Wilson Wood

We called him "E", and we met him before we started a family or found our land.  Tom and I stayed in a cabin on a friend's property while we looked for our land.  The cabin was in the forest on a hillside, between two streams, and was cold, dark, and damp.  We were happy to be in the area, but, our time here made us search for a sunny meadow.  E lived nearby and we became great friends when Tom gave him some tobacco that he had gotten in Canada.  E told us stories of the indiginous people, the early towns, and how people lived out here in this isolated area.  When we found our land, he came out to stay with us.  He still had a house in town, but preferred to be on the land helping us.  He was an older man at the time, quiet and pleasant and interested in living as he. had grown up.  He knew how to hunt, plant, gather the bounty of the forest, cut and split firewood,and he could still spear a fish in the river.  He was happy to watch out for our two young children, spending hours with them as they explored our land.  Tom and I were building our house and appreciated his careful concern and attention to them.  We knew they were safe with him.

E taught us so much about living out here, withour electricity, phone, or most modern conveniences.  He knew when to plant, tend, and harvest, and always happily helped with food preservation He even enjoyed canning  with us, which provided food that  we enjoyed throughout winter.  His knowledge of mushrooms was extensive.  He knew trails through the woods that had been used for generations.  He told us stories of the rivers so full of fish, the forest before it was logged, and the towns as they prospered and grew, until the industries disappeared.  Tom did this crayon drawing of E, and a larger-than-life wood carving out of oak, and created with a chainsaw.