8_1 (barn)

As a child, I had chores to do. Every day after school, I'd put my muck boots on, grab my runner sled and hike to the barn. It was a short trek across the yard and through the woods. I'd cross a small chasm balancing on a one foot wide plank spanning an eight foot wide stream of swiftly flowing water. Believe it or not, I never fell in. Not once!

As I walked along, I'd see the summer garden to the right.  It was a large field of dried vegetables and rotting fruit. Spring was coming, and that would be work for another day. Turning to the left, I'd maneuver beneath the electric barbed wire fence and climb a large, a very large hill on which our barn was perched.

There was an old stone well at the top of the hill, from which we'd gather water to quench the horses. There was no pump on the well. Water was retrieved by straddling the well with a bucket and a string. One would take aim dropping the bucket such that it would hit the water with a deep thud, thus producing a full load. Water was drawn by hand. It was a tiresome job. Sometimes the string would break. At which point, I'd climb down into the well, ten feet or so, and use my foot to fish the bucket out. The challenge was climbing out using only two hands and one foot, while hoisting the bucket with the other foot. It was more difficult in winter when the rocks on the the inside of the well were covered in ice.  Again, I never fell in.  Nor would I want to, the water was fridgid cold.  Even in summer!

After feeding the horses and mucking the stalls, I would begin my journey home. The sled ride down the hill was fast and furious. On a good day, I could make it all the way to the stream. Life was hard, but I look back with fond memories now.

This model is a tribute to my growing up on the farm. I hope you enjoy.

Creating this model was a two step process. The barn was created first and the silo was added second. Here's a few images showing the process. The barn could be built as a stand alone construction, however there's not enough 208B/210B roof tiles to cover the complete structure. That was the motivation behind the silo.

There was no silo attached to our barn, but having one sure makes the construction look more like a barn.

Here's the building plans.

10_1 (church)

Today is my birthday. As gift, I present this church made from a set #10. It resembles the 6_8 model, but larger. Note the detail in the roof trim. Constructing this model can be tricky, so be sure to pay attention to the construction plans.

One interesting thing about this model is the placement of rafters to support the roof. A single 22R stone supports the whole roof. I could have used more rafters, but I liked the openness of using less stones to accomplish the job. Structurally, it's very sound. The church cavity is hollow right up to the roof. Even the bell tower has a hollow cavity that leads straight down into the church.


A set #10 might (still) be considered a small collection to most hobbyists, but it's large enough to construct some pretty nice models. The inspiration for this model came from the photos seen on George Hardy's e-zine this month. Thank you George for providing the fuel to inspire builders like myself. In turn, I hope the designs I create can inspire others.


Here are the building plans. The isometric perspective makes it hard to see the correct size stones being used. Look for the 29R stones in the roof trim layer as well as the 29G stones being used near the crosses at the front of the church. This design doesn't use any 21R stones (there's two of them), so feel free to use one as a spacer in the doorway while the model is being built.