Long before I met my landlord (and friend) Kenny Shilay, he purchased a piece of property on
Jugtown Mountain in
Bethlehem Township, just outside of
Bloomsbury. It was where he planned to build his dream house - a house he would build with his own hands. Kenny and his father,
Kenny Sr., worked weekends to clear the trees, stumps and brush so a house with a incredible view could be built. The property looks northwest and on a clear day you can see
Wind Gap, PA 20 miles as the crow flies to the NE. By the time I moved to Kenny's current house/rental property in 2002, the Property (as we all refer to it) was cleared and ready for construction. I ended up helping some on the property since a) it's keeps me off the streets, b) Kenny and Senior were doing the work themselves and c) they have really fun construction equipment to play with. I mostly am a laborer but have had a blast.
In 2002, the septic system went in and in 2006, the house itself was really started. Lest you think Kenny was slacking in the interim, he was working on the property where I live, was doing more excavation and clearing at the Property (much to the chagrin of his tree hugging neighbor Cinny) and, oh yeah, married Monica, (I think he stopped maybe for a week for that!) and had a daughter, Amanda in 2005.
The whole build is documented on Monica's Blog,
Shilay's Tara. I am the official photographer (and a contributor to her blog). I maintain a
slide show of the progress on the house. It is pretty much closed in at this point, but the electrical, plumbing and finish work all need to be completed. The hope is to celebrate Christmas 2008 at the house.
You might wonder how Kenny and his dad, with help from a few friends could build this house. First and foremost is Kenny's dedication to the project - he works a full day and often spends another 4 or 5 hour on the house. Second is that Kenny and Senior own
Cast Technology, a diesel engine repair shop. This gives them access to equipment normal people can't get. For example, Kenny owns a tractor, bobcat, Cat 955K bulldozer, a wood chipper that can take huge trees, a stump grinder and a genie lift. For the project he has borrowed a John Deere Excavator, a several ton forklift and other equipment. Most of all, this project is getting done because it has become Monica's dream as well so she lives with Kenny's obsession with his "White Whale".
Ken Shilay, Sr. passed away today after a two year fight with lung cancer. Senior, as he was known, was my former landlord's (Ken Shilay, Jr.) dad. I got to know Senior at family parties and working with him on Junior's dream house, aka Shilay's Tara, aka The Property. Senior and I didn't see eye-to-eye on politics or some of his ideas, but he was one of the hardest working people I've ever met. He has probably been described as cranky or irascible or worse, but underneath that gruff exterior, he had a soft soft both for Monica and his grand-daughter Amanda. Until Senior got sick, he gave up almost every weekend to help Junior with the new house. It was almost comical to watch Senior and Junior argue about the house - they both wanted it to be right and, of course, both believed they alone were right.
