The Creation of the Orofino Long Table

historical photo of the bridge where the beams were first used

For a couple of years now Virginia and I have been wanting to create a dining space next to our wood-fired oven and the winery. That outdoor space is perfect for relaxing with friends and enjoying company until the wee hours of the morning. It has seen a fair number of late night parties. We needed a table though. A proper long table that would mean something to our family and stand for decades to come. A couple of months back we found exactly what we were looking for and chronicled the construction of the table. We hope to share it with all those who want to pass some time here at Orofino.   

6 beams for an 8 foot ceiling

Hauling it to the mill. 18.5feet x16 inches x 8 inches

Doug Crow sawing the beam in half

Murray Fonteyne, owner of the terrific Scout Vineyard that produces some of our best grapes is currently in the midst of tearing down his small house on his property to make space for something more suitable for his family of 4. This old house was made from old  first growth fir beams that were salvaged from the original Chopaka bridge that was constructed in 1907 and destroyed in the flood of 1972. The bridge spanned the Similkameen River. Murray carefully kept the beams intact and picked out a beautiful 18.5 foot board for me to make my table from. 



Sanding is a dirty word

raw boards



Half of the legs
 getting assembled

Its good to know a guy with a big saw when you want to make a table. Doug Crow is that guy. He helped cut the beam into 2 identical boards 4" thick. I then sanded the boards, sanded the boards and then sanded the boards some more. From there, 2 coats of stain and 3 coats of a clearcoat finish to prep the boards for mounting to the legs. Our friend Marc LePage worked with us to design the big beefy legs made from 3" tubular steel. Marc's a pro welder and designed the legs for function and fashion. The boards were then bolted onto the legs and we had our dream long table ready for friends, family and functions.



Finished table

The inaugural soiree

 
 






New Haircut...

Summer is in full swing! Following a little rain in the spring, we have had a hot summer, with temperatures reaching upwards of 40 degrees Celsius! Despite various forecasts for plenty of rain, as usual our little spot on the Cawston bench has remained relatively unscathed, allowing us to control the moisture levels with our drip irrigation. A recent watering will be the last one for a long time, as we begin to stress the vines. This heat means there has been considerable growth in a short period of time, and has kept us busy this month tucking the shoots inside our top wires. Inevitably, there are always some or many shoots that grow outside the top wires or are blown over in the wind and it becomes our task to tuck these shoots back in and clip them in place. This ensures the shoots stand straight and do not snap in the wind. It is a lengthy process and our shoulders might pay the price, but the vineyard cleans up nicely. Next step, hedging. I'm in the thick of it now, so to speak. Call me a geeky farmer, but after all the tucking and hedging is done, it makes me happy to see it all cleaned up, like a brand new haircut.