A Beauty That You Can't Manufacture

Longleaf Forest
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
photograph by Jack Culpepper

I finally made a decision on flooring for the cabin. Last week I placed an order with Goodwin Heart Pine Company for antique longleaf pine flooring. Longleaf Pine once covered the southeastern United States, but it was harvested to near extinction during the building boom of the late 1800's and early 1900's.  Only a small percentage of original longleaf remains, and for the most part, it's not planted anymore because of the slow growth rate.  It might take 100 years to get a mature longleaf and no one has time for that anymore. The slow growth is also what produces the highly sought after, beautiful, tight grained heart pine.


Thankfully, much of what does remain today is on protected refuges.  My brother, Jack is blessed to serve as the forester for two such refuges: Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina and Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. His primary responsibility is managing these forests to preserve and prosper them and the precious ecosystems they comprise. It was because of Jack that I came to appreciate the longleaf pine. He also connected me with Goodwin Heart Pine Company. This company reclaims longleaf from old buildings and recovers it from river bottoms. The story of river recovered longleaf is fascinating and you can learn more about it at their website. I chose reclaimed antique longleaf heart pine rather than river recovered. This antique heart pine flooring is milled from antique wood with a rich history and heritage, and a beauty that you can't manufacture or find at the local flooring store. I'm excited to bring this treasure into my cabin and my life.

Since I last wrote, we have completed the wood paneling on all the walls, and the bathroom and laundry room have been painted. Now it's time to finish the floors, and that will happen when my flooring arrives in about a month.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benny: A Very Good Boy

Image
Benny came to me on October 17, 2015, from Southeast Corgi Rescue (SECR), with an estimated age of 8-10 years. He passed on March 1, 2024.   Benny had been slowing down for a while – to be expected at 16-plus years old. Until mid-January, his appetite was strong; his mobility had declined some but remained sufficient. He slept a lot, ate well, and enjoyed his life. I bought a ranch-style house for us in 2022 when we moved from Atlanta to Athens. It was the perfect house for Benny. He thrived here, and it was easier for me too because he needed only occasional assistance getting around. My Atlanta condo was up a flight of stairs, and Benny could no longer handle those stairs. By the time I sold the condo, I was carrying him up and down several times a day. It was hard on both of us, so we were happy to be in a house that suited us better.   In early January this year, we made our last trip to Jekyll Island. I wondered if it would be his last, but hoped he had another one in hi...
Read more

Melvin Got His Wings

Image
June 29, 2015 I said goodbye to dear Melvin yesterday, on his 16th birthday. A noticeable decline began last week while we were in Atlanta and continued through the weekend. By Sunday night I knew it was likely time to let him go. Monday morning confirmed my fears. How perfect that perfect-Melvin should leave this world on the same day he entered it. We spent the day together. In the morning we sat on the porch of the cabin. He mostly slept while I looked through the hundreds of pictures I've taken of him through the years. In the afternoon we visited my mom, my sister, and all his dog friends. I adopted Melvin when he was a year old. Fifteen years he's been with me. He was with me when I turned 40, then 50. He was with me when I bought the land and the first time I camped on it. He was with me for every construction weekend while we built the cabin. He walked the path to Mama's house countless times. He was a great traveler and made the transition between country lif...
Read more

Benny, The Rescue

Image
I first saw a picture of Benny–then called Mendell–on the Carolina Corgi Rescue FaceBook page on July 16, 2015. I felt an immediate connection with the sweet puppy staring back at me, but it was too soon. Melvin had just passed away on June 29 , and Mendell was clearly a senior dog with some health issues. So I looked away. I thought of him over the coming days, but each time I put him out of my mind. When the time is right, the right dog will come along, I told myself. I spent the rest of the summer missing Melvin and trying to enjoy my new freedom. Melvin had required extra attention the last year or so of his life, so why not take a break from the responsibility? It’s so much easier and less expensive to live life without a dog. No more vet bills. No more carrying Melvin up and down stairs that he could no longer navigate. No more planning my day and week around my geriatric dog. Yes, that made so much sense. But my heart ached. I missed Melvin. By mid-September I decided to...
Read more