We have been working together for almost a decade, Chris and I. He’s not my employee, he’s my partner. He’s without a doubt the best carpenter I have ever met.
I used to be a Framer. A Framer is the person who constructs the shell of a home. A broken back after a fall, and coaching a son in hockey at 4pm made that career almost impossible. It is brutally hard work as well.
Around this time I decided to try my hand at renovations. I had been building homes for 15 years, and a change was needed. One of my first jobs was for a friend; he needed new floors. I had asked a friend to help me, but it wasn’t just a friend, it was my old employer, the man who had trained me to be a framer. His name was Jakob, an Austrian, he was also a very gifted carpenter. He’s since built homes featured in architectural magazines, and he’s still a mentor to this day.
We were ripping out the old flooring when Craig, the homeowner, asked,
“Would you like an extra helper?”
I was hesitant to accept. But when he said he’d work for 10 dollars an hour, I said yes. What could I possibly lose?
The next day myself and Jakob watched as an old chev truck pulled up, and a smaller man in a dirty white shirt opened up his tailgate, and dumped two buckets of tools out.
“You can tell a lot about a carpenter by the way he looks after his tools” Jakob observed.
I wasn’t so sure. I was a good carpenter, and I was the worst at organizing my tools.
“What can I get started on?” Chris asked, after introducing himself.
I gave him a few things that I thought would take a few hours to do. At 10$ an hour I wasn’t expecting much. So, you can imagine my surprise when in less than 30 min he returned, the work all done. Not only was it done, it was done better than I could of done it.
This was the beginning of a long relationship. We are perfect for each other. With my framing skills and attitude, and his deft hands and meticulous eye, we have completed thousands of projects together. From million dollars homes, to garden sheds. We like the variety. We can do it all, from concrete to cabinets. We do our own design now. We don’t make a lot of money, but most of our customers love us. All of our customers love Chris.
He’s honest. To a fault. He’s kind. He’s hilarious. He drinks a bit too much, which led to him asking for a phone call from the drunk tank one night. The RCMP had picked him up for some reason or another. With his call he phoned the Calgary police, and reported himself kidnapped. True story.
We have been through it all together. My marriage ending. His dog dying. Blizzards. Rain. Cops. Thefts. Me breaking his window and dragging him out of bed. Him going missing for a few days at the worst possible times.
But my favourite memory to date was not work related. One night I was restless, and he was alone. He was living in the carcass of the old general store in Madden. I went to see him. He had a room in the back of the store. We played George Jones, Keith Whitley, Vern Gosdin and others. We smoked cigars and drank something toxic. I guarantee it wasn’t expensive. We talked all night and called Bubba at the CBC. It was one of the best nights of my life. It’s not where you are, it’s who you are with.
I’m looking forward to seeing Chris tomorrow.
If you read this far, thank you. Tris
Tristram's Blog 