october photos

Okay, so I know it is November 5th, but this post is all about October. I know I dropped off of the blogging world in my feverish attempt to stay in control with my day-to-day. Now that the travels have slowed I hope to get back to the semi-regular blog posts.

What happened in October? Well, in my last post I waxed philosophical about flying across the country. I was bound towards the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 4 hours north of the family to Blacksburg, VA. It was a great conference and a whirlwind trip, but I did get to go on a field trip and took a few pictures. I also got a chance to visit with an Oxford friend, which was an added bonus!

Less than a week after I returned, Cameron and I took a trip to the Steens Mountain area of the state. Again, we have a whole pile of pictures! There was a whole lot of driving, which wasn't so bad because it was freakin cold! We had fortunately missed the 8 inches of snow that fell the prior Sunday, but that didn't stop it from getting to 0 degree weather at night. Yikes! We camped in the cold at 8500' elevation and though with several layers of fleece and a 0 degree bag I was warm enough, Cameron didn't have enough layers. You can see several pictures of us at >9000' elevation (the top most was 9773' where we get great views across the Alvord Desert), but it was so windy that the chill cut right through you. Funny enough, way out at Kiger Gorge (the first big glacial U-shaped valley in the photos), we ran into Eugene friends! Small world!

We dropped back down to 5800' for the next night of camping which was still cold, though better. Cameron caught a nasty head cold with all that bad weather so we headed out of the Steens and down into the Catlow Basin. We drove around the south end of the Steens Mountains and crossed over into the Alvord Desert. We drove around on the playa and watched Miso try to chase a truck that was miles away, but visible. So funny!

We explored the steep side of the Steens Mountains for awhile, but Cameron's cold was dragging him down. We ended up heading home a day early and relaxing for a day at home. I promised Cameron that if we came home early I wouldn't work because we were still supposed to be on vacation. Surprisingly, I kept to my promise and we had a good day off together.

Lots of work commenced...grant deadlines, hours of meetings with landowners, organizing invasive species removal, preparing for conferences, etc. Whew! It all ended with me jumping back in a car and this time heading to a conference in Klamath Falls. A good conference and excellent introduction into the world of watershed councils in Oregon!

Cameron came to fetch me from the conference on Friday and we headed to the marshes for bird watching and Lava Beds Nat'l Monument for spelunking. Be sure to check out the photos from this trip too. Again, we had some beautiful sunny weather. This time it was a whole lot warmer and Cameron built a sleeping platform for inside the canopy. It worked alright, but we are only getting more convinced that we need a full pop-top for the back of the truck. Hmm....

Anyhow, the trip was great fun! We saw a lot of birds - several types of ducks, grebes, Canadian geese, pelicans, eagles, heron, egrets, and hawks of all sorts. We did try to i.d. the ducks - we know there were buffleheads, mallards, wood ducks, and redheaded something or others. Of course, there were probably many more. As we drove through Tule Lake the herons, egrets, hawks and eagles would flee from the roadside. We even got lucky enough to watch the big predatory birds eating their prey! The spotting scope was a great help in the bird-watching feats (thanks Anne!).

The caves were also fun, we saw ceilings full of sparkly bacteria (sorry, the pictures don't do it justice), ice floors, large caverns, and sharp rocks. Fields of lava flowed over the horizon and it was a fun contrast with the adjacent marsh. The history of this area is fascinating and extremely sad - Modoc Indians forced from their homes, battles over land, draining of the marshes....

On our way back home we stopped in Bend to visit our newest little friend - Christopher Filliponi. We had a wonderful time visiting Rob, Christy and their little one. What a happy and vocal little baby they have!

Alright, enough for now. Every 10 minutes Miso comes back in the house and nudges my arm, as if to say, "Why the bleep are you hanging out inside when we only have a few minutes of light left to play?!" Guess I should throw that ball a couple more times.

I'll try to have more soon. There's lots going on - looking for homes/property, knitting with the ladies, preserving food, and as always, the list goes on! We hope you enjoy the pictures!

flying

6:15 a.m. flight - Eugene to San Francisco
foggy, but the sky is starting to lighten. the ground is lights and shadows.

