# Heli-loggers: Gord's wife



## rmihalek (May 5, 2009)

I was watching Heli-loggers the other night. The guys had to top 30 trees to get ready for the helicopter the next day. They were one man down on the crew so the boss (Gord) had to climb. Mid-way through the day, his wife calls him (while he's in the tree!) to say that she can't get to the pre-school to pick up his daughter because her car broke down so he needs to go get her.

I'm not sure if they have these things called TAXI CABS in that part of the country, but poor ol' Gord had to bust a huge move to get out of the tree, into town, grab the car seat, get stuck behind a slow moving truck, all to get his little girl picked up.

They managed to get the work done, but that was a dangerous diversion for something that could have easily been solved by just getting a cab ride or calling a friend, etc.


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## Junior (May 5, 2009)

Isn't there better things to do in a tree other than talk on a phone?


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## BC_Logger (May 6, 2009)

possibly the friend was unreachable and would you put your young daughter in a car who you didn't know the driver !

Gords a good guy if there was any other way he probably would have done it


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## Junior (May 6, 2009)

BC_Logger said:


> possibly the friend was unreachable and would you put your young daughter in a car who you didn't know the driver !
> 
> Gords a good guy if there was any other way he probably would have done it



No doubt family comes first, I just find it a little humorous to be talking on a phone 150' up a tree, I'd be too nervous to talk to myself that far from the ground...


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## jburlingham (May 6, 2009)

Junior said:


> *No doubt family comes first*, I just find it a little humorous to be talking on a phone 150' up a tree, I'd be too nervous to talk to myself that far from the ground...



:agree2:


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## BC_Logger (May 6, 2009)

whats the difference between talking on the phone or having a smoke break ?

whats the worst thing that could happen you drop your phone hone:


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## Junior (May 6, 2009)

BC_Logger said:


> whats the difference between talking on the phone or having a smoke break ?
> 
> whats the worst thing that could happen you drop your phone hone:



You high climbers are a brave bunch, I don't know how ya do it!


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## welder15725 (May 6, 2009)

I'm sure it wasn't a stunt to add a little drama to the show. although it was funny to see him talk on his cell up in a tree.


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## BC_Logger (May 7, 2009)

sometimes you can get better reception " can you hear me now ?":hmm3grin2orange:


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## SWE#Kipp (May 7, 2009)

I got some episodes of this show but really hope it will come out on dvd, it's the best logging show so far and i would love a season two


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## bowtechmadman (May 7, 2009)

i couldn't talk that high either...probably b/c there is no way in hell i'm going up that high.


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## JONSEREDFAN6069 (May 7, 2009)

his wife was in another town when her truck broke down. not sure how far away but i'm thinking like 100 to 120km away. wood have been an expensive cab ride. also you'd think he'd get his receptionist to go and pick her up and
either keep her at the office or see if his parents could pick her up. sounds
like a whole lotta drama to me. gotta keep up to ax-men i guess.


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## smokechase II (May 7, 2009)

*Canadian auto repairs*

In Canada, with socialized mechanics, breakdowns are common.

============

Also, with socialized phone companies it is normal to have to climb 150 foot trees to get 2 bars.

===========

All this makes it tough on the socialized loggers.

*************

On AxMen you'd never had a stunt like a Dad taking care of the kids caught on film.

Get real.


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## slowp (May 7, 2009)

On Axmen they'd send their little ones to Rygaard Day Care.


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## rmihalek (May 7, 2009)

BC_Logger said:


> possibly the friend was unreachable and would you put your young daughter in a car who you didn't know the driver !
> 
> Gords a good guy if there was any other way he probably would have done it



Believe me, I am not bashing Gord. He seems like a really stand-up guy: a tough, honest man. It just seemed to me almost like a "made for TV" drama that he had to rush down out of the tree to go get his kid.


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## JONSEREDFAN6069 (May 7, 2009)

THATS WHAT i WAS THINKING YOU CAN DEFINATELY TELL WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THAT FAMILLY. LOL


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## Greg373 (May 7, 2009)

slowp said:


> On Axmen they'd send their little ones to Rygaard Day Care.


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## smokechase II (May 7, 2009)

*Gord*

I'm just glad Gord wasn't in the middle of a back-cut on a heavy green leaner with the wind blowing the same way as the lean when he got the call.

============

At Rygard Day Care they have a mud 'puddle' instead of a sandbox, the snack is Red Man, their Lincoln logs are post and pole, and instead of cowboys and indians they play gypos and feds.

'Your fired' from the Bull Buck gets you a time out in the pink corner, quiter.


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Gord is better than good.
Their outfit is fine. Just being a jerk.


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## parrisw (May 14, 2009)

JONSEREDFAN6069 said:


> his wife was in another town when her truck broke down. not sure how far away but i'm thinking like 100 to 120km away. wood have been an expensive cab ride. also you'd think he'd get his receptionist to go and pick her up and
> either keep her at the office or see if his parents could pick her up. sounds
> like a whole lotta drama to me. gotta keep up to ax-men i guess.



She was in Victoria. About an hour drive to Duncan where his Daughter was in school. And, they did try to call both their parents, and weren't available. If it were my kids I would of done the same thing, I'd stop anything to do anything for my kids.


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## RPM (May 14, 2009)

JONSEREDFAN6069 said:


> THATS WHAT i WAS THINKING YOU CAN DEFINATELY TELL WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THAT FAMILLY. LOL



Happy wife.....happy life!!!


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## howellhandmade (May 14, 2009)

Of COURSE kids come first, but let's take a step back. Raising kids, both parents have to handle things. How could two sets of parents (not to mention however many friends) all be less available than a guy 150' up a tree 100km away trying to keep food on the table? Let's suppose that Gord had REALLY been out of town, like a day's travel away. Or dead because he took his eye off the ball thinking about his family "emergency" instead of not getting squashed/splatted/cut. What would she have done then? Something, right? She wouldn't just sit in the street, she'd have to find a way to get the kid. Right, then -- do that. I think it's TV baloney. If not, he's in for a long haul if his wife makes every problem his problem.

Jack


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## parrisw (May 14, 2009)

howellhandmade said:


> Of COURSE kids come first, but let's take a step back. Raising kids, both parents have to handle things. How could two sets of parents (not to mention however many friends) all be less available than a guy 150' up a tree 100km away trying to keep food on the table? Let's suppose that Gord had REALLY been out of town, like a day's travel away. Or dead because he took his eye off the ball thinking about his family "emergency" instead of not getting squashed/splatted/cut. What would she have done then? Something, right? She wouldn't just sit in the street, she'd have to find a way to get the kid. Right, then -- do that. I think it's TV baloney. If not, he's in for a long haul if his wife makes every problem his problem.
> 
> Jack



You make a point but. If your married and have kids, your wife's problems are you problems, period!!! Case closed. If it was like you say, he got killed, the least of their problems is picking up the kid from school. I'm sure under those circumstances someone would step up, including the school teacher!!


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## RPM (May 15, 2009)

> You make a point but. If your married and have kids, your wife's problems are you problems, period!!!



Like I said... Happy wife ... Happy Life!


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## parrisw (May 15, 2009)

RPM said:


> Like I said... Happy wife ... Happy Life!



Yes, that is true as well. But I'm not the person that thinks she is god, I like my wife to be happy, but I have to be happy too!!!


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## howellhandmade (May 15, 2009)

parrisw said:


> You make a point but. If your married and have kids, your wife's problems are you problems, period!!! Case closed. If it was like you say, he got killed, the least of their problems is picking up the kid from school. I'm sure under those circumstances someone would step up, including the school teacher!!



Uh, no, case not closed. I'm married, and I have kids. Both my wife and I have jobs where, for certain periods of time, we are unavailable. Period!!! as you say. If a car breaks down while the other is unavailable, we handle it. For instance, my wife is in China right now. How exactly is she going to make my car breaking down her problem? I know a retired rear admiral who was a sub commander. He would submerge and nobody would know where he was for weeks, or months. His wife couldn't call him back to pick up the kids or fix the toilet. Sometimes as a spouse and a parent you've got to take care of things yourself. Which is what makes a good partnership, in my opinion.

The teacher stepping up had crossed my mind as a possible solution. It's TV hooey, no real point in arguing about it. The simplest explanation would be that Gord was not quite as unavailable as the TV show made out, that the survival of his business did not in fact hang in the balance. More to the point, just what *kind* of truck broke down, leading to this nail-biter?

Jack


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## parrisw (May 15, 2009)

howellhandmade said:


> Uh, no, case not closed. I'm married, and I have kids. Both my wife and I have jobs where, for certain periods of time, we are unavailable. Period!!! as you say. If a car breaks down while the other is unavailable, we handle it. For instance, my wife is in China right now. How exactly is she going to make my car breaking down her problem? I know a retired rear admiral who was a sub commander. He would submerge and nobody would know where he was for weeks, or months. His wife couldn't call him back to pick up the kids or fix the toilet. Sometimes as a spouse and a parent you've got to take care of things yourself. Which is what makes a good partnership, in my opinion.
> 
> The teacher stepping up had crossed my mind as a possible solution. It's TV hooey, no real point in arguing about it. The simplest explanation would be that Gord was not quite as unavailable as the TV show made out, that the survival of his business did not in fact hang in the balance. More to the point, just what *kind* of truck broke down, leading to this nail-biter?
> 
> Jack



Now you comparing apples to potatoes.


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## howellhandmade (May 15, 2009)

parrisw said:


> Now you comparing apples to potatoes.



It's not a comparison of dissimilar things, there is a continuum from "Sure, I'll pick up the kids, no problem" to "I can't help, I'm on the :censored: MOON." Somewhere in the middle of the continuum is "I really wish I could leave work, but if I miss this target we'll be broke and there will BE no preschool and no home to take the kid back to anyway. So you'll have to pretend I'm on the moon. Please call the teacher and explain that your truck broke down and I can't get there, ask her to please take care of our kid while you arrange for another vehicle and we'll pay her whatever she wants." For everyone, there is a go/no go line, but everyone is different, with different responsibilities, so that line will shift quite a bit.

Being willing to drop everything to do anything for your kids sounds great, especially if you are actually able to drop everything, but for some people and in some situations the consequence of dropping everything (business failing) is more negative for the kid than the consequence of the emergency (kid hangs with irritated teacher for a couple of hours). At least, that's how I see it. If another person would risk flushing his living to save his kid a couple of hours worth of extended care, that is his prerogative. 

My assumption all along has been that the situation was faked up for TV, probably both in the severity of the potential business consequences and in the lack of viable alternatives to Gord leaving work. They always try to make it look like somebody is inches from death, and I guess if nothing happens on the job site then they have to run with the last motor vehicle on earth other than Gord's breaking down, stranding a helpless, friendless mother and making it impossible for anyone other than Gord to rescue his toddler from a soulless preschool where if a parent is a second late for pickup the toddler will be dumped out into a street full of drug dealers and the door locked behind her. It was a silly episode that made it look like somebody can't pull her end of the saw and it's probably not like that at all. In the end, I'm glad to be married to someone who is independent, resourceful, and sensible enough to work out a basic risk/benefit ratio before making a call that puts my livelihood on the line. I would wish everyone the same. 

Or how about this for a solution: "Listen carefully, Mr. Cameraman. My wife is stuck with a broken truck and somebody needs to pick up my little girl from preschool. Here are the directions. I'd like you to get in your rig, go get my wife, take her to pick up my daughter, and take them both to my home. I'd do it myself, but my business will fail. So unless you'd like that camera to become an endoscope, I suggest you turn it off and start fishing for those keys right now. Excellent choice, sir, very grateful I'm sure. We'll rig up a nice shouting/shoving match for you to film when you get back." 

Jack


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## ericjeeper (May 15, 2009)

*Funny part about this to me is..*

She said neither set of grandparents were available.. Yet where did he drop his children off? At his parents.. The grandparents that she said were unavailable.. Total TV hooey..
But the heli logging show is a lot more safety oriented and less drama.. so far.....


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## bob-o52 (May 15, 2009)

MY wife sat down to watch the episode with me, when Gord gets the call, First thing I say, Dumb ##### shouldn't have been in town spending his money in the first place. Fixed my own dinner that night !


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## Country1 (May 15, 2009)

howellhandmade said:


> More to the point, just what *kind* of truck broke down, leading to this nail-biter?
> 
> Jack


Sure it was a FORD, cuz that's what he drives.....


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## rmihalek (May 15, 2009)

howellhandmade said:


> Or how about this for a solution: "Listen carefully, Mr. Cameraman. My wife is stuck with a broken truck and somebody needs to pick up my little girl from preschool. Here are the directions. I'd like you to get in your rig, go get my wife, take her to pick up my daughter, and take them both to my home. I'd do it myself, but my business will fail. So unless you'd like that camera to become an endoscope, I suggest you turn it off and start fishing for those keys right now. Excellent choice, sir, very grateful I'm sure. We'll rig up a nice shouting/shoving match for you to film when you get back."
> 
> Jack



Jack, you floored me with this one! The "endoscope" part is classic arboristsite material for sure. 

I've been 75 feet up in the tree when my phone rang (I get such crappy reception, that's about the only time I can count on a call coming in...) and it's a big distraction to say the least. When things are getting rough, I just don't answer, so my guess is Gord was pretty comfortable with his situation that he answered the call.

I read on an Axemen thread that these outfits get reimbursed for potential lost wages due to film production reasons, so this may have been one of those times when the producer said to Gord "take the call!"


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## parrisw (May 15, 2009)

howellhandmade said:


> It's not a comparison of dissimilar things, there is a continuum from "Sure, I'll pick up the kids, no problem" to "I can't help, I'm on the :censored: MOON." Somewhere in the middle of the continuum is "I really wish I could leave work, but if I miss this target we'll be broke and there will BE no preschool and no home to take the kid back to anyway. So you'll have to pretend I'm on the moon. Please call the teacher and explain that your truck broke down and I can't get there, ask her to please take care of our kid while you arrange for another vehicle and we'll pay her whatever she wants." For everyone, there is a go/no go line, but everyone is different, with different responsibilities, so that line will shift quite a bit.
> 
> Being willing to drop everything to do anything for your kids sounds great, especially if you are actually able to drop everything, but for some people and in some situations the consequence of dropping everything (business failing) is more negative for the kid than the consequence of the emergency (kid hangs with irritated teacher for a couple of hours). At least, that's how I see it. If another person would risk flushing his living to save his kid a couple of hours worth of extended care, that is his prerogative.
> 
> ...



Point taken, I especially like the end!! ha ha ha good one. Your right, everyone's situation is different. I was just responding to the point that someone made that Gord wasn't a man cause he had to get his kid, and if it were AX-Men it would of been different and he wouldn't of got his kid, because ASS-Men is something I'd base my life on, ha ha ha.


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## Rickytree (May 15, 2009)

Well what would she of have done with out cell phones? High Maintainence!! He can have her!


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