Return Trip to Nordegg

On Thursday February 24 Brad and I returned to the city after spending four days out at Nordegg.  We managed to get the meter base and the panel roughed in and ready for inspection.

On Friday February 25 Margarit and I headed back out to Nordegg.  We didn't get out of the city until shortly after 4:00 and it was dark by the time we arrived at the cottage.  The three girls all stayed behind in the city so this was the first couples weekend for us in quite some time.

We had some snacks and watched a DVD movie on Friday night after our arrival.  We slept in a bit on Saturday morning, and then headed over to the guest cottage for a while.  I applied four coats of lacquer to a handful of trim boards that I had brought out previously, and then worked on some electrical stuff.  I installed a fourth breaker into the panel, this one for the exterior receptacles and switches.  This also required the connection of a junction box, and some modifications to one of the exterior receptacles.  I made some notes on the wall beside the panel as to which breaker is which.  This will be transferred to a proper label once the rest of the circuits are in.  Then I closed up the panel so that is is ready to be energized.  I also drilled through for the exterior light above the entrance, and installed the box.  I still have an exterior yard light on the other side, that is part of this same circuit and needs to be drilled through next time.  While I was working on all of this Margarit tidied up all the construction mess in the cottage.

Later that evening I made us a dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed beets.  We enjoyed the nice meal together.  I challenged myself to do the "Dry February Challenge"  I wasn't taking any pledges, and not raising any money for charity, rather I just challenged myself to go alcohol free for a month.  The month is pretty much over now, and I haven't touched anything, nor been tempted.  But it precluded us from having a nice bottle of wine with dinner.

On Sunday we slept in again, and then had a relaxing morning in the cottage.  After breakfast and coffee we tidied up a bit and packed up for the return to the city.  We took a load of garbage to the dump and did a quick tour around the neighborhood.  We hit the road for home by about 3:00 in the afternoon and arrived back in the city, right on schedule, at around 6:00PM.

The DEF warning came on AGAIN in my truck.  We managed to make it back into the city before the truck went into limp mode, but not with much room to spare.  I will need to visit the Ram dealer on Monday to get this dealt with.  It sure seems like a stupid system to shut down the truck when a pollution control solution, that freezes at -10C, doesn't work properly.  I sure hope the manufacturer comes up with a long term solution for this as it is really ridiculous...!!

Wood Cross - Ilford FP4+ in Perceptol 1:1

I discovered this old grave marker last fall when I was out exploring with Margarit and our friends Chris and Connie.  As I recall this was the only wood marker in the cemetery.  Some of the graves were quite old... around a century if memory serves correctly... while other were relatively recent.  

This negative was part of the experiment I recently conducted, processing Ilford FP4+ 4" x 5" in Perceptol Developer, diluted 1:1.  I processed the film on my motorized Jobo processor, hoping that the previous staining issues I had experienced would be resolved.  The experiment was a success.  In the past I have had issues with the anti-halation dye not fully washing out of the film when I gave minimal agitation by hand.  The continuous agitation of the Jobo solved the problem.

This shot was taken in October of 2021 with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon 125mm lens.  Development was for 10:45 minutes at 24C.

Morning Fog - Arista EDU 200 in HC-110

I shot this negative early one morning back in October of 2020.  This was out at our property in Nordegg, and was actually taken from our second lot, looking out towards the road.  This was also part of the recent batch of Arista EDU 200 that I processsed on my Jobo a couple weeks ago.  This was developed in Kodak HC-110 Developer, Dilution B, for 7:45 minutes at 20C. 

I took the photograph with my Ebony SV45TE 4x5 view camera and a Fujinon 250mm lens.

Nordegg Electrical

I just returned from four days out at Nordegg.  My friend Brad came along with me.  Brad is a long time friend of our mutual friend Rob.  Rob is a photographer and electrician that did most of the wiring for me in my cottage.  He now lives in British Columbia and was unable to make it out to help with the guest cottage.  But our mutual friend Brad is also an electrician, and when he offered to help me out, I was happy to take him up on it.

