"The thicker the hay the easier it is mowed." - Alaric the Goth

Note: I have no idea what that quote means, but I loved the guy's name too much not to use it.

Again, the day was dominated by the tree operation. I went for a 3 mile run that went fine. I did it before the temp got too high and my calf was only moderately tight. I still haven't decided about Saturday's race and may wait until that afternoon to decide. Friday may hit 100 degrees, so even with a "cool down" to the low 90's a 6 pm race may not be a good idea.
I think we're going to drive out to the coast for the day Friday; pack a picnic lunch and go walk the beach to escape the heat.

Here's a video of one of the last trees coming down, one of the bigger White firs.
And here is a clip of the logs being loaded on to the truck.
It looks like there will be at least four loads, and maybe a lighter fifth load. We're hoping for five because each one is 25% ours in terms of the money it brings from the mill, and every dollar helps.

We sure notice the difference in the amount of sunlight that now comes through. And on a hot August afternoon MoHo gets toasty. Another reason to head for the coast Friday.

On my run this morning I spooked a fawn that was grazing just off the road. It ran out in front of me and into the woods on the other side of the road. I knew mom had to be close by so I stopped to look, and sure enough she was watching it all from 25 yards back.

I can't do anything outside until the logging is done, but once it is I'll have LOTS to do, cutting up logs that were too small for the mill into rounds, then splitting them for firewood. I also have the well pump all set up and ready to install once Charlie and his crew are out of the way.
Besides being fascinating to watch their work is VERY loud, with chainsaws and heavy machinery going all the time. Concentrating on anything is out of the question, so no writing or sermon prep can happen. Even watching the Olympics is difficult unless you don't care about hearing any of the it.
And dust. Lots and lots of dust. Some rain would sure be nice at this point but there's nothing in the extended forecast.

We've sure learned a lot about trees, bugs, and logging through all of this. I had to sign and return docs that the mills require before they'll release payments. Learned more about sizing and grading of logs. That's why I used the plural, "mills." Weyerhouser in Eugene won't take anything larger than 26" in diameter, so the bigger logs go to a different mill in Roseburg. This is the butt end of one of the larger, but not the largest of the trees that came down. The mills require that both ends be flat and squared to the trunk, so Monte is cutting off the ragged "hinge" they use when felling them. 

Charlie will be back tomorrow to pile up the slash and put all the logs too small or too dead to be merch into a separate pile. The burn season opens on 10/1 unless they delay it for lack of fall rains. I have to get a special permit to burn slash that comes from a commercial logging operation like mine, but that's not a problem. But that means it will be a couple of months before things here look like the new normal.
Heavy sigh.