As we squeezed by the overloaded log truck on the small road, my buddy said, “That wood’s gotta be worth a lot.” He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Those 4000 board-feet* of red oak will fetch about $2000 delivered to the sawmill. This similar assumption happens when people are developing [...]
We’re not supposed to get a foot of snow in October, but that’s what greeted me the other morning – along with no electricity… The transition from summer to winter (aka fall) is supposed to happen a little smoother – some cool crisp days, maybe a frost or two, then a few flurries in [...]
As we were taxiing down the runway at Denver airport recently, the pilot gently glided the plane over to the side and stopped. A collective sigh was heard as we all anticipated the usual explanations for the delay. The pilot came on to tell us that a series of storms in the Midwest was preventing [...]
Stepping into the flight chamber, I was astonished at the unexpectedly strange sensations. As I attempted my first indoor skydive, my mind was trying to reconcile the noise, the wind, the pressure on my limbs, and the hand signals from my instructor. A similar cacophony of signals often occurs when you are bringing new products [...]
It amazes me that the windmills over in Princeton have never stopped turning. Every time I gaze across the Wachusett Reservoir to the ridge in Princeton, the big white blades are lazily spinning. Maybe they do stop once in a while, but I’ve never seen it. Many companies would love this type [...]
I went timber cruising last weekend. No, this is not aimlessly driving the back roads of New England, but rather, walking around the woods selecting trees for next year’s firewood. I take little pink ribbons and tie them around the trees that will eventually keep us warm during the blizzards of January 2012.
Though the forest [...]
How does a plant grow from a rock? I was wondering this as I looked at the black birch seedling sticking out of the hunk of granite. Looking a little closer I could see that it had a toehold in a small crack, where it was able to summon the ingredients for growth. This is [...]