Nature – Page 2

July 26, 2026July 26, 2026

Summer Smoke

Wildfire smoke obscures the north end of Prineville Reservoi

We did not get on the Crooked River this week. The Canyon was blanketed with a layer of wildfire smoke.

At the beginning of the week a thunderstorm walked lightning from the south to north, across Central Oregon. In its wake were a multiple fires.

Most of those ignitions were dealt with quickly, but a handful grew into major burns.

The biggest, Akawa Butte fire is over 26,000 acres and only 3% contained. It threatens the city of Sisters. But that’s not the only problem.

Pull up the app Watchduty and you’ll see that from Redmond north to Interstate 84 (the Oregon border) there is literally nothing but orange flames. So many in fact that two are designated “Complexes”.

The Rowe Creek complex is ten fires that have consumed 132,000 acres and is only 16% contained. North of that is the Hay Creek Complex which is 5 fires on 116,000 acres, but it’s 76% contained.

To make matters worse, a second storm swept up nearly the same line and while it brought some rain, lightning started a couple dozen new burns.

All of this fire brings smoke. While here. south of Bend, we’ve been spared the worst of the air quality numbers, we still sit under 100 plus readings. Unfortunately, this has become the norm for summer.

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026

Windy Day on the River

We spend a lot of time on the Crooked River. The drive is short and we find there are very few people mid-week. Plus, we never get tired of sitting by a stream.

Fishing is only part of it. We have a couple of spots that offer good access and plenty of shade. These places are familiar, and regularly offer up a surprise or two.

This week’s trip started early. We wanted to avoid the summer heat, nab one of our favorite spots, and avoid the early afternoon when the wind kicks up.

Willows starting to crowd the bank and obscure our views

The gusts got pretty strong. The willow bushes that line the bank were tossing little Lincoln Sparrows around, though these delicate birds never lost their steely grip.

The bird population was really active. Fledglings are out and about, so there is a mix of watchful parents and opportunistic predators.

It was nice to get reacquainted with the local fauna. This time of year activity picks up and we have great fun watching the circus.

After the July 4th holiday the campgrounds get a lot fuller and for longer stretches. We will start looking for more remote sites to keep out of the fray.

This is what ‘sitting by the stream’ looks like.

That said, we try to make a trip to the Crooked at least once a week . . . just to sit by a stream.

June 28, 2026June 27, 2026

River Side

There was a nice big Rainbow just behind that rock

We’ve settled into summer. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot, so we travel in the morning hours and are comfortably ensconced in AC by late afternoon.

This will be the rhythm of our days for the next few months.

Back on the Crooked River we’re looking for a Caddisfly hatch.

We have had lots of success on the river in the last few weeks. The dry fly fishing season is in full swing and the Crooked is at peak performance.

We were treated to a Great Blue Heron sunning on a rock. Usually they are kind of skittish and you don’t get much chance to grab a pix. This was not the case this day. He was quite satisfied to just lounge by the stream.

After a long rest the Great Blue Heron heads downstream

We then watched him as he fly-hopped along the edge of the water in search of his next meal. It was a real treat!

The Osprey flew by a few times, hunting the length of the canyon it seemed.

He did rest a few minutes on the other side of the river, passed with a fish in his talons and generally harassed the fish population on our stretch of the river. So I guess we were in similar pursuits.

June 14, 2026June 12, 2026

Summertime

The morning’s watering left droplets on the lavender

We wrapped up the last of the spring projects . . . planting, weeding, and general yard work.

Our yard work philosophy focuses on using drought resistant plants and drip irrigation. This conserves water, as well as our work load, while keeping the habitat around our house very bird friendly.

June days seem to start out cooler and never reach blistering hot. That will change in July.

For now, trips to the river don’t require regular shifts to stay in the shade.

Attempting to drop a dry fly above rising fish

The last couple of fishing excursions have included late morning caddis fly hatches.

The conditions have been perfect for dry fly fishing. Once the swallows start diving we know the hatch is on.

Paired with the temperate early summer weather, these trips to the river have been great.

Bird activity has shifted. Fledglings are out and about and there is frequent movement along the river’s edge.

We sighted a young osprey perched in the snag dominating the opposite bank. He appeared to have taken a recent dive into the river, and was busy air-drying his feathers.

JQ identified another new (to us) bird. It was a a medium-sized flycatcher called Say’s Phoebe. It has a distinctive pale orange breast and feeds mostly on insects.

Say’s Phoebe named after Thomas Say, an American naturalist

Forecasts are for more of the same this coming week . . . cool mornings and warm afternoons. Heaven!

Colorful spikes of lupine have started to appear in the high desert

We plan to spend a few days at the coast celebrating Jack’s little sister’s birthday . . . then visit old haunts before the heat of the season sets in.

May 31, 2026May 30, 2026

Rainy Days

Being retired allows you to pick and choose the activity, as well as the day.

The crux of this is . . . we avoid weekends and holidays, regardless of how nice the weather.

Not to begrudge the wage slaves their Memorial Day weekend, but as the campsites started to clear, the dark clouds rolled in.

Tuesday arrived blustery and gray, so by midweek the storm clouds had bunched up overhead and the rain moved in. This dampened our plans. But being resilient, we shifted to more home oriented projects and waited for the inevitable sun’s return.

Last week’s trip to Portland netted us a stack of light fixtures and accent pieces for our ongoing house update. Sooo . . . we spent some of those rainy days installing stuff.

Evening thunderstorms roll through, usually moving north or west along the eastern side of the Cascades. The sky opens up and for a few hours there is sunshine.

Summerlike weather is returning to the forecast next week, so we’re planning accordingly.

For now, we keep working through our house projects.