7:00 a.m. - over northern California coast
i view towards west and can watch the coastline pass below. the forests are thick and green
i view towards east and see the dry tops of mountains

7:25 a.m. - circling San Francisco
early, we take a tour over the city. we follow the coastline towards the bay. the rugged coastline green with trees and devoid of structures. to the west homes dot the landscape...roads...bridges.
closer now, the change is abrupt. city streets. homes one on top of the other. stacked up the hillslopes.

sinuous rivers enter the bay, untamed in their final stretch to open water. networks multiply as each molecule finds a path through the vast laid tracks of sand and silt.


bonus
cross-country flight clear and sunny! chatty pilots.
lake tahoe, yosemite, colorado springs, tennesee river, appalachian mts!

swifts

We are having some beautiful fall weather - perfect for picking a spot at Agate Hall and watching the swifts return to their chimney roost for the night. Before dusk, the swifts circle around in the sky, diving and turning, their numbers growing by the minute.


In a sudden whoosh of wings, the flock separated into two. A sharp-shinned hawk alighted atop her chimney perch - the best seat in the house for dinner. She hung out on the far side for awhile, then appeared to simply hop over to face us.


We had our binoculars so we could see what she was up to. In that little "hop" she had acquired a prize and we could see her pulling her kill apart. Since she was distracted, the swifts began their descent into the chimney (which was enough to drive the hawk away to finish up her meal).


Lovely weather, a colorful orange and pink sunset, and a whoosh and flutter of wings above... an excellent way to spend a Saturday evening!

fall

It's the first official day of fall - happy fall equinox!

In the Willamette Valley we are celebrating fall with some 90+ degree weather. Up here at the 'ole homestead we don't get much of that. The sun has already dropped below the trees so we only get diffused sun through the canopy. I guess it is days like this that we can appreciate it.

Another consequence of our weather - there are very fine ashes drifting down from the sky. You can see a light layer on the cars and tables, but otherwise it is imperceptible. This warm weather comes from California and sweeps across the Ashland/Medford area on its way here. Right now there are a couple of large fires in the Ashland area and I guess that is the ash falling on our lawn right now. Small world.

i'd rather be camping

Our little trip to Matthieu Lakes gave us the bug...more outdoor adventures, please! Early last week Cameron posed the question, "Do you have time for Steens?" For those who don't know, Steens is a7+ hour long trip to south-central Oregon. More importantly, it is spectacular in the fall - the best time to go, in my opinion.

We hemmed and hawed and considered our options. By Thursday, we had more or less convinced ourselves that we would go. I even was thinking about bringing my laptop with me to work on the trip (which is absolutely insane for a 4 day trip, especially when you know that I get too carsick to work on the drive there and 2 days would be spent in the car!). By Friday, we scrapped the trip and thought we might substitute an overnight backpacking trip...something close that wouldn't take us 2 full days for the whole deal. By Saturday, all trips were scrapped. Realism set in and we recognized that there was too much to do.

Knowing that we've only gotten out to the Oregon woods one time this year is a disappointment. However, I should not complain! We've had quite the number of adventures this year (see the past blog posts if you don't believe me) and there are more on the schedule before the year ends. Also, there are many reasons to be at home and enjoy the little joys around us. Like the critters that emerge when it rains...


... found right between the barn and the house... or the zombie invasion emerging from Larry and Ann's front yard (aka dead man's foot or dog turd fungus; no picture - but check it out!).

Also, staying at home gives us time to visit with friends, finish projects, and keep me from stressing out about how I really should be working instead of walking through the woods.

And really, if I was camping I wouldn't get to muck out the chicken run at 7 a.m.! ;-D

oregon adventure

My cousin Matt and his wife Jen found an excellent price on tickets from DC to Eugene and stopped in for a visit with family and friends (and a football game - UO vs. Purdue). They suggested an overnight hike/camping trip, so we decided to take them on their first backpacking adventure.

Matthieu Lakes is a fantastic Cascades hike. The Sullivan book says that it is a fairly popular stopping place along the PCT. Judging by the number of cars parked at the trailhead, it is also a very popular location to access the PCT and hang out at high elevation lakes. We got lucky enough to hit it at just the right time. On our walk in we passed several groups coming out. By the time we got to South Matthieu Lake, we had it to ourselves!

North Matthieu Lake (above) and South Matthieu Lake (below)


We picked this spot because it was short, easy, and an eye-pleaser. It seemed like a perfect trip for first-timers and boy did we get it right!

