All Split and Stacked

Well this year we decided to try something different.  If I was to follow my usual pattern when it comes to fire wood, one of two things would happen.

1. I would come home with the 4′ lengths of wood, unload them and think to myself – “Boy, I’m sure glad that’s done.”  I would then procrastinate with cutting it into stove lengths until bad weather forced me to do something, which would probably mean cutting up part of the stack and leaving part, breaking it up into several days separated by a month between each, finally getting it all cut up around March or April when I don’t need it any more.  I would split the wood as I needed it each evening as Janis fixed supper, making the splitting of firewood a part of EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WINTER.
2. The second option would probably be to get all the logs cut up into stove lengths and stacking the whole lot.  This would also mean going out into the cold every evening as Janis fixed supper to split the night’s and next days firewood.  Still making splitting a part of EVERY SINGLE DAY OF WINTER.

Another side to my “modus operandi is that I have never made provision to stack our firewood under cover and so we regularly have to deal with wet wood during times of snow or rain.

This year would be different!  We were going to split it all and we were going to get it under cover – Man, that’s ambitious (at least for me!)  It would all start with getting these 5.5 cords of pine cut into 18″ lengths.

5.5 cords waiting to be cut up

Matthew and I tackled the project with gusto, making both chain saws sing.  Here we have done half and are just getting started on the second half.  The saw dust here is about 5″ deep throughout the area.  We sifted all of it through a screen of poultry netting when we finished and got 5 barrels full of great pine bedding for the laying hens nesting boxes and to spread over muddy areas.

Matthew keeping at it

I really wanted to try and get all this wood split up before stacking it this year.  We also had a large pile of seasoned elm to split up that was stacked at the far end of the field.  If you’ve ever tried to split dry elm, you know that it was a job for some heavy duty hydraulics, so I called the local rental agency to get the largest splitter they had.  It turned out to be a 30 ton splitter that we rented a few years back.  You can see a picture of it here.  We rented it at 10 AM and split the elm until dark.  We started in on the pine at sunrise the next morning and got about a third of it done.  This means that we still had 3.6 cords left and no splitter.  About that time my neighbor came walking up to see what all the noise was about.  After chiding me for renting the splitter he graciously offered to bring over his little electric “DR” Splitter.  I was happy that he offered but I did not think a small electric splitter was what I wanted.  Ed only burns wood to supplement his gas heat and probably burns less than  1/2 cord per year.  I really didn’t believe that any tiny electric toy would get the job done, but Ed persisted and ran home and a few minutes later he appeared on his lawn tractor pulling this little DR.  I’m sure that had he looked closely he would have noticed that I was suppressing a smile.  This thing was so small that even being mounted on a home-made trailer, it was too close to the ground to work with.  I had to set the trailer up on log blocks so that Janis could sit down and run the control comfortably.  There was simply no way this could split all the wood I had left. Even with the 30 ton splitter, the ram would get so hot we couldn’t hardly touch it.  I was sure I was going to burn this thing up in no time at all.

Teeny, Tiny, Baby, Splitter by DR

My smile disappeared as I plugged in the extension cord and Janis manned the control.  I was amazed at what this thing would do. It was faster than the big rental unit and with it being so much smaller, we were able to move around it faster as well.  The pile of split wood quickly began to grow.

the DR splitter

This little “Toy” quickly proved to be a genuine work horse.  I kept expecting it to get hot but it never did.  In the end, it split about twice as much as the large splitter and never missed a lick.  Ed did let me in on a little trick that I think will help anyone who uses any size of splitter.  He keeps a block of paraffin wax with the splitter. Any time the machine slows down, you rub a little wax on the splitter wedge, which lubricates it allowing it to easily slip into the wood.  It speeds up the process noticeably.  My neighbor has several DR products and I know he is a believer in the company.  I have to say that I am now a believer as well.  One fantastic advantage of this quiet little splitter is that you can hold a conversation without neighbors a half mile away hearing you because you are trying to be heard above the roar of the gasoline engine.  Janis and I just talked about all kinds of things and before we knew it … the job was done!

Well, we now have 5 cords of pine under cover with a half cord outside along with 2.5 cord of elm.  It’s all split and stacked.  I think I will enjoy not having to go out for that task every day this winter.  In the picture below you can see a stool by the block, which is where I split kindling.

All split and stacked

In the patch of sunlight you can see the shadow of my ax handle.  It is stuck in my splitting block outside.  That ax will be lonely this winter… and I do not plan to console her.

Allen

 

The New Hearth

Well, everything is pretty much done with the kitchen remodel, although I have not been very good at keeping you up to date on the progress.   In fact I have not written anything about the project since July.  So today I thought I would show you how the new hearth was made even though it was installed well before Thanksgiving.

It all began by laying out the design on a sheet of 3/4″ plywood.  It is by no means square because we want the hearth to take up as little floor space as possible while still offering the protection and clearances required by codes.  It will not only protect the floor from the heat of the stove, but will also have a place to stack firewood and keep it off the floor.

laying out the design

I forgot to take a picture of the next step which was gluing and screwing cement board to the top of the plywood.  This will assure the tile mortar will adhere well to the plywood and will also give more stability to the base.  In the next picture I have turned the base upside, applied spray-on adhesive and am now gluing down a layer of felt.  This is done so that when I take the hearth inside and lay it on our newly refinished floor, it will not scratch the finish.

gluing on the felt

Here the base is ready to be turned right side up and hauled into the living room.

finished base

We were very fortunate in that my driver at the Fire Department had a tile saw that he allowed us to borrow for as long as we needed it.  This saved us a lot in renting or buying one.  I have done tile work in the past using a “score all” and breaking the tiles but having the proper tools makes the job much more enjoyable and I didn’t ruin any tiles either.  This saw was awesome!

cutting tile

The base has been put into place and we trial fit all the tiles, labeled each as to their position and then removed them.  Also, in this picture you can see the cement board that was attached earlier. Paper has been taped over the floor to protect it during this process.  The mortar has been mixed and is now being spread with a 3/8″ notched trowel.  Each tile will be back buttered with a thin coat of mortar to ensure strong adhesion.

mortaring

All the tiles are now in place.  You can see that I used plastic spacers to ensure a uniform look.  I used a rubber mallet to tap each tile to ensure it is bedded.

taking shape

At this point we let it set for 24 hours to let the mortar set before grouting.  It is mixed just like the mortar and spread with a rubber trowel.  Paying special attention to fill up all the grout lines.  Excess is wiped off and then allowed to set before buffing any film off the tiles.

spreading grout

In finishing the hearth, edge tiles were cut and set into place.  I then used a diamond bit to cut into the porcelain tile and set this heart shaped rock I had picked up several years ago.  I think it gives the project the perfect personal touch!

I sure do love that girl!

Everything was allowed to set for a week and then Matthew and I set the stove into place.  It was stripped of all removable parts to reduce weight and rolled onto the hearth on a piano dolly. We then were able to lift it straight up while Janis removed the dolly.

Setting the stove

All the panels were replaced, the piping hooked up and we are back in the wood burning business.  There is nothing quite like the warmth of a good wood stove.  Backing up to a heat register or baseboard heater just doesn’t have the same allure!

Finished Hearth

The tile used in this project is the same tile we used for a back-splash on the kitchen counters as well as behind the range tying everything together.

Well the kitchen remodel is finished and the new hearth installed.   Janis an I are now in the process of refinishing our dining room table and chairs to match the new cabinets.  It’s all turning out great!  I’ll post a finished picture when the table is done to let you see how the new room looks, maybe a before and after picture to show the transformation.

Allen

 

Occupy Wall Street?

Who are these people and what are they protesting?

It’s much bigger than Wall Street!

I have been watching these people and their rhetoric spread across this country like a  bad case of the flu, infecting masses everywhere.  And  I have been puzzled by the whole idea of the Occupy Movement in this country as well as astonished by it’s rapid growth.  I have listened to them as they try to explain their cause and I’m not sure any of them actually know what they are protesting.  In this video, Bill Whittle  explains it all with clarity.  If you have been contemplating joining the movement, I believe Bill has some great advise.

If you have eyes to see and ears to hear!

Allen

 99%?… Get real!

 

Welcome Kalee Taylor

Janis and I are now officially grandparents.  And we couldn’t be more delighted!

For those of you who are wondering, the proud parents are doing very well.

1st glimpse of our new granddaughter.

Kalee Taylor Shropshire

 

A Sunday Drive – Rock Creek Canyon

Although we were a little late in getting up to the south hills to see the leaves at the height of their color, Janis and I finally took a Sunday drive up Rock Creek Canyon.  We packed a picnic lunch, threw in our blankets and love seat, and delighted in getting away together.  The canyon is beautiful at any time of year but there is no time like fall.  The rock cliffs and the changing color make this a drive that you just have to go slow and drink in the wonder of it all.

Hope you enjoy the scenery.

Allen

 

Autumn is the Right Time

Autumn is here with it’s cooler afternoons.  It is a great time to get out and enjoy one another.  The brothers enjoy a “friendly” game of bocce.

