Hard Work and Hot Fun in the Summer

 The summers of 1969 and 1970 were fantastic and unforgettable.  The spring of 1969 our football coach arranged a meeting with a man name Dollis Ray.  Mr. Ray was recruiting athletic young men to work for Hiwassee Lang Company for the summer.

In the meeting Mr. Ray asked if any of us had ever loaded hale bales or pulpwood.  Most of us had hay experience but only a couple of us had both hay and pulpwood experience.  He talked of the difficulty of the two jobs and stated to us that the job he was recruiting us to do was harder than both the hay and pulpwood.  Our task was injecting hardwood trees with a chemical poison using five feet by two-inch steel pipe filled the chemical using a hand pumped apparatus on the end of the pipe.

Mr. Ray said he was like the Marine Corps.  He needed a few good men.  So began the work of killing hardwood timber to allow the pines to grow.  Areas where the hardwood was dominate; Hiwassee used helicopters to spray (mist blow) the chemical converting lush forest into dead wasteland.  Hiwassee did not mist blow long because the government outlawed the practice.  We were told that the chemical was weed poison.  I believe it was Round Up in its infancy. 

The summer of ’69 we started injecting hardwood along US Highway 31 north of Jemison, Alabama.  Hiwassee had a ninety-nine-year lease of hundreds of acres.  We heard that it was ten thousand acres.

Our foreman was a young man named Benny Lee.  Good old southern boys have a double name.  Benny Lee was an outdoorsman with a unique Southern Drawl.  He instructed us on the injecting technique.

Most of the hardwood we would jab the blade on the end of the pump about two inches apart around the tree.  Hickory trees we girdled making sure to place plenty of chemical.  Benny Lee had us gather around a large hickory in a low area near a branch.  It was about two feet in diameter.  We girdled it and Benny Lee who always carried an axe on his shoulder removed the bark of the hickory about three feet above the girdle.  Then we all went to dinner.

After dinner, Benny Lee carried us back to the tree.  The leaves on this giant hickory had already wilted.   The beautiful white meat of the tree had black streaks rising like a thermometer up the tree.

A little later he called us together to watch a moccasin snake trying to kill a king snake.  The larger moccasin had the smaller king snake in its mouth.  Benny Lee told us that the king snake would kill the moccasin.  We all watched in wonder and awe as the king snake slowly wove its body around the moccasin. 

Slowly, the king began to tighten its body around the moccasin.  We heard bone popping and the moccasin opened it mouth and released the king snake.  Benny Lee said, “The king snake will eat the moccasin.  The jaws of the king snake unhinged, and the king snake devoured the moccasin.

Working for Hiwassee was not as hard a loading and unloading hay.  It was not as tiring as shoulder loading pulpwood.  Working for Hiwassee was fun, exciting, full of surprises, and educational.  We worked hard for Benny Lee.  We worked ourselves out of a job.  What was supposed to last most of the summer we completed in two weeks.  Benny Lee gave us time off to watch the moon landing in “69.  

One day Benny Lee handed me a root and told me to chew it.  I had chewed sassafras roots it taste like root beer.  I chewed it and he asked me how it tasted.  I said, “It tastes like Vicks Salve.”  He said that was what the old timers used before the chemical companies started making it.

Another time he handed me a small railroad spike.  He asked, “What to you see on the side of the hill?”  I told him that it looks like an old road.  He said that it was a railroad bed where there had been a spur when the built Lay Dam on the Coosa River.  All that was visible was spikes along the way.

We had so many adventures that summer.  We pushed down dead trees, found bee gums, played king of the mountain on old sawdust piles from sawmills long forgotten, and run from yellow jacket wasps and hornets.  After work we would drag race our old jalopies. 

It was hard work! It prepared us for two-a-days football practice.  It taught us that it’s not work if you enjoy it.  It was a rite of passage for young boys becoming men.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men - Colossians 3:23

Hiwassee, Apollo, an Eagle Landing, and Walking on the Moon

One night I met a couple at Three Amigos Restaurant in Clanton to plan a wedding.  Waiting for their arrival, I noticed a familiar face sitting behind me.  It had been at least forty years since I saw Benny Lee.  He was our crew leader for a summer job I had with Hiwassee Land Company.   For the next few minutes, we caught up on Hiwassee memories.

Hiwassee Land Company had a ninety-nine-year lease from Traveler Insurance for thousands of acres in Chilton and Shelby counties for the express purpose of growing pine timber.

The local representative for Hiwassee, Dollis Ray, talked with our high school football coach to fine some conditioned young men who might be used to initiate a new process to help pine timber grow.  Coach sent several of us to interview for this summer job.

I will never forget the interview.  Mr. Ray said that he needed some good young men who knew how to work and were in great physical shape.  He said the work would be hard.  I asked how hard the work is.  Mr. Ray asked, “Have you ever helped load hay or paper wood?”  I said that I had done both.  Mr. Ray said it was harder than throwing hay or paper wood.

That takes us back to Benny Lee.  Benny Lee was a good crew leader.  He explained the process of what we would be doing.  Our objective was to inject hardwood timber with weed killer.  I think back and it was like Roundup weed poison.  It was powerful.  The poison did not affect maple, and for hickory and dogwood, we had to girdle the bark and pump in the poison.  The rest of the hardwood we had to penetrate the bark every two inches around the tree.  The poison would kill the trees without disturbing the pines. 