Picture of Casey hanging at our dinner/breakfast/night sky watching digs


Matt and Jen filtering water


Cameron's grim twinkle

And take a look at that lava field!


Views from the hike around the loop...we had such a perfectly clear day and just the right angle to see peaks from the Three Sisters to Mt. Hood.


We took lots of photos of the trip. If you take a look at the rest of the pictures you'll probably notice some extras at the end from the Dee Wright Observatory, Cougar Reservoir, and an old-growth stand along the North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette.

animals (part 3!!)

Argh. Now if only the deer would leave something for me to eat this fall! Unfortunately, the food web is failing me and no coyotes, wolves, or cougar are taking out those pesky deer. Though we have no wolves in this part of Oregon (yet - but if we are lucky, maybe some day), I know the other two around. Evidence 1 - Miso and the cougar. Evidence 2 - Miso and the coyote. I guess it is good there are no wolves around...she's not getting any younger!

But the title of the blog is "animals", plural, meaning that there is more going on in the hills above Eugene. First, I got a glimpse of our giant rabbit. We've seen rabbits since we moved here, so having a rabbit is no big thing. This one...this one is special. It's the size of a pet rabbit - huge! He's clearly a well fed beast. I wonder if he visits our front yard....

This weekend we got another visit from the turkeys. Though they come by every once and awhile, using the driveway as their personal gateway to our yard, rarely to they walk up to our front door.


The dogs were surprisingly calm as one poult (a young turkey) and its mother hit the dead end of our fences. They searched and searched for a way out until the mother flew to our roof and waited while the little one ran in circles and, with the emergence of me from the house, found its way out under the fence. They dashed down towards the chicken coop to catch up with the rest of the crew (i.e. "rafters").

Now from the wild animals to the domesticated ones - Lolita. While Larry and Ann are out of town we are taking care of their cat. On Saturday, she went MIA. For those of you here in the area, you know that it rained all weekend - and not just that misty rain stuff, we had real downpours. On the third day since our last sighting of her, we called the L&A to see if they had any thoughts on where to look. We had covered most of the locations, but checked once again. Cameron talked to a neighbor and found that her cat disappeared last week and she found it in pieces in the woods a little way from her home. That got us really worried. Two hours after that conversation, Lolita returned. Not a scratch on her. Looking perfectly happy and wanting to cuddle! Hmm. Cats.

animals (part 2)

Hmm... Critters (3) vs. Nicole (0)

Something ate my veggie starts last night. Grumble. Since I'm not sure what (rabbits?), I'm still not sure how to stop this from happening again.

That's the third set of critters to pull a fast one on me. When we returned from our trip, I found one of my small artichoke plants completely gone. In it's place was a hole the size of my fist that burrowed into the depths. And of course, we are battling the deer.

To be honest, I probably don't deserve a zero. Heck, only some of the fenced in stuff has disappeared this year. Of course, I don't want to "count my chickens before they've hatched"! The season ain't over yet.

Since I promised vacation pics and haven't finished going through them yet, here's a teaser....

animals

Okay, I know I promised stories of New Hampshire and Rhode Island, weddings and hiking and family, but I can't help myself this evening - today it is all about the animals.

Last night, we were awakened in the middle of the night with sounds of the fence being ripped from its post. Cameron thought that Emma might have been pushing against the newly secured screen door in her efforts to bark at raccoons and deer in the yard. In my groggy state of mind, I realized that it was the outer fence of the flower garden. Neither of us knew the extent of damage until the morning. After all these years of battling the deer in our front yard, they never cease to amaze me. Ripping the cattle fence from the wooden posts was a new feat. The last (and first) time it happened was just a week ago, when we arrived back home from our trip and found a yearling in the front garden trying to bash its way out of the fenced in area. That time the little deer split the fence posts in two as it pushed against the metal fencing. Those buggers are persistent!

And of course, there are the dogs. Miso and Emma took sticks to a new height this evening. Miso, who tends to be dainty in her stick selection, picked out a 9 foot branch to dance around with. Emma never ceases to amaze me in her choices. For example, on our hike the other day (see previous post) she entertained our friends with the selection of a 3 foot piece of wood about 4 inches in diameter. She picked it up, then dragged it, happy to have such a prize. Believe it or not, that is nothing new. Tonight, she grabbed herself a 12 foot long, 3 inch diameter (at the base) prize to pull around the yard. No wonder she's all tuckered out!

