Now–almost another year later–I am in Italy hoping to finish our project here in the next few months. It has been quite a year…my dad is still alive and reasonably healthy at 103 years old and living in a Geobarn addition attached to my son’s home in Concord VT for this last chapter of his life. After all he has given to me and Geobarns and my children–it seems fitting we could give something back with a lovely place to stay and call his own.
This week we will finish the staircases on the Rochetta project–which I have the privilege to build with a local artist named Serafino DeIuliis–who is my definition of a renaissance man. We are a good team with my risk taking conceptualizing how to do something and his exceptional wisdom and attention to detail insuring it gets done well. I acquired my Italian citizenship last August (after only seven years of wading through the labyrinthine Italian bureaucracy) where I hope to be more as I get older and work a little less…as ephemeral as that thought may be.
On the home front–we are now in the middle of multiple projects–most of them quite large…. Grace Church in Westford MA, Greystone Winery in North Stonington CT, Bramble and Oak in Ball Ground GA… along with completing the Meriden Library in Plainfield NH, Lovingston Winery in Lovingston VA and multiple other projects in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia.
One thing I want to acknowledge in particular–that has been both extraordinarily wonderful and occasionally painful–is that the leadership and responsibility has been steadily and successfully transitioning to the rest of the team of Ryan, Casey, and David, Kelly–as well as the amazing support staff of Kelly (bookkeeping & payroll), Sean (compliance and IT) and Peter (full time CAD). Ryan is has naturally grown into the CEO role, Casey is now full time in Virginia and beyond, and David does most of our commercial design and planning/permitting. While this occasions some twinges of loss–the company is becoming very well run in ways I could not have even imagined some years ago.
Many years ago at a church conference I head a speaker declare that “Pioneers usually make lousy settlers.” Even though that was pre-Geobarns I determined I did not want that to be true of me–and while it has been a struggle to let go and acknowledge my multitude of limitations–the team has enabled this to happen in a gracious, caring and thoughtful manner that has many times left me in tears of gratitude. While I have no specific plans to actually retire–it is clear I can no longer do as much as I used to in years past….so this transition is occurring regardless.
I treasure so many of you staying in touch–and look forward to that continuing with all my heart.
george
