Working on a big canvas: 40 acres on Lookout Mountain, Alabama.


Purchase and Location

I bought this property in 2005 and named it Richmond Woods for my father who taught me about nature and respect for the wild. It's located in Alabama near the Alabama/Georgia state line. The small nearby village of Mentone, AL has been a mountain retreat for 150 years for people escaping the summer heat of Birmingham and Atlanta. My companion, Carolyn, has helped me every step of the way.

A Cottage in the Woods
When you were little, did someone read fairy tales to you? Invariably, there was mention of a cottage in the woods. Our plan is to build such a place: handmade, no architect plans, buying local materials or using salvaged materials. The purpose of this blog is to document our progress.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Wood Stain

As hoped, we did not spend all of our time at the Mentone Color Fest. We saved a little time for staining all that wood we salvaged from the wood pile and bleached last weekend.

We did enjoy ourselves around the fire Friday night making new friends, listening to good music, and watching the fireworks given up each time a log was thrown into the fire.


We toured the arts and crafts booths and came home with a new airplane.

The next day and a half, Carolyn stained wavy board while I cleared the area around the workshop.


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