A Day That Made A Difference

Sometime back in the early 70's my brother Jerry and I were building a Red Barn Store about one mile East of Dubios Wyo. We were partners in this venture with Jerry putting up all the capital in the beginning as I didn't have any.

Jerry was interesting to work with. He could do almost anything, perhaps not to exacting standards, but he would do it just the same.

We had the floor poured with the help of a hippy couple that he had secured that spring and the day came that we were going to put up the walls.

Jerry had a conflict that day and had to be in Jackson so he told me to take the hippy couple and go get the walls up on the building. This building was only about 20' by 30'. I had never framed anything in my life.

Jerry took some paper and drew me a diagram of how you frame each wall laying down on the concrete and then you raise it up in place. The top of the wall has a double plate which hangs over 3 1/2 inches on one wall and you cut it short 3 1/2 inches on the wall coming into it so they overlap and you can secure them together. You also have your door and window openings measured and framed in while the wall is on the the floor.

With all the confidence of an older brother telling me I could do it and a piece of paper showing me how,off I went to Dubios with the hippy couple and by the end of the day all the walls were up to the square.

Framing is not brain surgery but I can't remember any days in my life when I gained more self confidence in a single day the day I raised a small building to the square.

There were no buliding codes or inspections in Dubios so when it came time to make a septic tank Jerry ordered a 58 Chevy Impala from the wreaking yard. We had a hole dug behind the barn big enough for the Chevy and in it went. The sewer line from the barn was then brought out and put through a partially opened side window of the Impala and then it was covered with dirt. I don't know how many years that lasted but it worked fine as long as I knew about it.

I later traded my interest in the Dubios Red Barn for a townhouse that I had got for Jerry in Mesa. I still have the townhouse. Errol