Greg Burch has been a lumberjack for more than 20 years, and he is tough and strong and businesslike. If you need firewood you can call Greg at any time of day or night and he will find some for you.  It is always good, seasoned wood. In a couple of weeks, he is bringing five cords of wood for the farm, so we can season it and have it ready for next winter. Today he brought one truck load, as we are getting low. Greg is very businesslike, a pleasure to deal with for years,  but I have never seen him smile as much as he did when he introduced  me to JD, his riding dog for more than seven years.

JD is a pug and has the great and expressive face of that breed. I thought this tough lumberjack was going to melt right in front of me when I asked to photograph JD, Greg was a proud and happy poppa. You see this all the time in the country, tough men with dogs they love. I remember the Harvard study I read that found that women love dogs because they connect to them emotionally and men love dogs because they don’t talk.

Greg spends a lot of time riding around in trucks. JD is always with him.