Unexplained Phenomena

While at Nancy's, they had told us of this unexplained arbor phenomena.  Yup, a funky tree growth.  We watched for the landmarks they had told of and then there it was.   

A perfectly round, green topiary type growth in the top of a towering tree.  No one knows how, or why it grows as it does.

It is just there, at the bend in the road. 

Perched in it's tree branches like an illustration out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Perhaps it is just there to cause us to slow down and wonder, and marvel. 

Parting is such sweet sorrow

The end of a visit always comes too soon. 

Once the hugs began... Jacob wanted in on the action.  He even hugged Nancy goodbye. 
We hugged, we waved and a few tears were shed.  We knew we would have to return to visit again, it's so much easier to leave if it's see you next time rather than good bye.

And so with that, the big white van with it's eight children departed from the hilltop farm and history had been repeated.  Tucked safely away were new memories, new friendships, and a special jar of 'hot cocoa paste a la Oneta'.

Stowaways!

For ten people traveling in a large van, we packed only the essentials.  However differing views of essentials still left us packing a lot of stuff.  Our trip home we were a little heavier.  Our essentials plus a few stowaways we picked up along the way. 

Generosity, Spoiling and Talent.  Every time I turned around Diane had a little something for the kids to play with.  She had some clothes for them, some frisbees, some rubber duckies and little car toys.  But of all the things she had for the kids, the evening she offered them a stuffed beanie baby, will be well remembered.  She had many too choose from.  Channa and I did our best to guess which they would choose and then we called them one by one to choose their top two favourites so that we could be sure to give each one they wanted.   I won't tell you which they chose... yet... perhaps looking them over you can match the beanie to the child who ultimately received it.  There was one that was wanted by four children, and two of them when the saw it immediately commented on it and said, "(***)will really want that one, I won't pick it so they can have it!"  We were so impressed by their thoughtfulness.  The fourth was easily swayed by our excellent mind control efforts!

So how well can you match them up?

Paul the Walrus, Snip the cat, Pugsly the pug, Canyon the cougar, Almond the bear, Scaly the komodo dragon, Hiss the snake.  Only two were renamed by their new owners.... one for allergy reasons, the other for affiliation purposes!  Almond became Berry Oso, Canyon became... wait for it.... BYU!

But where does the talent come in?  Nancy had a handmade afghan for each of us!.  Again we were called in to choose the one to our liking.  Each had different colours and patterns.   So lovely.  No worries of anyone being cold on our drive home with these.  They immediately went to each of their beds and have quickly become favourites to grab and wrap up in for a movie. 

New and Improved.

There were things that didn't change and there were things that did.  Then there were some altogether different things at the farm.

Pigs.  Although I remember there being a pig pen at the farm.  We used to wander over to the area of the pig pen.  It wasn't where we went too often.  I don't recall if it was off limits and we were sneaking over there but I just had the sense that there was something really cool about going to the pig pen.  Until the fateful day when I stepped on the bee hive.   Never felt like taking that path after that. 

My point is that I don't recall there ever being pigs on the farm.  There are now though.

Nancy doesn't drive.  I think she was waiting until she got these stylin' wheels!  

She uses this 'pumpkin' to go between houses.

My kids are all jealous of her wheels!

A trip down memory lane

We took a tour of the old place.  We apparently brought the sunshine with us.  They hadn't had many sunny days this spring.  The mud was evidence of that.  We all piled into the back of a 4 x 4 truck and drove up the old familiar road.  Riding in the back of a pick up truck is an adventure reserved for at farms and ranches. 

Whittaker was sitting pretty.  There just happened to be a car seat in the cab of the truck, so we strapped him in.  He loved that it was a forward facing seat and he could actually enjoy the view for a change.  He didn't see everything though... the seat must have been comfortable... he fell asleep. 

A familiar site.  The mailbox at the bottom of the driveway.  A daily jaunt to get the mail was a fond memory of mine.  The old logging road to the  left is now closed.  No back road entry anymore. 

