"Serious Straw Bale" and Hay House...

[delgue@usa.net]

Has anyone else read "Serious Straw Bale" yet?  I'm enjoying it so far but
the profile of the Hay House in Old Saybrook, Connecticut (page 25) has me
a little confused.

I had already read a short article about it in The Last Straw (by the
builder, Ben Gleason) and immediately pinned a copy to my wall -- after
all, a $500 house is inspiring enough, let alone one built near a bog on a
non-foundation (bermed earth and plastic) in a damp/high humidity climate
and still in good shape 25 years later.  So I was glad to see it covered in
the Lacinsky/Bergeron book.  But credit is attributed a little differently
this time around.  About the only compliment paid to Gleason is that he
"knew a thing or two about New England weather", and the profile gives the
impression that after a few years the house would have slouched back to the
earth were it not for the present occupant, David Brown.  "As it happened,
regeneration came, in the form of David Brown...has been more than equal to
entropy...challenged many of the assumptions that rule our modern
world...is still a house today because David Brown understands the value of
respecting what you have...(David's) consistent attention has kept this
minimally endowed building dry and quite healthy...unyielding devotion to
growth...out of himself and a sandy patch of ground...has built a vibrant
economy of beauty...bear(s) the mark of his fertile imagination...only
David Brown was not surprised...he knew the source of its quiet endurance."

This is a little different than Gleason's prior article, which simply
stated "Maintenance has been minor over the years.  The tenant has patched
the stucco and painted the inside and outside walls.  He also puts lime on
the roof to keep moss from growing on the shakes."  

So, has this house withstood the elements in its original form, or was it
rescued by Brown in dramatic fashion as Lacinsky suggests (and if so,
exactly what was wrong and what was done to rescue it)?  For those like
myself who take inspiration from small/inexpensive straw bale structures
like this, it would be nice to know the whole story.