Yesterday we cut some firewood, and boy are we tired! We had to take down seven or eight alders to make room for a new equipment shed (more on that in a future post). Alder is an interesting tree; they are native to this part of the country and grow like weeds, sprouting up in most any untended area. I first heard about them in Guatemala, where one of the Peace Corps forestry specialists was really hot on them. Aliso, as they are called in Spanish, are popular because they are the fastest growing hardwood, making them a renewable resource for firewood. They grow in damp and marginal conditions. They are also one of the only trees that fix nitrogen, as legumes do, so they improve soil health. The Guatemalan variety will also “coppice,” meaning that if you cut it off in the right way, it will sprout back from the same root system and you don’t have to replant it.
Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised when we ended up getting about three-quarters of a cord of firewood out of those few trees. We have HUNDREDS of downed or leaning trees in some of the snarlier areas of the property, so it looks like we have a firewood supply limited only by my human endurance. Encouraging.
Another pleasant surprise this weekend was a visit by Andrew and his wife. He and his family were the original builders of our cabin, back in the early 80s. It was great to hear stories of what the place was like decades ago, their dreams for the place, and what kind of things happened there. The cabin was a weekend getaway for their family, a labor of love and a long term project… but it wasn’t ever meant to be “classy” or a home. They were both pleased with the fact that we’ve retained a lot of the original character of the place, while really developing it into more than it was.
I feel fortunate that we are able to spend some time with them and make that connection. His wife pointed out that they always used to refer to the place as “Gravel Creek” back when it was theirs, and it is amusing that we’ve been calling the place Gravel Creek on our own. It must be what it wants to be called, the name it is supposed to wear.
