Birthdays are supposed to be fun (…and of course, having a birthday beats NOT having one). I like the Fourth of July, because it stirs such grand feelings. I have so many good memories from my own childhood and my kids’ early years that remembering such moments always produces a smile and thoughts of less complicated times.
I remember our nation’s BIG birthday in 1976. It was our nation’s bi-centennial and the whole country got involved in the party. The memory of Vietnam and the divisive effect it had on our country was fading; America was proud once again. There were special shows on TV and marvelous events happening all over the country. Subsequent birthdays haven’t been quite as grand, but they are always fun and give us a gentle reminder of our nation’s proud history that always rings my bell.
Living in a log home is a lot like having the 4th of July every day. Those similar feelings of joy, pride, comfort and contentment, a sense of being out of harm’s way and safe within those massive log walls, and that raw wood aroma of being outside… the only thing missing are the fireworks.
Happy 4th of July!
Enjoy the moments and be safe with those fireworks!
When you live in the country you share that space with other creatures and sometimes they can get downright inquisitive. Our log home is relatively private and wildlife is everywhere, but we’ve had our share of uninvited visitors, from mountain lions to bears, coyotes and even wild turkeys. Just a few hours ago a black bear cub strolls by my window as I’m sitting at my desk typing on my computer. I had a ‘Flip Cam’ (you gotta get one of these) sitting beside me on my desk and this is what happened…
We’ve had bears stop by for a visit many times over the years, but this was the first one that actually came up to the house. One of the things you learn about bears is that as cute as they might be, you don’t want them as a friend. Once they get over their fear of humans, they can become quite aggressive and have even been known to enter homes through screened doors and windows.
I wasn’t overly bothered by this cub, but knowing that a mama can keep her cubs with her for more than two years, I was wary that she might be playing hide-and-seek behind some trees. The whole time I was outside filming this cub I was checking out the perimeter for a larger version. Fortunately, mama never appeared.
In an earlier post I told you about the trouble we’ve had with bears in the past. From April until about November, we have to keep our trash bins behind an electric fence (see bear fence here). We love seeing the wildlife, but we respect those critters that might see us as a meal.
According to one online dictionary, ‘marketing’ is defined as the promotion of products, especially advertising and branding.
Every industry has companies that seem to do all the right things in the marketing department and the log home business is no exception. Actually, there is a remarkably large number of very creative companies in our industry, and I think that is driven by the unique products with which we are involved. But I digress…
PrecisionCraft and Mountain Architects have released a new log home or timber frame design each month for the past several years. This tactic has served them well in branding their companies, but it has also accomplished the intended goal of inspiring log home enthusiasts - giving them a variety of creative plans to browse. Not so that they could get trapped into building a specific plan “as designed,” but so that they could pull ideas from different plans and create their own masterpiece.
After all these years of sharing creative designs, PrecisionCraft is changing tactics and has decided it was time to “show the money.” They will show how these great designs actually come to life. Their new campaign called “Inspired Living: Stories You Can Build Upon” is like a magazine feature story - but online and on steroids!
What’s better than actually hearing from the customer and getting an up close take on their experience with the process of building log and timber frame homes? Each Inspired Living story will feature the floor plan with an interactive photo tool. Want to see the great room? Click on the spotlight lamp on the floor plan and see the image appear on the right…easy as that!
This really is a creative example of marketing at its finest and you could spend hours seeing everything… which I’m certain was part of their plan. Anyway, it is über cool and worth visiting. Also, you can sign up to receive their next “Inspired Living” design story here.
Part of the appeal of handcrafted log and timber frame homes is the visible results of the handcrafters art. Dovetail joints and mortise and tenon joinery performed on heavy timbers is a beautiful thing to behold. As one who enjoys guiding a chisel through wood, I love watching a professional in action.
The unique style and splendor of modern log homes is one of the reasons this niche has risen to become one of the fastest growing segments of the home building industry.
Memorial Day means different things to many of us…
To some it signals the start of summer vacation while others see it as a well-deserved day off from work. To many Americans Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember those who went before us and served our country. My father spent four years overseas fighting [...]
A question was asked in the comment section of a previous post. This question is one that everyone who is planning to build a log home asks at some point so I decided to answer it here rather than as a sub-comment.
We have been planing our log home project fo more than 10 years now [...]
Over the past few years I’ve shared a number of stories about personal events and DIY projects around our log home. And, long-term readers know we share our home with a herd of cats and a big Great Pyrenees pooch.
Some of you may also remember that my bride is the Admin. Director or the [...]
No matter how you spell it, Suwannee River Log Homes have a history that spans decades and thousands of custom log homes made from Cypress. You will not want to miss these log home floor plans from Suwannee River Log Homes.
I remember our nation’s BIG birthday in 1976. It was our nation’s bi-centennial and the whole country got involved in the party. The memory of Vietnam and the divisive effect it had on our country was fading; America was proud once again. There were special shows on TV and marvelous events happening all over the country. Subsequent birthdays haven’t been quite as grand, but they are always fun and give us a gentle reminder of our nation’s proud history that always rings my bell. 
