continued from page ber can’t ….

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ber can’t do it ourselves.”

Fast forward to Friday… Chris’s sons, Luke and Eli, carefully carried the mantel from the shop into our great room. I stood aside and took photos of the operation. They heaved it upward, and Gene and Chris helped guide their actions. It didn’t slide into the cleats effortlessly, but after some jiggling and pounding, the mantel was up and the two young men slowly removed their hands and stepped away.

Gene and his brother placed a level on the mantel and clapped and hooted when the bubble showed that the block of wood was “level.” My husband ran out to the shop and retrieved two side pieces that he had fashioned from the tree, shaped with dovetails to slide into the large mantel piece. He hammered them in with a mallet and smiled.

Three years later, the fallen tree is finally a showpiece in our great room. Moreover, it’s recycled, and it’s a part of this land’s history — and our history. I’m so proud of my husband for his willingness to take on such a large scale project and see it through to the end, and I’m so happy that his brother and nephews had a part in it, too — lifting it into place and celebrating with us. As for the mantel — it is stunning and most of all, it’s a testament to one man’s unwavering patience and artistic vision. I just love looking at it!

Gene with his brother and 2 nephews hanging the mantel in 2024.