About the Author
What Led to Doing This Book
1947 12 years old, helped Dad build concrete block house in Sacramento Valley, Calif. My job: shoveling sand, gravel, cement into concrete mixer. One morning, got to nail down roof decking. This I liked!
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1952–1954 Teen years, worked summers as carpenter, San Francisco docks; rough carpentry shoring cargo on outgoing ships. Learned what I could from other carpenters. |
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1947
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1960
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1960 After two years running USAF newspaper in Germany, returned to Mill Valley, California, went to work as insurance broker in San Francisco. In spare time converted old carport into a post/beam sod-roof studio. Did all cutting with hand saw. Shallow-rooted succulents planted on roof, white blossoms in spring. Liked building process, smell of wood, creating with own hands.
1963 Next project more ambitious. Used-wood, timber-frame house designed by architect friend — Japanese/Bernard Maybeck influenced. Post/beam frame, some 10'-high poured concrete walls. In over head, but got started and learned on job. Owner/builder perspective in learning to build. Have tried to maintain this outlook in reporting.
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1963
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1965 Hitchhiked across country, learned I had more in common with younger generation than my own, came back and quit insurance business, went to work as carpenter.
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1966
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1966 Moved to Big Sur to work on job building large post/beam house (30' long, 8’ x 22" used-redwood beams) on 400-acre ranch. Lived in chicken coop on ranch.
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1966
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The ’60s Magical cultural revolution that changed world going on. Mostly misunderstood these days. Artistic underground in San Francisco, early ’60s. Beats fading artists of old world/hippies joyous, open, sharing/entirely different mindset. Wonderful few years (before “summer of love”). Non-conformity, dropping out, experimenting, searching, expanding awareness, looking for better ways to do things. Loving, exciting community on Haight Street, San Francisco, world headquarters for a few years.
All these things not so much new as being discovered for first time by millions of young Americans:
| astronomy • astrology • meditation • Gurdjieff • Ouspensky • Zen Buddhism • Tarot • Kabbala • I Ching • dolphin consciousness • Dune & Strangers in a Strange Land • building your own house • organic gardening • ecological awareness • political activism • self-sufficiency • poetry • rock and roll • the blues • Native American culture • Ali Akbar Khan |
• Beatles/Stones • Dylan • domes • LSD, marijuana, mescaline • Monterey Pop Festival • Rolling Stone • Whole Earth Catalog • The Owner-Built Home • The Tassajara Bread Book • viewing earth from space • Edmund Scientific catalog • L. L. Bean catalog • chickens by mail from Murray/McMurray and on and on . . . |
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1967
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1967
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1967 Built post/beam homestead Big Sur. Developed water system 600' from uphill spring, built house of recycled 2" x 14" DF beams, 8" x 12" railroad ties for posts, shakes split from deadfall redwoods, terraced one-acre hillside, grew fruit/vegetables.
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1968
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1968 Buckminster Fuller influence, started building geodesic domes in Big Sur.
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