Then there is Ralph. The blue tick hound first acquired by Jason (Cameron's brother) and now living with Cam's folks. The poor guy is feeling under the weather and had a very close call recently. Such a sweet dog!

Well, enough for this evening. More tomorrow! And pictures too!

vacation over!

Well, it has finally happened. Vacation is over! Getting back to work is never fun and I'm having an awfully hard time leaving behind gardening and outdoors for computers and piles of paper.

This morning Cameron had me come down to the chicken coop with him to show me something "unfortunate and sad". Between two large panes of glass that will one day (yeah right!) be part of our greenhouse, a scrub jay had wedged in and was unable to free itself. There it was, suspended, wings outspread, looking as if it had just fallen through from above or flew right in. We looked at the unmoving figure trying to guess how long it might have been there. Cameron pulled one frame of glass back to remove the poor thing and surprise! It wasn't dead afterall! That sucker flew away squawking and crowing at us. Lucky bugger! I wonder if it realized what a close call that was.



The garden has not been the most bountiful this year, but there are certain pluses. We have tomatoes! That's right, full, ripe, large tomatoes! I think this might be the first year we weren't stuck with only sungolds and green tomatoes at the end of the season. Unfortunately, I think the hottest days are behind us and there isn't much hope for a large squash and cucumber crop this year. Good thing I still have a bunch stored away - I think we've eaten most of what was grown already. But one more thing that did go well - raspberries. We are on our second crop and are picking a meager 1/2 pint a day (but really, I can't complain - they are raspberries!).


Last weekend we headed to the mountains with Elly, Deven and Raiko. We were going to hike Mt. June, but our off-the-beaten-track plans were thwarted by a wrong turn. After a winding route through overgrown roads, we finally stopped and walked a bit just for fun. On our way out we stopped at Eagles Rest for a short 0.7 mile hike to vistas of the Lost Creek Watershed (part of the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed). So you have a better idea of the views:


After the trek we drove around the Lost Creek Watershed in my attempt to familiarize myself with my new stomping grounds. It was good to put all those landowner visits into perspective by checking out the headwaters and connecting up roads.

As you might have noticed, I mentioned nothing about our August trips and I still haven't posted pictures from Vancouver. There are still stories to tell and photos to share. Well, what did you think I was going to write about over the next month, my stunning dissertation analysis?! ;-)

vancouver

Wow, there has been so much to catch ya'll up on yet so little time to do it. I've finally parked myself at the Vancouver airport waiting for my red-eye flight to Chicago (and then connecting to New Hampshire).

So, what have I been up to? A bit of everything. The beginning of August was a mad cap rush to finish some landowner meetings and surveys for the MFWWC. I really enjoyed meeting all the landowners - they were all very enthusiastic and many were extremely committed to seeing successful restoration happen on their property (which included countless hours of their own time and funding projects and plant purchases). I was very encouraged.

I also did some intense last minute work on a poster to take with me to the IAHR conference in Vancouver, made an incredible effort to remove the nasty bindweed from taking over my garden, and collected and spread alpaca manure in the open garden beds. Ah yes, and while Cameron was still away working in Knowles Creek (the Coast Range), I planted 13 ferns that Larry and Ann removed from around their house. They are a great addition to the area behind the cottage that Cameron cleared earlier this year. All-in-all, it was a very productive time and I earned a vacation.

Last Saturday, I caught an early flight to Vancouver and spent the afternoon visiting the Museum of Anthropology on UBC campus and wandering around Wreak Beach. The totem poles were amazing, the collection a real treat to visit. Some day they too will be gone, so I feel lucky.

The conference took up most of my time, but it was well worth it. Those in attendance were from all around the world - this has probably been the most diverse conference (as in nationality), that I have had the pleasure to attend. Apparently my subject of study - vegetation resistance to flow - is a particularly hot topic. I had dozens of people visit my poster and ask questions, all of my additional copies disappeared before lunch, and most importantly, I had the chance to talk to several leading scientists about how to tackle some particularly difficult problems I have been having. On top of all that, some great leads and opportunities. In other words, I think this was one of the best conferences I have attended for sharing my work and communicating with others in a similar field.

Besides the work, there was plenty of fun. I wandered around town visiting the touristy spots, walked down Marine Drive near campus to get a few of the city from afar, visited with friends Debra and Kent and had a fabulous dinner with them full of funky sushi at The Eatery, did more walking, went to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Emily Carr exhibit, had some fabulous conversations with folks from all over the world, and slept very little. What fun!

