Late in 2019 I decided to build a small studio/office in upstate New York were we have a cabin. As I write this we have since moved here full time due to Covid and probably will remain here long after it has gone. Before the move we would spend almost every weekend ‘up the mountain’. We’d arrive late Friday night and for a few hours Saturday and Sunday I’d work on the studio before returning to the city late Sunday night. I wasn’t expecting the torrential downpours of late fall or sudden biting snow storms of early winter. There were times I thought I’d never get it finished, and times I was jealous of my friends back in the city, enjoying the last warm golden glow of fall in the city as I was trying to unfreeze the ice block my tool box had become overnight due to the mountain climate. But all the time I was both strangely relaxed and exhausted. I had little to no carpentry skills when I started. I broke a finger on my second day and cut myself on two occasions which meant the weekend was over. Thankfully nothing serious but the broken finger meant I had to also cancel two shows – that sucked. I learned quickly but learned quicker by failing. The great thing about being isolated up a mountain in the middle of the woods is not having an audience. I documented the whole process and wanted to write something in detail, tricks I learned, shortcuts, mistakes and successes etc. But, it was taking too long to upload the videos and photos. Let alone all the information on the design changes, tools I used, suppliers, cost and most importantly – how anyone could also do it by simplifying the process by editing out all my screw ups. I was also lazy. I also started working on other projects as soon as I finished. Carpentry addiction? It’s a thing. I have a few carpentry friends online I contact regularly, showing off our latest projects, offering help and providing general encouragement. I also used the studio to work on music and writing projects. But mostly it was waiting for the damn videos to upload only to fail after an hour or so. Also, I’m not really a blogger and as I stated earlier, not actually a carpenter. I’m proud of this studio though, but I also know that the next venture will be even better. So far it’s been used for writing, music, Zoom and Instagram gigs (thanks pandemic) and even a Buddhist retreat. The location looks out over the two valleys intersecting below and the view is stunning. It is also located beside the bluestone steps to the river from the old Bon Air Hotel, and on the path the bears take from the caves above down to the graveyard below. My late night returns to the cabin have the potential of being very interesting. Bears? Ghosts? Ghost Bears? I’ll keep you posted if anything interesting happens. Anyway, due to my laziness, enjoy watching the project in reverse in the gallery below. I tried, I really did.
Colin Dempsey 