Driving the serpentine road leading to the wee town of Round Mountain, California, we followed the hand-drawn map. We were mesmerized by the many twists as we kept climbing uphill. Winding around a lefthand curve, we could see a beautiful panoramic view and a small pull-out to our right. The hand-painted sign “The Fountain” signaled we were close to our destination.
Stepping from the low, first edition,1965 blue Mustang, we stretched our legs and drank sweet cold spring water. Almost there! We shouted, spying the apple stand on the left. Quickly we looked to the right. Our destination! Turning into the driveway demanded a sharp, steep right turn over a small running creek. The smell of cedars, pines, and the beauty of oaks filled our senses.
The map said, ‘a small white house’. Absolutely descriptive! The porch was scarcely two feet wide, held together by two poles and a tin shed roof. Its cracked, weathered boards shifted with our footsteps. There was one door, slightly askew and without a lock. Walking in, we found an old, tiny wood stove. One electric wire passed through a drilled hole into the room, held to the ceiling with U-shaped nails to the middle of the room, where it hung down about six inches, holding a lightbulb and a long string to turn it on or off. An old porcelain sink was held in place with 1”x3” boards nailed to the wall and supported on 2x4s. The plumbing consisted of a green garden hose bringing water into one faucet, and the drainage was another green garden hose draining water out. Both hoses entered and left through holes drilled through the board wall.
A glance at the construction revealed the entire house was built without a traditional frame. It was approximately 10’x12’ with a shed-type room about 10’x8’ attached to the back wall. That room was two steps lower than the main room. It had one window showing the land steeply slanting down into a canyon.
An old, mouse-eaten couch with sunken cushions liberally releasing cotton clumps through mouse holes completed the furnishings. There was only one window in the main room. We walked outside to take a closer look at the construction. At each of the four corners, two of the 1”x12” boards were secured vertically to the foundation. A frame was built at the top of those boards, squaring them with the floor below. Next, the wallboards were nailed vertically from floor to ceiling. This construction provided four walls and a ceiling, all only one inch thick. Old knot holes were mini-windows to the outside; some were covered with cardboard.
On the north side, a tin shed roof, held in place by two poles, gave little shelter to a small woodpile. Twisting several spirals to take in all the landscape, we spied a lone tiny white structure. Yep! The out-house. Laughing, we turned to hike down into the canyon. Voila! We came to a fast-running creek complete with waterfalls, a large swimming hole, and clear, cold water.
Strolling back to the little white house, we said, “What a challenge! And, it comes with100 acres!” We drove into the wee town of 300 residents. There was a general store, bar, gas station all in one structure. We walked in, had a beer, used the payphone, called the realtor, and declared… “Yes, we are ready to become homeowners.”
Chandler © December 22, 2022