There are as many styles as there are people playing

the serious type

and the not so serious

There is time for a round of croquet

And the warm afternoons are tailor made for Conversations

and honey sweetened coffee

 

Dreaming of Idaho by Idaho Fish and Game

Enjoy Idaho Fish & Game’s newest video

 

Wood Cutting

Every year when we go woodcutting I tell myself that next year we will get up in the hills to do this chore earlier in the summer so that when fall arrives, we will be ready for winter with a neat wood yard where everything is all cut, split and stacked.  And then ….. every year around the middle of September I start getting antsy about not having done so, as I stare at our empty wood yard.  This year was no exception.  Summer is over – and no wood.  It was time to get this chore out of the way, so Matthew and I decided to give it a go as soon as we both had a few days off at the same time.  The plan was to get the entire winter’s worth of wood in one trip.  It means more work but it certainly saves on gas and time away from home.  This year it was going to be just Matthew and I.  With just two of us doing all the work it would mean stretching the job into two days,  so along with all the usual woodcutting paraphernalia we also threw in our sleeping bags and a tent.

Janis made sure there was a hearty breakfast waiting for us on the table early that morning before we hit the road.  We arrived at Elk Meadows in the Stanley Basin three hours later.  There we found this narrow strip of trees that had been devastated by the western bark beetle, leaving a great number of dead trees all lined up and waiting for us.   Although the Stanley Basin has been ravaged by the bark beetle in recent years, leaving a big portion of the mature trees sick and dying, this strip is a wonderful example of the resilience of nature.  If you’ll notice in the picture below, yes the whole strip of trees is dead or dying, but there is another strip of small trees that have sprouted in the shadow of the larger trees.  The bark beetle does not attack young trees but only those around 6″ in diameter and larger.  All the smaller trees need is for the parent trees to be removed or fall over naturally so that the sun can reach them, sending them skyward.  Even before the old ones died, they had assured an identical new strip of trees just 20 feet to the west of the original.    Pretty cool, huh?.
This spot was the most convenient we have ever encountered in over 30 years of cutting wood.  With all the trees lined up as they are, we were able to drop a number of them all in the same spot and in the same direction which made the task of limbing, bucking and loading much easier.  Matthew and I stationed ourselves at a safe distance from one another so that we wouldn’t have to worry about on dropping a tree on the other and we got busy.   Here Matthew has begun to limb the trees he has dropped.

After limbing, we cut them into 4′ lengths so that they would be easy to load and also fit into the 8′ bed of the truck.  We cut story sticks with which we measure each cut.  The sticks are small enough in diameter that we never have to set them down.  After measuring, we just grasped the stick  and the chain saw handle at the same time while cutting.

While this practice certainly dictates an extra measure of attentiveness and a strong grip, it saves us a great deal of time in the hills.  OSHA would throw a fit!

By dinner time Matthew and I  had four ricks piled up waiting to be loaded.  We had also gathered all the limbs into slash piles as directed by the U.S. Forrest Service.  Later in the season, when the fire danger abates, Forrest Service fire crews will come in and burn the slash piles left throughout the forest by wood cutters.  By this time I was beginning to drag, but as you can see by the smile on Matthew’s face, youth has it’s advantages.  I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Matthew’s help and his company on this trip!

On this day a Forest Ranger stopped by to check our permits and see that we were following all the rules.  This young man was very pleasant and respectful.  He thanked us for our efforts to follow the regulations, apologized for interrupting our work and wished us a good day.

We stopped working about an hour before dark so that we could set up camp and fix dinner.

In my mind there are few there are few pleasures as special as sitting around a fire in the mountains with loved ones, talking about life, but both Matthew and I were ready for bed as soon as we got some food into our bellies and the evening was a short one.

By morning we were rested and much better equipped to enjoy the scenery that surrounded us.  We had a leasurly breakfast and watched the sun rise over the Sawtooth Mountains and bath the meadow before us in warmth. 

But we still had about a cord of wood to cut and then we needed to load it all,  so it was time to get back to work.  Note: if you look at the pictures of Matthew and I throughout this post, one difference that you may notice is that his shirt is tucked in while mine is not.  While youth may have the advantage of strength, age brings a certain amount of wisdom garnered from past experience.  What does shirts have to do with any of this you may ask ….  well, last night before climbing into our sleeping bags, ol’ Dad didn’t have to shake out any wood or bark chips from his underwear.  Been there, done that!

By noon we had all five cords stacked into the trucks and trailers.  We made a quick lunch and were ready to head for home.

The wood had to be unloaded once we arrived home since Matthew has to have his truck and trailer for work.  Unloading sure goes faster than the loading!  Well there it is – just over 5 cords according to my measurements.  More than enough to see us through the coldest winter.  Although it will sit right here for a bit while we finish up some other projects, it will later be cut into 16″ lengths and stacked behind the garage.

It is always a great feeling to have all our wood in possession.  It does not matter what happens this winter, we will be warm and dry. 

