughs and a wooden turquois head piece symbolizing the sky." "Each side will dance in the plaza to the chants of a male chorus and drummer." "The public can identify Corn dances by the long pole carried by a side dancer depicting a corn plant." "This is a good point to mention what the public infers about these ceremonies may not be the significance to the pueblo." "Each side dances for 20-40 minutes and there can be 4-6 rounds."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
A Project
Paul is down in the garage cleaning up after an afternoon of gardening. His cell phone rings and it is a call from Project Manager Jack from the Company. I say, "Hello Jack, a long time, no see."

Jack gets right down to business, "Hello, Are you available?"

I reply, "After spending some time with my Quonsets in Merritt, Washington. Nancy and I finished an ICF in Otis, Oregon." "How are you?"

Jack says, "I'm great and spending too much time running around the country." "Would you handle an analysis of the Earthships in Taos for me?" "The Feds want a quick rundown of a comparison of Quonset, ICF and Earthships." "I will send you from Portland to ABQ and you can rent a vehicle for the trip to Taos." "You get a week in a rental Earthship and return." "I will pay you per day with a per diem and a written report is due by the end of the month."

I say, "I need to run this past Nancy, but pencil me in for next Thursday."

Jack confirmed, "That sounds good, ping me when you are ready."

Back in the house, Paul starts a dinner of vegetarian lasagna with some reheated squash soup. Nancy arrives from Astoria ready for a relaxing evening. Paul says, "I got a phone call today from Jack at the Company." "He has a consulting gig for me that takes about a week." "Hopefully you agree this would be good."

Nancy replies, "Sounds like fun, is it local?" "How soon is he expecting you?"

I say, "How about Taos, NM?” “I gave him a tentative fly out of next Thursday."

Nancy says, "I wish I could tag along, but you get to find all the wrong turns."

I reply, "I can scout out a few ideas for our trip." "How about some dinner."

My first research the next morning is to firm up exactly what an earthship is and more about the company/community behind them. The company is Earthship Biotecture. The community is the Earthship Community Greater World of El Padro, NM about 20 minutes NE of Taos. Earthships have a couple of common subsystems. Exterior walls are stacks of tires with dirt pounded into them, easily 300 pounds per unit. There are water collection and waste water systems. Even power systems. I am interested in the comparisons and give Jack at the Company a heads up I will be traveling next Thursday.
 
Laurane

Laurane

Canadian Loonie
There was a partially built earthship near our place in British Columbia, and it was offered for sale unfinished for years….. nobody wanted to have to pull it down and recycle all those tires… pity, the company could not get labourers to finish it
 
F

Freebirde

Senior Member
IIRC didn't they have problems with earthships in wetter climates? And also chemicals leaching from some tires, especially those that had leak seal chemicals put in them?
 
Sportsman

Sportsman

Veteran Member
Interesting turn of events. I've toured a few of those in NM. Interesting housing idea if you're moving to the desert, doesn't seem so great in areas of higher humidity.
Thank you!
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Taos
Nancy drives me to the Portland Airport early Thursday morning and I catch my flight to Albuquerque, NM before noon without more than the expected hassles.


Walking through the Albuquerque airport is a blend of culture and technology. I grab my luggage and find the bus to ground transportation noting the desert landscapes are a change from the Portland green. I pick a red Ford Escape and decide to visit the Pueblo Culture Center where I find an exhibit on the Pueblo Revolt. Reading about it is one thing, seeing it in 3D brings a whole new perspective. If I am going to make Santa Fe by dinner time I need to be on the road. I pass the exits for the pueblos and climb La Bajada Hill into Santa Fe. I find the St. Francis exit and head for St. Michaels Drive with a left turn onto Cerrillios Rd and my hotel. I have dinner at El Comal. After a good meal and a travel day I am ready for a good night's sleep. In the morning I aim for the Pantry for breakfast and start looking for Highway 285 which is known as St. Francis in town and merges into 84 a little north.

In Espanola I find 68 which goes through Embudo and near Dixon on the way to Taos. In order to experience this architecture I looked for earthships in Taos like Airbnb: Vacation Rentals, Cabins, Beach Houses, Unique Homes & Experiences. Such places give me the experience of living in the architecture and gives me a pass to wander through the neighborhood which is normally off limits.

