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headed to WV

Started by L. Wakefield, October 29, 2003, 05:44:14 AM

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L. Wakefield

   Well, the vacation is getting closer- 2 more night shifts to go. I have in mind to go down to my acreage in Lawford/Auburn area WV and spend a few days working on the house. But I am thinking I may poke around some other corners of the state as well. I have the De Lorme software and will see if they now have a hardcopy atlas as well.

   Even tho I lived down there for 12 years, there was a whole lot of the state I didn't see. I'm thinking the eastern mountains- just was looking at Rock Cave and the WV wildlife refuge nearby there. I will reread the recent post about the Elkins area.

   I'm looking for suggestions as to interesting places. I've heard about Dolly Sods- altho it's hard to remember just what it was I heard..

   It's interesting as the time is getting closer- I can feel the road and places I've seen calling to me..I was always right in love with the land. It's totally different from human relationships (try walking up to a tree and saying 'hi, how've you been, how's your family?..' and think carefully before you admit to THIS group that you get an answer- you also could end up with increased candlepower between your ears courtesy of our fearless leader  :D)  lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

DanG

Hey, L !   I notice you are getting dangerously near the  1000 post mark.  Does that mean you're gonna be a G.P.I.T.A x2?  :)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

L. Wakefield

   DanG! You are right about that and I hadn't even noticed. The question is am I gettin worse over time? Older and slower fo sho. Need more grits to sustain me..How many years has it been? We need a way to look at the member's *first* post. This is an excellent group but whoda thunk it? Even *I* wouldn't think I had 1000 things to say...hmm..lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

Jeff

Intoducing L. Wakefield  ;D  First post, first thread.

https://forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=Business;action=display;num=6;start=0

L.. Are you saving your quarters? forum pig roast remember? August? 2004?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ron Scott

There are a lot of nice things to see and visit on the Monongahela National Forest. Stop in at any of the National Forest Ranger Stations or its headquarters in Elkins and they can provide you with maps and information on areas to visit depending upon your interests.

Dolly Sods is a prairie ecosystem within the Appalachian mountain area. A unique area in West Virginia.
~Ron

L. Wakefield

QuoteIntoducing L. Wakefield  ;D  First post, first thread.

https://forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=Business;action=display;num=6;start=0

L.. Are you saving your quarters? forum pig roast remember? August? 2004?

   Thanks, Jeff! Sept 2000! and I'm still involved with balsam poplar. My largest specimen needs to be moved out to the forest verge *now*. It's the one nearest the graywater, and it likes it WAY too much. Taller than I am. It is fun to work with these fascinating trees, esp since I learned the difference between balsam poplar and balm of Gilead. In a few more years I may be able to offer them as nursery specimens.

   As far as the piggy roast goes, it's on my calendar. When I went for vacation signup that week was the first thing I checked- naturally, all the slots were already taken- I'm 1/2 way down the seniority list (sigh). But I will negotiate. I be kinda good at that.  lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

beenthere

Here is what I found on 'balm of gilead'. Seems a number of things qualify.


balm of Gilead
name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree (Commiphora gileadensis, also once called C. opobalsamum) of the family Burseraceae (incense-tree family) native to Africa and Asia and the source of the commercial balm of Gilead; it is referred to in the Bible in Jer. 8.22. The Ishmaelites from Gilead were bearing balm when they bought Joseph from his brothers. Balm of Gilead is still in high repute for healing in some countries. The American balm of Gilead is a species of poplar (Populus candicans) of the family Salicaceae (willow family) which has large balsamic and fragrant buds. The tree is seldom seen in the wild but was formerly a favorite dooryard tree of the northern states. The buds were used in domestic medicine. This poplar is closely related to, and sometimes considered a variety of, the balsam poplar (P. tacamahaca), which has also been called balm of Gilead and tacamahac. The name balm of Gilead has also been used for the balsam fir and for a herbaceous aromatic, shrubby plant (Dracocephalum canariense or Cedronella canariensis) of the family Labiatae (mint family) native to the Canary Islands and cultivated in parts of the United States.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition Copyright ©1994, 1995 Columbia University Press.
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south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

L. Wakefield

   Yes.. in my work with resins and essential oils I've encountered some of the species of Commiphora. C. myrrha specifically, but just ran into opopanax which is (supposedly) C holtziana, and 'gugal gum' which is C. mukul. The book I  most recently purchased for my library mentions 'balsam, also called mecca or balsam of gilead' as being either C gileadensis, as you mentioned, or possibly C. opobalsamum. hmm..and it refers to 'myrrh' as not C myrrha (which would make sense to *me..*, but rather C. abyssinica. The illustrations show very twisty little trees. I've not traveled to that region of the world and don't know if/when I'd have the opportunity. The specimens of myrrh resin and 'opopanax' resin I have are similar enough that one can believe they come from the same genus- and the aroma of the opopanax is slightly more sweet than that of the myrrh. But these substances pass through many hands in trade and transport (that hasn't changed since ancient times), and if I buy from a website or a kiosk in the mall, I will be getting material that probably at one time passed through such exotic locations as the Bronx or someplace in New Jersey.. :D :D :D

   That is one reason that got me looking for domestic resins. Face it, our P. balsamifera (sometimes called B. candicans, which can be referred to as *either* hackamatac or tacamahac..! I couldn't figure out who was pulling whose leg when I read that, or if it was Indian lore liberally interpreted through a haze of firewater..)- will never achieve international fame to the degree of frankincense and myrrh (but in my searches I find it or subspecies quite well regarded in Britain and France). But the resin extruded by the swelling buds in the spring when the roads are barely passable and the spring sun is high- is a very nice substance and I am not surprised it was identified as a medicinal as well as a substance in perfumery.

   The trips I made to locate pinon pine were another foray after resin and its characteristics. The great specimens for resin were also twisty and ill-favored, and had been storm-torn and lightning struck- but had drops of resin in various stages of maturity. I'm lucky that on that trip I was by myself, because most people think I'm right OUT of my mind when I get out paraphernalia for collecting plant specimens. I must have spent 3 hours driving through various Arizona canyons at just the *right* altitude, locating injured trees, and examining them for resin. Ran out of bags and- in a pinch-  collected some into my glove, which- of course- did not make for an easy time of it getting it back *out* of the glove. Collecting poplar buds I've learned to wear plastic gloves. They aren't very insulating, and if it's cold and raining or snowing I'm not happy, but the resin is on the gloves and not on my hands- and I can rinse them later to make a light tincture

   If I visited the areas of frankincense and myrrh I'd have to restrain myself as they say those trees are marked and worked by various families or tribes- this could be true of pinon as well if it were time for the pine nuts to be mature- but they were not.   lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

L. Wakefield

   I should be getting on the road this am. Going to be hitting the Bronx at about the end of the NY marathon according to my friend down there She swears she has me coming in by a route that will avoid most problems  ??? We shall see. As long as they don't make me pull over and run the rest of the way, I'll be ok.

   I went up to De Lorme and got the Atlas they have for WV. That is such a solid company! I already have their topo USA software. Now I've picked up the earthmate GPS and Street Atlas USA that is bundled with it. It will mate to my laptop and let me generate routes on their EXCELLENT topo maps as I travel. I don't really care about it for driving. I want the walking and mapping capability for offroad stuff. If there is a road I can follow it, but I want to know where a spring or a fenceline is on the topo. The downside is having to carry the laptop in the woods. There are ways around it- I could link to my Palm, but I will have enough trouble mastering this as it is.

   De Lorme does a good job of breaking out the 'attractions' for a state. I lived down there for 12 years and it is celar I never saw much off my personal 'beaten track'. And I thought I knew WV.  lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

Bro. Noble

LW,

Don't forget to check the forestry forum 'members map'  for special attractions along your route. 8)
milking and logging and sawing and milking

woodmills1

I hear the new river gorge is the place where the bridge over the river on the interstate is opened up to base jumpers once a year.  I think it is US 64 but not sure.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Tom

Everytime I cross that bridge from the South it catchs me unawares and I lose my breath.  You come aroud the corner onto a bridge look down and there is nothing there.   whew!

They have an observation spot on the North side of the bridge I think.  I am in too big of a hurry to get off of the bridge to read signs. :-/

L. Wakefield

   Thank y'all- actually that should be all y'all..

   I'm back safe- didn't get a chance to get to the southern part of the state or over to Ohio- but I spent 4 days on the farm doing repairs and walking around. Two bullet marks on the glass- probably shot from over on the big hill, since they didn't penetrate. 2 trees had come down but didn't hit the glass (high winds last winter). 2 windows taken out and left out by intruders/hunters. 2 plywood 'windows' rotted right away. 2 fairly well rotted. 1 large glass one (4'x5') broken.

   All told I replaced one window with glass, 4 with spare barn tin (the barn is coming down (at least the top half, and it was poorly built so I'm letting it come down.)) and 2 with plywood- pressure treated this time, and I caulked the heck out of it to try to slow the deterioration.

   There was actual moss growing on the floor, and a plant growing out of one of the floor drains. Some of the upper floor is starting to rot from leakage.

   It's much more snug now. (til the next break-ins) And I have a new caretaker- one who can drive, and see, and is likely to be a bit more effective.

   So now the next plan of attack- major demolition of the rotted and other stuff- I think a dumpster may be in order. And take a generator down there for real shore power as opposed to the battery operated tools that (no lie   :D :D :D..) the saw cut about 1 foot of plywood per battery so thats 3 ft out of a 4 foot cut- I took it back up to town and used a *real* saw... and recharged the batteries...

 I want to take back the area of floor susceptible to drippage and replace it with grip strut. I've gotten fond of grip-strut since starting to use it in the barn. Then I will be looking into an alternative fuel unit that I can build in- I mean with concrete- so they can't steal it. There was a recent post about a ceramic stove that I need to find.

   It is a very strange house.
  
   I posted a note for the next intruders-
  
   'This house is not a target. Please do not shoot at it. This is not Home Depot. If you want building materials, go to the store and buy them like honest folk do. This was my home, and I come back to work on it when I can. Do not break in to hunt, or steal things, or mess things up, or start fires. Leave my house alone.

   Louise Wakefield, Wakefield/Ground Farms'

   I doubt that will stop them, but I feel better about it. They had stolen a gaslight, and taken the chicken wire out of the chicken coop. A year or so ago, they stole the captive air tank out of the well house. The list goes on and on.

   If I had any sense I'd give up, but I don't.   lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

Ron Scott

Louise,

In that area, put a sign up " Beware of rattlesnakes and copperheads. Not responsible for snake bites".


~Ron

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