Friday, September 30, 2005
Fall
It is raining today and if it sticks around our rainy season will be a couple weeks early. I really like fall until it starts raining, the cool days, the crispness of the air, the garden maturing and being harvested, and even the shorter days makes fall unique. Once the rains come, it is damp, overcast, and rainy for the most part till at least to mid May.
This is a photo of just a few of the squashes from the garden, both of these were from saved seed from last year. I would like to eventually move to heirloom seed and save the seed for the following year. Some plants are biannuals and to get seed requires they be kept over winter and the following summer.
This year the rains lingered on into June and getting the ground worked up was impossible. I actually started moving our my starts and seeding the garden near the end of June. I do have raised beds that some plants were planted but for the bigger stuff it just doesn't have room. This year I had started the corn in the green house and then transplanted them as soon as the ground got worked, it was such a success that I intend to do more next year. My wife planted some when the ground was worked and we are just now getting corn off of it. Usually we get a frost in mid september or a month earlier than the valley, but even though we got into the 30's, we managed not to have one which is good since everything is so late.
I have more elephant garlic than I know what to do with this year, I need to remember not to plants so many in the next week (any one need some?). I started a crop of fava beans this past summer for a cover crop and I have a lot of seed now to do a fall planting. I plan to work some into the raised beds. They not only add a lot of organic material they add nitrogen to the soil as well.
This is a photo of just a few of the squashes from the garden, both of these were from saved seed from last year. I would like to eventually move to heirloom seed and save the seed for the following year. Some plants are biannuals and to get seed requires they be kept over winter and the following summer.
This year the rains lingered on into June and getting the ground worked up was impossible. I actually started moving our my starts and seeding the garden near the end of June. I do have raised beds that some plants were planted but for the bigger stuff it just doesn't have room. This year I had started the corn in the green house and then transplanted them as soon as the ground got worked, it was such a success that I intend to do more next year. My wife planted some when the ground was worked and we are just now getting corn off of it. Usually we get a frost in mid september or a month earlier than the valley, but even though we got into the 30's, we managed not to have one which is good since everything is so late.
I have more elephant garlic than I know what to do with this year, I need to remember not to plants so many in the next week (any one need some?). I started a crop of fava beans this past summer for a cover crop and I have a lot of seed now to do a fall planting. I plan to work some into the raised beds. They not only add a lot of organic material they add nitrogen to the soil as well.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
What is it with flies, they're around all summer but hardly worth noting, then BAM they are hundreds of them every where. It seems they are looking for cubby holes to camp out the on coming winter. I have to ask myself where did they all come from? My only guess is that they were there all along and out playing in the crap piles of the cows and horses and now they have come in to camp, but I can't go out to the shop with a constant buzzing and dive bombing from those little fellows.
Last year I had an old time glass yellow jacket trap sitting on the patio, I had caught a few and some flies, but as they broke down the smell was attractive to the flies and more would find there way in. It was a vicious cycle, as more got trapped, the more it smelled and the more attractive it became till the thing was jam packed with thousands, and thousands of flies. As you can imagine, I am trying to reproduce last years fly catching enviroment right now.
Last year I had an old time glass yellow jacket trap sitting on the patio, I had caught a few and some flies, but as they broke down the smell was attractive to the flies and more would find there way in. It was a vicious cycle, as more got trapped, the more it smelled and the more attractive it became till the thing was jam packed with thousands, and thousands of flies. As you can imagine, I am trying to reproduce last years fly catching enviroment right now.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Waldo Lake Loop
WALDO LAKE TRAIL
Waldo Lake Wilderness and Recreation Area
21-mile loop
August 27, 2005- Saturday
2:30 p.m.- arrive at Waldo Lake parking area trailhead near the North Waldo Campground; temp 83 degrees hot
2:45- begin the trail, thru a massive burn area, along the shoreline, it's pretty to see the lake beyond the burned trees. There are ponds with lillies in them.
6:00 p.m.- take a break, looking for a campsite; stop at a nice one but we're divided on to stay or hike a little while longer. We place votes and it's a tie so dad gets to make the tiebreaker vote and that meant we get to hike on.
7:00 p.m.- stopped for the night at the junction of Waldo Lake trail and Salmon Lake trail- near a lake named Elbow Lake; set up tents and had some soup for dinner; 8:30 p.m.-gathered into our tent and played cards.
9:30 p.m.- bedtime! It seems that Oldest daughter has brought her walkman along and is in her tent listening to music.
August 28, 2005- Sunday
7:00 a.m.- wake up! 49 degrees out this morning.
8:00 a.m.- packing up, drinking hot cocoa. The girls are moving S-L-O-W. Oldest daughter doesn't want to get out of her sleeping bag. The girls are trying to decide if they should switch backpacks because younger daughter thinks hers is too big for her, after much debate she decides to just leave things the same.
