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ing itself, he says, was "three shovels of clay, three shovels of sand and two of Portland cement. It dries like ceramic." Building the basic structure and getting it under roof took Williams a year, even with the "invaluable help" he says he re- ceived from his dad and cousin Jimmy. It took another three years to construct the fireplace, install the windows, build the doors and add plumbing, wiring and other amenities to make it habitable. Te fireplace alone took a year, and once again he bought a book before starting the project. He also received some mortar- mixing advice from an elderly mason he met. "Stones are like sponges; they hold a lot of moisture. So if you're mixing mortar for stones, it has to be really dry," Williams says. "Firebrick is very dry and pulls mois- ture from the mortar. It needs to be soaked in water for 30 minutes and the mortar should be wet and soupy." Water and septic were also issues. When Williams built, the Gene Snyder had not yet been completed and nearby subdivi- sions such as Glenmary didn't exist. Tere was no city water and no sewers. For 15 years Williams' water was supplied by a spring located slightly uphill from the cab- in, and he still relies on an aerobic spray septic system. Since moving into the cabin in 1990, Williams has added porches across the front and back and a board-and-batten spare bedroom to the first floor. He's also constructed a board-and-batten garage on a stone-faced cinderblock foundation for his fleet. While the porches are pleasant places to enjoy the scenery, they're actually designed to protect the log walls. Williams read that the pioneers made three mistakes that caused their log cabins to rot: 1) placing the bottom timbers directly on rocks, 2) allowing bushes and shrubs to touch the logs, and 3) building the roof without an overhang. "I'm thankful I didn't use a kit," he now says. Te cabin itself is fairly maintenance- free. Te only painting required is on the galvanized steel roof, which leaves Wil- liams with time to pursue his favorite pastimes: cycling with the Louisville Bi- cycle Club, kayaking and making rustic furniture. His foray into furniture making started two years ago, when he became inspired by a bench he saw in Log Home Living magazine. Since completing his first bench for the dogtrot, he's built a couple more as well as a dining table for the back porch, two beds, several nightstands and occasional tables, and a chair. His wood of choice is red cedar, which grows in abundance on his property. "Dead cedar is what I prefer," he says. "Live cedar is white. Dead is very col- orful. It also doesn't split as easily." Te tools he uses include an electric drill for making mortises, a rubber mallet, chisels, handsaws, and pocket and draw knives to remove bark and eliminate small branch- es. Each piece is hand-sanded and pro- tected with two coats of polyurethane. Williams has also made a wooden ca- noe and a seagoing kayak, and has plans to make several more kayaks. What he envisions, he says, is a longer, narrower hull that will "slice through the water like a sewing needle." 11.12 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE [139]