The massive linden tree that rises from the top of the slope that lies between the river end of our cabin and the Allegheny River has witnessed many changes over the years to the structure below its out-stretched limbs.

But the recent changes to the structure it shades have, without much doubt, created a building for the ages that precludes any further modifications.

It was not without some difficulty that we secured the services of a contractor willing to reside the two-story structure, which is 15 feet wide and some 45 feet in length and has numerous windows on both levels, including a large bay window on the first floor and huge picture windows at its rear.

The obvious problem was the cabin’s cedar siding was warping in places and springing loose from its fastenings. Also, (thanks to woodpeckers) there were holes in the siding through which flying squirrels entered the building.

There were other problems as well, such as siding that was badly discolored in places, and a deteriorated wood shingled roof over the living room bay window.

I was doing some yard work one day when Paul Miles of Tidioute (who was then doing some work in the area) approached me and asked, “Are you still looking for someone to reside your cabin?” I replied with a surprised “Yes,” since at that point we had actually about given up on finding someone to do the work.

Paul said he would be willing to take on the job, and sometime later (after taking the necessary measurements) offered an estimate as to its cost.

This was a little higher than what my wife, Judith and I expected, but we agreed to go ahead with the work (after some prodding from our son, James).

We are elderly and our trips to the cabin from Youngtown are becoming ever more arduous. (We have had the cabin now for over 30 years, and weren’t young when we bought it.)

But we believe that it would make sense to pass a decent structure on to our heirs and to whomever might later acquire the cabin.

The cabin with its new vinyl siding now looks a little less than a candidate for “Dogpatch” (of the old comic strip “Li’l Abner”) than previously, and even just being inside one has the impression of being in a tighter structure, one now more impervious to the gales from the south that sweep up the Allegheny

(In addition to the new siding, there is another layer of insulation over the entire structure, as well as a fairly new steel roof.)

And we are sure that our neighbors — from the Pittsburgh area on one side and the San Diego area on the other — are also pleased with the cabin’s “new look.”

But the re-siding project was not without its problems for Paul and his crew. The glass door which offered a view of the river from the kitchen had become mostly opaque and had to be replaced. But the beam across the front of the building that supported it had rotted out and had to be replaced, lest the kitchen develop a list toward the river.

And thanks to the birds and squirrels, the electric wiring was in poor shape where it enters the cabin and feeds the meter box, and needed attention.

On the southern side of the cabin, the siding was so deteriorated that extensive panels of wallboard had to be put in place in order to create a solid surface on which to attach the new siding.

Our now impressive two-story, vinyl sided cabin built on the flat river plain (of which there are many along the river) at Althom had its origins many years ago … hence the rotted beam under the kitchen.

Initially, the place was just a one-story structure consisting of the present kitchen, bathroom, living room and a back bedroom.

A subsequent owner added a bedroom over the kitchen, so for a time the structure we observed during canoe rides out of Cloverleaf Campground (where we had a camper trailer for several years) resembled a flat box with a cube over the front one-third.

We recall seeing the second floor being completed, little realizing that we would shortly be the new owners of the structure.

But this did happen, as the newly augmented structure was offered for sale about the same time as Cloverleaf was closed, prompting us to seek another vacation home on the river. (I spotted the cabin’s “For sale” sign from the river.)

The woman real estate agent who handled our acquisition of the property told us that we had acquired “The Showplace” due to its scenic river location and impressive interior decor, which included the bathroom with its beautiful paneled stained wooden walls, and the upstairs rear bedroom with three ceiling-to-floor glass windows that overlooked our neighbors’ lawn areas (where deer often grazed) and vintage apple trees.

However, the “Showplace” required a lot of work to make it a fully suitable place to live.

We were fortunate to acquire the help with this from two retired carpenters who lived in Deerfield Estates, located on the river just north of Tidioute.

They paneled the unfinished “cube” bedroom above the kitchen, put in a ceiling there of fiberglass blocks, and added a closet.

There was no exit at the rear of the building, so they put in a stairway down from the huge second floor rear bedroom (which had been completed) and ran it into a small shed-like addition they constructed which had the needed rear exit door. They even installed two wash tubs there.

Starting with the original one-story structure and ending with adding the vinyl siding and other modifications, our cabin has now gone through five versions.

And thanks largely to its vinyl-siding fifth, it is now even more of a “Showplace” than when we acquired it.

Robert Stanger has lived seasonally for over 40 years along the Allegheny River and has the stories to tell about it.