Day 10, Saturday 8/11/01

Butchie wakes very early and quietly sneaks out to get breakfast for the group. He comes back but considerately sits by the fire and drinks his coffee. We get up at 9 and eat his donuts. Thank you Butchie. Today's plan is to continue retrieving wood. We break out Butchies saw and look at the chain. He had used it at home to cut up a few trees. The chain is toast. A sharp chain is essential when cutting hardwood. We head to Post to get a new one. No luck. I ask one of the helpful kids if there is a Stihl dealer in the area. He says "try Rogers small engines" in Liberty. The kid couldn't say for sure where it was, and took a good ribbing from his cohorts because he is a born and bred Liberty boy. An older customer bails him out. We head out. In Liberty we find Rogers, a busy series of small buildings overflowing with mowers, tractors, junk. I spot an old Stihl sign in the window and am encouraged. Butchie and I go in. It is the Stihl promised land. They have it all and the lady is nice and knowledgeable. We get 2 chains and a file and guide for sharpening them.

Butchie and I cut and Laurie hauls the wood to big piles. Butchies saw develops a clog in the bar oiling grove and before we know it the chain is dull, blue and smoking. We repair it and put on the other new chain. We cut and cut. Laurie hauls and hauls. I am amazed how hard they work. I want to quit early enough to go out for dinner and a movie. We go to Nina's for good pizza and then to Liberty Theatre to see "Osmois Jones". Its pretty good. Butchie, ever unimpressed, snoozes. All in all a good day.

6 hours, partly sunny 80, rain at night