I decide on an early dinner in Taos at the Treehouse Bar and Grill with time to come back to walk around the neighborhood. My initial impressions are the smaller than normal solar arrays and the large attached greenhouse spaces which serve as the hallways between rooms tucked in on the north wall. One of my neighbors is out building a terrace in their yard and we exchange greetings. There is something about altitude and a desire to sleep that will make this a quiet night inside the thick walls. The following morning I make a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. I also get a run in the coolness and quiet of the morning.

My first stop is the visitor center at Visitor Center — Earthship Biotecture michael reynolds. Here I learn about the features of the modern earthship from the neighbor I exchanged greetings with last night who is a volunteer greeter this morning. Earthships are self-sufficient for power and have over 6400 gallons of water storage capacities which gives the faint odor to the tap water in the homes without filters. These homes are designed for PV and solar thermal storage in a 60 gallon tank. While Taos is known for cold winters earthships use 5 earth buried ventilation tubes with indoor gardens for fresh air and heat masses with large southern windows for heat. The goal is forty percent reused materials with a traditional truss roof. The starting points are tires used as exterior walls and bottles and cans for nonstructural interior walls. Water that falls on the site provides the water used during the year and after use it is separated as gray water for interior plants and black water/toilet water for solar sewage tanks and exterior plants.

I want to be at the rental for solar noon and a lot of the exhibits in the visitor center are active systems in the rental. As I leave the center, I invite my neighbor to sit around my fire and have a beer this evening. I take my calculations for solar noon and start an early dinner for myself. I clean up my dishes in the off grid house and prep a fire in the outside fire ring as my neighbor bikes by.


Back in Otis, Nancy gets in touch with Nerd, the dirt contractor. Nancy says, "I have another job for you." "I want to surprise Paul." "We found an intentionally damaged tunnel from WWII on our property." "The roof has caved in about 30 feet long and 12 feet wide." "Paul is gone for a week, do you think we can clean it out and create a replacement?"

Nerd replies, "That sounds unique." "I will be out in the morning to take a look."

Nerd arrives the next morning and looks at the covered cave in. It looks like a bucket job lifting off the grass cover and fill and then breaking down the concrete and rebar into workable sections. Working from the middle of the blast back to each end of the existing tunnel collapse. The fill probes out to 3 feet. He calls Nancy, "I am on site and have an estimate of 3 days for removal and and we could be placing concrete in a new roof by the end of this week." "Give it 3 days to strengthen and we can waterproof and cover." "Another week and we can remove the bracing from the tunnel and be out of your hair."

Nancy replies, "Great, go ahead and get started." "Paul will have fun with the mess when he gets home."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Discovery
Nancy's flight team was the primary helicopter today. The announcement came over the speakers of a distress call from an unidentified location between Astoria and Tillamook.

Nancy says, "Helio1 is asking clearance for departure."

Their local tower says, "Area is clear for you."

Nancy says, "Operations control we are ready for assignment."

Operations replies, "Please report when you are 30 miles from shore."

Helio1 reports, "We are 30 miles from shore and ready to join the search."

Operations says, "You are the lead searcher, what is your pattern?"

Helio1 reports, "Visibility is 5 miles we will fly lines perpendicular to shore every 8 miles going south."

Operations adds, "Communities on the coast have been requested to have authorities scan from the shoreline."

Moments later Helio1 reports, "We are 24 miles south of our starting point and see an emergency beacon to our north." "Leaving our pattern to approach."

Operations says, "Search abandoned and possible target acquired."

Helio1 reports, "The boat is not responding and appears stopped." "Boat is not taking on water at this point." "We are going to drop our swimmer and request a lifeboat to head this way."

Operations says, "Request a lifeboat to join Helio1 approximately 20 miles south of the Columbia Bar speed should be quick, but not an emergency at the moment."

Helio1 drops their swimmer near the boat. Their report is everyone on board is in good health. We have an open sea problem of a boat that has lost power. A brief conference and investigation determines restarting the boat is out of the current expertise.

Helio1 reports, "This is the problem vessel we are going to start a circular search out 10 minutes to check for other problems until the lifeboat is on site."

Operations says, "Acknowledged"

Lifeboat1 says, "We have the boat in sight." "We will tow the boat to Astoria."

Helio1 says, "Swimmer we will pick you up and return to base."


