Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's at this time of year that we like to sit back and reflect on those things that we're thankful for - things that give our life the value and meaning we so appreciate. I know that this blog is supposed to be general cabins stuff only, but I'm going to take this opportunity to get a bit personal.
We started the Jackson project over three years ago. Since then, we've had our share of hard work - and hard workers! I spent the last four days up at Jackson with a couple dedicated people and that time got me thinking (okay, reminiscing) about all the great help we've had. So this is my attempt to personally thank some of the biggest supporters of the Jackson Cabin Project. As with any list, I will undoubtedly forget some people who have been a huge help to our success and to you I apologize in advance. I'll start at the beginning...
Thank you to the UNH Parents Association for supplying us with a $17,500 grant for the project!!! Thanks to Wally Kenison for all the help with the grant proposal. If anyone needs help writing grants, Wally is your man. Really, he does that for a living! Big thanks also to Chris Webb for help with the letter that went out to alumni - and of course, HUGE thanks to all the alumni that donated the almost $10,000 that have gone into the new Jackson.
If you see Rusty Partridge, give the man a hug. Or two. Rusty - along with friends Tim Bernard, Jeff, and Mark - is the main reason this cabin will last longer than 5 years. Rusty has since started his own timber framing business, Pear Tree Builders, and would be more than happy to be your timber framer for your next project!
Other alumni to whom we owe large debts of gratitude include Greg Betts and Laurel Flax, who not only planted the seed of timber framing in our minds (via Franky's new wood rack), but have continued to show up regularly to offer tremendous amounts of help and canine back-up. Thanks to Pete Manning for chiselling in the cold rain - we can't wait for you to come home safe from Iraq and help us with the finishing touches!
Thanks also to Norm Gagnon from Gagnon Construction in Rollinsford, NH for donating so much of his equipment to the project. Almost all of the materials were hauled from UNH to Jackson on his trucks, the land was cleared and foundation was dug using his excavator, and his generator gives us power when Travis' dinosaur needs repair. Thank you, thank you - it is appreciated more than you know.
Thank you to Ricci Lumber, Fernald Lumber, Great Brook Lumber, Middleton Building Supply, and Quikrete Concrete Products for donating and reducing the price of materials for this project.
Thank you to all the students (most have graduated now, but they were students when we started!) and members of the NHOC who have given up so many of your weekends to be a part of this history in the making. There have been literally almost 100 of us over the past few years, but a few names and memories really stand out. Thank you Travis for helping me handle this enormous responsibility - I would have significantly more gray hairs if not for you. Thank you Joe Maslow for always being there, ready to work, ready to de-stress me. Thank you Aaron Marquis for only missing one or two work weekends the entire three years - your dedication is amazing and truly appreciated. Thank you Aaron Faulkner for stepping in and offering some knowledge and hard work when we really need it. Last but not least, thank you to my wonderful girlfriend Brett, for putting up with me disappearing so much. I promise when this project is over, I will be home more than one weekend every two months...
Although there are too many names to name here, a couple of memories will always stay with me. First, I'll never forget the girls who carried all those bags of cement! With such dedication and determination, it's no wonder the NHOC is the amazing organization it is today. I'll always remember the long days in the rain - chiselling, raising the roof, and lots more - that really showed me we were going to make the new cabin a reality. I'll never forget the endless hard work with (almost) no complaints, even when moving the same pile of wood for what seemed like the hundreth time.
I'm sure you need to get to your turkey (or tofurky), so I'll stop here for now. I'm thankful for many things this year - but none more so than for the great NHOC family, and all that we have accomplished over the past three plus years. Thank you, each and every one of you, for helping make a huge part of my life as wonderful and meaningful as it is, and for helping to give a hundred years of future NHOCers the opportunity to share in the same joys and experiences we have enjoyed during our time here. Remember, no good deed goes unrewarded...
May peace and good fortune bless each and every one of you this holiday.
Jason
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