The old Hayward Farm didn't seem to have changed at all.  Perhaps it had but it was after all just a drive by, and I wasn't as familiar with their farm. 

As we approached Janet's hill, memories hit like a wave.  Many afternoons were spent wandering the hill.  Sometimes for fun and sometimes with a task to do.  I remember the summer of salt!  Any time we didn't have anything better to occupy our time Sparky and I were sent to the hill with a hoe and a carton of salt.  Our task; to chop down thistles and salt the exposed stem.  We attacked many a thistle.

  

We used to follow cow trails from the barn, up through the woods and always ended up on the hill.  The cows were just grazing and doing their thing and we would wander among them.  I was always so pleased with how many of them I could recognize and name.  

Hay time found us back on the hill and the cows following the truck as we'd toss off the bales for their dinner. 

Another memory was hopping out to get the gates.  The kids were all eager to do the hopping.  Good thing we had multiple gates to go through.  

The cows of yesteryear were tame pets.  They were named alphabetically.  We would arrive for a visit and if a calf was born, we would ask what letter are we doing?  Then we would make name suggestions.
Ok.  So the bull was never all that friendly, but if you left him alone he tended to leave you alone as well.  The cows aren't named alphabetically anymore, and Nancy said they aren't exactly used to people wandering around like the old ones were.  We stayed in the back of the truck with the kids.  Maybe next time we'll take a quiet meander on the old cow trails without the kids in tow. 
The ladies were certainly curious about us.... I bet they wondered what the truck was doing on the hill without any hay for them....

After staring down the cows in the field we took a gander at the big hay barn at the top of the hill.  Of all the things we saw at the farm, most made me feel huge... The big hay barn did not.  If anything it seemed more massive than my memory remembered. 

There is something about kids and a stack of hay, whether loose or stacked it's a magnet for kids to play in.  I don't understand the appeal.  It's scratchy.  It makes some folks sneeze. 

 Sarah's camera has this cool feature where it can take multi-burst photos.  Or in other words... action shots.  However I don't know how to take them apart to make an action sequence.... more experience needed.. or perhaps I need to read the manual.

 

Jumping off the hay in slow motion...

One of these days I am going to need to find an old fashioned well with a bucket on the end of a rope.  Poor Mackenzie.  When I began reminiscing about the day that the well was dug, up on the hill by the big hay barn, she got excited.  She thought once again that she was going to see a well.  

There's a pump house.  In there is a pipe. 

Just as we were getting back in the truck, a butterfly flew by.  Then it landed.  On Nancy.  Then it landed on Miles arm.  Then it landed on Kenzie's hat.  It almost landed on Sarah as well.  This was a friendly butterfly.  After it visited us it landed on the ground.  Unbelievably it allowed Nancy to pick it up and hold it for close to a minute or more while she showed it to us.  Trying to capture a photo of the butterfly as it landed on each person proved too difficult.  I got a great shot of Miles forearm and Kenzie's hat though! 

After touring the woods, the hill and the hay barn we drove back down through the woods toward the old house.  We took a new road though.  On the far side of what used to be the old milking barn is now a road that passes a new fruit tree orchard and a flourishing garden area.  Driving past the the milking barn and then the old cabin and around the end of the old house that was Grandmother Geneva's room.  The area has been cleared and now is open and bright.  The house seems so different without the over growing trees near the house and coming from the other angle.  I don't remember when Grandmother Geneva's room was added to the house, I was too young, but I definitely remember when the new two story addition was added.  It was fun to watch it take shape.  Even more exciting was getting to sleep in the bedrooms upstairs when they were ready.

Missing from the front area now is the cooler.  But don't panic that doesn't mean that ice cream breaks in the afternoons don't still happen!  Nancy has her priorities! 

But of all the things that we saw and did.  Things that have changed and others that never do, Nancy is still there.  She is still milking cows. She still wears her red t-shirt.  She is still encouraging children to read.  She is still a positive person who is fun to be around.  She is still well preserved for 90.

