YUP.

THAT SUMS IT UP

I found this ad while going through some random stuff. The genius of Lost Pines Region marketing appeals to our inner pioneers...and we are pretty sure we're the stubborn bunch they speak of...

IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY

THE HEAT GOES ON...YET IT IS SO COOL !

Mid-July and the work doesn't stop in the 100° heat...transport operations continue, and now we have a donated tractor and truck to use as we continue to haul the logs to the mill! We are tremendously fortunate to have met Stephen at S.A.W Mill & Supply.  He has agreed to let Rob and Cody save money by providing their labor to assist in milling our lumber. How amazingly awesome these men are...from cutting, logging, and transporting the trees, to then be able to process them into lumber so that they can personally rebuild homes for our families-- what a inspiration they are to be so strong, positive and resilient to the situation that was thrust upon them.

CONVOY TO THE MILL

YESTERDAY'S LOGS ARE TODAY'S LUMBER!

A national cable TV show (scheduled to air this fall) filmed and participated in the transport effort of our harvested timber to the mill! With a change in venue, we delivered our logs to a local mill in Elgin - a very wise decision on our part...because Stephen at  S.A.W Mill & Supply is awesome...and, as it turns out, so is our Lost Pines lumber! From our fire scorched old-growth Loblolly Pines we milled Grade C-cabinet/furniture quality lumber!  Once the green lumber was cut, we brought it home to "sticker" and allow to dry in the Texas summer heat. 
Our good friend, Cody Murphy, who also lost his family's home, has been with us along this journey and is a excellent carpenter, contractor and jack-of-all trades. Together with Robert, he has collaborated in all the efforts to cut, harvest, transport, mill and now utilize these woods, and together we plan to rebuild the two homes by ourselves. Going forward, we will continue to collaborate in our efforts and will soon begin the home building process.  These homes will be built primarily from this lumber...the framing, the walls, floors, ceilings, and cabinets, plus whatever else we can think of. It is a lot of hard work and dedication to utilize them, but our loved and lost Loblolly Pines will live on with us in the form of a new homes for our families.

 

Yesterdays Logs are Todays Lumber- You Tube

THE HOPELESSLY OPTIMISTIC

San Antonio Express:  Blaze leaves forest's future unclear,  By Colin McDonald

 

San Antonio Express-News/© 2012 WILLIAM LUTHER

A soot-covered participant in the Lost Pines Log Pull...breaks for lunch.

It is very nice that the writer included personal elements of our story, however I am not the one to play the role of "sad sap" very well- and although this article doesn't feel like the positive solution-based approach we hope to convey- it is our prayer that our actions are effective in the message. Perhaps, the reality with the trees is that we are in a sad sap situation and that sadly most will just rot and fall.  We obviously have hopelessly optimistic attitudes, and remain dedicated to making the best of our situation.
- Jamaica

LOST PINES LOG PULL: THE RESULTS

THE FOLLOW-UP AND A T.V. SHOW TO HELP  

Well, that worked!--Because the Log Pull event was AWESOME!!! 

Over the 2 day challenge, we had 15 log pulling vehicles and over 90 people on property participating, volunteering or spectating.  The diversity of the participants was so cool....of course, young guys with their big trucks, neighbors with their antique tractors, but also 4 all-female teams, which included senior ladies from the Episcopal church in their 4WD SUV...Four trucks from the "Dirty South Rigs" truck club came from Elgin; and we even had one man travel nearly 200 miles Sunday morning from Crowley to participate in the cause with his son.

1st PLACE- Scott Keen and his
"Band of Rednecks" from Taylor -
1143 diameter inches pulled

Our winners of the challenge: "The Band of Rednecks" from Taylor.  Leading their crew was Scott Keen, a Technical Account Manager with Dell Computers, who fabricated a custom winch system in the bed of his truck for this event. His Ford F350 with a 12v Cummins Diesel engine and crew were pulling 4-5 logs out of the forest in one pass of the course. Both days, they were "in it to win it" and operated like a 60 foot-long log-hauling freight train. Their winning haul: 67 logs or 1,143 diameter inches. Their total winning prize was $1,500 after we received an additional $300 from a private donor!

Everyone came with their own story to tell- like Jan Riley in her Jeep Wrangler, "Nellie Belle"....Jan, ran the course solo, hooking up and hauling logs both days! Her husband passed away shortly after the fire. The two of them often enjoyed off-roading together for recreation.  She assisted in our mission in the memory of her husband, and said it was the most fun she has had since his passing; that she wasn't in the field alone and his spirit was with her. From this experience we have met so many new neighbors and friends who participated in a desire to move forward in a positive direction and be a part of the cause for the trees.

