Bitter Chocolate

Ted Calver

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Yorktown, Virginia
Sometimes when things seem just too good to be true, they are. I answered a a 'free walnut' listing on the local Craigslist and it turned out to be 5 minutes away in the back yard of a 110 year old farm house, courtesy of hurricane Irene. The owners didn't have a chain saw and couldn't afford to hire a tree service. They said I could have all I wanted just for cutting the tree up:D:D
WALNUT-1.JPG
Unfortunately, much of it had ring shake (separation of the growth rings, parallel to the rings) and will stay with the owner for firewood.
WALNUT-3 .JPG
Hopefully there will be some nice crotch figure in the main trunk.
WALNUT-2.JPG
I managed to haul away one pickup load today before running out of steam.
WALNUT-4.JPG
I hate to think I'm getting too old for this:eek::eek:
 
Bittersweet indeed. On the other hand, had there not been the ring shake problem, then there would have been so much chocolate you'd have gotten tired of turning it all. In the end, it's a win-win, though. The owner got some free tree work and firewood*, and you got some very promising blanks to play with. Those crotches should have great things hiding in them.




*I know it's not uncommon in some parts, but I still can't wrap my mind around walnut firewood. :eek: That's like making shop fixtures out of purpleheart and bloodwood. (Oh wait, I've seen that done. Jim King in Peru has posted photos of that sort of thing.) :D
 
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