The sky’s the limit, if you have a roof over your head.
[Sol Hurok]
When our friends in Basel saw the pic above and the pic below on Facebook,
they knew exactly what was up. “Congratulation on your topping out,” Arthur wrote me, “we call it Aufrichte!”
Every step along the path to be-coming home has felt like a giant-step – but if razing and footings and forms and the foundation and framing and sub-floor plumbing and stairs were big deals, getting the last rafter into place was a sea-change.
Though light still streamed between the beams and open sky shone above them, we were, as Arthur said, topped out. We had a roof – and like magic, the roof turned our crazy-complex construction project into a house.
Reiner had told us it would be so. He’d also told us how this turning point was traditionally celebrated in his native Switzerland.
“Here is a (at my time) typical “Aufrichte”, freely translated as “Roof Raising”, even if the celebration is really about the roof already raised, right after the last rafter is in place. Up to the Aufrichte, the house exists only in the minds of people, like a baby during pregnancy, when the “mother”-owner goes through all kinds of morning sicknesses and discomfort. Aufrichte is the moment when the house is born, basically complete, after the gestation period of digging, pouring, sawing and hammering, and from now on things will be added to what’s already there.”
We all agreed that a celebration and blessing of the house at this time was an absolute must. Reiner had included Aufrichte instructions in his email. Step 1 was a challenge. First thing that happens at an Aufrichte: “(Someone) places a small fir tree adorned with colorful ribbons onto the ridge pole.”
It was early September. Where the heck was I supposed to find a Christmas tree in September? All the tree farms were closed, and would be till November. Then again, being farms, they had to tend their crop, right? And if “tending” meant culling some runts from the rows or topping a weirdly-shaped crown…
I called or emailed every Christmas tree farm from Petaluma to Napa, starting with Moon Mountain Christmas Tree Farm. Moon Mountain is a cut-and-carry family farm; the land has been owned and worked by the Ferrandos for four generations, since 1918 (http://moonmountainchristmastreefarm.com/)). It’s also the place we’ve been getting our trees for nigh-on 20 years, the place that gave Neil his first job.
I left my voicemails, I sent out my emails, and I received only one reply… from guess who. Bobbi – one of Moon Mountain’s owners and Neil’s old boss – invited us up, ushered us in, and told us to take our pick. We’d have been happy with any old scrawny reject, but they already had a certain tree in mind – and wow, was she a beauty! She was sitting alone in a fairy circle-like expanse with no other tree near, classically shaped, green and healthy. We faintly protested that she was too good for our purposes, but she was SO perfect, how could we resist?
I left some copper pennies by the stump as an offering, then we climbed the hill to thank Bobbi and pay the tab. She refused to take our money. What a gift! First impossible task accomplished, thanks once again to the kindness and generosity of good people, good neighbors.
The evergreen blessing is only one part of the Aufrichte. Once the tree is in place, the owners “invite the crew and the Master and/or architect for a ‘Z’abig’ – that is a mid-afternoon small dinner… mostly bread, wurst and beer…”
I loved this idea, and not just because I love sausage and suds. My heart had been over-full with gratitude to our few, tireless workers for so long, I relished the opportunity to show a little appreciation.
I picked up some ribbons for the tree. Roy got a small Weber grill, a bunch of bratwurst and beer, made a great potato salad, bought a pie – and on September 11th, when the guys were done for the day, we showed up to party with Adrián, Jere, Martín, Larry, Byron, Martín’s wife Adelina, and, of course, Margrit and Reiner.
Adelina and I dolled-up the tree. Byron handled the tricky bit; getting the tree fixed to the top of the house.
There was grilling,
and swigging,
and thanks to Larry, there was bubbly with dinner. Dori came by with another cava just as the first was running low (impeccable timing). Our first meal in our new home!
Quite a thrill for us, and I do hope I’m right in saying, a good time was had by all.
