Mississippi Brother Garry, granddaughter Madeline,
Miss Jody
Taken Thursday at Madeline's high school graduation

May 15, 2020 - Friday evening

58 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Isn't that a beautiful photo of a happy graduate and two proud grandparents? We enjoyed Madeline's company when we were visiting Garry and Jody earlier this spring. She's a sweetheart.

Garry said that a parade substituted for the regular graduation ceremony and was quite impressive.

Madeline and Abby June Bug
The two cousins are close.

Congratulations, Madeline. Sargie and I love you.

Luke was out fishing on nearby Sebago Lake in southern Maine and sent this picture of Mt. Washington across the border in New Hampshire.

One of the premiere landmarks on the Appalachian Trail, I hope to be standing on its peak in mid to late summer of 2022 while attempting a through hike from Georgia to Maine to celebrate my 70th birthday.

I've summited Mt. Washington three times previously, including a winter overnight climb with my oldest son, Josh, using crampons, an ice axe, and all the paraphernalia that goes with a winter ascent. The last climb was eight years ago when my four sons and I left the base early one morning, successfully summited at over 6,000 feet, then descended late that afternoon. 

Meanwhile, on Pentoga Road:

Sargie and I picked 'em up and threw 'em down on Friday. Returning from my morning walk, I began trimming dead branches from several huge spruce trees that separate the road from our home in the front yard.

Typical of old spruce trees, all have begun dying from the inside out. I began today trimming dead branches on those trees growing where the rocks will be moved and landscaping done in June.

Mature spruce boughs can be over twenty feet long and though the branch may appear dead closer to the tree, there are often green needles on the very end making them extremely heavy. 

Stuck eight feet off the ground. Someday when I grow up, maybe I'll learn how not to pinch the bar of a chainsaw.

 With the sawing finished, Sargie began dragging branches towards the chipper. We'd parked it nearby so the chips could be blown through the fence and into a garden aisle.



While Sargie dragged the heavy limbs from under the trees, I was busy feeding each into the chipper. 



Many had to be trimmed with the power saw so as to fit into the hopper.

Exposed roots made the work somewhat treacherous. Both Sargie and I tripped over them more than once.

This root had not only grown out of the ground, it had looped several inches into the air.

Running out of boughs, Sargie began hauling smaller odds and ends to the burn pile using the hopper of the chipper as a cart.

I cut a large tree into several foot sections that had been felled earlier in the day. It was diseased and needed to be gone before Larry the Heavy Equipment Guy arrives next month.

Sargie and I passed each other several time as I either drug or lifted sections of the fallen spruce tree using the tractor.



The entire job was finally completed late this afternoon. Sargie and I, both, were about all done in. She says she's sore this evening. My arms and shoulders ache and imagine I'll be somewhat stiff tomorrow morning. Thankfully, our heavy springtime yard work should be about finished.

Trimmed and looking much better
The trees not only serve to shade the house, they are a wind break and privacy shield from the road. We know it's only a matter of years before the old monsters will have to be removed as each is slowly dying. 

It's time to get this uploaded and head upstairs to bed. Tomorrow's another day and as we all know:

A man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture: Coming across this gold mine on one of my travels, I didn't linger long after reading the sign.