Anyhow, gonna start boarding here in a few. I'll have to add those photos later. Off to Rhode Island for wedding fun....

before the sun

As most mornings these days, I'm up with the sun and set to the tasks of the day. Unlike most evenings, last night I stayed up later than normal so my morning is slower than usual. Once the chickens are fed and the ball thrown for the dogs, I am happy to sit and relax. Even the strong cups of tea don't have me bolting around the yard trying to complete my to-do list.

Whenever Cameron is gone I create these enormous to-do lists "to be completed by the time he returns". I'm not sure if I have ever really completed everything on the list, but that never stops me from trying. It probably doesn't help that I usually double the length of the list while he is gone by adding everything that comes to mind.

Though I love my husband and miss him while he's gone, I can't help but enjoy a little alone time. Guilty pleasures!

heat, hatchets and bees

All this hot weather has been driving Miso nuts. It's exactly the same as when we get one of those big storm fronts that bring piles of rain for days on end. She wants to play, but the weather is not cooperating. So what am I doing at 6:30 a.m.? Throwing the ball for the dogs.

I guess it could be worse. This is the only time of day that I enjoy being outside when the weather is like this. The birds are chirping and making all sorts of noise, the insects hum, and there is even a light cool breeze. It's hotter indoors than outside right now since I turned off the AC in the middle of the night. That poor machine is really getting a workout! I don't remember when I last lived with AC. I'm not entirely certain I ever did (maybe when I was a little kid?).

This year, we have some unexpected guests visiting our hot tub. Apparently a local bee colony has found the "watering hole" the perfect spot for staying hydrated.

At any given moment, there are a couple dozen of bees buzzing about the rim of the hot tub. It's hard to see these little guys from my pictures (knowing my trouble with stings I kept a bit of a distance while snapping shots). If you click on the photo it'll get a bit bigger and you can get a closer look.

To stave off the heat we have been hanging out indoors. Liz and Biniam dropped by on their way to the airport. Cameron shared his tools with Biniam while Liz and I chatted about post-PhD life and her life in New Jersey.



I hope all of you without AC and suffering through the oppressive heat are finding fun ways to cool down. I'm looking forward to the 80+ degree weather promised for next week!

where have i been?

It's been too long since my last blog and I'm going to try and do a quick catch up on the latest and greatest. Let's see...you left your intrepid Eugenian in early July, when she was buried in berries from the garden and other outdoor tasks, not to mention a heaping pile of work....

We've been busy here at our little forested escape from the city. Summer is the time to travel and we have had visitors from near and far, and also made some time for reconnecting with friends here in town. A couple of weeks ago, our friend Ellen swept into Oregon on one of her whirlwind tours that combine work and pleasure as she tasted berries, visited farms, visited friends and family, and headed with us to the Oregon Country Fair. One evening of her visit, our dear friend Barbara was also in town. Cameron, Ellen, Barbara and I kept up constant conversation before, during, and after dinner, finding it hard to tear ourselves away as the night wound down.


I had an early night of it because I was doped up on Benedryl. It was my second yellow jacket encounter this year, which for me are always unfortunate. At least I don't go into shock, but I do swell up like the Pilsbury Dough Boy! Not only is it uncomfortable, but I also look pretty funny. A few weeks before I got stung right above my eyebrow and that gave me quite an uneven look. This last time it was behind my knee and my kneecap disappeared right before my eyes. Lovely. (Note the great sacrasm in my voice at this moment.)

Cameron, Ellen, and I got ourselves all gussied up for the Fair (i.e. costume-esque type of garb) and spent a lovely day wandering around. The weather was coolish and cloudy, so the crowds and the dust were both held at bay. We spent most of our time watching the vaudeville acts - jugglers, contortionists, and all that great stuff you find in Cirque du Soliel. By the evening it got quite chilly. We hung around visiting with some of Ellen's friends and then caught the last bus back to Eugene.

Here we are all gussied up....

While at the fair, we took note of the correct way to make a hula-hoop for an adult. Once we returned home, Cameron put one together and we've been reacquainting ourselves with the joys of the hula hoop. (So much that I've actually been able to make my sides sore/bruised from the pressure of the hoop! I didn't know you could do that!)

