What did the big bucket say to the little bucket?

You look a little pail.

Rain was in the forecast for Saturday afternoon.  It was a nice, chilly autumn morning, but you could see the clouds building on the horizon.  The weatherman is often wrong, so we were hoping it wouldn't rain until later in the afternoon.

We picked up the bucket truck around 9am and we were back home by 10am.  Here is Walt Kowalski getting comfortable familiar with the bucket truck.  I don't think he was ever "comfortable" up there. 

 

Here are the ugly trees that needed to go:

 

 

They grew funny shaped because of the other trees (that we have already removed) growing near them.  Crowding them out. 

 

Here is Walt Kowalski realizing that even with the arm fully extended, he is still about 10 feet away from the tree.  Crap.

 

 

Ok, time to regroup, rethink, and recalculate.  We pulled into the driveway which meant the bucket of the truck was away from the tree.  We knew we couldn't make it up the hill with the truck, so Walt Kowalski had to back into the driveway.  Tricky, but he did it.  He was closer to the tree, too. 

 

Time to get serious.  Harness on.  Saw ready. Move the truck again. Little closer. Little closer.  Little closer.

 

 

Although it was cloudy, it was a difficult day to take pictures. I call it a squinty kind of a day.  It was one of those days when you can't see with your sunglasses on and you can't see without them. It made for difficult picture taking.  No mater what angle I attempted, it seems like I was pointing my camera up into the cloudy but bright sky.  That's where Walt Kowalski was in the bucket.  

 

Walt Kowalski also needed me, so I couldn't go too far and I didn't go down below where I could get thunked in the head by a falling tree.

 

 

 

 

 

The first two branches were not too difficult. Even with the arm of the truck fully extended and the saw fully extended it was still a reach for Walt Kowalski. (It's sprinkling rain at this point.)

 

S-T-R-E-T-C-H

 

 

 

Another move of the truck.  A shot of courage and Walt Kowalski tackled the last branch. (A few more rain sprinkles, too.)

 

And then big sigh of relief.  You can see the smile on Walt Kowalski's face.

 

 

 

Now it was time for the ground crew to get to work.  The rain held off long enough for Walt Kowalski to finish with the bucket truck.

 

                                       These two are the Ground Crew ^                     

 

There is one more big, Big, BIG tree on this hill that needs removed.  It will need roped and guide roped and pulled to be brought down.  But now these ugly trees are no longer in the path. 

 

Walt Kowalski was out of steam.  And then the rain came.  Too much of a risk to bring down another tree.  And then the rain really came.  The last big tree is a story for another day.