2nd PLACE- James Reed and his LS
Tractor from Paige- 908 inches pulled,
120 points "Good Sportsman Conduct"

In total, the Log Pull competition brought 237 logs out of our forest and out to the road for accessibility. I estimate that to be about 44,000 board feet! This Log Pull event successfully pulled approximately one-third of our dead trees out our 7 acres of forest.

In putting our story out and seeking assistance transporting these timbers, we were recently contacted by national cable television producers.  They liked our human interest story, want to help, and are going to participate in the transport these logs to the mill.  As part of their show story line, they will have a driver and trailer helping us make hauls Tuesday, June 12th. We have put out the word and would like to form a convoy effort of trucks and trailers to participate in the TV show filming and timber transport.  We will begin early morning at our home and will be making 25 mile hot-shot runs to S.A.W. Mill & Supply in Elgin. 

3rd PLACE- James Denny and his
"Dirty South Rigs" crew from Bastrop
- 460 diameter inches pulled

Our initial intention was to work through Jim Leverett and Logs to Lumber to trade out our scorched timber for milled lumber from a prominent sawmill in Huntsville.  We had hoped this arrangement would be able to, at minimum, provide framing material for us and perhaps others.  When the time came to arrange transportation logistics, many factors had us concluding that the exchange and transport to Huntsville was not in our best interest. Committed to our cause, we decided that our efforts are best spent by milling our timber closer to home. With our choice to mill locally, Mr. Leverett introduced us to Stephen Wusterhausen with S.A.W. Mill & Supply in Elgin.  The Wusterhausen family and business have a long history in Bastrop County and his family mill specializes in wood siding, flooring, large timbers and trusses. 

Shortly after the fire we had heard mixed messages about the tree quality in regards to “construction grade”.  We were not alone in our confusion and it seems many were under impression that our Loblollies are not acceptable for construction- due to the burn, their “softness” or grade.  Not familiar with the industry terminology and needing clarification, we spoke with our local mills who have been in business for decades right here in Bastrop County, and they assured us we could, in fact, build with the very pine trees from our property.  As a result, we have decided that we will mill and rebuild with the very pines and cedars from our property. Bastrop, Austin and surrounding towns were built from these Loblollies, and Bastrop's great historic structures are evidence enough to give us confidence in the viability of our pines.

The pioneering spirit that settled this part of Texas is the strength we draw upon to reclaim our land from the tree hazards, rebuild our home and provide future land management. Our trees were the only thing we had left to show from the fire, and for us their death will not be in vein. It is a bittersweet experience to move through the emotional process of losing them and labors of love to utilize them, but what a great legacy we are creating for our family and land to bounce back from this experience hopefully better, stronger, wiser and sheltered.

KUT-Austin Audio Portrait- Picture Slideshow

 KUT-Austin:  Scortched Trees to be Milled for Bastrop Rebuilding,  By Andy Uhler

 

Logs to Lumber,  By Raymond Thompson, UT Wildfire Project

 

 

Oh and check out our winner Scott Keen's gnarly "log surfing"style!
The awesomeness of our winners "The Band of Rednecks" from Taylor, TX...
Not only do they have log pullin' skills running thru their veins...they also have a gnarly log surfing style!
Congrats Scott Keen & crew- your breed is rare. Thank you.

WE JUST MIGHT PULL THIS OFF

 

FOLLOW-UP ON OUR PREPARATION EFFORTS

 

Ride Along on "The Course"

 

Channel 19 Blog - May 21, 2012    

Log-haulers, Bastrop County wants you,  By Todd Dills 

 

 

A GREAT AND MANY THANKS TO THESE KIND FOLKS!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR T-SHIRT SPONSOR, LOST PINES AIR, LLC

NOTHIN' TO LOSE

( EXCEPT MAYBE OUR SANITY )

 

The Log Pull is in one week and this whole bonkers idea is yet to be fully realized....good thing we been flexin' our tenacity these last 8 months. As it stands at the moment, it is either the most brilliant idea we've attempted yet- or it is the stupidest- either way it is definitely seems like our craziest. They say that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle...we believe this to be true. We just happen to currently be getting us a big ol' heapin' helpin' of handlin'....but, when you ain't got nothin' to lose (literally), you ain't got nothin' to lose.

