Picture Perfect

When Tracey Hicks contacted us to say she'd like to donate some photography equipment to betterArts that once belonged to her late brother, an extremely talented photographer and teacher, we were thrilled. The Better Farm crew and its visitors for years have expressed interest in an on-site darkroom—a dream we've realized layer by layer as we empty the basement, clean it, install vents and dehumidifiers, and build tables for enlargers and trays.

When the 300-plus pound washer box arrived yesterday packed to the gills with photography equipment, we couldn't wait to see what we were in store for. Inside we discovered a huge enlarger, several cameras including a 4x5 and 8x10, light boxes, timers, paper, flashes, and more. The equipment will all be available for rental by anyone in the community; and our darkroom (when finished) will be up for grabs by our artists-in-residence, community students and teachers, or anyone who'd like to learn the classic art of film photography.

Here's what Tracey had to say about her unbelievably generous donation:  

I think my brother would be very happy to know that students of life, photography, school, whatever will be using it and learning and enjoying what they are doing especially since he loved photography and was a teacher. I truly believe that he would have loved to have visited the farm and... I couldn't think of a better place for the equipment to be. I hope it all works and works out for you.

Heartfelt thanks to Tracey for giving us all we need to get this darkroom off the ground! Contact us if you're interested in renting some photography equipment, and check back here for updates on the renovation.

Spring Renovations Underway

With the weather finally cooperating enough to allow Better Farmers to move about freely on the property, we've jumped headfirst into spring renovations.

From replacing a broken greenhouse door to (finally!) installing closet doors over what were tapestry-covered alcoves, from planting seeds (stay tuned for pics and garden maps!) to applying fresh coats of paint to long-neglected rooms, from chopping wood for next fall to new couches and chandeliers, the Farm is abuzz with activity.

Here are a few photos of what we've been up to:

Greenhouse gets a door transplant after winter winds break the old door in two. Door transplant performed by Mark Huyser. New door salvaged from the Riveredge Resort.

Barn goes from hay storage to art studio, courtesy of Mark Huyser, Colby Sutton, Joel Zimmer, Mike Brown, and consulting help from David Garlock, Michael Frenette, and Scott Mueller. Windows from Garlock Building Supplies & Design Center.

Basement morphs into darkroom one garbage haul at a time. First phase of cleanup courtesy of Erin Fulton, Mike Brown, Brian Purwin, and Nicole Caldwell.

Barn's first-floor windows get replaced with lovely, large improvements. Window framing and setting courtesy of Mark Huyser. Windows from Garlock Building Supplies & Design Center.

Human birdhouse gets the start of a back wall and a door frame, courtesy of Mark Huyser. Lumber from Redwood Lumber.

To get involved with these and other projects throughout the spring, summer, and fall, please contact us for more information on volunteering or internships.


Not pictured:
Bluebird houses cleaning and repair courtesy of Mike Brown
New couch courtesy of Laura Caldwell and Bryan Pivar
Greenhouse shelving courtesy of David Garlock
Chicken Mobile Stagecoach Tractor sprucing up and ongoing love & attention courtesy of Jennifer Elizabeth Crone
Guest bedroom renovation made possible through the generous donation of the Purwin family

Dirty Secret Down Under: Better Farm's basement

The basement is the central nervous system of any home. You've got your blood and guts (pipes, wires, and tubes carrying water, sewage, hot air, and electricity), skeleton (foundation), organs (hot water heater, furnace, sump pump), and brain (control box).

Better Farm has, as we all know by now, seen many incarnations. And with each wave of lodgers came varying strengths and weaknesses in regard to keeping the house in tip-top condition. During any given shade of Better Farm, you might have electrical wizardry, carpentry know-how, plumbing prowess, or creative genius.

Or, you might have a bunch of derelicts stringing things together so the house continues breathing and running... just barely. Ah, hippie cob.

In the midst of working on the second floor (stand by for pics!) in the last few weeks, we discovered the electricity up there isn't grounded. And in the ensuing investigation, we found ourselves in the basement, slack-jawed, eyeing a control panel with wires sticking out every which way except the right way. But that's not all we found...

• The furnace cover seems to have wandered a few feet away and sat down for a long nap. The oil filters are filthy.

• The hot water heater is without an insulation skirt and hat. Its levels were also way too high, so we lowered those immediately. The water filter appears to not have been changed in a long time. Old, discarded filters litter the floor.
  

• Old window spaces are "sealed" with some pieces of wood, but they're totally uninsulated. That means you can see sunlight between the pieces of wood. That also means any field mice have a year-round, all-access pass to Better Farm.
  

• Holy septic! What you're seeing in the picture below is an uncapped septic line. To say it stinks is an understatement. We need a female piece to cap that sucker STAT. And speaking of nasty septic gossip, we also discovered a straight-up leak in one of the pipes feeding the septic tank. Gray water (among other substances) is drip-drip-dripping from the pipe directly onto the basement floor. Gross.
  

• In better news, we also discovered this water catchment system used 100 years ago by Better Farm's original tenants. Long-since defunct, we're thinking of turning it into a sauna. Yes, please.
  

So, to review: Here's what we've got cooking in the basement...

• Insulate hot water pipes and hot water heater
• Change water and oil filters
• Get some duct tape involved on leaky pipes running out of the furnace
• Seal leaks in septic piping, get a female piece fitted on that open-air pipe
• Do a deep clean (rubber gloves, a bucket of hot soapy water, a bunch of contractor bags, and a face mask)
• Haul the trash—years of dirty filters, empty water jugs, mice nests, random articles of clothing, old appliances, broken sump pump—to the junkyard or burn pile
• Get the cover back on the furnace
• Reconnoiter the control panel's electrical wire mash-up
• Seal and insulate the basement windows
• Install ventilation so we can finally create our basement darkroom
• Turn the old rainwater catchment system into a sauna