Got Wood?

Everyone in our neck of the woods seems to be preoccupied with wood. Specifically, the cutting, stacking, sorting, and most importantly (to humans at least) the burning of wood, for fuel.

The sounds of chainsaws and axes fill the air, and Joe has described his week or so of hauling wood in our Jeep as "one of the most dangerous and exhilarating things I've done."

Some notable exceptions would be the five or so beavers who inhabit the large dammed pond not far from our cabin. Their largest infrastructure is about a storey high, and is made of earth and, yes, wood. Mainly birch wood and poplar from the looks of it, and not mere sticks either. So, to be clear, they don't burn the wood, they just chop it down with their amazingly adapted chisel-like teeth and arrange it in such a way that it holds lots of water and allows them to build a house in the middle of the pond, accessible only by diving underwater to the entryway located somewhere in the middle of the structure.

Periodically the beavers would warn us with a big wet loud SLAP! of their tails. These animals are pretty large, and reminded me of the beavers in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Except they didn't invite us in for tea.