BLOG

Posted on

Quick turn on the Fruit Loop

In the land of ‘mega-marts’ we’ve grown accustomed to picking up any type of produce any time of the year.  It’s not as convenient, but buying seasonal offerings will support a local farmer and taste better too.

We are in the midst of apple season so you are likely to see a larger selection of apples at the produce counter. That variety can get even bigger if you make an extra effort and go to the orchard. In Oregon that is pretty easy to do..

Some time in late September early October we make the annual trek to Hood River country and do a bit of orchard hopping.

At Kiyokawa Orchards there are warehouse size bins filled with apples and pears. And not just a couple of kinds. At peak season there are 120 varieties of apples and 24 varieties of European and Asian pears. Plus a bunch of different plums.

The hills pushing up from the Columbia River west of Hood River are full of fruit orchards, dotted with yellow and orange fall foliage and a snowcapped Mt. Hood as the back drop.

‘The Fruit Loop’ started in the early 90’s as a way to promote local on-farm sales when a collective of Hood River orchards printed a map to help people find their stands.

We come for the selection at Kiyokawa’s and maybe a quick stop at Pfriem Brewery for a growler of Sesson. Its well worth the drive.

Posted on

There is an office … space.

Yes, we’re retired. However, we still work on projects.

This blog/journal keeps us busy, when not fishing or exploring. And we have tasks that eventually require our attention.

Our most current,  “straightening the office,” has been on the back burner because it’s a bit like housework. (See Rules to Live By in Fossils, rocks and turkeys post).

As with nearly any furniture placement, eventually it will require some tweaks. When it came to the office area, Jack set up his fly tying bench, assembled a desk, and plugged in the computer. He then called it good.

Jacqueline figured there could be a better arrangement and set about tweaking the space.  What we have now is many times better than the jumble that was in here and it makes getting these posts ready much easier.

 

Posted on

Are we there yet?

We enjoy planning road trips.

Short or long it doesn’t matter. Maps come out, calendars are penciled in … its all good stuff. Personally, I think we like the possibilities of a new adventures, as much as the trip itself.

We used to be limited by vacation time. So, of course it was all about “getting there.”  Now, not so much. Since retiring, we’ve adjusted our mindset and have slowed things down.

All those roadside stops we used to zip by are now interesting. We stop at historical markers, geological sites, scenic outlooks … heck, even wide spots in the road.

Some of this dawdling has had some surprising results like: catching a storm front near Biggs, driving through freezing fog south of Pendleton, viewing dippers on the Malheur River, enjoying a sunset in Yosemite and marveling at the Metolius Balancing Rocks (a small wide spot with trail that lead to this geological wonder).

All because we started with a plan, then changed it.

Storm front near Biggs, Oregon
Posted on

Fall at Summer Lake

In Central Oregon Fall seems to have gotten skipped over and we’ve moved directly to winter or at least the cold part.  That said we took off for Summer Lake this morning hoping to catch some migrating waterfowl.

The weather was overcast with temperatures just above freezing as we drove south Fremont highway (US 31) past Fort Rock on to the high desert.

Took a brief side trip a few miles up USFS 2901, which would eventually take you to the rim of the cliffs that border the west side of Summer Lake. Snowy roads persuaded us to turn around before they got worse higher up.

The reserve at summer lake was packed with pre-wildfowl season RV’s, no people just their trailers.

The clouds broke up and we enjoyed some birding, highlighted by a trio of swans landing and paddling around just a few hundred feet away.

 

 

Posted on

A Fall Tea Party

Weeks of preparation came to a plate this past weekend with the official hosting of Pumpkin Tea 2019.  The general theme this year was finger foods. It was a move back to english tea party roots.  (See this year’s menu: 2019 Pumpkin Tea Menu)

The Pumpkin Tea originated twenty plus years ago as a tea and group pumpkin carving. It evolved over the years to be more about the tea and less about Halloween.

When we moved to La Pine the tea got restarted and became a day of celebratory feasting on baked goods. Then last year we included an “insta-pot-luck” … because there wasn’t enough to eat as it was (just joking).

We enjoy the time to catch up with family, share summer adventure news, and of course… play some cards.

 

 

.