It's All About Heating the House

We live in rural Northern California. It's still quite legal to heat your house with wood, so a trip to the National Forest Lands with the proper permit will help to heat one's house...with a LOT of sweat and hard labor. For the second year, we joined up with Liz & Steve (Sydney too, of course!) and made the drive up to Watt Lake, the site of our Father's Day Camp trip. Last year we couldn't go the last mile as the snow was too deep for the trucks to go and they just cut wood (downed logs & trees only) off the road. This year there was just a bit of snow here and there.

Here's Liz & Bill working on cutting up a tree with the chain saws. This makes it look like there was lots and lots of snow but really just enough for Sydney to play....for about 5 minutes twice!

I had to put in another one of Liz....master of the chain saw, a real Super Woman! Oh, what did BrendaLou do, may you ask? Was I busy hoisting logs, lugging wood? Maybe I was arranging wood on the trailer? No, I had a VERY important job....one the others said I was perfectly suited to (and I dare say, they all would rather leave to me anyway!).....it was my job to keep Sydney occupied for the entire day. It was colder than we expected so Sydney and I stayed in the cab of Mr. Scottie Dog's truck. We played "I Spy" for hours, read books to each other...over and over and over again. "Gwandma...I'm hungry," was Sydney's mantra. I had brought some fruit for snacks, hummus & crackers & veggies, Cheetos (Mr. Dog's favorite!). Liz had a sandwich for Sydney and I think she ate enough for all of us...that 4-year old ate all day long. And then some days she hardly eats at all!
After Liz & Mr. Scottie Dog cut the trees into four foot sections, Steve went to work.

Here he is with a brutal burden. The largest logs were pulled by chain and lifted with a pulley & winch system Bill had devised. Steve and Mr. Dog loaded up the trailer.
Now THAT'S a trailer load of wood to be taken home and split later. Two plus cords. Liz & Steve filled the bed of their truck too. Another trip to happen this weekend....but Sydney and I are staying home and making Christmas Cookies.