The Tree Tamer
No treed plane will escape its grasp!
Regular readers will readily remember accounts of encounters between wayward aircraft and this cruel tree. The tree always wins, of course.
Its success in preying on airplanes led us to develop the Fetchomatic 3000. Unfortunately, the Fetchomatic trailed webs of monofilament. After a Red-Tailed Hawk got snagged in monofilament, we banished its use. (Fortunately, the Red-Tailed Hawk was rescued and returned to Baylands.)
Months Ensnared. As a result of the Fetchomatic Ban, more than one plane has spent months ensnared in the branches of this and other tall Baylands trees.
For instance, David Egen lost his freshly-minted Hammer May 17. He and George Kulcher built it during Gary Morgan’s second Hammer Symposium. Alas, when David launched it on its maiden flight, he promptly looped it into the Killer Yuke.
We could see the Hammer when the wind fluttered the eucalyptus leaves, but it hasn’t budged since that day.
Bucket Lust. So lust stirred in our hearts when the lift bucket hove into view.
What a perfect tree-taming device! We tried to work out a business plan. Let’s see: $15 per plane rescue, maybe we could pay for the thing in 15 or 20 years. Could we park it concealed behind the unused Baylands restroom building?
As the long arm rotated toward the tree, I started snapping pictures.
Within a minute, the bucket rested against the David Egen Memorial Hammer Branch.
Seeing the Plane. The workman trimmed away some dead branches. As he snipped, the plane revealed itself.
He grabbed the plane and dropped it into the big white bucket.
When he was done barbering the tree, the bucket dropped back to earth. He handed the plane to me and I gave it to Gary to return to David and/or George on the weekend.
Interesting…. I was told that side of the park was supposed to be “un-kept” so it is more like the wild natural state; no mowing, no watering… That’s why the East side of pickle weed looks the way it is, the West side is much more manicured. Now they move the “lust bucket” in to trim the dead branches off the “natural state” tree, wonder why?
Brian
The “lust bucket truck” was probably some pagan ritual to appease the Killer Yuke. You know, showing respect to the tree by pampering and fondling it. In turn, the tree gave a gift of the plane to the “lust bucket”. That’s what I think.
Mike
Pragmatism,
Widow makers (dead branches falling) cause suits…
Only Mike would want to fondle the tree – Yikes!!!
Gary