Brad and Rob and I went on several extended trips together in recent years.  We did some hiking down in Kananaskis together over ten years ago and that was the first time I met Brad.  Then in 2013 we spent a week together down in Utah, including a hike in to "The Wave" in the North Coyote Buttes.  Then in 2015 we made a return trip to Utah, again for a week.  That was the time that the clutch burnt out of my truck and Brad and I got stranded in Butte, Montana for three or four days.  More recently the three of us spent a week out on Vancouver Island in 2019.  Hopefully once this Covid pandemic is behind us, we can take another one of these trips again.

This time around Brad and I spent a few days out at Nordegg.  We headed out on February 21st.  It was kind of cold and snowy and we arrived in the afternoon.  That night the temperature dropped down to -37C.  We got going in the late morning the next day and I had to use a propane heater to get the chill out of the guest cottage.  Then we got the wood stove going to maintain a comfortable working temperature during the day.  We finished up three of the circuits that I had previously roughed in.  This included a circuit in the basement with lights and receptacles.  It also included the circuit in the east bedroom, where I had most of the panelling installed.  I put up temporary light socket to use until the fixture that I have ordered arrives.  We also finished up work on a circuit that includes the dinette light, the loft lights, and the smoke detectors.

It didn't get quite as cold that second night, but still got down to near -30C.  On Wednesday the 23rd it warmed up nicely and we installed three breakers in the panel, mounted the meter base on the exterior wall, ran conduit out to the meter, and finished up a few odds and ends.  It got up to about -5 that afternoon and we worked until dark at about 6:30.  By then the temperature had dropped off to around -12 and it started to snow.  On Thursday the 24th we needed an hour or so to finish up the connection of the supply cable in the meter base.  Once that was finished up I took pictures of everything and sent it to the electrical inspector for approval.  Then we packed up and hit the road for home.  We left Nordegg around noon, and after a brief stop in Rocky Mountain House for lunch, we made it back home to the city by mid-afternoon.

In the mean time the inspector had approved our installation and authorized me to go ahead and get the meter installed and the building energized.  That likely won't happen for another week or so, but it will sure be nice to have power in the building... finally...!  Many thanks to Brad for his assistance with getting the hookup looked after. 

In the week or so before our arrival, my contractor's crew finished up most of the siding.  We used a bunch of material that had been left over from the main cottage.  Some of it got a little dirty in long term storage so I will probably have to wash the walls in the spring.  The crew didn't have enough shingle siding for the gable ends, so the south end remains unfinished.  They were also short a couple of pieces for the north gable end.  We are also back-ordered on some trim that will go above the doors and in windows.  But the work is far enough along for me to continue with everything that I need to do.  I understand that it will probably be April before the last of this exterior work can be wrapped up.

Bicycle Wheels - J&C Classic 200 in HC-110

Here is a scan of another recently processed negative.  My friend Arturo and I were out exploring in September of 2021 when we found this old building and the bike parts.  I quite like this image and may take a shot at printing the negative.

This was taken with my Ebony SV45TU view camera and a Schneider 135mm lens.  The film was J&C Classic 200 developed on my Jobo processor in HC-110 Developer, Dilution B, for 7:45 minutes at 20 degrees C.

Fresh Snow - Arista EDU 200 in HC-110

I shot this image a little over a year ago, in December of 2020.  These are some snowy trees, beside my driveway, on my property in Nordegg.  This was taken with my Ebony SV45TE camera and a Nikkor 200mm lens.  The film was Arista EDU 200.  This is a budget film that I believe to be very similar to the J&C 200 stuff of my previous post.  I process it in the same manner, in Kodak HC-110 Developer, Dilution B, for 7:45 minutes at 20C.  This was also processed on my Jobo Processor with constant agitation.

Forest Cascade - J&C Classic 200 in HC-110

I took this shot last summer, in August.  It was down along Shunda Creek, not far from my property in Nordegg.  The water level on the creek was low enough that the cascades were evident, the rock exposed, and access fairly easy.

I shot this with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon 125mm lens with a #25 Red Filter.  The film was J&C Classic 200.  There used to be a photo supplier in the St. Louis area called J&C.  They went out of business many years ago as a result of what the owner called a frivolous lawsuit.  I was sad to see them go, as they carried a great variety of large format film.  This included some that they branded with their own name.  I know it was made for them over in Europe.  Possibly by Foma or Adox... not really sure.

I still have a couple of boxes left in my freezer and shoot it from time to time.  I find that the film has a fairly pronounced grain, so I try to use it when I feel that the grain might suit the image.  Though that was not really the case this time around.

