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| Sun through haze from forest fires |
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| Buck watching us through the trees |
Then: The First Part of August 2010
August 1 and we are running with the sun! When Larry and Elsie arrived for the BBQ, Larry grabbed JB and said, "Come on. We're gonna get you hooked up!" Poor JB was trying to cook the hamburgers and Italian sausages, so we ended up eating a bit late. Thank goodness it didn't take them long to do the final wiring at the panels. The batteries started sucking in all that power and our solar power was working as advertised! Woo Hoo!!
There were only nine of us at the BBQ but we had a great time. For his birthday, we gave Larry a bottle of VERY hot sauce. He doesn't like sweet. He goes for the spicy. It was dusk when the last of the guests left. We just sat on the porch enjoying nightfall and watching the bats. It was a very good day.
The first week of August was hazy with smoke from the forest fires and we couldn't even see the mountains. It made for beautiful sunsets but rather eerie days. The fires made me realize that we needed an evacuation bag by one of the doors that would contain our valuables, both emotional and financial. So I prepared one. Thank goodness I have most of our pictures on discs, because my 30 or so photo albums wouldn't fit in the bag!
There was a strong wind the evening of the 7th and in the morning we awoke to clear skies. The wind had blown most of the haze away and we were reassured when we saw that the mountains were still there. Now we could see where the last of the fires were, but they seemed to be under control. RJ was up for breakfast and JB made my very favorite - German pancakes. I think I mentioned previously that when you put peaches and brown sugar on them, it is the best meal ever. After breakfast we went down to visit Larry and Elsie. Returned some borrowed tools and took some books for Elsie. She was dehydrating potatoes and showed us how to do it. She also gave us fresh vegetables from her garden.
On the drive back home I snapped a great photo of a buck near the road. When we got back to Rose Camp I split four wheelbarrow loads of wood and worked on my photos.
The second week of August we put up the one carport that had survived the April wind storm. It will be strictly for storage of items that need to stay dry. Took us a few days to get it assembled and everything in it. Then we started pulling logs down off the east slope at the beginning of our driveway. JB sliced them on site and we loaded the pieces into the trailer and took them up to the splitter. Got two trailer loads done and I worked the next several days splitting them.
JB's Mom, Celeste, had been wanting to come Up Here to see our place, but all the sons were very concerned about her making the trip. She will turn 89 this Fall and is quite active but has heart and other health issues. It's a long drive over from Seattle and then there's our four-mile dirt road. But she finally convinced everyone she would be just fine, so on August 14, JB's brother and sister-in-law, with whom she lives, drove her over to visit us. JB met them at the gate and they all arrived Up Here about 11:30 a.m., after stopping to buy Applets and Cotlets in Cashmere. It was a clear and sunny day, not too warm. We had lunch, then sat out on the porch and chatted. A perfect visit on a perfect day. And Celeste loved it up here. Said it was even more pretty than the pictures we had been sending to her. They left in late afternoon and had a good drive back. There was a collective sigh of relief when she arrived safely back home.
Now: July 29, 2011
For those of you not familiar with this area, Applets and Cotlets are a famous, chewy candy made locally with fruit from the orchards. Celeste sends them out every year as Christmas gifts, and we enjoy them year 'round.
Yesterday we were able to cut and install eight metal panels on the sides of the shop. Only four more to go and we plan to put those up today. Then we will start on the roof/deck. The wood for the deck is scheduled to be delivered today around noon. We loaded the rest of the wood for RJ on the trailer and will probably take it down to his place on Saturday. I also cut a couple wheelbarrow loads of wood that we gathered along the road on Wednesday. One load for the splitter and one for the wood shed.
Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit Wednesday evening, bringing enough fresh horseradish to last us several years! JB wants to plant some of it and can the rest. Elsie told us how to process it for canning. They like it hot so she usually wears goggles, a face mask and gloves when she prepares it!. They also brought fresh eggs, and onions and zucchini from her garden. Wow, groceries delivered right to our doorstep. It was a treat to see them during the week, as they usually visit on the weekend. I guess they just don't need as much sleep as us old folks. . .
The mountains are finally down to their summer snow. The wild rose blooms are almost all gone and the rose hips are forming. The wild asters are now blooming with little patches scattered all over, and the fire weed and paintbrush are still phenomenal. Mother Nature always plants her garden so that when one flower begins to fade another one begins to bloom.
