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Site Visit: February 9, 2017

Laity Lodge was swarming with activity this morning. Painters, landscapers, carpenters, drywall hangers, tile and door installers, electricians, irrigators, masons, plumbers, ac/heating rough-in crew, concrete polishers, and a foundation crew were all busy both with their tasks and with keeping out of each other’s way. But with clear skies and 70 degrees in early February, […]

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Summer Schedule Changes

Last week, only hours before we published the summer retreat schedule, our on-site construction manager let us know that it was suddenly doubtful the work would be finished by June. After a week of further review and consultation, we’ve made the painful decision to cancel our summer retreats and push the Laity Lodge reopening to […]

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Site Visit: January 18, 2017

Amidst a cold, wintery drizzle, construction continues unabated at the Lodge. The sho sugi ban cedar siding is being installed, framed walls are receiving insulation, and sidewalk approaches are being prepared for concrete work. Black Bluff’s new bathroom fixtures are installed and new privacy partitions are in place. Footers are being dug for Cedar Brake’s […]

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Site Visit: December 12, 2016

Mid December, 2016. We arrived late evening as the crews were departing. Explored the progress inside the Lodge rooms and breezeways.  Checked on the catfish below the Great Hall. Tried the recently installed fans in Black Bluff. And, for the first time, stood on the porch of a Cedar Brake duplex to watch the sunset. […]

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Delta Millworks Visit

On a gray day in early December, we traveled to east Austin to visit Delta Millworks, where the exterior siding for both the Lodge and Cedar Brake is currently in process. That “process” is exactly what we had come to see. Delta has perfected a modern take on the ancient Japanese method of shou-sugi-ban (literally, […]

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Site Visit: December 1, 2016

A quintessential autumn day in the Texas Hill Country. Sixty-four degrees and clear upon arrival. We immediately encounter stockpiles of massive cut rock ready for the landscape. At the Lodge, stonemasons have nearly finished the exterior stonework. Up at Cedar Brake, framers are rapidly giving shape to the new buildings. This complex will ultimately consist of two duplexes, a […]

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Familiar Rocks

Recent stonework really has the new building looking like the Lodge again. These walls are located on the ends of the building (as before) and inside the breezeways. Many of the rocks were salvaged from the original structure, and it’s good to see them stacked back in the organic pattern that has come to be a defining […]

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Site Visit: October 24, 2016

The constant clatter of construction has turned Laity Lodge into one of the noisiest spots in the Frio River Canyon. Early morning (before the crews arrive) is one of the few times to find the place still and quiet. We took advantage of just such an occasion last week for a meandering and thoroughgoing walkthrough. […]

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Site Visit, Part II: October 5, 2016

Our early morning Lodge walkabout continues in black and white.

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Site Visit: October 5, 2016

Readily apparent on this early morning visit: the first bit of exterior stonework (reusing some stone salvaged from the original Lodge); steel beams for the catwalks accessing upstairs rooms; and the expansive breezeway ceilings, especially at the Waterfall patio.

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