“maybe next year we will get up in the hills to do this chore earlier in the summer so that when fall arrives, we will be ready for winter with a neat wood yard where everything is all cut, split and stacked.”

And then, about the middle of September………….

Allen

Note:   Our first fire of 2011 was lit on Oct. 6th and the 1st frost was this morning on Oct. 9

 

City of Rocks National Reserve/Castle Rock State Park

Janis and I took another Sunday afternoon drive to visit the City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rock State Park.  We attempt to explore this area at least once per year with the fall being our favorite time to visit. There are numerous activities to indulge in at the reserve including hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, picnicking,  historical tour and more. This trip was largely a driving tour with a picnic lunch thrown into the mix because we did not have the time to get out and hike into the canyons (streets) of the city.  The slide show and pictures below give a small glimpse into the geological wonders of the City of Rocks.

History

The 14,407 acre park boasts some of the oldest rock formations that can be found in the western U.S., a few of which reach upwards over 300′ and resemble the crumbling ruins of some sprawling, ancient city.    It was described as such as early as 1849 when California bound emigrant James F. Wilkens  described this area as “a city of rocks”.  Other emigrant diarys confirm this  urban themed portrayal-

“August 3. Took another cutoff this week called Sublets. Struck Raft River; from thence to Swamp Creek. Passed some beautiful scenery, high cliffs of rocks resembling old ruins or dilapidated buildings.

 Sallie Hester -  August 3, 1849

“This City is walled in on every side with towering granite mountains, some peaks shooting athwart the sky like towering domes. While hundreds of piles, peaks, steeples and domes, of all shapes possible in the distance looking like an old dilapidated City”

 Dr. John Hudson Wayman – July 12, 1852

Many of the emigrants who passed this way during the 1800′s not only wrote about it in their diaries, but on the rocks themselves.  Camp Rock and Register Rock each boast many signatures and dates written in axle grease taken from the pioneer’s wagons.  There are many examples to be found here such as the N.P.S. photo below depicts.  There are areas in the reserve that have Indian pictographs as well

National Park Service photo

Thousands of pioneers traveled through the City of Rocks on their way to Oregon and California.  The N.S.P. photo below shows one wagon train on the road leading up to the granite spires.

Wagon train on the California trail leading into the City of Rocks

In 1852, 52,000 people passed through the City of Rocks on their way to the California goldfields.  Between 1843 and 1882 over 240,000 emigrants traveled through City of Rocks.  Wagon trains such as shown above were common place here and there are ruts worn into the rocks from the countless iron rimmed wheels passing over which to this day bear witness to their arduous migration.

“Early start down the valley southward…. Saw numerous trains moving westward on a trail away to the south of us. It enters a gap in
the mountains [Emigrant Canyon] south of the one our trail enters.”

Bernard J. Reid, Aug. 11th 1849

World Renowned Rock Climbing

The City of Rocks is an extremely popular technical rock climbing destination with climbers coming from all over the world to scale the faces of these granite spires that resemble a deserted city. It is among the premier rock climbing destinations in the U.S. Climbers began establishing climbing routes here as early as the 1960’s and have developed over 750 of them ranging from easy walk-ups to some of the most difficult in the world. The colossal granite domes and spires are tailor made to please climbers from beginner to the most experienced.

NPS photo of climbers on the Bread Loaves

You can view a NPS.Gov slide-show of climbers in the reserve here – slide-show

Again, this is a very small glimpse into this beautiful slice of Idaho.  The area begs to be explored on foot and never disappoints.  Although this trip did not afford us time to hike the canyons and mingle among the spires, we will be back!

Allen 

 

The Company Car

While some people may get to take the company car home, more than likely it’s something along the lines of a Ford Taurus or Dodge Neon.  As a professional firefighter, I do not get to take the company car home but “Oh what a car it is!!”  After 29 years of riding in one of these, I am just as excited today as I was on that very first day, probably even more so!  I began my career as a firefighter in 1982, riding on the tailboard of an engine and my enthusiasm could hardly be contained.  Then I got to drive one for 12 years and my zeal increased even more.  Now, I have been the Skipper of one of these ships for 13 years and  I am more exhilarated than ever!  Even when I’m off duty, every time I hear a firetruck going code to an emergency, I get chills up and down my spine.  I can feel the guy’s anticipation and excitement every time.

Engine 2 - The Company Car

Another great thing about this company car is that every kid who sees us coming down the street stops to wave at us.  And mothers are always pointing out the big fire truck to their little ones.  It’s always fun to see little hands waving from the back windows of their car and see their timid little smiles when we wave back.  What a privilege it has been to have this job!  What a privilege to be allowed to serve the people of our community in this capacity!

I will never tire of riding in the Company Car!

Allen