Around here, the garden keeps me busy. Lots of weeding, harvesting, and food processing. I've been making raspberry jam, cherry salsa, and pesto. We will probably soon launch in to potato-kale soup (which is Cameron's gig), before it all bolts. Broccoli is still coming on, but so are summer squash and tomatoes, making for lovely meals. This year we have enough water that I've also been able to keep the flowers watered. Our front yard is a cacophany of reds, pinks, oranges, purples, yellows, and white, surrounded by lush green leaves. Roses, grapes, and figs dangle about on long stems, while our herb garden is aiming to take over the world with it's ever spreading reach.

Right now we are all prepped for dealing with chickens and garden in the extreme heat that is coming our way. Now you Southerns won't bat an eyelash at our several days of 100+ weather heading our way, but for us Western Oregonians, that is no small thing. You see, since we don't have humidity and we don't usually get all that hot, most people don't have air conditioning. We don't have air conditioning in our car, for example. We are not acclimated, nor is most of our garden. The only respite is the fact that we still cool off to 60 degrees at night. So for now I am sitting at the picnic table in our yard, enjoying the morning sun, crisp air, and birds singing. The dogs are lounging in the sunshine. By afternoon you won't hear a peep except for the insects and we'll be hiding out in our home where we are fortunate enough to have air conditioning (this year, for the first time ever!).

Hmm, lots of other things have been happening too. Our biggest adventure was with a friend of ours... a very long story. But to make things short, we spent the entire day yesterday with his friends and family clearing out his house and putting his belongings into storage. Whew! I am always amazed at how much stuff one can accumulate over a short time. The bigger the home, the more you accumulate. Cam and I are exhausted from the long day in hot weather and looking forward to relaxing a bit today.

Sadly, our summer swing lessons are coming to an end. Cameron heads out for 8 days in the field and so we will miss our last class of July. August is full of travel as I head out to Vancouver, B.C. for a conference, then Rhode Island for a wedding celebration/reception, and New Hampshire to visit family. When we return, we hope to jump back in to classes.

On that same note, there is still a lot we haven't done yet that we had hoped to do this summer. For instance, we have done ZERO backpacking. So disappointing! I guess we have September (which is often the best time anyhow), but still, nothing like the once a month we were aiming for! Ah well, I hope ya'll are getting more time in the woods than we are (if you discount the fact that we live in the woods). Meanwhile, the A-Type personality in me is going to go check "blog" off my to-do list for this weekend. ;-P

cool day

After several days of toasty hot weather, I woke to cloudy skies and a cool breeze. I love it! And I love that it will only be in the 70's all week. I can get some baking done and prune back my roses... and maybe that next round of broccoli will keep growing before giving up.

I'm trying to stay focused on work this month, but it is certainly difficult. This is not my favorite part of the research process - surrounded by piles of papers and equations... trying to create a clear path through a myriad of unconnected lines. It is full of daily up's and down's:
"Ah-ha! I figured it out!"
Soon followed by:
"Crud, why doesn't that work?"
Then, again:
"Oh, that's it! Progress!"
And back to:
"But now why doesn't that look like it is supposed to?"
And on and on. I think you get the picture. By the end of a work day, my brain has been pulled in many directions and it feels like it didn't get put back in the right order.

Another unfortunate part of this process is that I am very easily distracted. I find myself contemplating life, the universe, and everything (and I don't mean the book). While I generally enjoy such wanderings, it does not make for a very productive day. This is especially troubling with deadlines lingering! So I must crack the whip for the month of July, because in August: I travel.

And I must crack the whip today, because this weekend: I play! Barbara and Ellen, each on their separate trips, will be swinging through Eugene at the end of the week. Yeah! I look forward to visiting with both of our friends. Maybe I'll be seeing some of you at the Fair?

buzz, buzz, busy

Yikes! It is July already! June was a pretty busy month. I started my new job and was busy helping with a big 10-year funding proposal. We had a solstice party. I raced to prepare for a conference...that turned out to be very poorly attended and not all that exciting (but at least I got a ton of work done). Then the poor, neglected garden needed some serious attending - I even had to "take a day off work" to just try and catch up. Whew!