Overdrive Magazine - May 18, 2012   

 Charity event to harvest timber after major Texas wildfire,  By Todd Dills

 

Bastrop Advertiser - May 18, 2012  

Moore about Bastrop: Logs to Lumber Competition,  By Debbie Moore

 

 

LOST PINES LOG PULL, BURNED FOREST CHALLENGE

LOCAL EVENT BENEFITS FIRE FAMILIES- PRESS RELEASE

May 2007

Five years ago, my husband Robert and I left the fast paced urban life for a quiet, simpler one.  We moved from Dallas to follow our dream of rural living, a beautiful place to raise a family, and pursue our artistic endeavors.  Just outside Bastrop, we found sanctuary on seven acres of heavily wooded Lost Pines forest. Our home was a modest two bedroom house and the perfect starter home. We settled in well into our new life, made new friends, and quickly fell in love with all the small town charms of Bastrop.  Prior to our first child’s birth in 2009, we made improvements to our property, renovations to our home, and had built a sculpture workshop for our art enterprise, MorzArt. Life in our Lost Pines home had become the peaceful life we had dreamt up years prior.  That all changed one Sunday afternoon last fall when the Bastrop Complex Fire broke out Labor Day weekend, and grew to be the largest property damaging fire in Texas history, which ultimately destroyed nearly 1700 homes and claimed two lives.

September 13, 2011

Like many citizens affected by the history making wildfires in Bastrop County, Texas, we were left wondering what to do with over 300 dead standing pine trees that remained after the fire destroyed our family’s home and art studio.  Picking up the pieces after losing one’s home certainly is an emotionally challenging life event.  Combine that with 95% loss of our forest land and the cleanup measures needed, the situation quickly seemed overwhelming.  In an effort to not render our land useless to tree hazards, we developed a strong desire to make good use of our loved and lost Loblolly Pines. Through a friend, we learned of one local man’s mission; a mission that offered us a new hope to the situation we faced regarding the rebuilding of our home and a solution to our burned timber.  We knew the timber was still viable, and our strong desire to use them prompted us to contact Jim Leverett of Logs to Lumber, Incorporated.  What first started as a desire has now grown to a mission compelling us to extremes… off-road extremes.

Jim Leverett founded Logs to Lumber (L2L) in anticipation of and in response to the great need that would arise as a result of the fires.  His organization is a grassroots, non-profit dedicated to “assist affected citizens in the rebuilding effort by harvesting & utilizing the viable timber resources of the Lost  Pines.” Their motto: “Our Resources Rebuilding Our Community”. According to the Logs to Lumber website, “The mission of Logs to Lumber is to ‘find a way to convert dead or dying trees scorched by the Bastrop County Complex Fire into something that can be used to repair the damage done by that fire’.  Logs to Lumber relies solely upon the donations from caring citizens and volunteers to achieve this mission...donations of timber, time, know-how, heavy equipment, and money help to achieve this necessary mission for the benefit of our devastated community.  The goal: Organize Logistics, Harvest the Timber, Provide Lumber to the People.”

February 24, 2012

Upon meeting Leverett, we learned that in the months following the fire, he had been working out the logistics of timber donations, volunteer crews, donated equipment, and had worked out arrangements with sawmills willing to trade out the burned timber for milled lumber. The lumber generated will then be utilized in rebuilding efforts for affected families. In a short time, Mr. Leverett had accomplished a lot of groundwork towards his mission, and we knew that we had found the win-win solution that was aligned with our goals concerning the arduous timber clean-up and rebuilding of our home.

Leverett’s formation of an impromptu logging operation was quite an ambitious undertaking, and with it, he stressed the need for community supported efforts to achieve the L2L goals.  Leverett has succeeded in bringing milled lumber back to Bastrop, yet unfortunately he continues to hurdle obstacles related to acquiring heavy equipment donations in order to manage the timber weight and maneuver through the sandy soil of the forest.  With the massive need and quantity of acreage that Mr. Leverett has access to, we recognized the importance of helping to him ramp up the harvesting efforts. Believing in his mission, we felt that the L2L organization was not getting the attention it warranted. With a limited amount of time to accomplish the timber harvesting goal, we knew it was imperative to spread the word and inform others of the Logs to Lumber’s important work within the community.

A brainstorm of ideas had us searching for a creative solution to harvest the burned timber, and as a result, we came up with what we describe as a “divinely inspired idea…a fun, exciting and community supported effort to benefit Logs to Lumber”. Born from this inspiration, we are developing and planning to host “The First Ever - Lost Pines Log Pull - 4x4 Off-Road Burned Forest Challenge©”.  The concept of the event: have 4x4 off-road vehicles or tractors, capable of navigating the terrain with ample horsepower, retrieve pre-cut logs from the forest and deliver them to the loading zone. At the loading zones, the logs will then be loaded on trailers bound for the mill. The spirit of the event fits with the Bastrop “help your neighbor” small town attitude that we have come to know and love.

