Ordway-Swisher

We had some rain and a little wind in Albany and then we headed on to Ordway-Swisher.  The Jeep transmission continued to act up and gradually got worse so we had it towed to a shop in Palatka. Pete, one of the volunteers who lives near here loaned us their spare pickup to drive while ours was in the shop. After a complete transmission overhaul we got it back and it worked for a few days and then started acting up again so we took it back and they fixed it again. It has required so many repairs in the last few years we decided it was time to replace it. We found this 2018 four door and we liked it so it went home with us. We are still trying to sell the old one. 

We are still trying to get used to all of the electronics in it, but so far we like it.

Work here at the station has been mostly the same as last year, Mowing the roads with the tractor, fence removal and repair, moving logs with the grapple tractor, and raking pines. The other Bob got here after New Year's so we are a team again now.  Andy, the station manager who has worked here since the first time we came is leaving for a new job, so we had a combination good bye and Christmas party. The man in the background is Sinjin who is our supervisor this year.

Bob and I has an interesting day last Thursday. We had to deliver the tour trailer over to the Austin Carey unit of the University and we had some extra time there to have lunch and tour the exhibits. Most of the exhibits are telling the story of the history of tapping pines for turpentine and distilling it. Of course they needed barrels for shipping the final products (turpentine and rosin). So barrels were made near the processing plants.

A press to compress the staves together to put the hoops on.

Some of the tools used to make barrels.

Some of the tools used to tap the pine trees.

One of the wagons used to haul the sap from the trees.

A reproduction of a turpentine still.

Tools and containers for collecting sap for turpentine.

Some of the pots and containers for collecting sap. The clay pots in the top row are called Herty Pots

We spent this past weekend with our friends and fellow volunteer Bob and Pam Taylor at their home in Titusville, FL. We had a great time sight seeing and playing games with them. We hope to go back again for an air boat ride while we are here.

 

An alligator and a turtle sunning themselves on a rock together.