It has been a very long time since the last post…partly a reflection of the intense travel schedule to CA, Europe, TX, VA, all over the Northeast and next week to Wisconsin….and this was all in the past month or so….
More important—some intense family blessings and heartache with two new grandchildren (Isidoro and Iris) born in November to two of my daughters….Iris in good health but Isidoro without a heartbeat or breathing….helicoptered to a fantastic children’s hospital in Columbus OH where he has defied all the odds and is breathing and eating on his own—with quite a ways to go. Please—those of you who pray—do so for him, his precious parents, and all those fighting to keep him growing and healthy. We have already seen iracles where he has defied all the prognoses…and we yearn for more.
Meanwhile—Geobarns seems to be exploding in scope, geography, quantity and size….with many potential and actual venue projects ramping up in NH, PA, VA, TX, WI, CA, MA, SC and Italy…with inquiries every week. Almost all of them mention Pippin Hill as the catalyst for their tracking us down—filling me every time with gratitude for being entrusted with such an amazing odyssey/opus by clients who believed in us more than we did at the time….
This is always the most hectic time of year—with this season being no exception—trying to get at least eight foundations in ground before hard frost—so we can all stay busy and solvent during what we label as (the malapropism) “off season”…..whatever that might attempt to mean. The crews have been magnificent and worked in both fair and awful weather…on the Delaware River, the Upper Valley where we live, the VA Blue Ridge Mountains, Westborough MA, New Hampshire and all over Vermont. We have also been incredibly blessed taking on Casey Ruth Williams and Tom D’Muhala respectively as skilled Geobarn consultant/contractors in site/building sustainability and CAD work….now integral to every major project. They are both so gifted and we marvel—how did we ever cope without them prior?
In the midst of all this that seems so impossible to get hold of—like hanging onto the grip rail of a train flying down the tracks—I am mindful—especially in light of Isidoro’s odyssey—how utterly dependent upon and thankful for the grace of God and the love of our dearest friends around us we are to have a sense of purpose, a place to dwell and belong, to be loved and to love. Traveling thousands of miles these past few months—we were in some beautiful places—but it was the friends and people there who actually made it as special as it was.
When Isidoro was born without any assurance he would even live another day….it was the out-poured love of so many of you who held his (and our) family up and gave us shining hope in the midst of what could have been only darkness—which instead gave way to light.
Perhaps because of all this—and as I spend as much time as possible with my beloved (F)father(s) after the death of my mom two years ago….and we face this literal flood of new, widespread and complex projects—I am aware of how fortunate that Geobarns is as much in the capable hands of David and Ryan—my partners—as well as Jay (our CFO) and my wife who brings her street smarts and wisdom to my far flung aspirations and schedule and makes our home where I love to be…and all the wonderful crews who translate our creativity into reality and the lives of hundreds of wonderful clients. It is hard to let go—even a little—but it is inexorable and surprisingly now a place where I find a slowly increasing measure of peace.
Have a blessed Christmas….thank you for being a part of this journey this year.
— George
