the bar, er beam, has officially been raised

The front porch is up and it is definitely worth the price of admission!  This is not a porch for the faint of heart.  It's so big that a crane had to be brought in to raise the cedar posts and beam.  Very very cool to watch.  I'm seriously thinking of mounting an AED on the wall for guests with weak hearts or possibly grab bars for those with vertigo, it's that big! You know you've crossed into another realm of housebuilding territory when a crane has to be brought in.  Maybe not.  But either way it felt like a big deal.  The screened porch area is much much more grand than anyone anticipated.  We knew it was going to be big but we had no idea we could hold a candlelit mass there or have it double as Peregrine Falcon sanctuary.  It is definitely the centerpiece of the house, both literally and figuratively.  The level of workmanship by the framers is just unbelievable.  The pace and level of precision is just beyond expression.  It's amazing what some people can do with a pile of wood.  Some trees are destined to become loose leaf notebook paper or a "select-a-size" roll of Bounty, but these trees have aspired to be something greater.  Something like the greatest house EVER with the most amazing front porch of ALL TIME............at least that's how I feel about it.