Nerd brings his team out with 2 dump trucks and a trailer with the bucket excavator. His crew removes the grass sod and places it out of the way. The bucket starts scooping dirt into a dump truck and moves to each end as it hits concrete. The first truck leaves with the cleanish fill. The jackhammers start breaking up slabs of concrete which are lifted into the second dump truck. While that truck is away the jackhammers generate a fresh layer of smaller pieces. The bucket starts filling the first truck back for a second load. Two more loads and the Jackhammer to the barn end of the tunnel spots what appears to be khaki cloth further down in the pile.

Nerd takes one look and starts calling the sheriff. The crew has just discovered a corpse dating back to the explosion. The crew block off a 10 foot radius around the situation and continues with clean up toward the cave end. The sheriff takes 10 minutes to respond and quickly calls for a crime scene team to take over the site. The crime scene team arrives in an old ambulance and photographs the area around the body and they collect a couple of bags of evidence around the body common in homicides and fatal accidents. They start directing Nerd's team to more slowly finish uncovering the remains. In two hours they have the complete remains of an individual crushed on the floor of the tunnel in a Coast Guard uniform common in the lead up to WWII. The body is respectably moved to a back board and then a stretcher to bring it up to the surface. The coroner is paged to meet them at the county morgue.

Nerd's team fence and add signage for the exposed hole. Nerd's team is given the rest of the day off.
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Results
Nancy arrives on the scene after her drive down from Astoria. Before she gets out of her parked car, she calls Nerd, "Sorry to disturb your evening, but you have crime scene tape around our hole, what happened?"

Nerd replies, "Thanks for the call." "There was a body under the rubble." "The site has been returned to us and you can expect a visit from the Sheriff when they piece together the story." "You should know that more than half of the construction projects have an incident or two during the project."

Nerd's team is back the following day after Nancy has left. The crew finishes up the rough cleanup including exposing rebar and attachment points for the new roof to join each end of the tunnel and the sidewalls of the exposed tunnel. On close inspection Nerd decides the walls of the tunnel in the explosion area should be demoed and replaced. They add a hole collapse rack on either side of the hole to avoid a cave in of the ditch. The jack hammers finish their new task and the excavator bucket loads it in the final dump truck before the excavator is loaded on the trailer and taken back to their yard. Then its time for cleaning the project area to their broom clean standard. A load of plywood, 2x8s and additional rebar arrive for the wall areas. The trailer reappears with rebar, bracing and metal sheets to support the concrete when it is placed. The rebar is placed and tied over the metal sheeting and into the wall frames. Cement for the walls and ceiling is placed in a single pour to add to the strength.


There is something sweet about the scent of a pinyon fire. My neighbor shows up with his own beer for our discussion. We talk over earthships again and solve the problem of the water odor from the sink. I mention some of my history research which leads off into the stories. My neighbor says, "You should visit Los Golondrinas, New Mexico south of Santa Fe." "It is a living history outdoor museum and will touch on a number of your research topics." "They have recreated buildings from across northern New Mexico and have guides in period dress."

"One of the witchcraft stories outside of most history books is the woman who drowned her own children, known as Llorona, the weeping woman." "One version of the story is she drowns her 2 kids when she sees her husband cheating with another woman." "So overcome by grief, she also drowns herself." "But she isn't allowed into the afterlife until she finds her children." "Leaving her to wander earth and we hear her wailing by the water ways in the area on clear nights." "It is common to paint your window sills blue, to keep out the bad spirits."

"A story that threads through our history since the departure of the Spanish priests in 1821 are the Hermanos Penitentes of Northern New Mexico." "They are civic organizations that picked up the community charity role left by the Spanish Churches." "The ritual flagellation the members practiced drove the society into secrecy." "Plain buildings without windows on the edge of town were regular meeting rooms for the group." "Examples are still present in Chimayo and Espanola among others." "Catholic celebrations in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado have often included performances of the group."

I say, "Thanks, I see references to them, but haven't researched them."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Wrap Up
Paul is wrapping up his site visit on earthships. On his way back to Santa Fe he stops for a late lunch at Rancho de Chimayo and spends a few minutes driving around the community as he left. He also stops at Los Golondrinas, New Mexico and tours the living museum for an hour. He makes it back to Albuquerque and reserves a room near the airport backtracking into the UNM campus area for dinner. The next morning he turns in his car and hops a plane for Portland and will be met by Nancy after baggage claim.

Nancy greets me and asks whether the trip was useful. I see an interesting glance on her face. I reply, "I have enough notes." "Any changes around the house?"