August 1 and we are running with the sun! When Larry and Elsie arrived for the BBQ, Larry grabbed JB and said, "Come on. We're gonna get you hooked up!" Poor JB was trying to cook the hamburgers and Italian sausages, so we ended up eating a bit late. Thank goodness it didn't take them long to do the final wiring at the panels. The batteries started sucking in all that power and our solar power was working as advertised! Woo Hoo!!
There were only nine of us at the BBQ but we had a great time. For his birthday, we gave Larry a bottle of VERY hot sauce. He doesn't like sweet. He goes for the spicy. It was dusk when the last of the guests left. We just sat on the porch enjoying nightfall and watching the bats. It was a very good day.
The first week of August was hazy with smoke from the forest fires and we couldn't even see the mountains. It made for beautiful sunsets but rather eerie days. The fires made me realize that we needed an evacuation bag by one of the doors that would contain our valuables, both emotional and financial. So I prepared one. Thank goodness I have most of our pictures on discs, because my 30 or so photo albums wouldn't fit in the bag!
There was a strong wind the evening of the 7th and in the morning we awoke to clear skies. The wind had blown most of the haze away and we were reassured when we saw that the mountains were still there. Now we could see where the last of the fires were, but they seemed to be under control. RJ was up for breakfast and JB made my very favorite - German pancakes. I think I mentioned previously that when you put peaches and brown sugar on them, it is the best meal ever. After breakfast we went down to visit Larry and Elsie. Returned some borrowed tools and took some books for Elsie. She was dehydrating potatoes and showed us how to do it. She also gave us fresh vegetables from her garden.
On the drive back home I snapped a great photo of a buck near the road. When we got back to Rose Camp I split four wheelbarrow loads of wood and worked on my photos.
The second week of August we put up the one carport that had survived the April wind storm. It will be strictly for storage of items that need to stay dry. Took us a few days to get it assembled and everything in it. Then we started pulling logs down off the east slope at the beginning of our driveway. JB sliced them on site and we loaded the pieces into the trailer and took them up to the splitter. Got two trailer loads done and I worked the next several days splitting them.
JB's Mom, Celeste, had been wanting to come Up Here to see our place, but all the sons were very concerned about her making the trip. She will turn 89 this Fall and is quite active but has heart and other health issues. It's a long drive over from Seattle and then there's our four-mile dirt road. But she finally convinced everyone she would be just fine, so on August 14, JB's brother and sister-in-law, with whom she lives, drove her over to visit us. JB met them at the gate and they all arrived Up Here about 11:30 a.m., after stopping to buy Applets and Cotlets in Cashmere. It was a clear and sunny day, not too warm. We had lunch, then sat out on the porch and chatted. A perfect visit on a perfect day. And Celeste loved it up here. Said it was even more pretty than the pictures we had been sending to her. They left in late afternoon and had a good drive back. There was a collective sigh of relief when she arrived safely back home.
Now: July 29, 2011
For those of you not familiar with this area, Applets and Cotlets are a famous, chewy candy made locally with fruit from the orchards. Celeste sends them out every year as Christmas gifts, and we enjoy them year 'round.
Yesterday we were able to cut and install eight metal panels on the sides of the shop. Only four more to go and we plan to put those up today. Then we will start on the roof/deck. The wood for the deck is scheduled to be delivered today around noon. We loaded the rest of the wood for RJ on the trailer and will probably take it down to his place on Saturday. I also cut a couple wheelbarrow loads of wood that we gathered along the road on Wednesday. One load for the splitter and one for the wood shed.
Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit Wednesday evening, bringing enough fresh horseradish to last us several years! JB wants to plant some of it and can the rest. Elsie told us how to process it for canning. They like it hot so she usually wears goggles, a face mask and gloves when she prepares it!. They also brought fresh eggs, and onions and zucchini from her garden. Wow, groceries delivered right to our doorstep. It was a treat to see them during the week, as they usually visit on the weekend. I guess they just don't need as much sleep as us old folks. . .
The mountains are finally down to their summer snow. The wild rose blooms are almost all gone and the rose hips are forming. The wild asters are now blooming with little patches scattered all over, and the fire weed and paintbrush are still phenomenal. Mother Nature always plants her garden so that when one flower begins to fade another one begins to bloom.
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| Wild Rose enjoying her morning coffee on the porch (Note JB's tomato plants in the background.) |
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