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Roger and Judy Sargent find peace and friendliness in the country

By Lois E. Johnson - Arrowhead Leader, Moose Lake, MN

Every morning at 6 a.m. Roger Sargent heads out to his workshop. There he spends the day crafting log furniture, and delights in the freedom an the beauty of his life in the country, and in the joys of creating. It was dream that has been achieved.

Judy and Roger Sargent show a table made from half logs salvaged from Hart's Resort after it was demolished. Two tree forks form the legs.

Roger and Judy Sargent lived the normal life of people in the city before they moved to the area. Roger was the maintenance supervisor for a large apartment complex in the Twin Cities, and Judy with a special education program for a school district.

Roger's longing for private hunting land led the couple on a journey that brought them to what is now their home, and into the life that they both now enjoy.

"I was tired of going to public hunting grounds," said Roger in an interview in the couple's log home west of Moose Lake last Tuesday. "I found this property of a little more than 200 acres, and we bought it in 1990 for hunting." There was a log cabin on the property, and six adults and three dogs crowded into the little cabin on weekends when they would come tip to spend time in the country. However, the desire for the life that the couple found in the area grew.

"We starting meeting people during the time that we were spending up here, and decided that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives here." said Roger, We could see that it was a kinder, gentler life."

The couple spent the next five years coming to their country home on weekends and holidays, and slowly converted it into their dream home. They now live in a log house tucked into the pines, have a log garage where Roger displays his work, and the little log cabin is now Judy's gift shop, Pine Tree Crafts. The workshop is in a pole building located behind the other buildings. All were built by Roger.

"We'd drive through anything to get here during those five years," said Judy.

It was five years ago that both Roger and Judy were able to leave their jobs at the age of 58, and move to their new home. They stepped from the city life into the country life permanently. "We don't have to keep up with anybody here," said Judy.

However, tragedy marred the transition a few months later. "We moved here in July '99, and in October Roger's workshop was destroyed by a fire," said Judy.

Roger describes what happened:

"I just ran over to Kettle River; I wasn't gone more than 45 minutes. When I came home I saw the smoke coming out of the shop. When I opened the door, the smoke hit me in the face, and the flames blazed up. There was nothing I could do." Roger added that he had a barrel stove in the shop, and it had started a chimney fire.

Roger called 911. Judy was working at her part-time job as receptionist at the family center downtown, and heard the sirens. "I just knew something was wrong at our place, so I stepped out to see the trucks," she said. "When they turned up the hill, I rail back in and told the others that I had to leave for a few minutes."

To her horror, her suspicions were confirmed when she arrived. Fire trucks from three departments were parked all over their yard, and the flames were destroying the workshop.

"I just cried," said Roger. "I felt that my future was gone. A 30-year accumulation of tools, including antique tools of her father's and my father's, were destroyed."

The feeling of great loss stayed with Roger for two weeks, he explained. He carried a heavy burden and was unable to make any decisions about his future.

However, another pole building was built and another shop was created inside, and Roger happily uses his new equipment each day. "Before I had a shop," he said. "Now I have A SHOP!"

It was that event that showed Roger and Judy what kind of people live in the area. "The fire trucks hadn't been gone more than 20 minutes when people started arriving offering to help," said Roger. "That cemented our reasons to be here. That's just not done in the Cities."

The Sargents see and enjoy that small-town friendliness each time they go to town. "You can go into a store and they know who you are," said Roger, "and they talk to you. Sometimes I just run to town to get something and spend more time than! had planned because I got to talking to someone."

Roger had several part-time jobs after the couple moved to the area, but working with wood was always his love. That's now where he concentrates all of his energies.

Roger set up his business, The Custom Craftsman, and has built on his reputation, both in building custom pieces of furniture for others and for sale. Logs and wood labs make up most of his furniture, and a few decorative items, such as an old-fashioned wheelbarrow and hand cart, are made from weathered wood.

Larger pieces, such as entertainment centers, are made to look rustic and fit with his log furniture.

Always on the lookout for wood for his projects, Roger and Judy watched with interest when Hart's Resort demolished. They followed the trucks to the demolition landfill, and rescued the half logs that were in the walls. Now those half logs form the top of a table that Roger created. "Four people want that table," he said.

Judy is Roger's critic. "!f she likes it, it's a go," he said.

"One day he brought in a small table for my approval, and I wouldn't let it go," she added. "It's now our end' table. It fits perfectly."

The-couple told of a local lady that brought some old wainscoting and other antique wood to Roger and asked him to make a hutch for her. "!t turned out gorgeous. She was jumping up and down when she saw it after I finished it," he said. "She., was so excited."

And that's Roger's reward. "When I see someone exuberant about it as I feel about it, that makes it all worthwhile," he said. "I'm  not in this to get rich. I like it when people love it."

People interested in seeing Roger's work or Judy's gift shop, may stop in on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays, or anythime that they are home. They are located one mile west on Highway 27/73, and right on County Road 12, 0.9 miles at 4723, just west of Moose Lake. Or call Roger or Judy at 218-485-8913.

The Sargents will also be part of the Autumn Winds Tour in September. Visitors may stop in and see Roger creating log furniture in his workshop every day during the tour.