580KB; 25 secs; sound
Friday, February 29, 2008
2/12/08 slash!
Our neighbor and friend Larry, mentioned in the video, with his mom’s horse Ralph in our driveway.2.6MB; 1’48”; sound
2/4/08 clear day
A welcome clear day with snow on the peaks, and on the vineyards, across the valley from us,
1/29/08 snow
Snowed last night, the night before, predicted for tonight. Thereafter there's precipitation as far out as the US Weather Svc can see. Solar? Ha!
1/15/08 bath room
Also forgot to notify about the new bath room. We wanted an outside bathhouse usable in rough weather. We built a pavilion with removable sides and roof. The footed tub was scrounged years ago. If you want one now they cost about $1300(!). We have not yet soaked as we're very short on water. It makes a good greenhouse too.
1/10/08 shedroom
Oops! Forgot. In the fall we built a detached bedroom, bringing our total square footage to 1000 (including front porch). Yes, we have to walk thru the rain to get there, but it's not much trouble, and we love waking to the view down the valley. In the summer (or late fall) we sleep outside, of course.
1/5/08 storm waterfall
Well, thanks for asking Steve. High winds yesterday morning, fir branches all over, broken manzanitta and the tops of pines flung onto our road. Some road erosion which Libbe and I worked on. Rain, snow, rain, sleet, rain, hail, rain, and thunder and lightning. Most alarming: I was looking out the kitchen door when the barbecue scooted across right in front of me. I mean, windy!
We cranked up the generator to top the batteries, so are doing fine. Here's the NOAA forecast...
SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: MUCH COLDER AIR IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY...AND SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER DOWN TO 1500 FEET. COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
All the rain fueled our waterfall, video attached.
560KB; 27 secs; silent
We cranked up the generator to top the batteries, so are doing fine. Here's the NOAA forecast...
SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: MUCH COLDER AIR IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY...AND SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER DOWN TO 1500 FEET. COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
All the rain fueled our waterfall, video attached.
560KB; 27 secs; silent
12/30/07 New Year
Robert Lowell spoke of “the monotony of the sublime” and Guillaume Apollinaire said that "without artists, men would soon weary of nature's monotony."Naaaahhhh! Happy New Year!
Loren and Libbe
12/21/07 NY & VT
Back from NYC and VT. Tired and up to here in mail and bills---the normal. Walked to the bank in Johnson, VT on Monday where they have a time/temp sign: 5 degrees. Thought you might like to see some real snow.
11/14/07 burn day
The rainy season has started so we can now safely burn. I attach a 20 second video of a recent event. Sorry you missed it.
We suspect that this activity severely compromises the modesty of our carbon footprint.
290KB; 24 secs; silent
We suspect that this activity severely compromises the modesty of our carbon footprint.
290KB; 24 secs; silent
8/28/07 eclipse
During their last visit our friends and partners Kelly & Jolynn dropped off a 12" reflecting telescope, and last night was a full lunar eclipse. I held my Canon pocket digital to the eyepiece and got these pics. As the moon dimmed the camera exposure lengthened, so the later pics are blurry. The colors are more or less accurate--very orange. If you ever get the chance, sleep outdoors during a lunar eclipse. Even with the naked eye it was spectacular.
8/25/07 (to partners)
For those of you who were frightened and/or injured on the new cabin deck/bed deal, we made a fix, a rail which should keep you on the deck even in the wee hours.
The rope swing was visibly fraying, so we pulled Nora up on using the ATV, replaced the old rope, and attached a separate line to remove it when it too frays. The branch had grown completely around the old rope.
Larry and I removed 8-9 dead trees including the fir near the cabin. Behind the cabin a large oak fell into another one, the whole thing hanging over the path. They're gone. The pics show the cause.
The TELESCOPE! After two frustrating nights we got it to work and woo-hoo! Stars still like spots but the moon is really cool. All three eyepieces work as does the 2.5x multiplying lens. The 1st pic is via our 8x Nikon camera; the next two made by holding the Canon digital to the eyepiece. The real view was far clearer and infinitely more detailed. With the tight eyepiece we had to pan across the moon to see all the features. We're out again tonight with a plan to locate planets when the moon wanes a bit. The large filter K&J sent is for viewing the sun (but not solar flares).