Now here we are in the midst of a particularly warm heat wave. Cameron and I are excited to use our new window air conditioner...it is making life so much easier. For those of you who don't know - our poorly insulated cottage with windows from the dark ages heats up like you can't imagine. On these hot days, especially with several in a row, we are talking mid to upper 90's inside all through the evening and part of the night. We sleep outside where the air is cool. Now we can actually cook dinner and sleep in our bed.

The garden is cruising along. We've picked 11+ pints of raspberries already!! Besides having a gallon frozen, I think I've eaten a half a pint a day. And we aren't done yet - here's a pic from before the major onslaught.

And now the cherries are coming on full force. Yum! They are itsy-bitsy, but tasty. I took this picture before the solstice party meaning to blog about cherries, but as you can tell, that didn't happen.


The dogs are enjoying the lazy days of summer, just kicking it in the shade.


Meanwhile, Cameron has been playing with electricity. He spent some time trying to figure out what is going wrong with the lights on the bus. At one point we only had lights with brake lights, no turn signals, and then no lights, then no hazards, then... ah, I'm confused just thinking about it. Good thing he took pictures to remind him what goes where.


And we are going to try a washer and dryer again. I pleaded and complained and Cameron finally gave in. Then he found a pair for $20 on craigslist. The washer doesn't do a hot rinse and the dryer doesn't run on automatic turn-off cycle, but that is okay by us. Cameron had to bring a new wire in from the box in the house out through the barn and to the back room.


Hmm...another work picture. He needed a three-prong outlet vs. the newer four-prong, or something like that. Unfortunately, the dryer got shorted out in the process so it no longer has any heat. Guess it is back to craigslist for a dryer. Fortunately, that can wait until winter, when we have no room in the house to hang clothes. Summer is a perfect time not to have a dryer!

And so, another morning without getting much dissertation work done. But the garden is watered and ready for another day in the mid-90's. The chickens are fed and the dogs will be (yes Emma, I am almost done, please stop pacing!). And I finally got to the blog. I have many promised emails and phone calls I haven't gotten to, so sorry! Soon! I promise!!

solstice

Happy Solstice!!

Though it was not a bright, sunny day yesterday here in Eugene, it was solstice.

I've been giving a lot of thought to holidays over the last few years. Really, the traditional Christian holidays have less and less meaning to me. As a child they were fun and it was something celebrated in the classroom so it was all around you. As an adult, even with all the Christmas cheer of the family, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. It's not really a bah-humbug thing, more of a feeling that my celebrating feels misplaced - not focused on what I really value. If there was more of a focus on the spirit of Christmas it might be one thing, but the spirit is so washed out and we place so much value on this one holiday, that it just doesn't have much meaning anymore.

What I would like to do is make a shift to celebrating the seasons. It's a celebration of not only nature, but an acknowledgment of the rituals and mindsets that we associate with each season. For example, some think of spring as birth and rebirth, summer as the time to enjoy the pleasures of life, fall as closing of a chapter, and winter as the time to hibernate. Why not celebrate each for what they are?

Fall equinox is a celebration of food and bounty. Eat well, drink well, and enjoy the colors of time passing! It is a time for bonfires and camping out under a starry sky one more time before the cold sets in....

Winter solstice is an opportunity to come out of hibernation and celebrate the night. Mugs of hearty, warm drinks...yule logs on the fire...bright LED lights twinkling in the dark (and not sucking up too much energy!!)....

Spring equinox is a time to celebrate gardening plans and spring rains. An Irish jig on a misty spring morning and a glimpse of the fresh green....

Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, when gardens boom and flowers bloom. It is the time to celebrate the vivacity of life!

We had a solstice gathering last night to celebrate the coming of another year and our two year anniversary (which also marks 10 years of being together). We had a lovely time sharing our space with friends and family. It was a tad chilly, but it didn't rain so we could enjoy the outdoors. I was going to take pictures, but totally forgot to pick up the camera because I was having so much fun chatting away. It is too bad I didn't get a chance to take a photo of my plate of deviled eggs - the most beautiful ones I've made yet! Lots of fun all around - great conversations, flaming sausages, lots of tasty beverages, trips to meet the chickens and picking raspberries in the garden. The hula hoop even made a trip around and folks gave it a whirl.

So, even though I don't have pictures from the party, I'm including a few of the view from the front yard. Now you can feel like you were there too (or if you were there, you can be reminded).

wood and geekiness

I was reading a couple of the PhD (Piled Higher and Deeper) comics this evening and it made me think about my day. I spent most of the normal workday hours rearranging data, working out some basic trig and vector calculations, and plotting up data. And you want to know something? I got to the end of the day and was absolutely proud of all my plots. In fact, I am so excited I've even included one here.


