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Nancy Harmon Jenkins's avatar

I was struck by the suggestion of logging wood when there is the least amount of light in the atmosphere. In Tuscany, when I was (re)building my old farmhouse, the workers insisted that the chestnut roof beams should be from wood harvested at the dark of the moon in January. If not, they said, you risk an infestation of woodworm and other undesirables. I like Raphaël's description of the wood "in flower." I imagine Odysseus made the same stipulation when he ordered the boats that would take him to Troy. And home again.

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Catherine Lane Diehl's avatar

The story touched me because I watched those boats go out every morning and return in the evening from the balcony of my hotel in Cassis...not knowing the name of the boats nor the story behind the art of building them. They were the vehicle for the delivery of some fabulous loup de mer. I hope the art of when to harvest wood doesn't get lost in this world on a fast track.

That had to be a very special time for you.

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