The first day of the new year....

.....is a cold day, with an abundance of sunshine, and much nicer than days prior! My walking partner and I started our walk at 9 am.  It was 20 degrees and walking meant bundling up to get going.  About one third of the way through the four mile course, layers began to peel off until we were walking in our sweatshirts, no gloves, no scarfs and no coats.  This is a great way to start off the year and we never tire of the route around our local golf club.  We thank our county officials for building such a nice walking path and making it a challenge.  Even after four years of walking the path, it continues to give us a good workout. 

We have had a lot of rain and it hasn't been so great to walk in. 

Both Gail and myself have rain gear and we wear it often!  

Today the sky is blue/violet and there are  wisps of clouds.   The clouds are Cirrus in nature.  We can count on them to be rain free!  The clouds sit high in the sky, where is it very cold, and they form ice crystals.  The ice crystals do not fall to the ground. 

We appreciate this!  

On the home stretch of our route, we walk by this scene.  And, right in the very center of the view sits  Mount Hood.  The family that lives in the house, to the left, is quite fortunate to look at such a beautiful thing!  The house is for sale...for more than a million dollars.  The view is worth that price! 

 Since it is New Years many of us are making plans to exercise more. I would like to connect  you with a good motivator for walking.  Go to http://www.coolwalking.com/benefits.html and read up!!  This is excellant information and it really helps to know that something as simple as walking can do so much good for basic health!    You will see health improvements very quickly and having a walking buddy is key(for me) to keeping it up. 
Good health to each of you this year!!  :))

Weekend Getaway

  Sisters and Camp Sherman, Oregon.

When we still have warm October days, we like to take a drive to get away from the activities of everyday living.  Oregon has an advantage of being home to the ocean, mountains and desert. If the weather is bad in one direction, we can go another direction, and find the sunshine.  The Oregon Coast was socked in with fog last weekend, so we headed east. 

The Fall air was warm, the sky blue and the scenery expansive.  Our short time away from home base was restful and restorative.

Sisters and Camp Sherman, Oregon

 When we drove into Camp Sherman, there were several women painting at the waters' edge.  I talked briefly with a few of them and they told me they live in the area.  They choose different spots in the Eastern Oregon landscape and paint for a day.  Ahhh...what a wonderful experience for them!  What you can't see are the little log cabins across the Metolius River.  These lovely little places can be rented for a night or two and it is a place we return to again and again. 

 The next few pictures are taken along the Metolius River as we walked to see the headwaters. 

 Maggie and I are standing in front of  our favorite cabin in the area.  Many of the cabins were built in the early 1900's and most are in need of repair.  This one captures our eye because of it's log/rock design,  red windows and doors.  I wonder who gets to enjoy this way of life..away from the bustle of the city and in a place that commands peace?

 Farther up the path we stop to take in several of the forks that feed into the Metolius River. 

 Can you see the green moss growing on the rocks in the water? 

 We had the best time and returned home ready for another week. 

On the porch and down the driveway

Two different landscapes are taking place on our farm.  One on the porch where the flowers are flourishing......

and...

...... another down the driveway where the rain is boorish! 

It is the weekend..starting now!  Have a good one!

Snail sighting

Snails are mollusks, more specifically, gastropods. 
This guy is a Pacific Sideband Snail.  He lives in our woods, and was out crawling around after the rain last week.  We don't usually see them intact but do find the shells. He had never seen a human before and didn't shrink into that shell on his back. He stayed as is even after three flashes of bright light from the camera.  Slugs are more common and not nearly as interesting.  The most common remark when a slug is seen is "ick!"  "Where's the slug bait?"  I didn't encounter even one slug on this day! 
This little creature was left alone because there is plenty for him to eat in the woods.  But, he better stay away from my garden because the bait it out! 

Evidence....

We had a lovely bit of snow this week. It began falling about 3 in the afternoon, and quickly faded, but not before a creature left evidence..... ..at our back door. It was a raccoon. We saw him earlier last week, on Christmas Eve, traipsing across the backyard. He was limping. If we leave out food for him then we have a problem. What to do? I am told that raccoons are very resourceful and will find food. With that said, he is still thought of and hopefully the family is fed! They are tucked away under the cover of a log, deep within the woods. We will keep a look-out for them, and as they know, the barn is never locked! :)

Happy New Year! May you have time to notice the little things that add up and enlarge your world!

Time with LilliAnne.....

