By Robert Lucke
In this country it seems like there is sort of a movement back to the basics. Although it did not start with the events of Sept. 11, it has gained even more momentum afterward.
It takes its form in any number of ways. In food, there is a new resurgence of comfort food. Whether the ingredients are bought and prepared or purchased already prepared or eaten in a restaurant, a return to roots is here with food.
And it has taken form still another way, with the ever greater popularity of log homes.
There is nothing more basic to the United States and Montana than living in a log home. It takes folks right back to their roots and comfort zones not necessarily found in other forms of building materials.
Whether it is scenes of Abe Lincoln reading before the fire in his family's log house or the log cabins of Charlie Russell nestled in the Judith Mountains, living in logs makes people feel better.
Not only that but log homes come in so many styles and sizes that they can be described as everything from huts to mansions.
One of the best places to find out about building with log, whether it is a purchased kit or starting from scratch by buying a wood lot, is to search the Internet. Find a search engine and just log on to log homes and there will be hundreds of sites with thousands and thousands of ideas available.
There are log home plans, log home prices, log home manufacturers right here in Montana. The list is endless and includes such sites as log home packages, hand-crafted log homes, timber frame homes, post and beam cabins, custom log shells, cabin kits, log siding suppliers, flooring, construction tools and sawmills, log homes for sale, shells for sale, land for sale and land wanted, log styles, home furnishings and lighting for log homes, painting suppliers, manufactures of log preservation materials, log home maintenance companies, chinking materials, home shows and even available log home dealerships if you want to start selling them.
If a return to the basics is on your family's list of priorities this year, cook up a pot of macaroni and cheese and start searching the Web for your log home. Whether you build or not, it is fun to dream about living with logs.
