:: Scuff Productions ::

We woke up to a low thick marine layer of clouds. I grabbed the el-cheepo camera thinking the light THIS day would be good for pics, and actually show what kind of rich light the park usually displays in the spring when EVERYTHING is green.

We leave Skyline here….trespassing across Dave’s side road….where the little road ends, Forest Park begins:

Some places are SO full of growth, not much light is there on a cloudy day:

And further down, things just get rich and green:

On this walk, we went along Firelane 10……nice vistas, not sure this cheapo camera shows that:

Still a few trees left waiting for leafing out:

And, Lower Newton Road…..

Newton Road, on the return: **we’re listening here to Pileateds calling from the top of an old growth cedar…that has long seemed to be telegraph central here….SO tall, the top 40′ is dead…and always being used as a calling point…

And finally going homeward bound, leaving Newton, we’re back on the little ‘private’ trail from Arnie’s house to Skyline….. Peter and Jeanne, I’m sure, are discussing Mystical Philosophy:

Oh well……not much said, just what a rain forest looks like in mid-spring…..w/o rain, and before anything dries out……nothing spectacular.

I couldn’t let the FROST 2013 event pass without a comment or two and a few of the pics captured…..I’m trying to make this short.

From the last birding trip in November….I ALWAYS love what this big farm does with two old ancient farm trucks all summer long….from season to season, whatever’s at its peak is placed into the beds of these trucks…here was the last one of the year:

Here, from our quick trip to Multnomah Falls with pal Doug Taron visiting from Chicago, we passed fun ice spots in the gorge…..some of the hillsides looked like a movie set:

At a point we stopped to absorb a small stream almost completely frozen from high cliffs to the bottom…I saw a plaque honoring this person who donated the land right here to the Gorge….the MYSTERY about it was the old stone fireplace that adjoined this spot….it made me wish I could have seen the old place when the family as living there:

And here that was….almost lost now in moss, green, and decay….it just called for a story to me:

And here was that iced over little creek…..

And here WAS gorgeous Multnomah Falls getting all seized up in ice:

another view: (the wonder of this place is NO less magnificent in winter than it is in summer)

The pond below the first stream break under the high bridge…almost completely iced over:

And the BASE of the falls: ***The blowing wind had that bridge completely iced ….I was surprised the Forest Svc was letting anyone up here:

Another iced over creek….that ONLY kept flowing because it covered a LOT of ground in a short time:

And friend Doug Taron, shivering in front of the Falls in the icy wind:

And now for a couple fill-er pics from the winter:

Mark’s date at the last Grateful Dead show: (Thanks, Nancy….)

This IS MAC swimming at 30 degrees down at the pier in St Johns….doesn’t care if it’s 20 or 80:

WET and now shivering yet:

When we have these cold periods, I always kind of like just knowing this is out there, dry, covered, and ready to go….it’s the remnants of our big old fir from 2011:

MY FAVORITE VIEW THIS WEEK from our BACK YARD, right BY the woodshed:

The LAST of the Gravenstein apples are NOT going to waste….the wintering-over (from Alaska)Varied Thrushes are devouring them like crazy right now since the ground is too frozen for them to grab some grains:

And other favorite, the limbs of the big FIR out in front by the garden just look magic:

The tree branches right by the garage:

AND NOW……we tried out this area rug in the new dining room……it was returned…..TOO much red:

And our tiny little Christmas tree this year….had to be moved because of the new wood stove, so NO space as we’ve always had for something grand….”downsizing”:

AND ICED NW Skyline Blvd….was solid BLACK ICE this morning…….car wrecks, you name it, it happened….and by 10:30, it was all melted:

We have talked about the ’3-legged’ coyote that’s been in our neighborhood all summer. Eventually almost everyone’s seen it and often more than once. At first you’d feel sorry, then the longer you look you realize it’s completely healthy and that fact even more amazing when you’re realizing watching it move that the missing leg is a front leg, the very leg needed to “pounce’ on the prey.

AND as you will see, the leg seems so smoothly covered, it “appears” to be a genetic birth defect, not an injury……..

Well, we finally have a neighbor story moved down to our block that’s the best of the summer, I think, and the “guilty” shall rename nameless to avoid …. some perhaps wanting to dine on what “R” is placing on his compost heap.

