Got a Bit More Mesquite

Vaughn McMillan

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Went down to Riverside Saturday to meet up with some long-time friends (Hanz and Debbie) and steal some more mesquite from them. Even though Hanz and I go back to high school, and I've known Debbie nearly as long, this was the first time my wife had met them. We had a great time visiting with them.

Hanz was a wild and crazy rock & roller like me. We played guitar together in a few bands, including the one that we toured and did the record with. These days, he's the Minister of Music at the Harvest Christian Fellowship and he's got an impressive music ministry going on. I guess we've both mellowed a bit in our old age, but between him, Debbie, and me, we still have a lot of fun stories to tell. They also both loved the hollow form and the four bowls I turned for them out of the chunks I picked up a couple months ago.

Anyway, the rain last December softened the ground around a big mesquite tree in their yard, and it was in danger of coming over on the house, so they had to take it down. To give an idea of the size, here's the stump, with LOML standing on it for scale.

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And here's most of what I brought home with me. There was one more chunk in the load, but I'd already cut it into blanks before I snapped this photo...

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I ought to be able to get a few pieces out of this. :D I probably could have stacked a few more pieces in the truck, but I had filled the bed and my back was telling me it was not interested in trying to lift heavy chunks of wet mesquite. (I had to roll the pieces I got onto the lift gate to get them in the bed in the first place.) I was also figuring the ol' Ranger had a nearly a half ton of weight in it (including the wood, the lift gate and the people), and didn't want to tucker it out too bad. Plus, I didn't want to get too greedy, since what I don't use will be sold as firewood by the tree guy (one of their friends from church). I can always go back and get more if I need it, as long as I'm willing to make the 3-hour round trip to go pick it up. ;)
 

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Congrats on a great haul! I had my first shot at turning a little honey mesquite this past week, and I really enjoy mesquite. I'll post some shots of the finished product when it's dry enough to finish. I'm looking forward to seeing what you find inside of those little splinters you picked up there.
 
Mesquite envy.... oh wait.... I do have some!:rofl:
Nice haul amigo, have fun! I can only imagine the "war stories" at that GT.
But then I'm sure the saucier ones remain in the past.:cool:
 
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