The "Not So Pro" discussion thread...of course Pros are welcome!

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They sound a bit like the exclusive brethren here. You know where you stand with them and there's no sideline/devious crap when doing business with 'em. When they know you are serious and won't mess 'em around, they look after you pretty good even if you are not a brethren. I wish more people would conduct their businesses like that.
 
As I have stated in another thread, the lack of pictures means nothing for folks of my age (Bob is older than me). For many my age, pictures are taken of occasions not of work. Outside of celebrities, models, professional photographers and marketing, if you are taking pictures or posing, you are not working.

It doesn’t take pictures to know someone or to be accomplished. I completed high school, college and law school by age 23 – do I have any graduation pictures? Nope, I skipped all three ceremonies. I practiced as a CPA with an international accounting firm for a couple of years – pictures? Nope. I was an executive officer with a then leading air freight company – pictures? Nope. I have practiced law for over thirty years, turned down appearances on national news shows, been on the front page of the local paper more times than I can remember, etc. – do I have any pictures? Let’s see there are three somewhere at the office: one of me with a birthday cake the secretaries made me, a group shot on Secretary’s Day (now called Administrative Professionals Day) and a shot of me in the background on the courthouse steps. First two were posed so they don’t count. I was outnumbered by news reporters, cameramen and other laymen on the courthouse steps so that one shouldn’t count either. I used to have a picture of my first time on a dozer at age 10 or 11 but I lost it. I guess I have no pictorial proof that I ever did anything productive.

Likewise pictures don’t always tell the truth. I have a picture of my wife on a dozer – but she has never even been close to one with the engine running. If I had pictures of me pushing dirt with a dozer would it prove that I am proficient? No, and in fact I am not. IIRC when I was much younger I had my picture on a driver’s license that would allow me to lawfully drive anything on wheels. Maybe that was before photo driver's licenses, doesn't matter - could I actually drive a semi? Nope. I have a few pictures taken for the McCulloch crowd of decent size wood – but anyone who knows me knows I am a mediocre firewood hack.

I’ve never met in person nor spoken to Bob or John, but if there is only one professional career logger, I’ll put my money on Bob – no pictures needed and no disrespect intended.

Ron
I take pics from time to time after the work is done and I have a camera. I don't have one of dem smarty phones.
 
hey man, been busy?

don't want to discourage some of the ah.....retired dudes lol. :D

No problem. We can't get a word in edgewise anyway. You young folks go ahead and keep jabbering away. Us old folks will just wait, pick our spot, and contribute something worthwhile when it's called for. :)
 
Spent $900 on phones last week.
I hardly ever take my phone in the bush but the day i did I hit me back pack on a stump that a couldn't see as a was trying to compensate for the wind as the first one was taken. The next one I aimed off but the wind didn't touch it...lol walked up were a could see and broke the top over my pack..phone and compass.
Just missed the spot finder cliped to the bag. Go out that night and replace it and 2 morning later with my hands full,I slip on the ice in the driveway and pounded my bar wrench through my 2 day old S4
..lol I got 4 battering now. ..oh I guess I didn't tell you about the first one I broke:happy:
 
No problem. We can't get a word in edgewise anyway. You young folks go ahead and keep jabbering away. Us old folks will just wait, pick our spot, and contribute something worthwhile when it's called for. :)
i figured you was lurkin round lol. jump right in any where, i'still got plenty to learn.
 
:DGreat attitude. ..as its literally part of our 'bible':
"A professional faller learns every day"

Yeah I've been busy, I usually work in the north in Gas and oil for the winter.
More money..with truck and snowmobile or side by side rentals on top of day rate but this year went for $hit after Christmas so I stayed for Mountain Pine Beetle work (Fall and Burn) got a couple days left.
Its $hitty now too as all the big sites have gone mechanical (bunchers) Guy needs a buncher to make it big in that racket.
Take a break and hit the coast
 
Bob, I'm not for hire in the US as a faller regardless of my vast experience. Lol They would throw me in jail for taking another wood ticks job.
But you're right, I've been a bit too mouthy lately and that's what loggers do. They drink, they smoke, they shoot their mouth off and they cut wood. It just burns my ass when someone comes across as something they are not.
Here in Maine we are allowed so many work visas from Canada for logging. Come on down.
 
Reflections while on the Mountain


Today I went over to our mountain farm in Macon County, NC while the leaves are still off, in yet another attempt to figure a way to fairly divide it with my four brothers now that Pop and Mom are both gone. I took a few photos that some of you might enjoy. We reclaimed the farm from the copperheads and have owned it since the mid-sixties.

Remnants of an old ridge line Chestnut split rail fence. About 45 years ago, thieves walked in over two miles and were stealing the rails. I don’t know if this segment was left because of the thick Mountain Laurel or because the thieves were caught before they got to it. It is accessable now that the surveyors have cut a trail through the Laurel.

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This is just a view down the hollow.

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The last house my dad built. He was a pretty good carpenter but not much of a structural engineer. The house is slowly collapsing due to improperly placed supports. Nonetheless it brought a lot of pleasure to my parents in their latter years. Pop planted many White Pines that have now grown and blocked the view of the distant mountains.

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The old home place which one of my brothers brought from my parents when they built the other house. It was over 100 years old when we bought it. It is sided in heart Yellow Poplar. For whatever reason, we shingled over it with Western Cedar shim shingles. There are some boards in the house that are two feet wide. The swings on the front porch were made by my father from Sweet Gum and Cherry he logged down in Florida. He alternated the woods. Not sure why they are now painted red. You can see that we shingled the barn too. The pond was dug by a neighbor in the evenings after the dozer operator left for the day. Many hours were spent swimming in that pond. Some time spent as well trying to shoot mud turtles from the front porch; it didn’t take too much water to take the sting out of a .22.

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This is a view from my favorite seat on the swing. The highway used to be US 64. Logging was still occurring when I was a boy. You could hear a log truck coming down the mountain long before you could see it. I spend a lot of time on that swing hoping to see the rare three log load. Five log loads were frequent enough not to count much in my imaginations of life in the woods. The largest known Yellow Poplar is just up the highway.

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We limbed this old yard Oak with one in the tree with the saw and the rest of us tugging on a rope anchored to a 1958 John Deere 420 just in case we lost our grip.

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This stump is all that remains of an old yard Hemlock that we limbed the upper branches with a 12 gauge and .22s.

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I really wasn’t looking forward to this trip as the memories are bittersweet, but for some reason I am now actually look forward to seeing someone else pickup where things were left. I passed by the spot where I partially severed my thumb as a kid. I noticed that I didn’t instinctively grab my thumb as I have in the past. It must be time to move on.

I was going to take some pictures of a couple big Chestnut stumps to show, but after 45 years I could not remember where they were, and as much as I like you guys, I just didn’t feel like walking around a steep mountain side trying to find them while not knowing if they were still there.


Ron
 
Awesome Ron. I'm a big fan of family history. My grandmother(84 and still full of it) put together a four volume several hundred page family history dating back to the 1600s. She made several trips to Germany and Austria to find places and to speak to distant realtives. Thanks for sharing. Thats a lot more scenic then where I grew up.
 

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