Nancy answers, "I went ahead and told Nerd to rebuild the collapsed tunnel." "I got home the other night and there was crime scene tape around the opening." "What I have pieced together so far is a member of the military was killed during the explosion." "I expect we discovered their remains too late and we will never know what happened."

I say, "What leads you to that conclusion?"

Nancy continued, "The official report says the tunnel was dynamited to prevent its reuse by future owners due to safety concerns." "Was the deceased found in the tunnel being punished for something?" "Did the deceased cause the explosion by smoking or causing a spark?" "Why would there be explosives on site if there wasn't a plan to use them?" "Why was the motor left at the end under our barn?" "The remains appear to say the report of the era was white washed, but there are few answers for rebuttal." "We should get a Coroner's report in a couple of days."

I reply, "At least we may be able to confirm a death that has been listed as MIA." "The motor under the barn is dryer storage, but means leaving it on site was a priority." "Which doesn't make any sense in the early war effort and our lack of materials." "I am excited to get home and see the new construction."

We are driving through vineyards and windbreaks as we drive toward the coast. Up and over the coastal range and our turn off is on the right. The crime scene tape is still up on the edge of the hole. It helps me visualize which section of the tunnel had collapsed and the actual path of the tunnel. I unload the car and Nancy heads for the kitchen. She has a crock pot of soup that has wonderful smells permeating the house.

The next morning Paul stays in the yard, since Nerd's bracing is probably still in the passageway. The tunnel is complete again with the new concrete roof. It should be drying and gaining strength. The good news is I don't see any cracks. Having been gone for a few days I can see the progress of the yard coming out for spring and our vegetable garden is already producing. We have had our last frost and the orchard is budding at this point. Weeding and watering become a daily task giving me plenty of time to harvest vegetables and herbs when they are ready.

The next week Nerd adds soil over the fresh concrete and removes the crime scene tape. A few days later his crew takes down the bracing in the tunnel that had been supporting the concrete. As the final truck is loaded, Paul walks into the yard saying "Nerd if you have a minute?"

Nerd finished lifting something into the truck and came over, "Paul it has been nice to meet you and I hope the house is standing firm."

I reply, "The house is fine and we can hope the tunnel will be weather tight." "Thanks for handling the remains so carefully." "We can both appreciate that discovery didn't shut us down for longer."

Nerd says, "I hear you on that point." "2 projects on one site with only a single dead body is better than average."

I reply, "That isn't the normal way of expressing your luck." "The trees on this site are a little small, since the coastal winds provide their own pruning service." "Can you give me any contacts for delivering firewood?"

Nerd replies, "I need to move to another appointment, but I'll send a list of contacts I try to keep current for firewood vendors."

I finally find time to drive next door to our neighbor above the cliff and see what is happening there. As I am coming down their driveway I see a mobile home with a porch and a dog house. No one is out in the yard and no dog is visible. I can make out the shaft toward the cliff, but it is only a low covered standalone deck from the top. I decide to stop and get out of the Explorer calling to the house. There is no answer and no vehicles in sight. It is time to knock on the trailer door and no one answers or any other noises from inside. I leave my envelope between the screen door and the exterior door. The note inside introduces me as their new neighbor and explains we are remodeling the WWII tunnel. As I go back home I have no idea how soon that conversation will occur.
 
Texican

Texican

Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Thanks C for the chapter.

What will the corner's report say?

Texican....
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Autopsy
The sheriff calls Nancy in the morning and asks for a few minutes. We clean up breakfast and put on our coats. We get to the barn about the time the Sheriff's SUV is coming down the driveway.

The sheriff says, "Greetings and thanks for agreeing to see me."

Nancy says, "This is my husband Paul and we hope you have some answers."

The Sheriff replies, "I have the preliminary autopsy results." "Our victim was wearing a badge and carrying a wallet." "We have his name and a city to add to the investigation." "We are trying to reunite the remains with any remaining kin." "In addition to the wallet he was also carrying a ring of keys and a small knife."

Paul says, "Thanks that feels appropriate." "Have you had a chance to work on the Why question, yet?

The Sheriff responds, "The autopsy found 2 bullets in his chest and dust in his nose and lung areas." "We didn't find any ignition sources."

Nancy says, "The bullets explain why a healthy man would stand under a falling roof." "I haven't done a thorough research job, but the USCG Abandonment Report didn't mention this incident."

The Sheriff responds, "There was a crime, but we are going to hit dead ends quickly." "I would like to finish up my report and give a copy to the Coast Guard." "We have a number of questions why this incident occurred." "There is a good chance anyone that has answers isn't around."

