Just found this site...I remember Skip.

[moses77]

Is there anyone in this association who took the original classes in the original smaller log house back on the 2nd and 3rd of November 1979. That's when I took it and never hooked up with Skip again until 2003 when I found him in the Philippines. He invited me over to stay and join in but I didn't make it. Just found all my notes and some old LHBA stuff from that time period...I googled him and found he passed in 2008 and that the legacy he left in what is now this group; it is astounding and I am so pleased to see what it has become.

DES

[loghousenut]

The first time I took the class was a couple of years after you and I remember stepping over the sill log while ducking down to get through that front door. That was the house with no windows except one little one up in the 3rd floor loft. I went to class twice in that place and once in the big house.

Did you ever build one?

[panderson03]

I am so jealous of anyone who actually met skip. truly wish I had.
welcome to the forum DES
glad you found us!

[Mrs. Len]

My husband, Len, and I were just talking about when he took the class from Skip. It was back when Skip was building a large log home, on a different property than his. Len took the class in the smaller cabin and Skip had taken the class to see the large log home being constructed. He told me the logs used were very large diameter and the home was a 3-story. After Len built his own 3-story log home (started it in 1984), Skip brought some of the classes by to see it. That was many years ago, way before my time with Len (we have been married 10 years).

Earlier today, while we were moving (I was packing boxes), Len was telling me he often thinks about what Skip told a young woman... She had asked how the logs were moved up that high and Skip had told her, "Just do it!" There was laughter and Skip briefly mentioned some of the different ways and told her to just choose one.

[loghousenut]

I was just talking about this the other day with an important LHBA member. The thing that Skip did that changed my life was to get me believing that if I know that it has already been done by someone, all I have to do is figure out how I can do it. "Just do it" was the exact quote.




Thank You Skip Ellsworth.

[Mosseyme]

Wait a minute, are there LHBA members that are not important?

I did not get to meet Skip but I do understand the just do it thing.
I took on a mindset years ago for what ever reason that if I wanted to do something
I had to just do it. Made a lot of mistakes, wasted some money, but along the way
without the internet to look up [how to turn a car into an elephant] I started thinking
I had to prove to myself that I couldn't do something by putting a great deal of thought
and effort into doing it. Granted there are many things that I don't have the desire to do
that I might not be able to do anyway,[I am tone deaf so I don't plan on putting in the effort
to be a soloist] It is a mindset. If you look at something and think I could never do that then you can't
If you look at something and think how did they do that? Then maybe you can.
And DITO, thank you Skip Ellsworth for passing on this to your son and friends so that it could be passed on to us.
I had looked far and wide for this before I came across this class. We were foraging ahead blindly going to just do it
when I found LHBA. We would have done it, probably would have a house by now but a lot of mistakes would have been made that we were able to avoid by following the ones that have gone before.

[Mrs. Len]

I was just talking about this the other day with an important LHBA member. The thing that Skip did that changed my life was to get me believing that if I know that it has already been done by someone, all I have to do is figure out how I can do it. "Just do it" was the exact quote.




Thank You Skip Ellsworth.

Well said! I am very thankful to Skip and never had the opportunity to meet him. Here is a little more...

When I first met Len almost 11 years ago, we shared our past with each other; I learned he had built a log home. When he related his memories of it, they began with the class he had taken with two of his friends. The first time Len told me the story, he started laughing, and then told me about the gal and Skip's comment to her. After that, whenever he brought up the log home he built, he would start laughing. The reason he found it so funny was the same one he is still using that phrase to this day. Len believes most people don't "Just do it," because they lack the confidence or simply have no idea how (Len considers that a foolish reason to quit). Skips phrase was a challenge to get everyone he taught to never give up. When they would get stumped, they should find out how others did the same thing they were being challenged by. Then choose the method that made the most sense to them. This has been immensely encouraging to Len, as he was in a terrible accident in 1995, and suffered a severe brain injury. For him to hold onto this, was truly life impacting. He has applied that principle to just about every challenge he has faced since then.

Since Len has been building the utility cabin, he has been strolling down memory lane. He is now reciting more details about that time in his life when he took the class from Skip, memories he had of him, and also of building his log home. Having an opportunity to build another is like having a life's dream come true.

[Mosseyme]

Very inspiring Mrs Len, thanks for sharing.

[Mrs. Len]

I sure hope there will be a class in WA next year, if so, Len has agreed to go! It would be a wonderful experience for us both and then I will learn along with him about all the changes and new techniques. This is our last big push week to finish moving the rest of our household. The guys set up some of my shelf units inside my truck box, so I could access them. This way, I can move the books and put them away in the shelves (thereby being able to access them when I want to). These are almost all resource books for multiple topics, with some classics, and turn of the century literature. Of course, I have log home design books for ideas... I already know how I would like every living area of our future log home.

[Mrs. Len]

I just met "Mike" today, who responded to our CL ad for some extra metal roofing we had for sale. Turns out, this Cabinet Maker took a class from Skip Ellsworth years ago, as well. He lives locally, is preparing to build his log home this Spring (with Douglas Fir he has aged 4 years). Quite a coincidence?!

[panderson03]

wow, Mrs. what a small world we live in!