On a recent visit, Jennifer, Julia, and Andrea visited their 94-year-old grandfather, Val Gillett,
He is truly a durable pioneer. He still lives in the house that he lived in when a teenager - it's just been added to over the years. One of the best stories about the house he lives in is that it did not have a basement. He and his wife, Emma, decided that a basement was needed, so it was painstakingly dug out by hand. Emma would hire the neighbor kids to carry buckets of excavated soil outside. The results were two large bedrooms, a bathroom, a food storage room, and a workspace for Val's jewelry bench. I wonder how many people today living without a basement in their homes would make the sacrifice necessary to do their own labor of digging underneath their home and putting in a basement.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Granddaughters and Grandfather
On a recent visit, Jennifer, Julia, and Andrea visited their 94-year-old grandfather, Val Gillett,
He is truly a durable pioneer. He still lives in the house that he lived in when a teenager - it's just been added to over the years. One of the best stories about the house he lives in is that it did not have a basement. He and his wife, Emma, decided that a basement was needed, so it was painstakingly dug out by hand. Emma would hire the neighbor kids to carry buckets of excavated soil outside. The results were two large bedrooms, a bathroom, a food storage room, and a workspace for Val's jewelry bench. I wonder how many people today living without a basement in their homes would make the sacrifice necessary to do their own labor of digging underneath their home and putting in a basement.
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Now I know how to leave a comment and not take over the first page of your masterpeice. This is a great picture, I have some too and I will try to figure out how to add them. Grandpa told me it was mostly the two of them hauling out the dirt, but he is a good story teller and maybe there are a few things added for color here and there. Down in the basement in addition is a closet, root celler and a walled up room w/ 2 doors for the furnace and hot water heater. I just wanted to brag about my grandparents determanation to haul dirt. This is enough for now, I hope it comes through to you. Jen
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