An Unexpected Twist

It's been a busy week since returning from our road trip, and is why I have not posted in nearly a weeks time.  We ran into a great deal of legal issues regarding the placement of Ms. Dang's house, which consequently pushed the start date of building her house from this week until January.  As such, we have turned our building efforts back to finishing the house for the Green's, which was started by the group last spring and construction began in the summer.  We spent the large part of last week preparing the roof for the metal panels which we have began installing this week.  (Pictures will follow in a day or two).

However, I have finally been able to sit down and start going through some of the pictures taken on the previously mentioned trip.  Our first stop was to Auburn University's Rural Studio, in the heart of Alabama.  The Rural Studio is a design/build not unlike what I am taking part in here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but over the last few years it has grown to the point that the focus has been split.  The second year students learn what it takes to realize a building by working on a house, and the fifth year students who return develop and build a community based project for Hale County, AL.

Anyway, as we were making our way to what we thought was our destination, we were struck by a building left vacant for what looked like the better part of three decades.  It begged us to stop, so we obliged its request.

The more time I spend in the built environment around us, the more I enjoy scenes like this.  As much as we try to control nature, in the end, we will never win.  

P.S. The Rural Studio projects will follow in several posts detailing each project that we stopped to visit.