"Josh Welton" (watchtheprettylight)
06/15/2014 at 13:32 • Filed to: craftsmanshiplopnik, log house, brown dog welding, tractor, paul bunyan
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"Josh Welton" (watchtheprettylight)
06/15/2014 at 13:32 • Filed to: craftsmanshiplopnik, log house, brown dog welding, tractor, paul bunyan | 14
| 22 |
My folks are the hardest working people know. I'm the oldest of nine kids, and although we weren't rich, we never wanted for much. Mom raised the kids and even home-schooled a few of us until high school(I'm the only college dropout, and the youngest is heading to CCS in a few weeks). Dad worked as a sheet metal operator at Steelcase 40-60 hours a week. And outside of "work" he wasn't softball guy or bar guy or couch guy; he was(is) work-with-his-hands guy.
At some point in the early 80s they got a great deal on a plot of land near the outskirts of our small hometown. I remember the older lady that sold them the parcel, she lived across the street from where our house was at the time. And I remember her son, a lawyer and locally connected individual, was not all that pleased at the sweetheart deal she gave mom and dad. But my parents are likeable people and I can't help but think she admired how they lived their life. So we got 7 acres on her side of the road, about 1/4 mile up.
I should actually sit down with my parents to do a proper interview...get details and timelines straight...but they're still the hardest working people I know. Dad retired(at 49) but now buys houses, fixes them up, rents them out and maintains them. Mom went back to school in her late 40s, became a RN, and works full time hours at a hospital in Grand Rapids.
So we'll just go with....pictures:
(and if you go to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! there are many more, along with actual descriptions of what's going on with each one)
Heavy Chevy!
These were taken at the old house
This is one of dad's draw knifes, it's hanging in my shop now.
New property(+ an old jeep we use to have):
The main beam being installed. Before this step, in order to flatten one side, dad drug the log up and down Irving Road, using it like sandpaper(Paul Bunyan ish).
They sold the house my first year of college(moved a few miles away into another house they designed/built). The log house now has a wrap around porch and the drive is paved. I'd really like to get this place back in the family one day.
dinobot666
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:42 |
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Thanks for making me feel totally inadequate as a man.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:42 |
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I'm second-eldest of seven, so you've got me beat on two counts.
Nice Ford front-end loader/tractor. What happened to it?
/Edit to add: was also homeschooled, my dad was a contractor at the time. He is the one who taught me welding - but I suck at it.
For Sweden
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:42 |
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My dad, brother, and I moved a three-story barn 120 miles with nothing but railroad ties, single hydraulic jack, combine trailer, and a half-ton pickup.
/come at me bro
f86sabre
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:45 |
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Very cool. It would be worth sitting down with your folks. I'm betting there are stories you never heard. If you do sit with them then be sure to record it so you can pass it on. W
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Josh Welton
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/05/2013 at 17:46 |
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He held on to it for a while, but I believe someone offered him a nice chunk of change for it and he sold it.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:50 |
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My dad still keeps a Terramite T5 baby backhoe around the place for doing work, but the Deere dozer he had for a while was sold when I was a wee one.
I had to dig out the driveway from a foot plus of snow with the T5 a couple of winters back.
desertdog5051
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:53 |
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I grew up in Grand Rapids. I take it you are on the central to eastern part of the state.
Many fond memories of those days in Michigan.
First fall in love, in Traverse City, first GTO bought.
BTW, you replied to a post of mine but it goes to an error message.
Party-vi
> Josh Welton
08/05/2013 at 17:57 |
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Thanks for sharing this - this is awesome.
Also, dat CJ5 *bites lip*
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Josh Welton
> desertdog5051
08/05/2013 at 18:01 |
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I'm in Detroit now, grew up on west side. Middleville/Hastings area.
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Josh Welton
> Party-vi
08/05/2013 at 20:18 |
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Yeah, that thing was awesome. Him and my uncle would off road in the woods, I remember one time the Jeep made it up one particular hill, uncle's big bad truck couldn't do it. Jeep winched him up lol. Later in it's life it got a fiberglass top. Then a plow. Then my dad gave it to one of his friends.
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Josh Welton
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/05/2013 at 20:20 |
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He had another little tractor for a while, guess he got rid of that too. Just talked to him, said he wants to get something again. They come in handy.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Josh Welton
08/06/2013 at 11:24 |
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Nice post, and good pictures of the project. It is so cool to look at the pictures of things going up, but it is too easy to not bother taking any pictures while you're doing it.
I stumbled across a video showing traditional Finnish log home construction. I'll probably throw it up sometime today in its own post instead of burying it in a reply.
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Josh Welton
> dinobot666
08/06/2013 at 13:03 |
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Hey, he's my dad. Tell me about it lol...
monovich
> Josh Welton
08/06/2013 at 18:00 |
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Your dad (and mom) rock. What a beautiful house. I dream of someday being able to build my own mountain home out of logs. I even purchased an empty scrap of land recently just for that purpose. But the dream feels out of reach. How does one even learn to make a real life log house?
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Josh Welton
> monovich
08/06/2013 at 18:09 |
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He studied a lot. It wasn't always gonna be a log house, he looked into underground houses too. I just remember all the books he had on alternative home styles, and then on log houses when they settled on that.
Plus he's brilliant. He's like Scofield in Prison Break....he just knows how things work, go together, come apart.
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monovich
> Josh Welton
08/06/2013 at 18:32 |
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Some men are born knowing of such things, like to operate excavators. I got in one once and almost punched a hole in my house AND almost slid sideways down a muddy slope. One of the scarier experiences in my life.
Bonhomme7h
> Josh Welton
08/06/2013 at 22:30 |
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Beautifully house, I understand your attachment toward it. My uncle is a soon-to-be-retired self tough and self-employed carpenter, he is currently building this... thing, he's woodworker dream, with similar renting and/or selling project when it will be complete. I suspect he will never be able to dispose of it, to much sweet and blood are infiltrating between the boards.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set…
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Josh Welton
> Bonhomme7h
08/07/2013 at 10:26 |
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Awesome!
topgunner
> Josh Welton
08/07/2013 at 13:33 |
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Man, I'm a pretty handy guy but I wish I could build a house from the ground up. That's incredible.
FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
> Josh Welton
04/23/2014 at 22:09 |
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My father is the same way. He built a 50 ft steel sail boat from scratch before I was born, you've inspired me to do a write up. Thanks for sharing. Great photos.
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Josh Welton
> FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
04/23/2014 at 22:49 |
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sweet!
The head of the welding department at MCC just showed me his plans for a 50ft steel sail boat, looking forward to your write up!
$kaycog
> Josh Welton
06/15/2014 at 13:36 |
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What a lovely story. Thanks for sharing.