On the first day before dinner break, Benny Lee had us girdle a huge hickory.  About three feet above the girdle, he removed a large part of the bark.  Hickory wood is white behind the bark.  After dinner, he took us back to the tree.  It was a hot June day and Benny said the tree would be absorbing a lot of water.  When we got to the tree, there were black streaks running up the tree in the place where the bark was missing.  Benny Lee said that was the poison going up the tree.  In thirty minutes, the leaves of the giant hickory were wilted.

Injecting hardwood was hard work.  Benny Lee bragged that the two summers that we worked killed more trees than any other crew of boys he ever worked did.  We did such a wonderful job that we ran out of work and Benny Lee let us off to watch "Moon Day." It was 1969 and we watched Neil Armstrong Walk on the moon. Benny was easy going and was a very good teacher.

One time he asked me to chew on a root.  I was a little hesitant, but after he chewed on one, I did.  He asked, “What does it taste like?”  I told him that it tastes like Vick’s salve.

Another time, he asked me, “What do you see different about the hillside?”  I said it looked like a road was once here.  He handed me a railroad spike and said that it was a railroad spur from the L&N Railroad to Lay Dam on the Coosa River when building the dam.

Benny Lee was a skinny version of Paul Bunyan.  I can still picture him with a double bitted ax tossed across his shoulder blazing the trees where we to inject.  He allowed a bunch of rough neck boys the opportunity to be boys.

We laughed about the time I brought a pair of boxing gloves to work where we could box during dinner break.  It was fun beating one another up at dinner, swinging out hickory trees, and throwing crab apples, plums, green pinecones, and buckeye balls at one another.  We got to push over dead trees, watch snakes fight, find baby buzzards, and play in creeks.

Every now and then, we would fine abandoned sawdust piles from long gone sawmills.  Benny would let us play king of the mountain.  Benny Lee would laugh at us trying to work the rest of the day with sawdust in our underwear.

Benny Lee said looking back that Hiwassee had destroyed billions of dollars' worth of hardwood timber.  I am not a tree hugger, but I did have a problem destroying so much timber.  When I think of all the beautiful timber we killed, I think what a waste.  Benny Lee told us that it was not cost efficient to try to harvest the hardwood because it would hurt the pines.  In areas dominated by hardwood, helicopters spayed the timber with poison.  Little did anyone know back then that hardwood makes a better computer paper than pine.

The sad thing is history is full of dumb ideas thought to be doing good, only to find out later that it was a mistake or foolish.

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:24-30 KJV).

 

Oblivious Rider

My brother David is back on the road as a hardwood salesman.  David attends hardwood conventions across the nation.  At a convention in San Antonio, Texas, he won a fully loaded Harley-Davison motorcycle.  He was hesitant to enter the contest, but did so at the insistence of a young lady.  The keynote speaker was the CEO of Harley-Davison.  When they drew David’s entry, the CEO said that the winner comes from a long line of bikers, referring to Dennis Hopper of the cult movie “Easy Rider.”  David said his heart began to beat faster, faster, and almost exploded when they called out his name.  David claims that this is the first thing he ever won.  Of the three of the Hopper brothers, David rode a motorcycle the least, yet he won one.

David has met some interesting characters over the years, but he has the uncanny ability not to recognize famous people.  For instance, he and our cousin Tim were at a hardwood convention In Nashville and decided to attend a Gaither Concert.  They were fortunate to get seats on the front row.  On the way to the concert from their hotel, a longhaired man in a long trench coat got on the elevator.  They spoke and David wanted to invite the man to the Gaither concert.  He never garnered the nerve to ask.  They did ask where the man was going.  He said that he was headed to work.  When they exited the elevator, David told Tim that he felt sorry for the man.  He said we are so lucky to be going to hear some gospel music and that poor man was probably headed out for a night of wine, women, and song.  David could not fathom such a thought.

David and Tim were enjoying the luxury of first class seat as The Gaithers entered the stage to a standing ovation.  David looked at Tim and said that’s the man in the elevator.  It was Guy Penrod, lead singer for the Gaither Vocal Band.  Penrod is internationally known for his powerful vocals and broad singing range. 

The morning of the concert, an elderly lady asked David’s assistance to set up a display.  David graciously helped the lady and they struck up a conversation.  He found out that she was from Alabama and very familiar with the happy Goodman family.  Oblivious to her identity she finally told David her name was Vestal Goodman. 

Vestal was honored to be named “The Queen of Southern Gospel” and won her first Dove Award in 1969.  She and the Happy Goodmans won multiple Grammy and Dove Awards.  She sang for President Jimmy Carter at the Whitehouse in 1979.

To show that David is really bad at recognizing people, David and Mike Allen, former pastor of Sardis near Thomaston, were playing in a pro/am golf tournament.  Now if you are playing in a pro/am tournament, more that likely you are paired with a professional somebody.

David had teed-off and was returning to his golf cart.  There was a big burly looking man in a cowboy hat smoking a cigarette, slouched on the golf cart.  David told the stranger that he must be his pro teammate.  He asked who are you and what do you do.  He said I am Trace Adkins and I sing.  Did I forget to tell you that David is a true blonde and that he is a minister of music?

Trace Adkins is a movie, television, and country music star.  He is famous for his baritone vocals.  David fits one of Adkins songs, “This Ain’t No Thinking Thing.” Adkins also authored a book.  I am thinking about getting it for David.  The book is A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions of a Free-Thinking Redneck.

My brother is with some pretty good company when it comes to not recognizing people.

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him (Luke 24:13-16 KJV).

 

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as though He would have gone further.  But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them.  And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight (Luke 24:27-31 KJV).

 

Truth is that most of us have a hard time recognizing Jesus when He is walking with us.