Indian Summer 2012

   Now it is officially Indian Summer:  the first snow fall of the season has blanketed the mountains and the acorns are falling by the buckets full.  The weather is predicted to continue with mild daily temps and mostly sunny skies.  This is a great time for locals: easy parking everywhere, choice seats at all restaurants, relaxed business owners anticipating ski season possibilities.
     Down the hill, the Giants are on cloud 9 as they head for colder Detroit for Games 3,4, and maybe 5.  The Bay looked great for Game 2 as boats clustered in McCovey Cove in the channel south of the stadium.  Up in the north bay, the water was flat in a dead calm and the Brothers stood out, even though a mile away.  Ahhhh, October around the Bay!
Note to neighbors:

Buying WOOD?
         How big is a cord of wood? By the numbers: 4' X 4' X 8'=128 cubic feet!  Not 110 cu.ft., not 100 cu. ft.  not 111 cu. ft, but 128 cu.ft.!!!!!!
         That translates into 3 rows of 16" pieces, tightly stacked.  Usual practice is for the company to dump the load at a convenient spot on your property.  If they arrive w/o the wood stacked in their delivery vehicle, that's warning #1.  You should be able to measure the stack BEFORE DUMPING!  If not, stack right away and measure the result.  If not up to the above, call the company right back.  If they don't respond cancel the payment and demand they remove the load immediately.  They will respond.  Most companies in the basin and around Truckee buy their stock from brokers in the valley who pull out old almond orchards.  The wood is cut on site and brought to a central facility.  The rub in the business is to manage the cutting sizes in the field. The result is a range of sizes from 12" to 16"+.  It is a rarity to find a 16" piece among those of any load.  Consequently, the buyer must take some random samples from the load to assess the quality of the cuts.  I recommend 10 pieces out of a cord.  Measure each for length and add up the result.  Get an average, then do the math.  If the average is 5-10% less, then an adjustment is definitely required.
       Pay attention.  Basically, the brokers are loose with their measurements, but always loose to THEIR benefit.  Be business like and hold them to their word.  A cord is not a NOMINAL measure of volume, it is exact!!!!!!