Guido's Last Hurrah--The Final Episode

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Mapleman said:
I've stuck a couple of groundies up in a black locust maybe forty feet or so and told 'em to have at it. Usually tempers out their enthusiasm a bit.

And as to the crazy years...glad I got into the biz later in life after my foray into the drug culture of the 60s. I've met many a good climber who I thought--"Wow, imagine if that guy didn't smoke cigs, snort and use drugs, or drink the hard stuff. He'd be an even better climber than he already is." Like you said MDS, really sad. It was even sadder for Geena selling Guido's gear at the flea market.
Click to expand...

+ 1

not saying I'm an angel Maple...its just there is a point where things can be handled, and a point where some things handle us is all.

Yep, poor Guido, should have stuck to the brewski's.
 
I've seen drugs and alcohol bring down far more treemen than any hazards of the job. TG I lived through my crazy years. Nothing stronger than beer for me these days. Maybe an occasional mixed drink but that's the exception not the rule. I quit smoking a year ago, Actually a few years ago but quit for good a year ago. I have had a lot of friends in the business self destruct on booze and drugs. As they got deeper and deeper into the booze and drugs I buried myself deeper and deeper into the job. Treework is a dangerous occupation for sure but I believe it probably saved my life.
 
tree md said:
I've seen drugs and alcohol bring down far more treemen than any hazards of the job. TG I lived through my crazy years. Nothing stronger than beer for me these days. Maybe an occasional mixed drink but that's the exception not the rule. I quit smoking a year ago, Actually a few years ago but quit for good a year ago. I have had a lot of friends in the business self destruct on booze and drugs. As they got deeper and deeper into the booze and drugs I buried myself deeper and deeper into the job. Treework is a dangerous occupation for sure but I believe it probably saved my life.
Click to expand...


I know it saved mine. I knew I had a gift, but didn't know what it was. Climbing really "grounded" me and taught me to focus. Also, the adreneline highs I get are far better than any artifical highs.
 
Maybe Clapton's "Cocaine" or something really dark by Jim Morrison.

Watch out for those tip ties, Yeffrey...
 
jefflovstrom said:
Yeah I guess I am. Hey tree md, you all been getting hammered with storms. I like OK as I spend time in Chelsea and Clinton. Love November 1st!
Jeff
Click to expand...

We have had some storm damage but nothing too major. The really hard hit areas are over in AR. Biggest problem has been flooding from the constant rain. It finally quit raining this morning after 22 consecutive days of rain. I really thought we were going to have some trees toppling after all of the rain and the 60 mph gusts we had here the past two days but it didn't happen. Trees aren't as big here as in other parts of the country so they hold up pretty well in saturated conditions. I'm just glad we're going to have some dry weather to work in for the foreseeable future.
 
I wanted to comment about this story.
I have never met Maple Man.
But I have worked in the SF Bay Area most of my career.
I do know some of the people talked about in this story as well as worked with them.
This was an accurate story of a culture of treeworkers who probably no longer are in the industry.
If you were not in the industry starting in the 80s' you will never experience these type of people.
They made it better for us.
The moral of the story is..
Never take your girlfriend to work with you..
Or to the Gym, High School reunions, or Bachelor Parties.
 
Yup

Shaun Bowler said:
I wanted to comment about this story.
I have never met Maple Man.
But I have worked in the SF Bay Area most of my career.
I do know some of the people talked about in this story as well as worked with them.
This was an accurate story of a culture of treeworkers who probably no longer are in the industry.
If you were not in the industry starting in the 80s' you will never experience these type of people.
They made it better for us.
The moral of the story is..
Never take your girlfriend to work with you..
Or to the Gym, High School reunions, or Bachelor Parties.
Click to expand...

We need a new room for the old guys! Title "Still Here".
Jeff
 
Shaun Bowler said:
I wanted to comment about this story.
I have never met Maple Man.
But I have worked in the SF Bay Area most of my career.
I do know some of the people talked about in this story as well as worked with them.
This was an accurate story of a culture of treeworkers who probably no longer are in the industry.
If you were not in the industry starting in the 80s' you will never experience these type of people.
They made it better for us.
The moral of the story is..
Never take your girlfriend to work with you..
Or to the Gym, High School reunions, or Bachelor Parties.
Click to expand...


Yeah Shaun, thems were the good ol' daze...I didn't spend the time in SF you did. Worked for Tony C. and another guy down in the Mission. Did a lot of stuff up in West Marin, Napa, and Sonoma throughout the 80s though. Worked East Bay and SF again in the late 90s. A lot of the guys from the 80s were gone by then. Doing big removals by hand in a tight enviro everyday tends to burn a guy out fairly quick. Glad I got into pruning and tree care so I didn't have to rely only on wrecking. But I've got a lot of respect for the guys who made a career of doing nothing but the "biguns."

The business has changed a lot, but the basics remain the same. I still see some of those same "euc man" personalities, even in the young guys. May it ever be so...
 
synchronicity

Hey Maple,
I just thought of it. I know Tony C... real solid guy and a good business man. he's running a one crew operation here in suburban Philly and doing very well. I met him a while back at a local produce market and we talked. At the time he had a full page ad in the yellow book, one page before my full page ad, and he was sucking up a lot of the good customers. He mentioned he had been doing big trees out west for 25 years, before moving back to philly.

I kinda gotta wonder why he is still working in his sixties... his crew doesn't work unless he's on the job... why didn't he salt enough away from those old days to be rich and retired now.. Anyhow, I just talked to him last night to confirm it was him in the story. Said he used to run 30 men at Costellos...
 
If it is the same TC, I know him better than you do..
I was told he was/is in the Fed. Witness Protctection Program.
I do not know if that is true.:jawdrop:
 

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