We turned uphill above the lake shore
And rolled up a switchback road
To the camp wherefrom the Man had built
From logs a magnificent cabin
Upon the granite which shouldered the load

The chipmunks like children were under our feet
Expecting their reliable treat
See, Paul prepares them gradually
For when they won’t enter his deep forest home.

Another six years and you’ll never be able
To guess what a chore this all was to assemble.
The cabin shows thought, wit, foresight, and care
I think a spaceship engineer would appreciate
All the steps and enhancements installed there.

From the spring flows a well-found flow of H20
From the granite in the basement flows a little more
From the Autumn frost, leaves lose green then
Show with astonishing vividness their other colors
On the trail above the cabin.

The Jays are a flock of funny friends
Who take the tidbits from our hands
As Paul explained it, the braver ones are first
To fly to us straight from their branches.

All parts of this cabin are anchored on wonder
Its layers and levels are built to endure
The seasons will ebb and flow by
With wildlife and the land under them will be blessed by
The friends who will visit and have, and will live here.
-- Michael W. Pearson, 11/9/03

###############################################

Delicious spring water will be served at the log cabin which Paul and friends are building: spring water is not from the running water in the cellar, but a nice spring conveniently uphill from the cabin. Finding the spring was a welcome surprise, and there have been many surprises since, in size from chipmunks to earthquakes. How this story unfolded has almost as many layers as the geology which created Lake Wenatchee, the mountain and its beautiful forest ecosystem.

People lived near this lake before our time, but surveys and high-storied windows are new. So too are water tests, permits, paved roads, and the wheel.

Inspired by an imaginative storybook, Paul and Ellen began 12+ years ago by choosing this steep granite hillside for their home site and then educating themselves about log building. Don’t worry, there is still plenty to learn by experience after class ! Every visit brings awareness of something to do on the next visit. By perseverance and love, the “start of something” has gradually become “something big.” Paul has kept an internet journal and pictures of the story in progress while the home takes shape. A lot of persons have a lot of fun visiting the cabin, and a few of them have been lucky enough to help with the building. Paul has had the most fun, you might say, since he has hauled many tons of rock slabs.

Giants -- in the form of logs, stones and dreams -- have been moved into useful order. Working through the winters, Paul also moved giant chunks of frozen pine needles. The excavation of a cellar and laying of a foundation would require years of weekly visits. The team sculpted a road up the hillside and a high A-frame roof over the camp building -- a trailer -- for when it’s time warm up. -- Michael W. Pearson, 12/31/03