Summer camp schedule really puts a cramp on production.
I‘ll have help next week when our kids are elsewhere. Harder work to do solo, as it’s cramped quarters.
Another company is craning out two trees I declined to bid. I’ll get to watch some. They are starting at 730. I’ll arrive around 930.
We just did an easy, but at the same time, hard job.
Took out 20+ big cottonwoods and a gazillion of white Alder.
Had a forwarder on hand for the clean up, of course.
It was 90+ degrees.
Now, I realize that for most here, 90+ is a laughing matter.
We are Scandinavians. It is in our genes to visit England and Russia and rape, pillage and plunder, not to work in heat.
I was beat to shit yesterday and seriously thinking that I was getting too old for this.
Then today, the strapping youngster that I work with, asked me if I had a near black out yesterday, because he sure did.
Made me feel ever so much better.
Thais, the dog, has misread the calendar, so he still has his winter coat on.
He was so miserable yesterday, that I drove to the beach on the way home.
Seeing his face when he hit the water was well worth the extra miles.
The kid in the pictures is a new guy, I have subbing for me.
The next stuff I write, will have to be carefully worded, so I don't come off like Murphy.
If I miss, just let me know.
On the 90 linden topping job we did at frydenlund castle, we had 2 climbers in from outside.
One was not very experienced, and asked me to give him pointers.
Scared as shit in the beginning ( We were taking 25 meters tops out of 40 meter trees) and confident at the end.
He told me that he felt, he had learned more from me in those few days than in his 3½ years at the forestry school.
He told me that he had a buddy, who had decided to go the oldfashioned way.
Nix the stupid forestry school , just take the necessary courses and go logging.
He did, however, seriously need a mentor, and since I needed a logger, we decided he would sub for me.
I'll teach him and introduce him to the forests where we log.
He'll live on whatever he can make from logging with us ( we count trees, so whatever you put on the ground, determines your pay check.
I've had him for a week.
He can sharpen and run a saw, but needs a lot of knowlrdge before he can hold his own with a pro logging out fit.
Good attitude, fun to work with.
I lucked out with this one.
Stig, I don't know how you feel but I find there is little in life more rewarding than having a willing student (apprentice) with lots of talent and willing to learn everything they can from you. It's one of those special treasures in life that make the rest of it all worthwhile.
I agree with Brian. So amazing when find you that student.
Finished up my week and don't have a Saturday tree. Yeahhhhhhhhh! Sold two more days work next door and the neighbor took the last load of chips.
Fodder....
I had one good student my whole career. He was a kid that worked with us a couple summers. Went on to the Citadel, and I think he owns his own engineering firm now. Very bright, and could extend what he was taught to other situations. Aside from him, I had a couple that could do what they were told, but it ended there. The rest made me want to step in front of a moving car. Teaching my cats to tap dance would be easier :^S
Aside from him, I had a couple that could do what they were told, but it ended there. The rest made me want to step in front of a moving car. Teaching my cats to tap dance would be easier :^S
I had a few of those too. Or ones that just could not follow direction to save their life. Tell them right side, they go left, on top, they look under. Yup, tap dancing cats.
You do really nice work, Stephen. It is so much better for the trees, even though it's more work, to leave them natural and full on the inside, like you are doing, instead of stripping everything out because it's in your way, like so many other climbers do.
You do really nice work, Stephen. It is so much better for the trees, even though it's more work, to leave them natural and full on the inside, like you are doing, instead of stripping everything out because it's in your way, like so many other climbers do.
I feel it only fair that we take up a collection to pay Murphy to go apprentice himself to Stig for a few weeks. Ought to do both of them some good.....
Oh to read the resulting posts on the Treehouse.....
Scott, I offered to pay Daniel's air fare and put him up, just so all us dumb loggers could benefit from his wisdom.
Didn't work, so we are still fumbling around in the dark.
Stig, I don't know how you feel but I find there is little in life more rewarding than having a willing student (apprentice) with lots of talent and willing to learn everything they can from you. It's one of those special treasures in life that make the rest of it all worthwhile.
Yep, yep and yep!
I've had apprentices for almost 30 years.
I'm a hard teacher, so the useless ones are quickly left by the road side.
All the peeps ( to use a Fionaism) I work with have been trained by me.
I wrote a post this week about getting a visit from an old apprentice ( Old as in 25 years ago)
Seeing Hans Martin again and hearing how he is doing well in life, working the trade that I taught him so long ago, is on the top of the list of good things happening to me this year.
I'll be getting a female apprentice in a while.
Seeing how well Fiona does has really made me and my partner want to get more women into the trade.
However, the almost full time logging we do is hard on females.
They do as well if not better than males in the treetops, but slogging a big saw around all day takes more upper body strength than most female bodies posess.
I had a long back and forth with Burnham about it, and in the end gave up on the idea.
Now a good arborist buddy of ours has a female apprentice and was feeling bad about not being able to offer her some logging experience.
So she'll log with us for a while and learn that part of the trade.
I'm really looking forward to that.
Great to hear you are getting a lady to come work with you Stig
It will be interesting to hear how she makes out with the heavy work of logging for sure!
Here are a couple pics of some of the damage from our historic snow event of last week. I got a lot of work out of it...on day three of cherry picker hire so far, so many broken branches hanging up in the trees.
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