Nancy says, "I have some contacts that would appreciate the background."

The Sheriff backed up and started turning for his rig, "Thanks for meeting me and I'll get that report over to you as fast as I can."


With my trip to Taos finished, I need to work on my research for ICF, Reinforced concrete Quonsets and Pounded Tire/Earthship for the company, before I return to my research on the southwest. I am framing my comments with different techniques in terms of comparisons. The ICF and Quonset structures without reinforcement are equivalent costs and construction schedules. They are dependent on premanufactured parts and educated installers. The earthships have lower material costs with a higher level of management expertise and requires a higher labor participation. There is a primary provider of earthships who has developed a grass root following and education component to their builds. By design the earthships and reinforced concrete Quonsets will be more defendable and take more abuse. The more passive solar designed in the house makes it less defensible. My choices come down to an single story ICF with pounded tire exterior in colder and dryer locations. Or reinforced concrete Quonset and ICF where multi story and wetter locations prevail. Any of these plans beat traditional stud wall and Structural Insulated Panels (wood SIPs).
 
F

Freebirde

Senior Member
Dust in the nose and lungs means he was still breathing when buried. Wonder if a copy of the keys could be made?
 
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C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Stairs
In the morning I work in our office to outline my thoughts and positions on earthships. I put together an expense report and bill for my services. I have some heated leftovers on the back porch for lunch and then a walk around the yard. It is back to the office and finalize my report and scan the receipts for the expense report and check the numbers on my bill. It feels good to finish my side project when I send the Construction Materials Report to Project Manager Jack at the Company.


Nancy arrives home and we are sitting down for dinner, she says, "The Sheriff sent his report to our office and I forwarded it on to the history project along with my research project that included our tunnel."

I can finally ask my question, "Now the tunnel is functional again, we need a more permanent approach than the current ladder access on the 2 ends." "For the barn end I am considering a new stairway on the side of the barn with a doorway in a corner of the barn." "One solution is an exterior door that leads to the stairway without going through the barn." "Another is an internal door invisible from the outside."

Nancy replies, "Regardless of where the door exits, a ramp next to the stairway makes it useful for cargo and pedestrians." "I am also wondering if we want clean lines in the tunnel to see what is lurking or use a more defensible design of jogs and nooks." "It feels like an argument between optimists and pessimists."

I say, "I am leaning to a cleaner look from the cave end and more hiding spots from the barn end." "It gives us a home field advantage."

Nancy clarifies, "So someone taking the easy entrance would face more unknowns?" "If we are concerned about safety we use the less accessible end."

I conclude, "yes" "Adding some motion detectors triggering lights would create informed decisions."


Nancy's neighbors, Ann and Frank, call from Astoria and ask, "Can we come down for the weekend?"

Paul says, "Sure, I will make the beds above the garage and hang a few towels."

Nancy adds, "I will dig out my recipe for amaretto croissant french toast for breakfast."

Ann and Frank reply, "That all sounds wonderful, try not to do anything special for us."

Paul finishes the call, "See you both Friday night, sorry Nancy has an early Saturday."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Visits
Ann and Frank arrive for a weekend in Otis. Paul has already made their bed and hung towels in the bath and kitchen areas. We take their night bags up the staircase to the apartment over the garage and introduce the space. They are working with Realtor Bruce that we used a year ago. They are taking 2 days to review properties and locations in the area.


Even with Nancy in Astoria, Paul starts the morning with amaretto Croissant french toast and lays out a spread of possible toppings. Ann and Frank plan to steal the recipe and head out to meet Realtor Bruce. While Paul is waiting for a phone call from the mobile home next door he accesses County Records to look for the owner of the upper lot. When he searches for the listed owner's name of the mobile home he finds an obituary for the individual from last winter which mentions he also owned a diner in town. The local news website lists a son as taking over the diner in town in a business story.


Nancy receives a call from the Sheriff on their tunnel victim when she arrives on base Saturday morning. Nancy says, "Good morning I wasn't expecting to hear from you again."

The Sheriff says, "We decided to check the military records for the name of the victim." "The name led to a Consolidated Catalina radio operator who had filed a grievance against the pilot of his crew."

Nancy responded, "Well that is a smoking gun."

