Millersburg man makes unique creations, feeds creatures
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A mailbox is seen affixed to a tree about 20 feet up in the air next to a sign reading “Air Mail” on Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property on Monday.
Courtesy Photo Charlie the Chipmunk perches on a tree stump on Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property in this undated photo provided by Luann Kuznicki, Rich and Louise’s daughter.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A pair of upturned fake legs stick out of the swamp near a sign saying “Gone Fishing” at the front of Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property on Monday.
Courtesy Photo Louise, left, and Rich Kuznicki feed Charlie the Chipmunk in this undated photo provided by the Kuznickis’ daughter, Luann Kuznicki.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A photo of Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s old pet raccoon is seen in the Kuznickis’ Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich, right, and Louise Kuznicki pose in front of the fireplace in the living room of their Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki poses on Monday in front of the cabin he built alongside the Ocqueoc River on his Millersburg property.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki shows how one of his inventions — a contraption that allows him to capture heat from his clothes dryer to heat his home — works at his Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki’s “Tractor Man” is seen on Monday at the front of the Millersburg property where Kuznicki lives with his wife, Louise.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A mailbox is seen affixed to a tree about 20 feet up in the air next to a sign reading “Air Mail” on Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property on Monday.
Courtesy Photo Charlie the Chipmunk perches on a tree stump on Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property in this undated photo provided by Luann Kuznicki, Rich and Louise’s daughter.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A pair of upturned fake legs stick out of the swamp near a sign saying “Gone Fishing” at the front of Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s Millersburg property on Monday.
Courtesy Photo Louise, left, and Rich Kuznicki feed Charlie the Chipmunk in this undated photo provided by the Kuznickis’ daughter, Luann Kuznicki.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley A photo of Rich and Louise Kuznicki’s old pet raccoon is seen in the Kuznickis’ Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich, right, and Louise Kuznicki pose in front of the fireplace in the living room of their Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki poses on Monday in front of the cabin he built alongside the Ocqueoc River on his Millersburg property.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki shows how one of his inventions — a contraption that allows him to capture heat from his clothes dryer to heat his home — works at his Millersburg home on Monday.
News Photo by Justin A. Hinkley Rich Kuznicki’s “Tractor Man” is seen on Monday at the front of the Millersburg property where Kuznicki lives with his wife, Louise.
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MILLERSBURG -- Rich Kuznicki walked through his garage and out behind the building, where he stacks firewood.
Among the firewood sat a pair of cement legs.
"I don't know what the heck I made them for," he said.
But why not?
The cement legs are just one of many oddities and ingenuities scattered around the 40-acre Millersburg property where Rich has lived with his wife, Louise, since the early 1970s.
Out front, a pair of fake legs wearing fishing waders stick upside down out of the swamp, next to a sign reading, "GONE FISHING." Near that, a fake man sits on an old tractor, flashing passersby the peace sign (at Christmastime, the man gets dressed up as Santa Claus). On the road into the property, where a sign labels the homestead Ocqueoc Heights, a mailbox is affixed to a tree some 20 feet in the air, next to a sign reading "AIR MAIL."
But it's not all kitsch.
The property also features many of Rich's inventions, like the system he developed to capture heat from his clothes dryer to heat his home and a solar panel system he designed to heat his water to conserve energy.
"Mind you, this man doesn't look at how-tos on YouTube," Rich's daughter, Luann, said in an email to The News. "He just KNOWS how to do things … When I needed help over the years, he was my go-to for advice and know-how. He was my 'ask Google.'"
Rich built a veritable complex at Ocqueoc Heights. He designed the house (he designed and built two other houses before their current home), and he designed and built a large cabin that sits alongside the Ocqueoc River, which cuts through the property. He built the gazebo that sits behind the house. He built several tables and benches that adorn their home.
"It's my hobby," Rich said of his many, many projects. "I just like to do that, you know? I'm always busy doing something, anyway. I like to just tinker around with that."
Rich developed his inventiveness through a lifetime working construction and other trades, including a long stint at the United Auto Workers, where he worked alongside the famed union boss, Walter Reuther.
"I started out working with my uncle," Rich said. "He was a master plumber. I started there, and, I don't know, just kept going."
Rich has passed his creativity down to his five children. One son, for example, creates artwork through welding. Paintings created by a daughter hang throughout the Kuznickis' home. Another daughter painted artwork on the walls and ceiling of the attic in the cabin.
That inheritance wasn't intentional.
"It just happened, I think," Rich said.
Rich and Louise have lived an interesting life in their interesting place.
Over the years, they've had a pet crow and a pet raccoon. These days, they feed a chipmunk they've named Charlie, who started coming around about three years ago.
"There's other ones, but then Charlie runs them off," Rich said. "He's dominant. I don't know how the heck we got him to come in ... He just friendlied up to us, himself."
And about all of it -- the humorous decor, the inventions, the structures he designed and built -- Rich just shrugs modestly.
"I don't know ... Just for conversation," Rich said. "I don't know why I do it."