2010... all but gone

The passing of a decade doesn't feel the same in this, the 21st century.

I recall New Years Eves of the past, like 1979-to-1980 and 1989-to-1990, which seemed like huge and exciting milestones at the time. Something about those years with numbers beginning with 19 made 12-31 feel monumental. The countdown to the new millennium - and a new pair of preceding digits. Now that we're here in this century, ("the aughts") the end of a decade feels quite undramatic. The celebration of it seems even a tad superfluous. Why is that? Yeah, so we had some new distractions like iPads, Teabaggers, The BP Oil Geyser, Lady Gaga, Haiti and WikiLeaks, understandably 2010 wasn't a very pleasant year for a whole lot of people. In my opinion, 2010 won't be missed much and may even earn a place in history as being a remarkably depressing end-note to the first decade of the 21st century.

The local/home environment that I'm taking care of, known as "The Pavilion," has witnessed an interesting year as well. It began with D.T. overseeing the removal of the two massive pine trees on the property (previous pictures) and the subsequently huge job of cutting, disposing of and storing all of the timber the tree service laborers had left behind. At the time of this writing, I can finally say that most of the timber has been spoken for, although there remains a lot of cutting, stacking and storing to do. The tree removal is still the biggest (ongoing) 2010 story here.

Ponderso limbs finally gone!

Given that this winter is likely to be wilder than usual, I'm very grateful in knowing that there are two less potentially destructive problems to worry about...

Seasons Greetings!

From The Pavilion Guard - In Port Townsend, Washington

Rare and Destructive Oregon Tornado

Luckily a safe distance away from The Pavilion, outside of Salem:

Tornado cuts a path 5 miles long across Oregon

Photos, video and extended coverage of the Aumsville tornado

Early Taste Of Winter

I'm glad I had already winterized The Pavilion this year. The foundation vents are sealed and the plumbing is insulated. Just a week ago, even while cutting firewood, none of that seemed at all necessary yet.

Then And Now

Just A Summer Update With Pictures

Recently our good neighbor buddy Dale enlisted the help of a cohort, who owns a much needed Hydraulic Log Splitter. An uncommonly wet spring and early summer led to a late start in dealing with the wood from the now deceased, massive pine trees that were previously felled, here at The Pavilion. As of this entry, those trees (their remnants anyway) are still having the last word. Even with the aid of the splitter, it's extremely slow going, due to schedules and the sheer size of the job itself. After one full day and trailer load worth of splitting, the trunk sections from the Ponderosa are still dominating that side of the front yard - and we have barely started on the pine rounds in the back yard! It may very well take the rest of this year to get the job done, but we're making progress. Here are some scenes featuring Dale and his friend Dick (in the yellow shirt) who was so cool to share his gadget with us. Don't miss the exciting video at the bottom!

Before & After

This less-than-effective morphing video below, shows the major difference without the trees. All that remains is a deliberately left behind, standing section of Ponderosa trunk - and lots of potential firewood on the ground... An immense project in itself.

Here are some assorted shots, illustrating the removal process and the ballsy skills of the tree cutter. Definitely not a job for an acrophobic.

Goodbye Old Friends...

With D.T. here visiting on-leave, the decision was finalized to remove the two 100 + ft Pine trees, due to their inherent risk to The Pavilion and other nearby properties. Yesterday, it occurred to me that along with other absurd remarks one never hears like: "Hand me that piano," I can't recall the last time someone said: "Oh, it looks so much nicer now, without those trees there."

Here are some shots of the morbidly interesting 'euthanization' process, up to where the tree 'specialists' left off on Sunday. They should be done with the Pine today and then commence work on the Ponderosa.

(Click images to enlarge)