---

I keep my Montauk at my summer home near Holland Michigan, where we had a big storm a week ago. It's a 100 year old farm house, with about 30 mature black maple trees, over 100 feet tall. As older trees do, they are shedding the odd branch now and then, and because of that, and in order to make a little fun of people who name their summer homes, we named the place "Falling Maples." I don't buy firewood for my occasional bonfire- it falls like manna from heaven. Unfortunately, the whaler is too long to fit in any of the outbuildings. Of course, I'm careful to park the whaler out of the path of probable destruction.

During this storm, however, we had a monster come down, so I went up this past weekend to clean it up. (Thank goodness, I gave my wife a chainsaw for mothers day a few years ago.) The whaler was parked about 10 feet from an outbuilding, and a limb about 80 feet long and 24 inches in diameter, at the base, fell between the building and the boat. It took out the overhanging eave of the building, and the smallest branches and leaves covered the boat, but it didn't get a scratch. The rest of that tree and another nearby, are coming down today.

---

Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was a Whaler buddy who came up and helped my cut and stack all of the wood this weekend. Thanks, Gerry!

---

Awesome! I did that too one year - a really nice Stihl...

---

Your wife NEEDS a pole barn kit for this Mother's Day!

---

Now all we need to do is teach our wife's how to use the chain saw and stack wood.

That wood (pun intended) free up more time for us to go fishing and boating.

---

To me, this story sounds like God has a special place in his heart for Whalers too!!! Lol.

---

I think I see my Sunday Sermon taking shape for me right here on Whaler Central. ;)