I process this film with continuous agitation on my Jobo processor.  Development was with Kodak HC-110 Developer, Dilution B, for 7:45 minutes at 20C.

Maples and Old House - Rollei RPX-25 in Rodinal

Another scan from one of my recent batches of Rollei RPX-25, this one in Rodinal 1:50.  I think I like the Rodinal images slightly better than the Perceptol ones for this film.  I continue to have issues with development in Perceptol.  Although it appears the issues with Ilford FP4 in Perceptol are resolved, I continue to struggle with this film.  Rodinal seems to be the way to go, perhaps with a slight reduction in the 11:30 minute development time.

I shot this old farm yard in April of 2019 with my Ebony SV45TU view camera and a Schneider Super Symmar 110mm lens.  Note that I have two Ebony view cameras and use them both regularly.  One is the SV45TE that I bought new in 2012.  The other is a SV45TU that I purchased used about five years later.  The TU version has assymetrical movements on the rear standard... a slight advantage when setting up and composing and focusing.

Rollei RPX-25 in Perceptol - Stone Ruin

Margarit and I hiked in to this old stone ruin in the badlands of southern Alberta in October of 2020. I recently processed this batch of film in Perceptol.  I was experimenting with running Ilford FP4 in Perceptol on my Jobo Processor, in the hope of eliminating the staining issues that I was having.  While I had some of the developer mixed up, I also ran a batch of Rollei RPX-25.  There were some strange white patches on the Rollei negatives that I can't explain.  Fortunately they were mostly right at the edge, though a couple of sheets were ruined by these patches right in the middle of the image.  This negative has some of that damage at the edge and as a result I had to crop it slightly.

I shot this image with my Ebony SV45TE Field Camera and a Rodenstock 90mm lens.  This is a wide angle lens, comparable to a 28mm lens in full frame digital format.  I also used a #8 Yellow Filter to darken the sky.

Two Doors - Rollei RPX 25 in Rodinal

I recently processed a batch of Rollei RPX-25 sheet film in Rodinal Developer.  The developer was diluted 1:50 and processing was for 11:30 minutes at 20C.  I have been experimenting with this film in both Rodinal and Perceptol developers.  I have had staining issues and inconsistent development in Perceptol so I think I will stick with Rodinal from now on.

This image was taken in the fall of 2018 when some of the Monochrome Guild members were out with me for a Fall Photo Weekend.  I sure miss those days before Covid when we used to be able to go out shooting together.  We spent a couple days shooting in the Drumheller area that fall.  This shot was taken inside the Springwater School Historic site.

Extended Stay

Originally it was my plan to head back to the city on Valentines Day.  But, the construction crew showed up in the morning.  They had a trailer load of soffit, fascia and trim board.  They also brought over a manlift.  They said they were planning to spend the week at my place, finishing up as much of the exterior as possible.

I decided to stick around for a little longer.  Mostly I wanted to make sure that the crew didn't have any issues with power.  If the breaker in the house tripped, they would be without power and unable to work.  So I wanted to make sure there were no issues with that.  I also gave them a hand for a bit.

They got quite a bit done on the first day.  Dave and Steve managed to put up the sofffit and fascia on the west side and the north end.  Then they continued with some trim around some of the windows, and started on the shingle style siding to the north gable end.  In order to do that, they had to load up all the left over materials that had been stored beside my driveway at our existing cottage, and bring it over to the guest cottage.

The day was cooler, and it only got up to a degree or so above freezing.  That was good as it prevented things from getting really muddy.  As we were winding things down at the end of the day, it really cooled off.  By dark the temperature had dropped to -3 and it was starting to snow.

While the guys were working outside, I puttered around a little more inside the guest cottage.  I strung wire to all the lights and receptacles down in the crawlspace and got that circuit pretty much finished.  I also put a final coat of lacquer on some of the trim that I had been working on.  And I went through a bunch of my electrical materials to make sure that I have everything ready for installation of the meter base.

As a result of my decision to stay longer I will miss a hockey game on Monday evening, and a ball hockey game on Tuesday morning.  But I didn't want to do anything to discourage the construction work that is finally getting underway.

Accomplished a Lot

I spent February 12 and 13 working on the guest cottage.  I typically got started around 10:00 in the morning, when it got light enough to work and it warmed up a bit.  I usually worked until about 4:30 or 5:00, when it starts to get dark.