The Sheriff continued, "Since the pilot was killed later in the war no action was ever taken on the grievance." "The operator was never seen again after the abandonment of Otis." "This dead-end was nothing more than strong circumstantial evidence with a war machine that was spinning up for a major war." "We are shipping his remains to family members around Spokane, Washington."

Nancy says, "That will provide closure for the family of another veteran from the Great War." "If you can write out what you just said I will forward it to the history project and they will get credit for closing a loop."


At the end of her shift Nancy returns to her apartment for dinner and starts packing a few boxes from the apartment. The time has come to start the process to leave the Coast Guard. She has unofficially briefed the commander but will have a few weeks when she gets back from their trip. Her crew will need time to bring in a new front seat and get the new team coordinated before the next storm season starts on the Columbia Bar.


Paul decides mid-summer is good time to prepare our greenhouse. The 2 x 200 gallon water tanks under the worktables in the greenhouse kept the greenhouse above 50 degrees all winter long. I found an insulating pool cover made of small air pockets and hung it inside the roof glass. It helps provide insulation and the full spectrum LED lights provided a longer fall growing period when we got started last summer. It turns out mass in the green house is as important as glass area and ventilation. Until you think in terms of a 3 part solution you waste a lot of time and frustration keeping the greenhouse within a range of temperatures for growing. Even along the coast I am more interested in longer spring and fall than trying to have a year round plantings. I add some new soil and plant our winter greens and herbs. During the summer I roll up the pool cover and open the green house windows for ventilation. We planted corn and squash as summer plants but include peas and green beans in both the garden and the greenhouse. We need to decide if herbs and greens need to be both places or only the greenhouse.



Contractor Ned and Nerd respond to our email about the Tunnel entrance addition to the Barn. They meet us at the barn while Ann and Frank are out touring. Nancy starts, "We have decided to add a stair and ramp with an addition to the barn and have a single turn into the existing room under the barn."

Contractor Ned replies, "When I hear ramp, I need to know if this is a gradual ADA ramp with a maximum of 1 inch of raise to 1 horizontal foot or a cargo ramp which can be as steep as you are willing to use."

Paul says, "No ADA requirement here, yet." "We are envisioning a 3 or 4 foot wide ramp." "Sharing the inside rail with the stairs."

Nerd replies, "We will need to temporarily cut through the load bearing footing for the barn." "We can use a small tractor for most of the work."

Nancy says, "Could we get on your construction schedule for first thing next spring?"

Contractor Ned says, "We need to measure and draw up some drawings this fall to give you a number."

Paul says, "Can you also give us your reasons to have an exterior or interior entrance to the stair addition?"

Nancy concludes, "Sounds good, keep us informed."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Searching
Ann and Frank join Paul and Nancy for a Taco dinner after their first day looking. After dinner they have a round of margaritas on the back porch and review where they are in their process. Ann starts, "Realtor Bruce is a good find and he knows the area and is keeping current with the listings."

Nancy says, "Any better ideas on what you are looking for?"

Frank says, "We plan to travel more than you are doing." "We also have kids from my first marriage that have expressed an interest in staying here as caretakers." "They currently live in Portland, making this a convenient vacation area for them."

Ann replies, "We are looking for an older home with 2-3 bedrooms and 1-2 baths and a small yard." "We are also considering a duplex to have a rental income."

Paul jokes, "Could I design something for you along those lines if you find a tear down?"

Ann answers, "Actually we have been looking at lots for just such an option." "But nothing yet."

Nancy says, "In late July we start planning our next trip to the Southwest." "Can we swing a deal with you to drive us to the Portland Airport and we'll leave a vehicle at my apartment."

Frank says, "Sure that gives me chance to visit with the kids who should be back in town by then." "Will this be the first joint SW trip for you and Paul?"

Paul responds, "Yes, and we are planning to cover most of my recent consulting territory." "We'll stay in the Santa Fe area and tour the surrounding area for some native Feast Days and focus on some Hispanic culture."


It was time to wrap up the evening and let Ann and Frank get ready for the second day of house hunting. They join us for a coffee cake and coffee/tea before Realtor Bruce pick them up in the morning.


Paul is out in the vegetable patch when his phone rings and the son from the diner introduces himself as finding Paul's envelope in the door when he was out checking on the property.

Paul said, "It is always hard to lose family."

The son said, "Thank you, my father went in his sleep." "We had plans for him to go for a medical appointment the next morning."

Paul changed the subject, "We recently bought the lot over the cliff from him and finished our house last fall." "We have also discovered an early WWII USCG tunnel related to a landing strip that was on your acreage."

