Wood Butcher

Unlike being a professional fisherman I never started out to be a carpenter, it's just something that happened to me along life's twists and turns. I came to Alaska in the mid 70's with a girlfriend, no skills and according to her  " lacking all ambition ".  My friends from the early 70's were pounding nails so it was just natural that I'd get started along a life of manual labor. As a laborer first I just hated it, I ran the shovel 8 hours a day and considered it a real break if I got to run a compactor. As I broke into the carpentry I was a bit lazy and scared of heights and hated to work long hours and weekends when I should be out fishing. But I had great people around me and my first foreman was Mert Gertin ( I know, ya can't make up a name like that ) and Mert had a way of getting my competitive nature to work and taking me along with it. Because as you know....I can't stand for people to be better at things than me. Now in my 60's I kinda nurture the part of my life where I'm pretty self contained, I do most everything we need done by myself, alone....except for MP who's always with me of course. Here's the start of another green house for MP, when I'm done I think she'll have a cute little garden village here at Mile 14.

Mert gave me this advice for walking walls and rolling trusses..." you just gotta want to do it "... and low and behold into my 30's I was the guy they all needed to free walk the 2x6 walls on 2 story multi plex's. I had a way of getting the crews fired up into a kind of building contest, framing speed was job #1. So, I made a lot of money for a lot contractors. But, I've always been a bit of a malcontent. If I were mistreated on a job, I 'd quit. If pay checks were late, I'd quit. If the job smelled of safety problems, I'd quit. If I was asked to do too much, I'd quit. If I were ever yelled at, I'd quit....But the good news was that this little town was booming and I could go to work almost anytime for anybody, even the same contractor a 3rd, 4th or 5th time, I was in demand, I just wish I'd have known it a little better back then. One time I was anchored up Halibut fishing 1 /12 miles out with Gary Allison in my old Klamath boat. It was flat calm and a boat pulled up beside and a guy throws the canvas open and says " Jeff, I'm Curly Crow, I want you to come work for me ". Now I'd never met Curly but I new he was a local contractor, I said " Curly !, I'm fishing here " and he said " of course , so come to work tomorrow"..." I'm fishing tomorrow too "... " how's about Tuesday then ? "

I used to tell my co workers that you ain't full grown until you've been fired from a job. I still believe in that because it seems to me you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs and you have to be true to yourself in this ol life and ah....conflicts will occur. I worked for one Anchorage contractor that forgot the golden rule of payday being on Friday. Week after week the checks wouldn't arrive and all us would go through the weekend broke and then get a check on Monday, sometimes even Tuesday. So, about the 4th time it happened on Monday I organised everybody to quit working until the checks arrived, they finally did and I got two. My first firing. One time at a safety meeting I spoke up...my 2nd firing. And then there was H.A, Anderson who built the Nikiski High School where I'm just glad my kids didn't have to go to school  out of fear that it might fall down on them....  This company out of Portland Oregon was HORRIBLE, No breaks, no safety, either no heat in the building or to much. every Friday they would fire a carpenter as a way to threaten the rest into working stupid hard and shutting up. But, being a Davis Bacon job I was making over 30 bucks an hour in the winter of the 1980's so even a guy like me could put up with a lot. As my guide season approached I certainly wasn't going to give them 2 weeks notice as I would a stand up operation, so when the day came to go guiding I just walked in the office and quit. The Supt. asked me why so I told him I was a fishing guide and that it's spring time. He said he'd never have hired me if he had known that...I'm not going to tell you exactly what I said but I'll tell you this....things were real quiet in that office when I left.

As I started on MP's project I kind of had a moment....I realized I was hurrying, I guess just because whenever I had the tools on I would, no need to do that anymore. I still have the moves but they're different, I choke up on that big ol framing hammer. I really , really watch out for the power tools because I don't use them like I did everyday and my finger gotta keep strumming that guitar for 25 more years or so.

As we drive through town I can point and point at things I created. I learned a trade. I took care of my kids. I met wonderful life long friends. I learned how to work....It ain't been bad and I guess as I look back it under scores what we all know. Happiness is a job also, you work at it and find love for work, love for life , love for the unintended places you find yourself.... and then you go fishing.