Ellmoe and me

[Tom]

Last Monday, I went to Spencer Farms in Orange Park and set up next to a pretty good stack of cypress.  Elmoe had called me and told me he would like to visit.  His Dad had a birthday and he was in town to celebrate it.

We got a good visit both Monday and Tuesday.   As it turns out, his dad was  part of a bomber squadron that was stationed at the local air field, Cecil Field.  He had dropped bombs in practice runs on two targets on Spencer property.   Not only did I get a good visit with Ellmoe, but the Spencer boys got to talk to some live history right there on their property.

I think everyone enjoyed it.  Ellmoe got a chance to see "hard" I work and how "gung-ho" I am.  :D :D

[ellmoe]

Tom,

   I enjoyed are visit too. Let me tell everyone, we should all be so lucky as to have customers like Tom's. They treat Tom like he is there favorite Uncle.
They all bragged to me about how good a sawyer he was and Tom agreed with them. ;D  It's obvious that Tom has earned their respect.

   When I arrived I thought they were having a bar b que! I think they was eight people on average there, with some leaving as others were coming. I think everyone was there to say hello to Tom. There was one guy trimming limbs under the shade tree they had picked to set the mill under. I began to feel like a highway construction worker as there were seven of us watching the one man work!

   My Dad enjoyed the visit . It turns out that he used to keep a plane at their Uncle's ranch about 20 miles south of their place.

   Looking at the pile of logs they had, it may be awhile before Tom has to move again. Especially, if the visiting continues! ;D

   Thanks Tom.

   Mark

[Tom]

Neither one of us had cameras.  I had left mine on the kitchen table.  Next time we'll get a historical photo.  Here's part of what Mark saw.

[Paul_H]

Sawing in the shade with good people around,that's appealing and would make the day pass quickly.
I'd sure like to hear more about the bomber squadron and Cecil field if you will 

[Tom]

Cecil field was a Navy training field from WWII and was decommissioned in  1999.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/cecil-field.htm

Around Jacksonville were several target areas where strafing and bombing was done.  The Spencers, being large land owners next to the base,  had at least two of these targets.  Lately the areas are being "cleaned up".  Row after row of practice bombs are being dug and put in shredders.  Some still have a small explosive charge and one of the fellows at the saw site said that it sounds like a shotgun shell going off in the shredder.

Ellmoe, you'll have to tell some of the stories that your Dad was relating.  I was trying to listen to several conversations at one time and missed a lot of it. 

[Tom]

The logs in the background were bucked by Curt and sorted into several piles.




As hot as it's been, we take advantage of any excuse to take a break.




Today, we had eaten our dinner and started back sawing when one of the herds of cows decided to mow the grass around the sawmill.  One big red bull, the top dog, decided that a black bull was acting too uppity.  I don't know if it might have had to do with a cow, or if he was just feeling his oats.   Both are polled but the red bull and the black bull got into it right in front of the mill and right in the midst of about 20 cows.  Dust was a flying and the red bull, being about twice the size of the black bull, won.   To ad insult to injury, when the red bull saw that he had won, he sauntered off, but, a big Momma cow decided to but the black bull around a little too.  I dont know if there is some unwritten code of honor with cows but, like humans, this bull didn't fight the cow and just took his punishment.  When the cow was through, the black bull was madder'n a wet hen.  He pawed the ground, dust flew, spittle ran from his mouth and he was really upset.  There was nobody to take his frustrations out on, so, he attacked the pile of logs.   He was really vicious and ground his head into the end of the logs, pushed, kicked, pawed, mooed, and generally cussed the pile of logs out.

This went on for the better part of a half hour.  We stopped sawing and watched.  So did the red bull and all the cows.  :D   Visitors came and went in their trucks.  The women folk came to the mill to pick up the two boys that were helping.  The off-bearer took the opportunity to go fill up the cooler.  The owner's son came, with his two daughters and joined us in conversation as the show was going on. 

Finally, as if nothing had happened, the black bull snorted a few times and walked off.    I was concerned that he might take his frustrations out on the sawmill, but he didn't.  I don't think any of the logs were hurt.  :D

[Bibbyman]

That's some production machine there bucking up the logs!  Mary'd like to run something like that.

No pictures of the bull fight? 

In my limited experience with cattle,  the bull is not the leader of the herd.  There is always a head cow that pretty much tops the pecking order.  It's almost funny to watch – sometimes a cow will try to take the lead and head off in a direction and expect the others to follow but then look back and see none are.  Then it'll have to resign itself that it's not the leader and fall back in line.

[SwampDonkey]

I  have a feeling of Da Ja Vue here, I'm sure I saw them photos 3 weeks ago.  : :D Although, I some how missed the bull...erm story.  ;)

[getoverit]

I heard a preacher preach a sermon that had a title of "There's always one cow that rings the bell".  It was a sermon about letting others have a part in the church and to welcome them with open arms.

The funny thing is that in this small mountain church, there actually was a big bell and they rang it about 5 minutes before every service. There was one woman in the church that insisted that ringing the bell was HER job and wouldnt let anyone else ring it.

GREAT story Tom ! I can picture it all in my head now

[Bro. Noble]

There might have been more than one factor involved in those bulls getting excited. 

We were in a park in the west one time (Custer I think)  where they had recently done some logging and had some piles of pine logs alongside the road.  About the time we got alongside the logs,  a herd of buffalo approached from the other side of the road and we had to stop to let them cross.  When they smelled those fresh cut logs,  they went nuts.  It was scary and we were blocked in and unable to leave.  In a later post I'll let you know if we lived or died ;)

[SwampDonkey]

When did the ingens arrive? :D

[joelmar10]

and did ya circle the wagons?

[Bro. Noble]

Go ahead and make light of a serious situation >:( >:(  Just for that,  I ain't telling you how it ended and you'll always wonder if I'm laying there under a pile of pine needlas and buffalo excrement :

[Tom]

I don't think you made it, Br'er Noble. :-\