Saturday February 12th was another very warm day and the temperature peaked at about +12C.  It was not windy this time, so it was a very pleasant day to work outside.  I decided to leave my interior work for another time and take advantage of the mild temperatures to do some outside stuff.  It got very muddy by late afternoon as there is very little snow left, and lots of exposed dirt on the construction site.

I drilled through the new siding and put a PVC conduit into the basement.  I pushed through the ground cable that I had previously roughed in and connected to a ground plate before the backfilling was done.  Then I cut through in three locations and put in electrical boxes for exterior outlets.  I had previously roughed the wires in to the general location of these boxes.  I connected the receptacles and put the weatherproof covers on.  

Then I moved some plywood into the cottage.  This will later be used as backing behind the kitchen cabinets and behind the shower in the bathroom.  Finally, once that was all done I laid out a pattern for the enclosure that needs to be made to box in the plumbing vent stack.  By this time it was beginning to get dark, so I packed it in for the day.

My neighbors were out with a big bon fire and had some other neighbors over visiting.  It was a beautiful evening and by 11:00PM it was still around +5.  We all visited around the fire through the evening and shared a few snacks.  I was finally able to pass on one of my calendars to a neighbor that I had not been able to connect with for a while.

I am currently doing the Dry February challenge and not drinking any alcohol for the month.  It was kind of fun to sit around the fire and watch everyone getting plastered on beer and rum and tequila shots while I just sipped a couple of cans of Coke.

I'm sure they were all nursing the infamous Nordegg headache on Sunday morning.  I've done that myself on more than one occasion, but not this time.

It wasn't quite as warm on Sunday, but it still made it up to about +5.  I didn't even bother lighting a fire in guest cottage on either day, as it was warm enough to work without one.  One Sunday I got started at about 10:30 and spent the entire day on a whole bunch of little projects.

I started boxing in the plumbing vent stack at the south gable end.  I put some balsam trim up at the gable end, where it meets the high ceiling.  I put a section of balsam ridge trim in from the gable end back towards the center of the cottage.  I properly strapped the horizontal vent pipe that connects from the bathroom vanity to the main stack.  I installed the pot light in the small loft.  I fitted the trim around the chimney of the wood stove, where it meets the ceiling.  I put vapor barrier up on the west wall and part of the south wall.  Then I ran out of material and couldn't finish the last 30 feet on the south and east walsl.  I also took detailed measurements and photographs of the door and windows so that I can order the rollshutters.  

By the time I finished all of this, I was getting pretty tired, and it was beginning to get dark.  So I packed up for the day and headed back next door to make dinner for myself.  I felt quite a sense of accomplishment after getting so many things looked after.

Significant Progress

It was quite a bit cooler on Friday February 11th.  It dropped down to about -6 overnight, and during the course of the day it got just above freezing in the late afternoon.  The skies were mostly clear and there was almost no wind.  A very pleasant winter day.

The siding crew showed up, and started working on the siding.  They got quite a bit done, and managed to get several rows of siding on all four sides of the cottage.  There is enough installed that I can now cut through the three exterior electrical receptacles, the air intake for the fireplace, and the conduits for the meter base and ground cable.  Once the crew returns and can install material higher up the walls, then I will be able to cut in the bathroom and range hood exhausts, and the exterior lights.  For the immediate future I have more than enough to keep me busy.

While the guys were working on the siding, I worked inside.  In managed to get all of the aspen and trim that I brought out finished with four coats of lacquer.  I also installed paneling to both sides of the south gable end.

It was really nice to get so much accomplished.  I will continue working over the weekend and see how much more I can finish up.  The siding crew won't be working over the weekend, and I'm not sure if they'll be back right away on Monday, but it is sure nice to get things on the go after all this time.

Back to Work

On Thursday the 10th I spent the entire day working in the cottage.  It was really warm and comfortable working inside, and much more pleasant than those cold days over Christmas.  

I brought out about 30 random lengths of aspen paneling, plus about ten lengths of balsam trim.  My goal is to install aspen to the south gable end.  Once that is done there is a little trim needed in the corners and at the ridge.  I also have the three pendant style light fixtures for the high ceiling.  I hope to be able to get all of this done while I am out this time, so that then I can take down the scaffold.  That will provide a lot more working space for me to carry on with the rest of the project.

