May 30, 2008
Garden update or, where have all the tomatoes gone?
After a promising start all but two of my tomato starts died, I think by drowning after I left them outside during a rainy spell. I planted the two little survivors but with Sam romping around the backyard I am not too hopeful. Good thing I belong to a CSA which just started up... On a more positive note the natives I reported on earlier are doing great. At left is Oregon vine maple which I saw all over the trail on my hike on Monday. Now all I need is a snow-melt creek and an old-growth forest in my backyard. Below are the golden currant and Pacific nine-bark. The golden currant has really taken off, it is supposed to smell like cloves which it doesn't yet but I'm looking forward to that, especially since it is close to the hot tub. Two of its branches are growing more horizontal than vertical which I hope is OK/normal. | 
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Posted by Dave at 12:32 PM |
May 26, 2008
Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day weekend must be about when the urge to get out and enjoy some outdoor activities in anticipation of summer really hits. Last year Scott and I played in central Oregon, this year was pretty active for me too. Saturday Meredith and I did a "brick" workout which combined a bike ride to Sauvie's Island and a run on the Maple trail on the way home as part of our training for our triathlon next month. We both thought it went better than expected. I hope we can say the same about the event.Yesterday was the highlight as I met Drew for a mountain bike on the McKenzie River trail. The upper stretch of trail was too snow-covered to ride so we did an out and back from the lower trailhead and ended up doing about thirty-five miles. We covered one section a few times trying to keep track of a lost dog we ran into, Oliver. He must have come from a rafting party because we hadn't seen anyone for ages when he turned up and started following us. We didn't see the happy reunion but he had numbers on his collar and another couple by the road took him in. Sam kept up the whole day and hide his fatigue pretty well until we stopped and he did some serious relaxing.
Still he recovered quick enough to do an eight and half mile hike with Jennie, Rae, Walnut and me today out in the Trapper Creek Wilderness. What an amazing state! Five years plus in and there are still a lifetime of places to explore here.
Posted by Dave at 05:28 PM |
May 21, 2008
Happy Birthday Sam!
Sam recently turned three and I also just picked up a scanner from my folks that they weren't using. So what better time to bring out some of Sam's baby photos I got from the breeder in Eugene? He was seven weeks when I picked him up so he's a bit younger than that in these photos.See the photos...
Posted by Dave at 11:33 AM |
May 20, 2008
Woods Gap Spring 2008
See the photos...
Posted by Dave at 04:37 PM |
May 18, 2008
Milk carton box
My mom took a bookmaking class a while back and was introduced to a technique invented by Jennifer Brooks in Asheville, NC to turn an empty half-gallon paper milk carton into a little box. With mom's help I recently followed the pattern and made my own. I bought some playing cards that fit perfectly inside, now I just need to rustle up a game of poker.
Posted by Dave at 06:54 AM |
May 09, 2008
Noble Sam
My mom has been taking some photographs of Sam trying for a good black and white portrait; she is still at it but I had to share this promising negative. Sam is enjoying a retreat at Woods Gap, aka "Doggie Heaven". He patrols the fields and keeps the deer at bay but mostly just follows his nose. We walk the property every morning. He is an incredible companion, he's even won over some non-dog lovers recently. He's also had his first kill but luckily I don't think he got a taste for it but was more mystified about what happened. He was barking his head off at a groundhog and I was telling him to leave it with no effect. Then he charged expecting the animal to run off as most do but the groundhog held his ground and looked like it might fight but Sam immediately grabbed him by the back, shook him and dropped him and that was it. I suppose he could have crushed the spine but I think the groundhog just died from the shock of it all.
Posted by Dave at 05:23 AM |