My Coastie neighbor (I’ll call him Motorboy, since he couldn’t seem to resist anything that burned gas… two-stroke or four, mobile or stationary, it didn’t matter) moved away a couple of years ago.
His burning need to play with his motors drove him over the bank (literally) to cut back the invaders at the tideline that sprouted up constantly. In a different world, these shoots would be normal and natural, but now, they support and encourage two offshore invaders, English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberries.
I borrowed my parents’ small chainsaw and took some time off from work (to take advantage of low tide) and took over where Motorboy had left off. The tangle of canes, vines, and previously-cut branches was incredible, and incredibly clingy… there were times when I thought I could dangle freely from my shirt, the blackberries had such a good grip on me.
Wow, that was WORK! I had attempted to “go green” last year and use nothing but two handsaws and a machete to get the job done. I nearly ruined my right shoulder in the process and couldn’t complete the task. The chainsaw made things easier in some ways, harder in others.
Going back with the chainsaw, I spent at least 20 minutes just getting back to my starting point last year. That mass grows really fast and with great determination.
I had less than three hours to get the job done, if it was to be a single-day effort. I got “my” portion of the bank done, but the tide was fast encroaching, so I couldn’t work further west… yet.
Completely soaked with sweat, I retreated to higher ground before the tide had me swimming out.
The left image is from two weeks ago. The right image is from this evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment