Chico is da man!!

Good old FB marketplace. Saw an ad for free logs. Picture was deceiving. Looked like a load or two. Turned out to be a good score. Shorter than I would prefer but much thicker than the pic suggested. Probably five more loads in that one pile. Some Tulip but I’ll take em out for the guy.
Plus there’s more there to grab in another spot. Black birch, oak, beech and I saw a red maple too.
Then there’s another primo red oak coming down Wednesday. Somewhere in the 20-24” range and straight with no branches and a nice size beech.

I won’t be scrounging for awhile,,let me put it that way Only got three today.

Real nice guy, we spent more time BS’n than winching. During our conversation i mentioned I had been in the Mason union. He asked me if I knew an old guy named Chico who was in the labor union. I asked was he from Peru, he said yes. Turns out I knew Chico very well. Chico is da man!!! LOL
A true pleasure to work with. Never had to tell him what to do, what material to stock, what’s coming up next. That is such a rarity with masons and laborers in the union field. Usually we spend all day yelling at the laborers. Never Chico.
Chico had some sort of falling out with another laborer on the job we were on. Jealously if you ask me. This other guy was a real snake of a human being. First two months of the job he pretended he didn’t speak English so they just handed him a broom and let him do whatever he wanted. A forced hire on city jobs if ya know what I mean.
One afternoon they handed Chico a pink slip. Seems the snake had been complaining to the big bosses about Chico. I and the other masons working with Chico had a little conversation. We put our tools back in our bags and told the Forman we ain’t doin Chit for this company until Chico comes back. In 20 years that was the one time I ever saw masons pull an immediate strike for a laborer. Ultimately we didn’t get him back but the Forman pulled some favors and he had him a new job before Chico got home. The Forman was just as angry as we were. We considered that close enough.
Chico was the father in law of this guy. I met his wife and retold this story. I was saddened to hear he passed away last year.

Sorry for the long drawn out non wood related story. My tribute to one of the best, hardest, smart working Mason laborers I ever met.
Chico da man.

 

Cool story. People like that are really hard to come by

 

Thanks, Yes, especially in a union environment

 

Always happy to hear a good story like that, thanks for sharing Joe. I have similar memories of a guy from Ecuador I worked with. You couldn’t say a single bad thing about the man. Showed up every day, worked to the best of his abilities and was the embodiment of integrity. After he retired I used to run into him in the grocery store for a while. I think eventually he moved someplace warmer.
oh and Nice haul of logs there too

 

I worked with a Latino for 20yrs. He is the best worker I have worked with. He never whined or complained about hard work. Always by the book with time and absences. Always willing to lend a hand to someone.
Can’t say any of that about the youngest caucasian on the crew.

 

Hats off to Chico. Im sure you have many fond memories and stories of him through the years.

Sweet haul of logs. How close to home? I see a lot of free wood listed in your area when i browse FBM.

 

I hear ya.

 

My late father loved "the good, the bad, and the ugly" Knew all the dialogue. I know most of it myself.
Fond memories

 

actually, memory not being as good as it once was. I think I worked with Chico for only a few weeks. That was the impression he made in such a short time. Saw him later at the North Haven High School but we didn’t work together. I was t on that job long either. Just loaned out by my company when we were short on work instead of getting laid off. Ran into him at Home Depot bout seven years ago. Was with his family so we didn’t spend much time BS’ing.

5 miles as the crow flies, 8.5 road travel. Not a bad route tho.
I put out feelers on most of the log ads you’re seeing. This was the only score.

 

I gave him the nickname Chico da man after the old show Chico and the Man with Freddie Prinze. Yeah it was cool how the conversation went. Might have never known if not for a few words.

 

I’m sure the guy you met talked about you knowing Chico to the fam. That has to be neat for them as well.
Cool story, thanks for the share.

 

Thanks for sharing Joe. Always nice to hear those kinds of stories. Congratulations on the wood score.

 

Great story Joe! Thanks for sharing. He sounds like he was a remarkable person.

 

I enjoyed that story more than anything!
And have known too many similar people on both sides of the story. RIP, Chico!

 

I knew a sheet rocker like Chico name was Jose Paid extra to have him on a job!! Best return on investment ever!!