In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Making room

The beams in our house are held together with wooden pegs instead of nails, even though the house was built around 1858 and nails would certainly have been available. But back then people didn't like to innovate when it came to building their houses. Besides, they were fishermen, and boats were built with pegs. William Perry and his father Jonathan built this house in the traditional way, which was tried and true.
The beams are notched so that they fit neatly together, and the whole weight provides stability and support.
The house that William and Jonathan Perry built has stood the test of gale force winds for a century and a half.

The house reminds me of Peter Rankin's beautiful illustrations in Joanne Taylor's story of a nineteenth century Cape Breton house, Making Room (McClelland, 2004).
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