A rare Wood Turtle
The variety is protected in Michigan

June 15, 2020 - Monday evening

66 degrees/high overcast/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Other than turtle wrangling, Monday was Wood Day on Pentoga Road. What I thought might be a simple job of working up the maple slabs turned out to be somewhat frustrating. The slabs, all independent of each other, made for tough sawing.

Even after I took both sides off the trailer to gain a better advantage, it took two people to saw, one to hold the slabs, the other to work the power saw.

Sargie provided some stability by sitting atop the stack.



The idea of Sargie sitting on the slabs worked for a bit, but it was impossible to keep them steady while I tried to cut each into stove sized lengths.




Safety was a major factor and it just wasn't working. Sargie couldn't sit close to where I was cutting. When she moved too far away, the boards vibrated and moved, making sawing difficult and dangerous for me.

Frustrated, I turned to Plan B. I've had an old miter saw, a Harbor Freight special with a dull blade, that I've used for years. The slabs were fairly thin. 

Hmm, why not?

The chop/miter saw worked like a charm. All the pieces could be cut to an exact length and the whole process went much quicker.



We had two wheel barrows going at the same time. I'd be filling one while Sargie stacked wood from the other.



It was mid to late afternoon before we finished. 




I have no idea if purchasing a full cord of hardwood maple slabs was a good idea, but we'll find out this winter. At least everything is cut, stacked, and out of the weather.

I was above the shop today and happened to look down. Good grief, it looks like a US Army motor pool is housed in the barn.



Larry the Heavy Equipment Guy returned late this afternoon and made more progress on the landscaping.



Even Larry has been surprised at the size and amount of boulders that have been uncovered. I believe he's hauled four large dump trucks filled with Pentoga Road boulders from that area.



Sargie and I took a late afternoon drive and found two turtles on the Brule River bridge.

It's egg laying season for turtles in the UP and the DNR has recommended that if turtles are seen on a roadway, they be removed well to the side out of harms way.

Being the good Samaritan of turtles everywhere, I stopped the car and moved both. 

 

Now that the trailer is empty and clean, we'll be driving to Iron Mountain on Tuesday to purchase another three sheets of siding along with several  boards to be used as trim. Meanwhile, it's time to think about heading upstairs to bed.



After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

That's Sargie in my rear view mirror. The girl opted to ride on the trailer while going to the burn pile to sweep the floor.