In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

road crew reinforcements

McNutt's Island does have a road crew. It's an assortment of people, mostly Lyndon or Skipper or Mark or Cliff and since we moved here, Greg, who go out with a chainsaw and open up the road again whenever a tree falls across it, which happens now and then, especially after a high wind. The road crew is not the least bit organized and maybe because of that it does excellent work.

But sometimes even the most dedicated road crew needs reinforcements. There are places where huge crowds of alders jump up off the side of the road when they see you coming and wave their branches in your face and generally act all wild and crazy. They have gotten out of hand. They had to be cut down to size.
Ken Taylor, captain of Browneyed Girl, got the ball rolling when he brought his bush cutter to the island and spent days and days clearing the road's edges, starting at the government wharf.
Then Randy VanBuskirk brought his dad's big rig over
with the help of his friends Wade Pennell (right) and and Lee Rodgerson (left).
I can't imagine what it took to put this scary monster on Randy's boat and then get it off again, twice. Its fearsome blade does a terrific job of cutting back whatever is in its path, and Randy is constantly adjusting its angle so it misses nothing.
After these big-time reinforcements the road will be back in the hands of the sturdy regulars and their simple tool of choice.

1 comment:

Janet said...

Nice to know that the island roads are in good shape for the upcoming winter!
It's clear that the McNutt Ministry of Transportation gets things done.