Push Me Pull You

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 1 Dec 2012 23:17
A Very Different Ferry Ride
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 002
 
BB Ruins with Moths 003  BB Ruins with Moths 004

 

 On our trip to the ruins of Xunantunich we had to cross a river on a ferry

 

 

BB Ruins with Moths 005  BB Ruins with Moths 006  BB Ruins with Moths 008

 

 We were asked to get out, Reuben loaded the van, Bear checked things out and off we went

 

 

BB Ruins with Moths 007
 
The view up river
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 010
 
The view down river
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 140  BB Ruins with Moths 141  BB Ruins with Moths 142
 
On our return trip the same occurred. Out we got, on we walked and off we went
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 144  BB Ruins with Moths 011  BB Ruins with Moths 001
 
The winder, the overhead cable and the map on our return side – San Jose Succolz
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 143
 
The river fish acted as guards
 
 
BB Ruins with Moths 146
 
 

We stopped for lunch in the Orangery, an al fresco café with the most amazing gift shop, retail therapy for Moth – tick

 

 

BB Ruins with Moths 149

 

After lunch we all wandered through the shop and saw an enormous rosewood burl. Mmm Bear with a burl

 

 

The term burl (US – Burr UK)as used in wood terminology describes the presence of a dormant bud. No one really knows why they are created by the tree and remain dormant. Burls can be in a tree in the roots, the trunk or branches. The grain in a burl is not linear as most wood is. Instead it is a mass of round circles. For many centuries burl wood has been considered a prized possession. Rosewood burl must indeed be one of the rarest displays of nature’s wonders. Something completely new to us, just amazing.

 

Wiki says: A burl (American English) or bur or burr (used in all non-US English speaking countries) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.

 

 

Burl
 

 

Description: A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burls sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Almost all burl wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition.

In some tree species, burls can grow to great size. The largest, at 26 feet occur in Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and can encircle the entire trunk; when moisture is present, these burls can grow new redwood trees. The world's second-largest burls can be found in Port McNeill, British Columbia. One of the largest burls known was found around 1984 in the small town of Tamworth, New South Wales. It stands 6.4 feet tall, with an odd shape resembling a trombone. In January 2009, this burl was controversially removed from its original location, and relocated to a public school in the central New South Wales city of Dubbo.

 

 

Many burls

 

Many burls on this tree in Olympic National Park

 

 

Use: Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood, prized for its beauty by many; its rarity also adds to its expense. It is sought after by furniture makers, artists, and wood sculptors. There are a number of well-known types of burls (each from a particular species); these are highly valued and sliced into veneers for furniture, inlay in doors, picture frames, household objects, automobile interior paneling and trim, and woodturning. The famous birdseye maple of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) superficially resembles the wood of a burl but is something else entirely. Burl wood is very hard to work with hand tools or on a lathe because its grain is twisted and interlocked, causing it to chip and chatter unpredictably. This "wild grain" makes burl wood extremely dense and resistant to splitting, which made it valued for bowls, mallets, mauls and "beetles" or "beadles" for hammering chisels and driving wooden pegs.

Some burls are more highly prized than others, including ones from rural areas in central Massachusetts, northeast Connecticut, and as far south as Philadelphia. Some resemble an explosion in which the grain grows erratically, and it is these burls that the artist prizes over all other types. These spectacular patterns enhance the beauty of wood sculptures, furniture, and other artistic productions.

Burls are harvested with saws or axes for smaller specimens and timber felling chainsaws and tractors for massive ones.

 

Redwood burls: Burls are common among redwood trees, but harvesting them can be difficult due to their sometimes great size, and can also harm the tree.

 

Amboyna burls: Amboyna burl is a particularly expensive type of burl, costing $18.00 per board foot to $22.00 per pound, much more than bigleaf maple burl, for example. It comes from Padauk trees (Pterocarpus spp.) of Southeast Asia. Padauk trees are quite common but the burl is extremely rare. The amboyna is usually a deep red, although the more rare moudui burl is the same species but the color is from golden yellow to yellow-orange. The sapwood is creamy white with brown streaks. The common use for amboyna is interiors for luxury vehicles, turnery, cabinets, veneer, and furniture.

 

 

BB Ruins with Moths 145
 
 

En route it was nice to go over the Hawksworth Bridge (San Ignacio) once again

 

 

Back at the villa it was Baileys o’clock and time for a game of Mexican Train Dominoes. The quote of the week has got to be the real pearl from Moth.

 

Asst. Moth wanted to hurry her to put a domino down.

 

I’m not being slow, I’m just taking my time”.........

 

Another inch of Baileys anyone ???

 

 

 

 

 

ALL IN ALL A FUN DAY OUT