8/1/07 rattlesnake
Two guys came from WillitsOnline today to install our new internet service (itgoesreallyfastnow!). During the install Libbe called us over to see a pretty snake. Yup, rattler, about 12" long. I coaxed it into a 2 gallon paint bucket with a broom. We left it to photograph later. When we returned, it was gone. A leaping rattlesnake! Watch your feet.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
7/10/07 dead animals
We haven't seen a rattlesnake in 7 or 8 years. Yesterday Libbe called me to see one just sliding under the floor framing. Reluctantly I got a shovel and waited. Even 100 feet from the house I would have let it go, but once the snakes find the house, which is also home to many rodents, they've found an endless food supply and stick around. The snake came out and got chopped.
The same day a Western tanager got caught in the deer netting around our garden. A beautiful bird; we were sorry to see it die.
The same day a Western tanager got caught in the deer netting around our garden. A beautiful bird; we were sorry to see it die.
3/15/07 birdfeeder
Our birdfeeder attracts many and various avians. Pic #1 shows a scrub jay, and #2 a Stellar’s jay and a woodpecker facing-off over the seeds. However, the feeder was appropriated by imperialistic squirrels (pic 3) who aggressively asserted their hegemony.
I designed and field-tested a squirrel-proof feeder. Pics 4 show the results.
Ah, the satisfaction of triumphing over a small rodent!
12/4/06 Mt. Nebo
We're back from two weeks in the middle east. For now I include a photo taken from Mt. Nebo (now Jordan; then Moab) from which, traditionally, Moses and the Israelites got their first view of the promised land after 40 years in the desert. Moses didn't make it across the valley of the Jordan River. Happily, we did. Other views to come after my bro-in-law sends CDs of my downloaded photos. If interested, you can see a log of the tour on davka
11/6/06 Fall
We have seasons here. Who knew? This Fall was especially colorful, and all around us, still. Hope all is well.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
9/28/06 Spyrock pot bust
It's soon after the bear incident, but this is too good.
In Mendocino County, if you can demonstrate a medical need, you can be certified to grow marijuana for personal use (oh, my back!). Two days ago a theft in progress was called in to the cops in: outsiders were stealing pot from from someone's legal patch. Sheriff's deputies and Calif Hwy Patrol went up in force, sirens off so as not to alarm the perps. They caught the guys in flagrante delicto, returned the harvested dope to the proper owners, and left.
A friend in the area reports:
Yeah, it was a big deal. Five gang-types from the bay area, with 4 cars and a camper, which they had filled with pot. The 'Duhhh" factor was that they filmed themselves pulling out the pot and waving guns around. .... I think every sheriff and CHP in the county was up Spyrock on Saturday. Apparently someone with a scanner heard the helicopter pilot asking a sheriff which pot garden to look for, because he could see hundreds. The sheriff replied, "The one without any pot in it!"
In Mendocino County, if you can demonstrate a medical need, you can be certified to grow marijuana for personal use (oh, my back!). Two days ago a theft in progress was called in to the cops in: outsiders were stealing pot from from someone's legal patch. Sheriff's deputies and Calif Hwy Patrol went up in force, sirens off so as not to alarm the perps. They caught the guys in flagrante delicto, returned the harvested dope to the proper owners, and left.
A friend in the area reports:
Yeah, it was a big deal. Five gang-types from the bay area, with 4 cars and a camper, which they had filled with pot. The 'Duhhh" factor was that they filmed themselves pulling out the pot and waving guns around. .... I think every sheriff and CHP in the county was up Spyrock on Saturday. Apparently someone with a scanner heard the helicopter pilot asking a sheriff which pot garden to look for, because he could see hundreds. The sheriff replied, "The one without any pot in it!"
9/23/06 bear
Last night as we went to sleep out on the porch, we heard noises
'round the side of the house. Libbe said, A racoon in the garbage? Got
up, opened the door to the moondeck and saw the biggest dog I've ever
seen with its head in the garbage, about 4' away from me. He looked up
and was--oh shit--a bear!--the first we've seen here in 36 years. Our
dog was barking, the lights were on, and the bear just stuck its head
back into the can for the next half-hour. We moved indoors for the
night.
Sorry, no photos.
'round the side of the house. Libbe said, A racoon in the garbage? Got
up, opened the door to the moondeck and saw the biggest dog I've ever
seen with its head in the garbage, about 4' away from me. He looked up
and was--oh shit--a bear!--the first we've seen here in 36 years. Our
dog was barking, the lights were on, and the bear just stuck its head
back into the can for the next half-hour. We moved indoors for the
night.
Sorry, no photos.
