Not too much going on since my last post. The one single thing that has occupied most of my time has been processing wood. My neighbor had a large red oak tree removed. For starters, the removal process provided some great entertainment. The trimmer didn’t use a lift or cherry picker. He climbed the tree, wrapped ropes around a tall branch, and tied himself in. He would tie a rope around the branch to be cut, swing the rope around another branch to act as a pivot point, wrap the rope around the tree trunk, and his helpers would pull om the rope. Then he would lean over and use a chainsaw with one hand to cut the branch. It would sing around the pivot point branch and his helpers would lower it. Really slick. I had a few productive things planned for the day, but this show was way more fun.
Notice the trimmer in the orange circle. I used to do mountaineering and rock climbing. I’m not afraid of heights, but my climbing didn’t involve one handed use of a chain saw.
Then things got even better. The tree trimmers let me scrounge as much wood as I wanted. The more I took, the less they had to haul away. The wood isn’t good for boards, but it is excellent stock for turning on a lathe. So, I scored a bunch of it for Mitchell to turn. The only downside is that the wood has to be processed for drying as soon as possible. Some pieces were huge and had to be cut to manageable sizes. To minimize cracking and splitting while drying, the pith must be cut out, and the end grain sealed with wax. Ideally the same day the wood is first cut. Being a one man show with a dinky little 16 inch electric chain saw, that ain’t gonna happen. I’ve been making progress but it’s slow back hurting work.
My current time sink.
We also did a trip to St. Louis to deliver planters I made for Stefan and Kasey. Happily they fit right into place. But, most importantly, we got some major play time with the adorable baby Ava. Who calls me Uncle Eg. I am smitten to say the least.
Ava
Between to wood cutting and our trip to St. Louis, what isn’t getting done is cocktailing, woodworking, or photography. We did get out to see the comet Neowise. That was pretty cool. Much better show than Halley’s Comet on its last trip through the neighborhood.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 