The son said, "What can you tell me about our hole next the cliff?" "My Dad and I replaced a rotten cover a few years back and found some industrial tools in the yard." "But never pieced together what it was."

Paul replied, "My wife, Nancy works in the Astoria Coast Guard and had found some plans that included a lift from the bottom of the cliff, actually the tunnel up to the landing strip on top using that shaft." "It was in response to Pearl Harbor and related to the Army balloon squadron at Tillamook housed in the big wooden hangers." "As far as we can tell, our site was abandoned later when the Nike missile sites were added to the hillsides of many of the coastal towns."

The son said, "Well that explains the diameter of the hole." "I was happy to find your envelope in Dad's door the other day." "I am in no big hurry to sell my Dad's place, but it doesn't really fit with any of my current plans." "Can I ask if you hear anybody expressing interest in the place to let me know?" "I know we don't exactly share a fence line or driveway, but you will find Otis is a fairly small town."

Paul answered, "Easy enough to do." "I noticed the dog run next to the trailer?"

The son said, "Archie has joined me in town to live out his remaining years." "He gets treats from the diner every night."
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
Neighbors
Paul comes in for a break and says, "Hey Nancy, I just got a call from our up cliff neighbor." "The mobile home is empty and the son took over the diner in town and is looking to sell the lot next to us." "Before we introduce the concept to Ann and Frank what could we do with the property?" "I could see subdividing it so the hole in the cliff becomes part of our lot." "But I'm having trouble figuring out how we would use it." "Does it make any sense to complete the tunnel and then block the vertical shaft?"

Nancy says, "I don't plan to open a historical museum with a lift up to a overlook platform." "By the same criteria, do we have a false sense of the property line?" "We assume ownership to the back of the cave, but don't count the top of the vertical shaft inside that line." "Our tunnel end in the vertical shaft and the cave may actually be on their side of the property line."

Paul says, "It sounds like a surveyor should give us a legal opinion." "We could bring this up with Ann and Frank for a joint purchase and we could clean up the shared property line." "The stairway/ramp project would let us finally get the motor out of the tunnel." "An elevator with doors in the tunnel, ground floor and above the cliff would let us build an additional cabin above the cliff with its view." "A generator would provide the redundancy to keep it useful."

Nancy says, "That sounds like a good list, but it isn't our first priority."


Paul went outside for more work and Nancy used the office to download the property lines for their property. Ann and Frank returned from their tour and looked tired. Paul returned to the house as Nancy, Ann and Frank were sharing an afternoon lemonade. Paul said, "While you were sightseeing, I got a call from our cliff side neighbor." "He wouldn't mind selling the lot, but isn't planning to officially list it yet." "Realtor Bruce and you probably have the best knowledge on its value." "Do you want to climb into a vehicle and take a look at one more property before today ends?"

Ann looked at Frank and said, "That almost sounds like fun."


The 4 of us piled into my Explorer and drove up the road. We had more time to look at the top of the vertical hole and the rest of the site. It ended up being a little bigger than Paul and Nancy's property.


Paul said, "Before you got home Nancy and I had a little discussion about buying this lot with you and subdividing the end nearest the cliff that would be attached to our property to keep the tunnel whole." "If you like that idea we should consider the purchase price and how we value the edge." "We could eat at the diner tonight and present a proposal to the son."

Frank said, "This looks like a good property and shifting the liability to you only makes sense." "I for one am getting hungry."

Ann said, "This may justify our whole trip down here this weekend." "This lot is better than anything we saw this weekend."


Further discussion covers the purchase price and the elements of a purchase agreement as they drove back to their house and they print out their ideas. Part of the sales agreement included removing the mobile home and capping the utilities. It was time to find supper at the diner. Ann and Frank actually looked excited as we drove into town.


The son places us at a window booth with menus on the table and we ask for waters. Paul introduces the table when the son returns and a strange look crosses his face. Ann starts the conversation, "We are in the area to look at property and Paul took us up to your lot this afternoon."

Frank continued, "We have a proposal for you to look at."

The son said, "We aren't that busy tonight." "Let me get a few things done and I'll join you here after your dinner."

We order 4 of the nightly specials and a pitcher of iced tea. The son had been busy, but it was back to a dull roar when he returns.

He said, "Let me take a look at what you are thinking."

