About croaks and creaks

Last week I visited the grounds of a charming hillside resort in Wayanad to make images of malabar gliding frogs.

My first image of a Malabar gliding frog

From the first time I noticed them on social media about a decade ago, I have been keen to see and click them myself. This species is endemic to India's Western Ghats. They mate during the monsoon and hence this is the best time to locate them, based on the breeding call made by male frogs to attract the opposite sex.

While at this resort, I noticed that the walls of the restaurant were clad with recycled timber boards.

I learned from the resort manager that this was salvaged lumber from old ships. Curious to learn more, I plied him with many questions. I discovered that the nearest source of salvaged

Wall clad with salvaged timber slats

wood was the port town of Beypore near Kozhikode, about 90 kms south west of Wyanad. Beypore has a tradition of manufacturing wooden dhows for Arabian seafaring merchants going back to medieval times. Scrap dealers in Beypore regularly bought old ships in auctions and harvested the seasoned wood from them for sale.

Recently I have been discussing alternate options of wooden flooring for the outdoor decks of our home. While composite wood options are cheaper than hard woods like Brazilian Ipe, my architect felt that they looked very artificial. While the more expensive hard wood floors looked better, they would need regular polishing to protect the look and finish. Salvaged wood on the other hand has the benefit of being seasoned over time and hence is better able to deal with being left outdoors. Of course, not all salvaged timber is alike so one would need some expert help to get the best lot of reusable wood.

I requested the resort manager for assistance in connecting with a scrap dealer in Beypore ... if I am able to find a reliable source, I would have an interesting alternative for outdoor wooden flooring for my home.

...The familiar ficus

...Timeworn timber