I installed some support blocking to the gable end, and then put up the vapor barrier on the southwest corner.  Then I started installing paneling in the loft area above the bathroom.  I got a good start on this, and in between I worked on applying lacquer to the materials that I brought out.

March in February

Hailey came back home to the city on Monday.  I had a hockey game on Monday night, and then played floor hockey on Tuesday morning.  That afternoon I loaded up more aspen paneling and on Wednesday morning headed back out to the cottage on a solo trip.  It was +13C west of Rocky Mountain House on the drive out.  Closer to Nordegg the temperature dropped off a little to about +8C.  

I arrived in the early afternoon and unpacked all of my groceries and supplies.  Then I unloaded all of the aspen boards and balsam trim that I brought along, and stacked them in the new cottage.  It was just a small load this time, as I don't need that many to keep me busy with my planned work.  Once that was done I made a trip to the dump.  The dump is only open three days a week, for about four hours each time.  I haven't made it over there for quite some time as it seems I was always busy, or it was too cold.  There was a huge pile of garbage accumulated in the garage dating back to before Christmas.  With the warm weather it was starting to stink... so it was good to finally get rid of it.  On the way back I stopped and checked out the hockey rink in town.  It was more like a pool than a rink, so there will be no outside hockey this week.... sadly.

On Wednesday evening it was breezy and the temperature held at around +8 all night long.  On Thursday it was mostly cloudy, with a few sunny breaks, and the temperature edged up to about +10.  It was very windy all day long and a few dead trees came down back in the bush.  But with the wind and mild temperatures the snow quickly disappeared, and there is hardly any left.  It feels much more like late March than the first half of February.  I doubt that winter is behind us and expect that we will likely get slammed with another spell of cold weather and more snow.  But for the time being it is nice to enjoy the mild weather.  Sure makes working in the new cottage a lot more comfortable.

Hailey at Abraham

Hailey went out to the cottage by herself on the weekend of February 5 and 6.  At one point she headed over to Abraham Lake to check out the Ice Bubbles.  That is really becoming a destination and the Provincial and County Tourism departments refer to it as "Bubbling".  On mild weekends there are often large crowds of people out by the lake.

Hailey did better than I recently did and actually got out on the open ice and took a couple of pretty good snapshots with her phone.  Here they are...

Fallen Cottonwood

This is a scan of another recently processed sheet of film.  This one dates back to the fall of 2018.  A number of the photographers from the Monochrome Guild were out for our annual Fall Photo Weekend.  We were exploring the Red Deer River Valley near Drumheller.  It was late October, and a rather cool and rainy weekend.  We made the best of it and got out for a couple of days making photographs.  I miss those days and look forward to when this pandemic comes to an end, and we can organize such outings again.

Perceptol Problem Solved

In recent months I have been having serious issues with a purple/blue stain remaining on my Ilford FP4 sheet film, after processing in Perceptol developer.  I posted some examples of this on my blog some time ago.  I have had similar issues with other films in this developer.  I had a number of theories on what might have been causing the problem.  It is obvious that it is the anti-halation dye of the sheet film that is not fully washing out during processing.

At one point it was suggested to me that perhaps because the film was stored frozen, the anti-halation dye of the film was being affected.  I tried some fresh, unfrozen film, and it was better, but the problem did not fully disappear.  I also tried a stronger developer solution, but that didn't help either. 

I process my sheet film with stainless steel hangers in open tanks, obviously in total darkness.  I usually run a rack of six or seven hangers at a time.  Over a number of batches it became apparent that the outside sheets in those batches had less of a staining issue, than the ones that were grouped in the middle.

On February 5th I processed a batch of FP4 in Perceptol, in my Jobo Processor.  This processor uses light proof tanks in a temperature controlled water bath.  The agitation is continuous, with a motor that rotates the tank.  I find that the continuous agitation does not provide quite as nice a tonality as the minimal agitation of the hanger method, so I don't use the processor all that often.

This batch of FP4 came out flawlessly, with absolutely no stain.  Obviously the agitation with this developer is of critical importance in order to fully wash out the dye.  Now I just have to fine tune my development time to give me the best possible tonality.  This method also has the added benefit of using less chemistry.