8/10/06 CERT
Libbe is CERTified!
We are proud and delighted to announce that Libbe is a recent graduate of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. She is now thoroughly prepared to respond to, aid victims of, and direct emergencies services for, any kind of calamity, civil or natural. Fires? Sure. Earthquakes? You bet. Even terrorism? No problem!! Triage a specialty.
Our gratitude to the helpers.
7/5/06 anniversary
June 30 was--in addition to our 38th wedding anniversary--the one year anniversary of the sale of our loft in NY. July 1 was the date we left New York. And today, July 5, is the date we arrived here to begin building the house. Or, as we tried to explain it to ourselves the other day: a year ago we were packing boxes; now we're sitting on our deck overlooking Long Valley and the vineyards directly across the way.
As they say in these parts: what a long strange trip it's been. But we are well housed, with all the amenities, and are warm in winter and comfortable in the summer. We are generally delighted--if occasionally a bit lonely--and still in love. There are many items yet to finish, but completion was never really the goal.
Thanks for sharing it with us, and keeping us company. We'll try to keep you updated, but I'm getting sleepy and the hammocks are beckoning...
As they say in these parts: what a long strange trip it's been. But we are well housed, with all the amenities, and are warm in winter and comfortable in the summer. We are generally delighted--if occasionally a bit lonely--and still in love. There are many items yet to finish, but completion was never really the goal.
Thanks for sharing it with us, and keeping us company. We'll try to keep you updated, but I'm getting sleepy and the hammocks are beckoning...
6/14/06 (to partners)
Nothin much...We got a washer. Woo-hoo. See Libbe smile. See the Chief feel betrayed and abandoned.
Our new cabin toilet. Looks a lot like the old toilet, but sits and flushes differently.
We built a new bed for the cabin, and shortened the existing one so that both fit into the corner. A bit crowded-seeming, but functional. One has the hard (real) mattress, the other the two foam pads. Nothing writ in stone here but should be useful this weekend when Anne brings up untold numbers of friends for the Kate Wolf Music Festival. We'll also set up the Mombasa and the pool. Temps now hitting the low 90's.
The new water tank is waiting at the building supply. Will pay for soon.
Our home-made skylight goes in today (only Pella makes one small enough to fit between our ceiling beams, but Pella lights are not code complaint for Calif so can't be sold here). Nothing like purposely making a hole in your metal roof I always say.
Hope all is well...
6/13/06 the coast
It got hot the other day (it's still hot) so we went to the coast, about 25 miles away.
First stop was Glass Beach, for decades a seaside dump which now has endless bits of colored glass, washed smooth by the waves, mixed in the sand. We carted away a small pocketful.
Next, the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, where I especially liked by the varieties of heather.
The gardens extend on a point into the Pacific. We allowed ourselves to be mesmerized. We brought some back for you.
First stop was Glass Beach, for decades a seaside dump which now has endless bits of colored glass, washed smooth by the waves, mixed in the sand. We carted away a small pocketful.
Next, the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, where I especially liked by the varieties of heather.
The gardens extend on a point into the Pacific. We allowed ourselves to be mesmerized. We brought some back for you.
6/12/06 rodeo
We got steer wrestling, bulldogging, calf roping, bronc riding, hide racing (a cowhide is dragged behind a horse and a cowboy--or kid--jumps on for the ride back), bull riding, barrel racing and the very popular wild cow milking wherein two cowboys rope a wild cow, hold her still, milk her and get the milk to a judge before they get trampled. And we got pretty cowgirls.
Barbecue chicken and beer, too. Well, hell, ya just shoulda been here.
Barbecue chicken and beer, too. Well, hell, ya just shoulda been here.
6/11/06 work under the house
The summerbed/moondeck pictures have led to some misapprehensions.To clarify: we're having an idyll. But even idylls take work. Here are 3 pics of todays activities, taking place underneath the moondeck. Sore knees, hips, back and THEN relax in the deck chairs. Aaaaahhh....
We do something like this every day. Sorry to those who are disillusioned.
6/10/06 moondeck&bedroom
Our moondeck, with view of moon during the day. Also, our (temporary) bedroom on the front porch.
5/26/06 playing with fire
Life is not all maxilla and mandible. Summer is beginning and, with it, the burn season is ending. We decided to fire off our slashpiles before the forestry dept puts and end to it. Exciting, scary and exhausting entertainment. Flames 30' high. Wooo....
Have a great Memorial Day weekend. See you in the summer?
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