8:30 a.m.- on the trail, hiked good one hour than youngest slowed down and was a bit pouty about her pack on her back bothering her. Sabra and Alan hiked ahead.
10:45 a.m.- break by the lake, pretty views; Sign reads Shadow Bay campground 3.8 miles, 60 degrees in the shade; snack time.
Got back to hiking and Natasha perked up and led the way.
1:00 p.m.- stopped at South Waldo shelter, nice shelter with a little woodstove in it, picnic table outside. Filled our bags with water, the filter was not working quite right but we managed to get water in all the bags. Our youngest had some soup and I had some oatmeal, the other just snacked. Lots of foot, bike, and dog traffic in this area, we're thinking we could charge admission for a tour of the shelter area!
We enjoyed a long break at the shelter and played a game of cards, winner to decide if we should spend the night in this area or hike out tonight... I was winning until the very last hand and lost it all to our oldest daughter.
So the packs were on our backs and we begin hiking...Dad would of like to have stay around another night.
it's 2:45 p.m. and we're back on the trail.
The trail goes gently up and down and then eventually closer to the shoreline again where we can see the lake. Pretty views of the lake, nearing the campground there were more bikes on the trail, after that point we had the trail mostly to ourselves again. The girls decide to stash their packs about 5 miles before the trail ends and we’ll go back and get them on the way out. We carry our packs so we get the full backpacking experience. A nice steady trail, it's a bit inland from the lake until close to the campground where the trail winds thru close to the end.
6:30 p.m.- we arrive back at the trailhead parking lot after 14 miles on the trail and 7 miles yesterday.
Mrs TS
Waldo Lake Wilderness and Recreation Area
21-mile loop
August 27, 2005- Saturday
2:30 p.m.- arrive at Waldo Lake parking area trailhead near the North Waldo Campground; temp 83 degrees hot
2:45- begin the trail, thru a massive burn area, along the shoreline, it's pretty to see the lake beyond the burned trees. There are ponds with lillies in them.
6:00 p.m.- take a break, looking for a campsite; stop at a nice one but we're divided on to stay or hike a little while longer. We place votes and it's a tie so dad gets to make the tiebreaker vote and that meant we get to hike on.
7:00 p.m.- stopped for the night at the junction of Waldo Lake trail and Salmon Lake trail- near a lake named Elbow Lake; set up tents and had some soup for dinner; 8:30 p.m.-gathered into our tent and played cards.
9:30 p.m.- bedtime! It seems that Oldest daughter has brought her walkman along and is in her tent listening to music.
August 28, 2005- Sunday
7:00 a.m.- wake up! 49 degrees out this morning.
8:00 a.m.- packing up, drinking hot cocoa. The girls are moving S-L-O-W. Oldest daughter doesn't want to get out of her sleeping bag. The girls are trying to decide if they should switch backpacks because younger daughter thinks hers is too big for her, after much debate she decides to just leave things the same.
8:30 a.m.- on the trail, hiked good one hour than youngest slowed down and was a bit pouty about her pack on her back bothering her. Sabra and Alan hiked ahead.
10:45 a.m.- break by the lake, pretty views; Sign reads Shadow Bay campground 3.8 miles, 60 degrees in the shade; snack time.
Got back to hiking and Natasha perked up and led the way.
1:00 p.m.- stopped at South Waldo shelter, nice shelter with a little woodstove in it, picnic table outside. Filled our bags with water, the filter was not working quite right but we managed to get water in all the bags. Our youngest had some soup and I had some oatmeal, the other just snacked. Lots of foot, bike, and dog traffic in this area, we're thinking we could charge admission for a tour of the shelter area!
We enjoyed a long break at the shelter and played a game of cards, winner to decide if we should spend the night in this area or hike out tonight... I was winning until the very last hand and lost it all to our oldest daughter.
So the packs were on our backs and we begin hiking...Dad would of like to have stay around another night.
it's 2:45 p.m. and we're back on the trail.
The trail goes gently up and down and then eventually closer to the shoreline again where we can see the lake. Pretty views of the lake, nearing the campground there were more bikes on the trail, after that point we had the trail mostly to ourselves again. The girls decide to stash their packs about 5 miles before the trail ends and we’ll go back and get them on the way out. We carry our packs so we get the full backpacking experience. A nice steady trail, it's a bit inland from the lake until close to the campground where the trail winds thru close to the end.
6:30 p.m.- we arrive back at the trailhead parking lot after 14 miles on the trail and 7 miles yesterday.
Mrs TS
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Last weekend we hiked around Waldo lake, 21 miles. I hope to have a posting of it real soon so check back. Mean while you can view a scenic spot where I took this picture and an area we enjoyed earlier this summer.
