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Walking through the woods

We got the parts, now Sid the mechanic is making repairs to the riding mower. If you think the photo makes it look confusing, you are in the majority.
Rock Creek is very, very low.
Lots of great stream complexity is revealed now that the water is so low.
The riparian plantings down off the Rock Creek trail are thriving.
Scotch broom! In the clear cut!
We cut some blackberries away from our little Doug-fir, but mostly the little trees are doing well.
There is an obstruction at the end of the trail leading from the Rock Creek trail to the clear cut. We may end up leaving it because it covers a part of the trail that is super wet, even in this dry weather. It is a bad place to drive the Ranger as a result.
Can you see the water?
As you can see from my boot, even walking across the wet spot is a mess!

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Big forest road barrier safely removed

Sid is mowing the lower field.
Let me make it clear right off the the bat. NONE of these animals helped with the chores.
This big dead maple (?) tree fell, wedged itself in a live Doug-fir and generally prevented vehicle traffic on the Rock Creek forest trail.

Firewood!!!

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Repairs made, wood stacked, obstruction removed, flowers enjoyed and habitat restoration and timber management tour attended

Sandra made a neat pile of the remaining firewood before she departed for Philly
Mower repair by Sid. I dare you to spot the break!
Loop trail obstruction removed
There are some beautiful foxgloves near the Griffith Creek pond. They are an invasive, apparently, but I can’t bear to remove them.
Columbine
Bill and I participated in a tour of Jim and Ed Mer….’s 1000 acre tree farm (Oak Basin TF). I fell in love with their signage.
Near the top of one of the  Coburg Hills, a range of foothills of the western Cascade Range of Lane and Linn counties. The view of the south Willamette Valley is amazing (especially if there weren’t some fire smoke drifting in).
The brothers built a one-room hunting (?) cabin near the top.
Jim M. shows us the Spirit Tree, a historical sacred place for the Callipooya. It is likely more than 500 years old.

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Looking for firewood

Mike, our firewood guy, was out last weekend cutting firewood. He chastised us for not finding a pile he cut last year! So we went looking today to make sure we never missed another pile.
I think we found the missing pile on top of this hill. I guess we will roll the wood down.
Mike sent this picture. We never found this pile. Sid? Do you know where it is?
Mike’s photo. He mowed a nice path down to Rock Creek.
Pacific bleeding heart
Foxglove
Columbine
Columbine and bleeding heart near the Griffith Creek pond where Bill saw two fish!
Go Beavs! One of Sandra’s plantings.
Did we forget to tell you the quarter panel on our riding tractor separated when it got caught on some fencing. Our able mechanic, Sid, is confident he can stabilize it.

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The bees are buzzing, the flowers blooming…

They are hard to spot in this photo, but the Italian honeybees love their new home.
I’m not sure you can run the video, but it shows a lot of activity!
Sandra, with neighborly help from Doug, has made this massive Doug-fir stump a lovely focal point.
The Tory wedding gardens are in great shape, thanks to Sandra.
I think this lovely bush is a honeysuckle.

Sid has the entry looking good.

Random seedlings keep trying to take over the meadow.
The pale white flowers are Peacock larkspur.
Sigh. the fight against Scotch broom never ends.
The side trail that leads up toward the clear cut plantings and the Watershed Road (just before entering the woods to follow the Creek trail) is littered with fallen logs. Time for the chain saw brigade.

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Woodshed “engineered”

Nina and Will, having just graduated as bona fide engineers, did the final assembly on the woodshed.

They were appropriately rewarded.
The Italian honey bees await their permanent home that Sid is busy assembling.

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Italian bees enjoy the farm blooms

The purchase of Italian bees will benefit the farm blooms. Here’s the scoop on the bees from the internet:

Pros of the Italian bee (positive characteristics for beekeepers)

  • gentle to manage;
  • overwinters well and builds up quickly in spring;
  • strong foragers;
  • very hygienic;
  • good honey producers;
  • use less propolis than some of the darker bees;
At work already!

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