hello everyone

well spring is sure slow arriving but always comes

I just finished putting up the firewood for next winter, great for exercise and will feel good then for sure--nothing like wood heat

ran across a few pieces of wild cherry which immediately went into my cllection up in the hay loft--my wood drying area--I get great enjoyment out of having a personal arsenal of various kinds of woods to use when i need to fix or help someone out that needs a handle

During the winter I was reviewing some of my book given to me at some point in my career and came across one entitled Sawmilling as it Was

I never really studied it out at length but it is a fabulous documentry on sawmills out in oregon and California, and covered early 1800s to about 1950

As I read through the text I was drew to one page in particular that drew my attention, it covered schooners drawing fresh cut lumber to San Fancisco

To some this may not be interesting but to me it was because my father who landed there from Canada around 1920 was lured there by the need for carpenters and apprentices to help rebuild the city after the devastating earthquake in 1902 destroyed much of it

He by the way met my mother there and eventually came back to where he came from a decade later

He told me thrilling stories of working hundreds of feet in the air building cement forms from story to story, no fooling around there for sure, when the bell blew you were at your work station no matter how many stories up or you were fired!!!

My father taught me how to support and construct cement forms that needed no outside support or bracing something that I used years later--I was give a job to build cement forms for a large oil separation unit and I put no out side braces against the forms--The superintendant came around and said to me, you have no bracing on the forms, I said to him if you were up a hundred feet in the air what would you brace to--he just turned and left--

The book is filled with wonderful pictures of small to very large band mills, the one in particular had cut the world,s record board, at least they called it a board, it was 4 inches thick by 81 inches high and 8 feet long Redwood

It also showed pictures of men standing beside fallen trees at least 12 feet in diameter, cutting 8 foot segments to ship to the mill--they were funny looking logs for sure--

Well I hope you enjoy

I know you all do for sure-don,t forget to hop on board with some of your wonderful skills and experiences-I do enjoy immensely what you all do, and it can add valubly to the knowledge base for many youger individuals

richard
NH