Brothers Campfire on Logrolling In The Semi Arid Desert

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Hello Friends! Welcome to the Campfire. If you would like, there is coffee.

Now that, is a fire!

My ongoing tale is in the works, but I have been focused on the important and the present out of necessity.

You know, like getting licked in the face by the neighbors’ dog.

In all seriousness, (yeah right) I would like to discuss the venerable art of logrolling.

Logrolling is known as the practice of exchanging favors and votes and is a popular sport. It was also a cooperative act of necessity throughout history.

 A “this for that”  principle known in some circles as quid pro quo has governed government politicians from the highest forms of government to a local volunteer firehouse. This practice has merit as it takes the buy in and support of many to influence an outcome. 

It also has downsides as representatives of the people can get caught up in their own self interest and not the interest of the people. 

Source

A  reference to further read about the political aspects of logrolling can be found on this Wikipedia page. 

Log rolling has also been important to  the building of settlements in one form or the other as long as men have worked cooperatively together as referenced in the comic above. Men working together could move heavy objects with leverage and teamwork. Barn raising and house building historically shows us this principle. 

Lifting these logs required teamwork.

As a competitive sport, logrolling involves balancing on submerged wooden logs and trying to take your opponent off balance.

Source

I find it notable that the best position of power for a competitive logroller is the center. If you are unfamiliar, here is a video of Competitive Logrolling.

Logrolling had its roots in floating logs down a river to the sawmills. It was a dangerous profession, requiring balance and skill. Logs would become stuck as they floated, creating logjams that needed broken up. 

Living in the great Colorful Colorado, I proudly  live in the semi arid foothills of the Colorado Rockies. It is not the climate for such a pastime.

However, there is a longing in me  to follow the customs of the lumberjacks of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes and float logs down the river. It seems the manly and proper thing to do. In fact, songs have been composed of the mighty Lumberjack

In the spirit of logrolling, I have tried to recreate these historic moments to get a feel for it.

With limited water systems, I gave it the ole Northwich Warrior try. 

Upfront, I did fail in my pursuit to even get my log in the water. I don’t believe it would have floated if I got it there. 

Even though I did not complete the task, watch this short video and let me know in the comments if I qualify to be ranked among the few, the logrollers

Have a beautiful day!

Author: Benjamin

Benjamin Thiel is a community leader, urban farmer, and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire. He might know a guy...

43 thoughts on “Brothers Campfire on Logrolling In The Semi Arid Desert”

  1. Lydia Potter says:

    Interesting post!
    That dog looks like it’s biting off your ear!
    I rank you the #1 logroller!

    1. Benjamin says:

      Ha ha! I am terrified of dogs! I deserve a Northwich Warrior Award for befriending him! That was the closest I have ever been to that particular pooch!

          2. Benjamin says:

            You should carry a few rocks with you. It is a universal language to dogs in my experience. They also recognize sticks. You do not even need to use them.

          4. Benjamin says:

            Confidence is good wit dogs as well. I know you are brimming with it!

        1. Benjamin says:

          I got about 30 feet away from a shallow stream about 6 inches deep! It took a lot of effort as it was oblong. I only recorded snippets of my epic effort to be a logroller. Do you think I should make more videos?

          1. Ishaan Sharma says:

            Yes, you should definitely make more videos. I often check out your youtube channel.

            On a sid note, I have been reading the book of John. I have a question. Who baptised john the baptist?

          2. Benjamin says:

            I don’t think the scriptures tell us. Jesus was baptized by him. Mark 11:30 Jesus asks if it was of Heaven or of men.

    1. Benjamin says:

      Ha ha! Pam, I do not know my audience, but I will go out on a limb. I agree! It is almost as silly as some of them!

    1. Benjamin says:

      I am terrified of dogs, friend. It has taken me a lot of practice to be relaxed around them.

          2. Benjamin says:

            They are a little overdone it would seem! I know you could male yours original though!

  6. herbthiel says:

    Well, you moved the log from one place to the other by rolling it. Just as a side note, if you put on women’s clothing and hang around in bars you will kicked out of the family. Oh, and I’ve never been a girly. Just to clear things up.

    1. Benjamin says:

      I am considering removing the link and replacing it with another

    2. Benjamin says:

      Ha ha! It was a couple hundred pounds. It was hard because it was oblong, lol!

  9. dumbestblogger says:

    Fun video. You might be interested to know that etymologically speaking the verb “to lumber” precedes the noun “lumber”. Apparently all of the clumsy lumbering people were messing around with the logs, so people started associating the lumbering people with the material they were working with. Or so I hear.

  10. Mary Strong-Spaid says:

    Gotta try a smaller log….😇
    In the video, excellent choice of background music for large log rolling!

    1. Benjamin says:

      Ha Ha! I am glad you liked the music! That was a very heavy log to roll by myself!🤠🔥

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