Stealing wood, and meeting cops...

So we had some nice temps in the 60's this past weekend, and the wahine and I were out riding bikes on a popular trail near the house. I noticed that the city had done a lot of tree cutting and there were great 5 foot 1 1/2 diameter logs laying about. Real straight too. So I planned a mission to rescue them yesterday night in the fog that rolled in off the lake. I was pleased that my wahine decided to volunteer her help on the liberation of these logs. We parked in a lot nearby and score two logs... they had a lot of frozen water in them. I carried one that was about 120 pounds and she found an easier way by rolling the log the half a block to the car. So we set off the two blocks to get a 6 footer I saw. Score! This one was totally dry and ready to carve. We set about rolling this one along the trail and we were about a block away when a car started up the trail with its brights on. I stopped and heaved the log to the side and we started walking ahead. I've had run ins many times now with the police in city parks while I'm liberating wood... they all end in the cop telling me to leave it there and how I can't take fallen trees from the parks. What's a city boy to do? Well, this cop pulls up and I say "Good evening officer." He said, "Just go ahead and take it... I was laughing at you guys all the way up here!" I asked if someone had called us in... there are homes in the area. He said no... he was just responding to another call. I told him I had spotted the wood the other day and that I am a wood carver. He seemed genuinely interested... "what kind of wood carving?" I said tikis... I think I may have lost him. He said if anyone hasseled us further to tell them that officer so and so said it was alright, then took off. We continued rolling and now I've got some really nice logs drying in the basement...

You lose some, you win some!
You'll probably see those logs here some day soon!

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2003-03-18 12:02 ]

Lakesurfer,

Nice ending to the story. Hey, are you guys gonna be able to surf some soon?

Lake Surfer dude, you should consider carving a small tiki for the nice officer. Funny story.

Bong... lake temps are still in the low 30's, its not helping the ice chunks melt faster... and the shore ice is 20 feet thick... we had two days of warm temps but it is cooling a bit... expecting rain for three days from the big storm that hit you and that should do some more melting... at least the water is moving... should be in soon!

.....and to think I get cramped up here in the H.B. water! Yikes!

Tiki Bong, RevBambooBen... ready to go surfing in the Great Lakes paradise? This was ice in mid Feb. before we really got a cold spell... add about 5 more feet on top of this and that's what we're melting now... even then our water won't warm much out of the 40's until June or so... by August we should be in the mid 60's...

What's the Pacific by you right now, 54 degrees? I'll take it... in my 3/2!

Aloha guys!

BBRRRRR, That looks {{COLD}}
Water temps are still chillin' in the low fifties here in the Monterey Bay. Anybody catch "Step into Liquid" yet? I haven't seen much fanfare for it up here in Santa Cruz.
It's out right?
Chongolio

On 2003-03-20 18:22, Chongolio wrote:
Anybody catch "Step into Liquid" yet? I haven't seen much fanfare for it up here in Santa Cruz.
It's out right?
Chongolio

I think it's out already. I've been waiting for that film since last year! But like Santa Cruz, haven't heard much about it down here in So Cal. Cant wait to see it - the film looks BAD ASS.

http://www.stepintoliquid.com

Still waiting for the Endless Summer duo to arrive on DVD.....still waiting....waiting...

Lake surfer- All of my palms were acquired through arduous suffering: hydraulic lift gates, bribing tree trimmers, crushed 4 wheel dollies, friends that never want to come over anymore etc.. So your story cracked me up. Today, however, I came home from work and went outside to take in the trash and there low and behold (interject chorus of inspirational music and light rays here) was a 5 foot by 2 foot palm trunk on my lawn. I listened to my messages and this neighbor left a "Hope you can use it"-type message. Moral to the story- There is a god and he loves tikis.

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-03-24 23:50 ]

Saved you a lot of work... except maybe carrying it from the curb! Good score! Found some more wood this weekend in a park... in need to get to it and liberate it from the dreaded woodchipper or a potential tiki may become fodder for a hiking path or playground...

I'm wondering, what do they do with old telephone poles? would they be suitable for carving? I know some are coated with creosote and that wouldn't be good, but I've seen a lot lately that are either unfinished or just pressure treated.

I'd love to get my hands on some of the reclaimed lumber from the Great Lakes or rivers around here. The density of that wood is just outstanding. It's like getting solid old growth, but without the logging permit hassle.

Tiki guy- refer to the carving post pg. 20. Basement Kahuna addresses this. I, too, have access to these but they are too toxic.