Enjoy a snippet from the back of the truck after our little trip down memory lane with the kiddos. 

The Edn..skd

Old Growth

Driving to Portland we left the desert landscape behind for a much more lush and forested landscape.  The boys were frequently reminding us that the trees help us to breathe by making oxygen for us.  Conversations about what it would be like if the trees were all gone suddenly or if they all died slowly.  Also speculations about how many trees we would need to keep on the earth just to keep one person alive.  An astute comment was made about evergreen vs deciduous and which season it was making a difference to the equation.  End result of the conversation... We were all pleased that there are still trees.  We love that they help us breathe, give us shade and can be used for many purposes like lumber, paper, firewood and much more.  It was also good that we saw some tree farms along our travels and were able to discuss the importance of replanting to keep from depleting the resource all together.  

I recall traveling to the Northwest before with Patrick.  He commented that it was claustrophobic with all the tall trees towering over him everywhere.  I think it stemmed from a combination of growing up with the vast openness of Wyoming, and being taller than most around him.

I still look for that claustrophobic feel, but instead I find beauty, peace, life and interest.  I found it everywhere I turned in western Oregon.  The crackle of the undergrowth, the beauty of the moss, the power and strength of the towering trees. 

We arrived at cousin Diane's on Tues. evening and I noticed almost instantly a lone tall tree in the distance.  I suppose it wasn't a lone tree.  It was surrounded by other trees.  This one stood out though.  It stood out and up, high above the others.  This tree was likely double the height of the other tall evergreens.  I asked and realized as Diane explained that I already knew the response.  This tree had a diameter at the base of the trunk that allowed it to be 'saved'.  Due to its' age and size it would not be cut down as the others it had grown up with already had.  But this didn't really save it.  Instead it left it alone.  The only one around that would have to buffet wind and storm alone.  It would suffer extremes and somehow the strength was being zapped out of it.  It would suffer a long, slow death instead of succumbing instantly to the axe as its friends had.  You could see the haggard look in the branches or lack of them as it stood erect and proud after all those many years.  It would withstand the oncoming years of erosion and weather torment alone and silent.  Because of its old growth status, it had been 'spared'. 

I knew after seeing that tree in the distance, that first thing the next morning I wanted to capture a photo of it.  It had become too dark to take it the night we arrived, but a morning sunrise photo would be perfect. There was something more I was sure I could learn from this old wise tree if I were to remember and ponder on it. 


But in the morning... it was gone.


We awoke our first morning in Vernonia to a dense fog. 

I'd forgotten about the weather in the Pacific Northwest.  

About mid morning, the fog had lifted and the tree was once again standing prominently in the distance.  I decided not to risk waiting for a lovely sunrise to capture my new friend. 

Milking Time

Milking time is a special time.  Special for the cow, the observers, the milker and the expectant milk drinkers.  Back when I was a young girl, milking was a great treat.  A chance to go to the barn with the big kids.  To watch and listen to the milking machines and their constant rhythm.  To watch as the cows fell into line, heads into the stalls for a little grain while the milking machine did its work.  To be amazed at how quickly the machine filled with the warm milk. 

Although time has passed, the milking hasn't changed.  Nancy in her red shirt headed out to the barn with her bucket of water.  The cows know their part and were waiting.  Another generation of children watched with awe as the process began.  

Nancy explained the process to the kids, just as she had so many times in the past to us when we would sit on the fence in the back of the milking barn.  

And when the milking is complete, always remember to thank the cow.  

Then empty the milking machine.

 A fun part of the milking process.  Feeling the suction of the milking machine. 

 Back to business.  Time to clean everything up.  

The milking machine can suck up the clean water just as well as the milk! 

(Might be an interesting note at this point to mention that since nursing, and having to pump from time to time, I've gained a much greater appreciation for the life of a milk cow!)