Lonely Pilot Bob

A couple years ago we had a ‘mini-reunion’ (on my Mom’s side of the family, the Garrisons), here in Ohio.  Mom was born in Lebanon, Ohio and raised on a few farms in the area.  Her father, Dudley, lost his farm during the Great Depression.

In the late 1940’s my grandparents moved from Lebanon, OH to Lebanon, OR.  I always thought it was because Dudley could only spell the name of one town, and it would have been too hard for him to move anywhere else.  Okay, moving on…

All of my cousins, who had grown up in Oregon, had never seen the farms their parents grew up on.  I had been to Lebanon on numerous occasions, and was familiar with the area.  I also knew where one of the farms was.  So, I offered to host a mini-reunion 2011, and take them to see the area Mom and their parents grew up in.

My Mom came from a family of 9 kids.  She was the youngest.  In 2011 there were only two surviving siblings; Uncle Kenny and Aunt Jan.  Aunt Jan, in her 90’s now, was in Washington state, and didn’t make the trip; but Uncle Kenny showed up.

We all met on a Saturday evening for dinner in Maumee, OH, then I hosted a dinner on Sunday.  That following Monday we all went to Lebanon, staying at the Golden Lamb.

Kenny had come up from Florida a couple days earlier, and he and I went to Lebanon to ‘scout out’ the place.  His memory was remarkable, and we found 3 of the 5 farms they lived on.  Two fo the families residing on the properties today gave us permission to visit; the people at the 3rd place weren’t home.

On that Tuesday, we all visited the farms, and were shown a great time.  Very nice folks there now – at both places.  That afternoon a group of us headed over to Blanchester, OH to visit an old family cemetery – the Garrison Cemetery.   There are Garrisons buried there who fought in the Revolutionary War.

It’s a well-kept cemetery, and as we walked around, I had an idea.  I went up to Uncle Kenny and explained my idea.  He thought it was a good one, so we found a nice spot, and he laid down – you know, for the ‘fitting!’

He is in his late 80’s after all…

I used to tell folks that a ‘moron’ built my house, then it occurred to me that another ‘moron’ bought it, in 1991!  Ahhhh…

After I bought this house, I began right away to transform it into a “home.”  I have lived in “houses” all my life.  Houses I have always had to be cognizant that they would one day be sold.  Form Jul 1968 until Jul 1988 I was on active duty, moving every 3-4-5 years.  Before that I was a kid in the Air Force, moving every 2-3 years.  Beginning in 1991 I didn’t have to concern myself anymore with whether or not to put a nail in a wall, or move a wall, or whatever.  I began creating a home…

Timber frame (post and beam) homes have always held an appeal for me.  Had I not been an aviator, I think I would have built timber frame houses.

Around the turn of the century it occurred to me that, in retirement I really wouldn’t care for climbing stairs to go to bed!  So I looked at building a master bedroom/master bathroom out the back of my house, using timber frame construction.

I knew of a timber frame construction 22 miles North of me.  So I called and asked to speak to an architect.  The receptionist then put me in touch with Jim B.  I explained to Jim what I wanted to do, and he had me send a picture of the back of my house to him.

And so it began, in late winter of 2002.

Jim drew up the plans, we talked about them, tweaked them, then broke ground in  April 2002.  The first pegs went into the structure in Jul 2002.

It took 5 days and the ‘rooms’ were up, and I took over from there.

I would take a book with me on a trip, on how to do whatever it was I was about to do next.  Then when I got home, I was ready!  First I installed the windows, then the siding.  As Fall came, I moved inside.

I once heard Kinky Friedman say, when he was running for governor of Texas, “How hard can it be?” and that appealed to me!  Electrical, tiling, drywall, painting – how hard can it be?

I would come home from a trip, change clothes and get to it!  The ceiling in the bedroom is 19 feet tall, and I am afraid of heights!  But the scaffolding I had helped immensely.  On some days I would get up around 0500 or so and make coffee before getting to it.  More than a few times I would look out and see Dave G. standing int he rook – just gazing at it.  Dave is a dear friend from AA, and he was just mesmerized with the project.  He once brought his wife over, and she said, “Oh my, I would make a Rec Room out of this!”

“My thoughts exactly,” I thought to myself!

It took about 4 years before I was ready to move in.  And once I ‘moved in,’ I thought to myself, “Holy cow, what have I done?  The room is huge!”  The master bedroom/master bath comes to 1,000 square feet!    I talked with a dear friend from AA about it, a man who helped me a great deal in early sobriety, and he said not to worry about it.  That it was an expression of my sobriety… and so, it is.

I love that room today!  It is a ‘warm’ room.  And I am so blessed to have it…