The challenge is a two day competition to be held Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-27.  During the “working hours” of 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, both days, competitors will be given the opportunity to work as little or as much as they can to retrieve and deliver logs to loading zones.  The challenge is a point-based competition, where participants will earn points for logs they deliver.  All logs will be cut in 21-foot lengths and inches in diameter will determine the points awarded to vehicle teams. For example, should a participating vehicle deliver an 8” log, they would earn 8 points; similarly, a 30 inch log = 30 points.  There are no limitations on the quantity or means by which participants can retrieve logs in a pass of the circular course. We encourage participants to gather teammates and to employ ingenuity and strategy to accomplish the challenge mission.  At the close of the two day competition, the current winning prize for the vehicle with the most points earned is $1,200.

We are currently making arrangements for the challenge and prepping the course for log delivery efficiency.  According to our Official Rules, “For the mission to be successful, efficiency for a steady flow of deliveries is key….wide pre-established lanes will be created for accessibility to logging area and exits  to loading zones. Trees will be ‘felled & bucked’ and logs ready to ‘grab-n-go’.”

From this event, we hope to achieve a couple of primary goals.  Firstly, deliver as many logs as possible to the mill, and secondly, bring attention to the Logs to Lumber mission and its important purpose for healing our community.  

SPRING BRINGS HOPE

 

  AND AN IDEA TO HELP US HARVEST THE TREES...

A PICTURE TO ILLUSTRATE LIFE RIGHT NOW...

When life hands you lemons, it will also throw mud in your lemonade.

THE HEAVY REALITY

An inventory has been taken of the devastated back 5 acres of our property...approximately 400 trees (over 8" diameter) are dead...270+ loblolly pine with 16.5" avg. diameter, 96+ post/black jack oak with 9.5" avg. diameter, and 18+ cedar with 10" avg. diameter. This reality weighs heavy....but, our faith remains strong that good will come from this experience.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...

IS HEAVY MACHINERY. 

CONSTRUCTION IS THE WAY WE ROLL

Our temporary new home arrived today...it's a rented office construction trailer.

BASTROP FIRES & MOVING FORWARD

Dear Friends & Family,
It is with mixed sadness and optimism that I write this...As some of you may already know, we were affected by the wildfires of Bastrop County over Labor Day Weekend. That Sunday morning I had gone to Bastrop grocery shopping.  Around 2pm I headed home and could see in the distance, in the direction of our home, smoke filling the air.  I immediately called Rob at home and told him to look and see if he could tell where the smoke was located. I then passed up the fire to the north of our location and made it home.  
We checked our local Bastrop County Emergency Mgmt facebook page to see if there were any posts about it. Soon, they posted that the neighborhood next to ours was under mandatory evacuation.  We kept an eye on the sky, and soon dark smoke filled the forest to the north. We made the decision that we too needed to evacuate. We gathered our firebox/important papers, a change of clothes, and some baby toys and left....thinking that we could reenter the area the next day...that surely the fire would blow the other direction away from our home.
Ultimately, the Bastrop Complex Fire grew to a massive 34,000+ acres and destroyed nearly 1700 homes. (The largest in Texas History and 3rd largest in National History).  We waited 5 days with no news on whether our home had been affected...sadly, as many others, our home and all structures were completely destroyed.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, it has been an emotional journey of anxiety, hope, overwhelming kindness/support, bountiful prayers, devastation, loss, and now- hope again for a new future. Prior to our son's birth in 2009, we had made major renovations to our house, built a guest cabin, and an art workshop completely outfitted for wood and clay sculpture. All that is lost now and clean-up and rebuilding will certainly be an arduous process- however, we remain faithful in knowing that our lives evolve toward our highest good....

We have made the decision that we will rebuild on our property. Of our 7 acres of forest, 5+ acres suffered major devastation on the back portion of the property, but the area directly around the homestead still has trees with some green and shrubs that are drought affected but not burned. Our forest landscape is forever changed- it won't be as it was, but it will grow to become something new and perhaps even more beautiful.
We have mindful gratitude for the blessings that surround us during this time...your thoughts, prayers, and offers in kind...for them, we thank you and we thank our Creator- for God is good, all the time.

 
With love and grace,
Jamaica & Robert 

Beyond Our Back Doorstep, 2007

Many thanks to Jamaica's sister for creating this video set to a song their dad wrote over 30 years ago...Jamaica grew up listening to the words of this song and took them to heart...that dream led us to Bastrop in 2007.  

"Country Life" by Hank Stegall