One More

Yet one more scan from the recent batch of Rollei RPX-25 negatives.  This shot was taken down along Shunda Creek near Nordegg.  It was in taken in July of 2018.  Water levels were quite high, and it was not possible to cross the creek at this location, where we often do.  I shot this with a moderately wide 110mm lens on my Ebony 4x5 view camera.

Medicine Lake

Yet another scan from the recently processed batch of Rollei RPX-25.  This shot of Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park was taken in November of 2019.  Once again I was shooting 4" x 5" sheet film with my Ebony view camera.  I used a longer focal length 240mm lens for this imagine.  This created a little compression between the foreground snow covered boulders, and the background mountain.

Portal Creek

Another scan from the recent batch of Rollei RPX-25.  This one was taken in November of 2019.  It is a detail shot of some ice forming on Portal Creek in Jasper National Park.  I shot this with a long focal length 300mm lens.  The slow film required a long shutter speed of 8 seconds.

Vacancy

I just processed a batch of Rollei RPX-25 sheet film.  This included twenty sheets of 4x5.  This was a batch of exposed film that I had been accumulating since 2018.  Development was in Rodinal developer, diluted 1:50.  This particular shot is one from my series on Old Neon Signs.  This motel, and the associated sign, no longer exist.  It was located in south Edmonton, just off of Calgary Trail.  I shot this in the spring of 2018 with my Ebony SC45TU view camera and a Nikkor 150mm lens.

Century Film

My friends Chris and Connie stumbled upon a box of very old sheet film.  They were going through some artifacts at a small town museum they were volunteering at, when they came across it.  The box was Kodak Cut Film, Super Speed, in the now obsolete 3-1/4" x 5-1/2" size.  This was considered "postcard" format and Kodak made cameras that accepted it.  The resulting negatives were contact printed onto heavy photographic paper of the same size and used as postcards.

Initially the seals of the box appeared to be intact, and it was obvious there was something inside.  The expiry date was February of 1926, almost 100 years ago.  Chris thought that I might be able to do something with the film, so he sent it to me for further investigation.  With a little research Chris was able to determine that the ISO speed of the film was 6, and that it was orthochromatic.  This meant that it was very slow film and required a lot of light for exposure.  It also meant that it was only sensitive to blue light, and that it could be handled under a darkroom safelight.

It was thought that if there was unexposed film in the box, I could trim it to 3-1/4" x 5" and load it into my modern 4" x 5" film holders.  It was hoped that I would then be able to use the film to take some photographs at the museum that it belonged to.  We would first have to check and see if the film that was thought to be in the box was already processed.  That would be obvious by inspection, first under safelight, and then if a negative image was present, in greater detail under room light.  If this was not the case, then one of the film sheets would have to be developed by inspection under safelight, to see if it had already been exposed.  If the film was unexposed we would attempt to use it.

But, it was all a big disappointment.  First I opened the box in total darkness, just in case any film that was in it was not actually orthochromatic.  It became apparent that the seals were not intact and the box had been previously opened.  When I checked inside I could feel a paper wrapped package inside the inner box.  I unwrapped that, and there was two cardboard protectors inside.  But the sheets that were between the protectors did not feel like film.  I pulled one out, and then wrapped up the rest.  I checked that one under room light and was dismayed to discover that it was just one of the tissue paper interleaves that would have been packaged between the original film sheets.  So, I opened the box up again, this time under safelight and was disappointed to discover that all that we had was the tissue paper interleaving... and no film.  It seems that this was an empty box that the original photographer had set aside after the using the 12 sheets of film that it originally contained.  

It was really cool to see these packaging materials from almost a century ago.  It would have been even more amazing if there had been at least a sheet or two of film left to play around with.  But it was not to be...!!

The box will be returned to Chris and Connie for delivery back to the museum, sadly without any images.

February Calendar Image

I actually shot this one in the summer.... but being an interior shot it worked for any month of the year.  This was the kitchen of an old abandoned farmhouse that my friend Arturo and I discovered last summer when we were out exploring together.  I used this image on the February page of my recently printed 2022 calendar.  The reason that the foreground sofa is tilted back the way that it is, is because the floor of the house had collapsed into the cellar.  One little shove and that sofa would have tumbled into the basement.  Needless to say we did not enter the building and this shot was taken through an open doorway.