An Update from Idaho
Hello everyone! The complete restoration of the “Peck House” (named after Captain Augustus Peck) has been finished. Built in Middlebury, Connecticut, in 1783, it was taken apart and moved to Deary last summer where a crew (under Brother Kevin Durkin’s care) restored it to its original beauty. The defining feature of the house, its massive stone chimney, was carefully rebuilt by Brother Gary Moore, along with the brick oven, excellent for baking pizza.
The house features original hand-hewn oak timbers, doors and woodwork, and new 12-over-12 pane windows. The accommodations sleep six, with one king-size bed in the second-floor loft, a full-size bed in the original first-floor bedroom and a queen-size sofa bed. The full kitchen opens to the dining and living area, and the back addition includes a screened porch facing the surrounding pine forest. The house includes two full baths and radiant floor heat. It is available for guests to rent on Airbnb.
Forging an Idaho-Virginia Bond
In late January, the John French family traveled to visit the community in Nickelsville, Virginia. They were away two weeks and shared a wonderful time with the brothers and sisters there. We hope to see more of the Virginia folks here in Idaho. During our peak months of summer, we will employ about five additional bakers, baristas and servers at the bakery. We are always looking for fresh recruits!
Welcoming New Neighbors
The Reed family has joined us in Idaho! Sister Sarah and her son Noah arrived from Texas right after the Tindell wedding and are living in a small house in Deary. A moving truck was rented and driven here with all of their belongings. Upon arrival a group of young people unloaded the truck, helped unpack and moved Sarah and Noah into their new home. Welcome back to cold country! (Sister Sarah is originally from Maine.)
Upgrading Pie Safe, Community Buildings
When the Pie Safe building was first completed, there was room in the back to house the offices for the Pie Safe, Creamery and Quality Contractors. But, as the bakery and creamery have grown, they have run out of space for storage in the back. So the offices moved across the street to the rear of the Heritage Fine Crafts building. The void in the Pie Safe building was quickly filled when the contents of the shipping room next door (which served as a temporary storage room) were emptied into the former office space. The shipping room has returned to its original purpose.
Community Building
We are in the process of finishing out the upstairs of the community building into a conference/office room. After the building was completed in the fall of 2019, the upstairs was forgotten about until this winter. We began the construction over a month ago and progress on it whenever we get a chance.
The Borman boys are making two custom wood doors, and we have just finished installing shiplap on the walls. The young sisters are making useful furnishings to enhance the space, such as baskets, table runners and a throw for the couch. It will have a small bathroom, utility room, storage closet and main room with a desk and furniture.
Since the building is already somewhat under construction, we have emptied it and are lightly sanding the beams to their original color. The sanding process has created quite a dust bath! We will apply a clear coat of finish to the beams as a final touch.
Celebrating a Wedding
In late February, a few families traveled to Texas to attend the wedding of Brother Joe Tindell and Sister Amanda Nolen. The newlyweds will stay in Texas for a few months and then come to live in Idaho where they will be a great asset. We can hardly wait!
Prior to the wedding, we hosted a groom’s fellowship for Brother Joe. A good time was had by all.
Early in the season we received several big snows, but the cold was not deep enough for it to stay long- term. It took some time, but after a relatively mild early winter season, real winter finally hit northern Idaho. We received 75% of our snow in February. March is warming up, and spring is just around the corner.