Early Friday morning I drove across Portland to Troutdale, where I was greeted by our curly headed Snow White granddaughter, who is three years old. She was so excited to be wearing a princess dress and going on a quick trip with her mommy and me. We drove over the mountains to Central Oregon and the Bend area. Tucked into a charming older neighborhood, we found a park to play at and it was bordered by the Deschutes River. I neglected to jot down the name of the park and when I tried to locate it on a map I surprised to find that Bend boasts 64 parks!
Bend has become the place to live! The sun shines often, rainfall is below 12 inches a year, it snows and the community is well planned. It's a beautiful town and it also has an incredible skiing area at Mt. Bachelor! In the past 30 years people have flocked to the area and make Bend home. It is easy to see why!

This little tug boat was built specifically for children to play on, and that is what we did!

As we left the park, I turned to see the leaves falling from a maple tree. A few leaves hang-on, but not for long.

Our quick trip was delightful!

Have a good weekend everyone!

It is the little things that make this life....

At our table is the most lively and colorful Fall bouquet of flowers! They were given to me for my birthday and remind me of the new season of life I am entering...almost, that is! I still have one more year to climb and slide through with youthfulness! After that I intend to live it up until the good Lord takes me home a long, long time later!
Red Sunflowers, yellow mums and fire bush make this arrangement so pretty!

A walk outside in the sunshine brings Bart to my feet. He is on guard and stays right around the house these days. We are glad to be greeted by him each day!

The wood has been cut and stacked! This pile of wood should keep us warm throughout the chilly weather.

Our Vine Maples are turning their colors and this year, especially, the trees are more lively! In years past there has been more yellow to the leaves, but as you can see, there are plenty of oranges and reds showing.

Anemones come out in the Fall and make a show like none other. They would perfect in a brides clutch!

The "wedding lawn" has greened up and the gophers have returned to torment my husband! Even Bart waits for the perfect moment to pounce on a mound of dirt! Red Salvia is in full bloom and tomorrow it may be gone! Drink in the beauty!!

Mushrooms show up in most any season but these two are the Autumn variety! We don't know if they are edible so we leave them for the bunnies to nibble on. Bunnies know.

That is enough for today! The sun is shining and the air is crisp. Tomorrow it will rain and another walk around the farm will be needed to see what has occurred on our part of the earth.

These are the little things that make this life mine.

Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States! And, we take every opportunity to visit it when we are camping in the area.

Crater Lake National Park protects the deepest lake in the United States. Fed by rain and snow (no river or streams), the lake is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. The water is exceptional for its clarity and intense blue color. The lakes' depth is 1,943 feet and its width measures 4.5 to 6 miles. The lake rests inside a caldera. A 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed following a major eruption. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the southwest shore.
Today, old-growth forest and open meadows blanket the volcano's outer slopes.

We visited the park on Saturday and it was hot (in the high nineties)! Thunder heads formed in the distant sky and sun rays poured through the clouds to illuminate the lake. Many professional photographers were standing near me with their amazing cameras and I wondered if my little Coolpix could capture the scene as well as what they were getting! Not bad. This day was made for taking in the immense, jaw-dropping views!

Maggie and I enjoyed a nose to nose moment on the craters' edge.

This camping trip marks the end of camping for 2009! I hope you have enjoyed seeing one of the grandest places on the earth!!

Pickle Day!

Saturday was dill pickle canning day. They are not difficult to can, but it does require most of the day. A good recipe and a few key ingredients are important; 25 lbs of cucumbers, one gallon vinegar, pickling salt, water, red peppers, garlic, grape leaves, dill and wide mouth canning jars.

After all the jars were filled, four of them did not seal and one jar broke in the canner. I put the unsealed jars directly in the refrigerator and they will still pickle! Now we wait several weeks for the pickling process to take over the fresh cucumbers......just like last year. Go here to see last years pickle day and find the recipe.

Just for fun I've added a few pictures from around the flower garden. When looking through the various pictures I noticed some tiny bugs were in the frames. Below is an orange zinnia with a green hopping bug. This bug chews on the flowers...but only takes small bites!

The Bumble Bee was sleeping...not working. I think it got too late to go back to the hive, so the bee decided to spend the night on the daisy. More zinnias showing off their bright beautiful colors! Of all the flowers around our farm these are the best, biggest and most colorful!!

We are promised hot weather by Wednesday. I am preparing ahead for meals and getting the more labor intensive chores done. I plan to do a little sewing on the hot days...check back later in the week to see what I've done. Have a good week!!