The first Silverton "Bunkhouse" potato harvest

Today was a productive day of chopping wood in an effort to build my supply to keep the cabin and myself warm in the Winter months ahead. During a break from swinging the axe I opted for some fresh kale and carrots from the garden to keep fueled, I noticed the bed of potatoes was ready for harvesting. First one then two, then a handful. It was like a treasure chest of wonderfully red russets that kept popping out of the dark rich soil. I can't wait to make a dish with these beautiful tasty tubers.

100,000 miles of Element

Yesterday upon returning from a day of Forest Service work, just as I pulled up to the cabin the odometer on the auto turned its sixth digit to mark it's first 100,000 miles of voyage. In the coming month an additional 6-7k of mileage will be added as I once again embark on another cross country drive to the East coast. Anyone interested in joining me for a portion or say hello along the way!

Growing Veteran in Seattle

Today I returned to my Thursday tradition of working at the Seattle VA produce stand.  Growing Veterans a grass roots non-profit agricultural organization started just over a year ago choose the Seattle market spot is there sole locality at this time.  The organic farm from which all the produce derives is located just outside of Bellingham, WA, about an hour and a half north of Seattle.  The farm is comprised of a 3 acre parcel with impressive farming techniques that also utilizes a large greenhouse for some of it's produce cultivation.  The farm is run entirely by veterans from all branches of the US military, except for the farm manager who continues to share her wealth of knowledge.  If you have a moment check out the orgs web site at: www.growingveterans.org. And here are a few photos from today's market produce and the guys working it.

Wilderness Act 50 Years

Today My friend Lori and I ventured into Washington DC, our plan was to visit the National Museum along the Mall. The museum it's self a part of the Smithsonian collection of buildings,

And sits just across the mall green from the original castle smithsonian structure.

Most known for it's collection of gems,

Prehistory dinosaur fragments,

Evolution of man and special exhibits. And that's just what we took in. The Wilderness Act which was enacted on 3

September 1963 celebrated it's 50yr Mark since it's powerful piece of legislation passed. This act that many don't think applies on a daily basis does so for my agency and advocates for the preservation of our natural resources.  A few snap shots of some of the photo contest to capture and introduce a snippet of the treasures in our very own back yards around this country.  Not surprising that a healthy percentage were from the Pacific NW. The display will be on exhibit in DC till the summer of 2015.

A day at the alpaca farm (Paca Pride)

On Monday, I drove down the Mtn Loop Hwy about 15 or so miles to the Paca Pride Homestead to join in on a day of farm activity.  The weather was perfect and even a bit hot at times, and ended up working in shorts, mud boots, and a straw hat.

The work day began in the kitchen of their hacienda with a piece of homemade cinnamon bun (amazing!) I was under a spell from that point forward.  So off to the outdoors, first on the days agenda was acts of husbandry, cleaning up after the alpaca and llama droppings in their primary yards, as well as raking up scattered straw and hay from their bedding and troughs.  We then headed to the barn where I witnessed the rotation of the hydroponic barley fodder feed trays, they are harvested and initiated on a daily basis.  This stuff was wicked neat to see, feel and smell.  David did his research and came up with this alternate, not just as a money saver from having to buy quality hay and pellets but as an even more nutritious source of nutrients and fuel for his animals.

Next on the agenda was to provide some much needed dental grooming and dremel the lower incisors of two of the alpaca's (Cusco and Little Brown).  So while David patiently dremeled a significant portion of their overgrown teeth I aided in ensuring the alpacas stayed in place and saw nothing. Lets just say no one really enjoyed the smell of the grinding, but boy was everyone happy after they were done.  What great smiles on these guys, especially Cusco here...

Then came the mud/manure routine.  Their exists this narrow alley nicknamed "muck alley", and you can guess why.  It is a mixture of straw, manure, dirt and water are trampled upon over a period of a year.  We gathered wheel barrels full and scattered the rich soil in several pastures to assist in the revitalization of growing hearty grass for Summer feed.  I also learned the nutrient rich mixture is also ideal for spreading on red ferns and moss in efforts to extinguish the non nutritional plant.

The last chore of the day was to clean up plant beds with removal of grass patches in an effort to replant them elsewhere on the land to help fill washouts or areas of poor growth.  The guys at Paca Pride were kind enough to allow me to use one of the guess shower houses to clean up after a day of mud flinging and I can't say I've been in a more pressurized shower, I could have stayed for hours.  But simply having a hot shower was a true treat.  Thank you again David, Tim and Glenn for allowing me to invite myself to your amazing homestead and par-taking in all the fun.  I will surely be back!

By the way, if you haven't been to the Paca Pride Homestead do stop by on your way up the Mtn Loop Hwy, it's a perfect place for retreats for your family, groups, reunions. They have yurts of all sizes, tent platforms and facilities to cook and wash up are also available on site.  Do check out their store inside where many products, especially those wicked nice alpaca socks are sold, fresh eggs from their free range chickens.  We are so fortunate to have them in the valley and you will not be disappointed when you make your visit, lemme know I might even come down and meet you there! http://www.pacapride.com/

Easter Sunday

As I awakened Easter morning I poured myself a mellow cup of ginger tea since I was getting over a cold, and gazed out the cabin kitchen window to watch the sun peak over the tips of the Old Man in the Mountain.  I had kind of forgotten it was Easter since I hadn't colored any eggs or added any blossoming twigs to the kitchen table as I did when were young.  So after a slice or two of toast and honey I returned to the bed for a bit and just enjoyed watching the world come alive.  The birds were chirping up songs of excitement and the sound of hummingbirds buzzing in search of sweet nectar prompted me to place the feeder outside for their enjoyment.  The moles and shrews were out in places the snow had entirely melted and busily dug their tunnels and the stellar jays made their usual rants.  Perhaps in this photo you can see a bit of the hummingbird.

I visited with friends across the bridge for a coffee of morning brew and briefly chatted about the projects we were all immersed.  I then headed into town (Granite Falls) for a day of docent work at the local museum.  Even though it was a holiday we had a fairly good turn out which helped the day pass.

The Removal of Snow - Sat, 30 Mar 2013

The weather in the past week was not just above normal but brilliantly warm and sunny, please don't take this as a rare occasion up in here in Pacific N.W.  It in fact does happen, just normally not this early in the year.  To think a week ago we had our last dumping of 2ft of snow, and in all the warmth we've had all of that and then some melt away before our very eyes.  So this weekend was an ideal time to help out the process of snow removal.  Numerous sheds and chimney's collapsed this Winter and now the clean up efforts begin...  We spent part of the day clearing an 8-10ft deep collection of snow before one of our neighbors homes that haven't been up here since the New Year.  Unfortunately as the snow slid off roofs they piled up covered and leaned against windows, doors, and porches making it next to impossible to enter, and often they also backed up onto roof tops as their was no where else for the Winter mess to go.

Fortune for me I live on the North side of Silverton (The Heights) where we receive a far amount more sun and Spring seems to be welcoming us a bit sooner.  We're down to about 2-3ft of snow pack where as the folks across the bridge in lower Silverton still have a good 5-6ft, and seems 10-15F colder in the morning, but it's all spendid.

Another great method of snow removal is producing even more heat, so in this instance a bonfire was that helped out quite a bit.  A friend from the city came up to visit for the first time and his task was to keep feeding the fire.  We hung out into the wee hours of the night as the temperatures dropped back below freezing and the stars came out to light up the night sky.  Funny thing, we were able to spot a couple of planets but to the far East we could have sworn their was a strobing UFO of sorts, and for a while were skeptical if it were coming for us (perhaps too many S. Park episodes).