When the son had a chance to look at the proposal, he took out a pen and initials it while saying, "We can get a Realtor to write this up for a small percentage, but it looks fair to me." "We can split the cost of the surveyor and get reality established for the edges." "I'll take responsibility for moving Dad's place and capping the utilities."

Ann and Frank also initial the proposal and say, "We have been using Realtor Bruce and will see if he can do it."


We decide it was time for dessert and ask the son to join us with slices of apple pie for all.
 
C

Chapulin

Veteran Member
First Trip
We get an email with drawings and a new bid from Contractor Ned. We ask for 2 modifications and a structural upgrade and ask for a resubmittal in 2 weeks. With a little extra work our yard now looks like it can be self-sufficient for the next week or so. The time has come for our first trip to the Southwest. We load up Nancy's brown Explorer and drive up to Astoria. Ann and Frank have invited us for dinner. We spend the night in Nancy's apartment and catch a ride with Frank to the airport in the morning.


The flight to ABQ is smooth and we get a blue Escape from the rental counter. I drive to the Pueblo Culture Center and we spend 90 minutes with their exhibits and paintings in the courtyard. The drive to Santa Fe is quick and we watch the local train service between the highway lanes for a while. We check in at the El Ray Court Hotel and we go to Maria's Mexican for dinner tonight near the old Post Office. The morning of August 4th we run around the Motel getting adapted to the altitude with breakfast at the Pantry. Today we are heading to Kewa or Santo Domingo Pueblo for their Saint Dominic Feast Day. Without local contacts getting there late morning is a good idea. Given the number of cars parked along the church and on the dirt side streets in the community it looks like something is happening today.


We note the blankets on the caps of the kiva as we approach the plaza. Visitors are standing along a wall while locals have lawn chairs in any shade and are lining the windows overlooking the plaza. Kids and dogs run lose among the crowd. A drum starts beating and echoing across the plaza. Pairs of men and women are dancing into the plaza. All of the participants are wearing moccasins. This is a large pueblo and the dance lines fill the plaza with the taller dancers at the front of the line and the kids bringing up the rear. Enculturation starts early. At the end of the dance line a group of men in the chorus walk to the side of the plaza following the drummer. Almost everybody in the ceremony is moving to the drum beats. There are side dancers in long sleeve velveteen shirts carrying boughs of conifers in their painted hands. Especially on feast days you are likely to see the Koshari dancers with alternating paint stripes of white and black. They have authoritative responsibilities for the dance and also are known for funny antics that may involve visitors. It is common for the dancers to stop and regroup during the ceremony only to break into song and dance again.


When one side finishes they exit one end of the plaza and the other side's drummer begins the whole routine again with the other side of the community. Traditionally these sides or moieties are labelled Pumpkin and Turquoise. There is often a break for lunch during the hottest part of the day. Fry bread and soda are frequently sold in booths on the entrance road to the Pueblo. After watching each side twice we decide the afternoon should be spent on Museum Hill in Santa Fe. We run through the Palace of the Governors' Museum and Shop and then go up the street for lunch at Palacio Cafe toward the Palace of the Governors from La Posada Hotel. After lunch we get back in the car for the trip to Museum Hill. We tour the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the creaky representation of a trading post floor in the basement. If we were part of a younger group the Children's Museum would have been worth a visit. We drive through town and find Harry's Roadhouse for dinner before heading to El Ray Court Hotel for the night.


We spend the following week touring the backroad to Taos with the wood carver and weaving shops and found a few Penitentes moradas buildings away from town centers. We toured Taos and we revisited the earthships with more time on the plaza and historical museums in town. We paid for the tour of Taos Pueblo and took pictures of the multi-story pueblo architecture. August 10th is the anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680.


We stopped at Glorieta Pass which was the scene of a major western battle of the Civil War. The Confederates came from Texas and were going after Colorado Gold with the eventual goal of unguarded ports in California. The local battle was to take Fort Union and disrupt the supplies for the Union troops. The troop levels were initially matched at 400 per side, and the Union forces got behind the Confederate line and destroyed their supply camp. While the Confederates controlled the battlefield the battle produced 331 casualties and the Confederates lost their supplies. Eventually Fort Union stayed in Union hands and the Confederate troops returned to Texas and what has been called the Gettysburg of the West ended. Nearby is the Pecos Monument that held an active Pueblo which was reduced to 300 residents by imported diseases and the survivors migrated to Jemez Pueblo. Pecos Pueblo had been an important trading point between Mexico and the Plains.
 
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