Monday was my last day at Elk Creek Gardens. It broke my heart to say goodbye. The conversations, the laughs, and everything the Hammonds shared with Megan and I were all too wonderful for words. Thank you Sara and Sherman for an epic experience.
So, for my last post on WWOOFing at Elk Creek, I leave you with a tour of the Hammond home.
They built it themselves over the years with friends, using wood from surrounding forests and other things they acquired along the way. It's given it that special something only human hands and time can achieve.
Enjoy.
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| The boards on side of house are Chinquapin, Chinese chestnut--a local hardwood. |
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| Yew wood posts were hauled out of the woods. Douglas Fir poles complete the fence, and redwood planks form the deck. |
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| Fallen Maple trees were taken from the creek by neighbors to make the sides of the stair well. Each of the steps are hand-hewed (human-carved) Ash wood. |
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| Kitchen was updated recently and has all a family needs. |
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| The breezeway at the back entrance is a great workspace. More Yew Wood tree trunks form the uprights and hold the roof up. Picnic tables were made by a good friend of the Hammonds. |
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| Henry the Elk is on the left. The wall ornament on the right is made of leather strips and was used in the old days on work horses to keep flies off, when the horses couldn't swish their tails because they were tied up. |
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| Oak tree trunks form some of the uprights inside the house. |
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| Remnants of previous residents. |
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| Felicity the cat loves to bring "presents" to Megan, the other WWOOFer, in her bedroom--dead gophers, mice, lizards... |
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| These windows upstairs came from an antique store in Portland, OR. |
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| The upstairs hideout--nice for visiting WWOOFers. |
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| A cozy upstairs deck. |
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| This area over the stairwell that forms the wall of an upstairs bedroom still needs work...perhaps drywall or paint is in its future. |
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| One in the fairly extensive Hammond elk horn collection. |
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| More gathered wood forms the handrail for the stairs. |
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| A wonderful dining room view. |