So the plots aren't beautiful yet, but I'm using them to help me make sense of the endless rows and columns of data. Only graduate students get this geeked out over plots! (Though a close second probably goes to faculty.)

Yesterday was probably what most of you would think was more fun. I spent the afternoon working with the Eco-Informatics summer institute students to map wood in Lookout Creek at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. This is a follow up in a sequence of many years of wood mapping in this reach. I led the students in a similar effort a couple of years back and both times have been rewarding experiences for me. I enjoy working with the students - talking about trees as engineers and the legacy they leave on the landscape. I wish I took pictures, but alas, I forgot my camera. Ah well.

three new hens

On a whim, we added three new hens to our flock last night. Cameron was searching through craigslist when he found a posting for a particularly good deal on laying hens. We had always thought that we would end up with eight hens, so thought this was a good time to move from 5 to 8 (and of course we have that "6th hen", our rooster).

And so our adventure began! We drove on out to Marcola and picked out a beauty, a beast, and a fantastic layer (i.e. a Wyandotte, a Barred Rock, and a Rhode Island Red).


We took a stroll around the property (which is for sale) - 13.5 acres backed by BLM land, creek running through it, and a substantial wooded area. Very nice, but a little too far out and a little too much money. Ah well.

Anyhow, back to the chickens...by the time we got back from our walk, the Wyandotte was limping. We aren't sure exactly what happened, but don't think it is serious. However, we were concerned about introducing her to our flock when she was already at a disadvantage (flocks boot out newcomers and there is a bit of "hen-pecking" until they sort out their order again). I convinced Cam to bring her home anyhow.

Last night, we had them in the run when the other chickens had already put themselves to "bed" and these poor hens didn't know what to do with themselves. They knew it was bedtime so they tried to fly up to good roosting locations. Eventually we just gave in and let them head up into the hen house. Initially there was a bit of confusion, but things settled down quickly.

This morning Cameron got up at 5 a.m. and opened up the coop. By 5:30/6 we were both watching the hens head out into the run and try to establish pecking order. Some beating up occurred, as expected, and the newbies have relagated themselves to the corner; but at least things have settled down for now. Fortunately, Kung-pao (the rooster) is keeping track of his ladies, breaking up fights, and generally keeping the peace.

canoes

Another week has gone by and I am only just now getting words down in the blog. How can so much happen in so little time?

I am still getting familiar with my new job as the Habitat Restoration Program Manager for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (if you haven't looked at the website recently, you should check it out - it has been updated). I've been meeting staff, the board, the technical review team, and some of our partners. The biggest task at hand is completing a very detailed proposal to become a Model Watershed and I am trying to help with the proposal as much as my limited schedule will allow. (Limited in that I am working 5-8 hours a week, max, until October.)

Last week, Cameron and I started talking swing dance lessons again. Drew and Catherina gave us a good refresher of the Charleston and got us excited again about dancing. The Eugene Swing Dance community has a website, complete with some review videos to help us learn. I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. ;-P

On Saturday, we joined up with Pete Klingeman, Desiree Tullos, and others to learn about river engineering on the Willamette. This was accomplished by canoeing down the river from Corvallis to Albany.

Pete prepping us for the trip

Gathering together for a lesson

Cameron guiding us along while I snap pics

Drew, Desiree, and Sarah listening to discussion about revetments and bridges

Pete teaching on the river

We got some great glimpses of birds on this trip. At one point, a great blue heron flew close to the canoe on its way upstream. This one waited patiently for us to pass. Of course, we try to give them some space when we can!


If you are interested, here is a link to more pictures. It was a relaxing trip and the weather turned out to be pretty good. There was a little misting here and there, but it was relatively warm and no one got a sunburn. ;-P

On Sunday, I went to Woodburn with the ladies to do a little shopping. Since I have a general distaste for shopping, this is only a once a year deal - when I realize I really need to replace some things that are past their time. This is also a great thing to do with friends, to distract from the otherwise dull parts of wandering around the mall. Overall, I would say the day went by quickly and I enjoyed spending time with Sara, Karen and Elly.

Whew, back to work, planting, house projects, work, and more work. And we are planning a party....