CHRIS

It was my great good fortune to be born and raised in our uniquely beautiful Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. When I graduated from college (Haverford, 1968) with a degree in political science I didn't have the slightest idea I would become a carpenter, builder and designer. But three years later, after working in Philadelphia (writer) and San Francisco (shipping clerk), I did know I wanted to settle down back here. I had seen a lot of this country and nothing compared... I took a job as a carpenter's helper with Alan Cole of Lyme, NH. Alan was both an "old-time" master of building arts and a fine human being. Helping him with a ground-up rebuild an old farmhouse for nine months, I learned a huge amount about carpentry, old houses, and honest work. I liked the work and seemed to have a talent for it. I found it physically demanding, mentally stimulating, and personally satisfying. Couldn't I do this myself? Here was work that was creative, helpful, and fulfilling. Here was..