So. Yes, the coyote’s been doing well. “R” greets morning one day last week…. and as he looks out his back window realizes there is a coyote lying on its back in the middle of some tall grass….. Then he realizes it IS the very 3-legged Coyote that’s gotten all the attention. He grabs his camera….takes a couple pictures…

“R” realizes the animal seems perfectly content laying there, rolling back and forth some, looking at the trees & sky…..even looked at “R” a few times.

“R” gets out to his shop and works a bit…comes back in to see the coyote’s still laying there. Concerned he wonders about calling for help…..rabies? ill? Sad, that the animal hasn’t left.

As he calls for help, “R” remembers the KEY element that may just explain it all! ***Yes, he’s put out lots of food scraps out back, a perfect place to compost and yes, it might feed a lovely wild animal or two.

BUT, a light dawns! “R” just remembered finding that ‘stale’ batch of marijuana brownies in his fridge yesterday. Guess where he tossed them last night? Yep. Right where Mr. Coyote seems to be unable to move. ….. It appears we “KNOW” who ate the entire batch….this poor 3-legged guy who needs to eat EVERYTHING he finds along the trails………..

Oh, the mystery of those brownies! We’ve all experience it at least once! So. A VERY stoned coyote it seems that took most of the day to get itself together and wander off……about 5:30 that afternoon.

We’ve laughed and laughed…….I can only WISH “R” would have called me to some see the scene……

I can’t imagine how brilliant writers have the day I had today and not make a complete NOVEL out of what tiny little nature things that walked/flew around this house.

1) Squirrels. Have born young, the young are no longer nursing, and are out in the “community of squirrels” (Eastern Fox, Eastern Gray Fox, Douglas **native)… They only localize off our rear deck because of the 8 bird feeding stations where seeds drop to the ground.

But ONCE in June when the young are no longer allowed to nurse, and are brought TO this feeding station, to learn the science of what their diet IS, they are so soon spurned and turned away, and chased away by vocalizing parents (and others)………that it’s a bit sad, but they learn they must go off and find their own “territory”….not uncommon in nature. **At least I’m happy they’re eating most of the dropped seed….to keep any mice/rats at bay.

2) DEER. ONCE A YEAR, Doe give birth to fawns…and just AS they do, they give their yearlings eviction notices. Only Once a year, the deer seem to disappear, then while Mom and baby are quietly hiding/nursing, the yearlings appear alone, seemingly a bit lost, and HUNGRY. Today! That happened a yearling buck walked right by our windows to the seed/log we just got……and relished in that find for about 5 minutes…when MAC realized there was an alien who he KNEW was going to destroy our civilization. The barking spooked the dear, but he was back soon SO hungry. It was a fabulous watch for 5 minutes….then he ambled up the side of the house toward the vegetable garden. WOOPS! I have NOT put that deer fence that goes up EVERY year June 1………….. I finally had to let him know I WAS in this “pasture”….and opened the window….he pranced quickly away.

***and of course NO photos……when I simply turned my shoulder, this askeered little deer immediately looked my direction……quiet and NO movement allowed this to happen. I had a great time.

BUT……..TONIGHT, JUST NOW, I spent 30 minutes watching him return to the SEED BLOCK 20 ft from the window…..dine to his hearts content….then amble to the front of the house for salad, aka, apple tree leaves….and I think he ate too much for MY comfort, and then graze in the pasture. THIS was a NATURE MOMENT of a lifetime……..beautiful young sleek native DEER!. Ah, Yes.

3) FLYING SQUIRRELS: After not seeing them for a couple weeks, was SO happy to see -4- of them at once last night in the feeder….seems like THEIR young are ALSO not nursed to completion, and, NO, we hadn’t love them, they’re back! HURRAY. AND it was FUN to see them comfortable 15′ from my chair dining at length.

4) OWLS. Yes, it’s their time too. JUST Thursday, on the dog hike, I was a bit ahead of the group, and SAW a barred owl, very close, FLY in front of me, turn and land on a branch not 100′ away……she watched us…until the group got close and flew further……. End of story? NO! On the weekend, group member Arnie ran into the scientist doing the wildlife count this month for Forest Park, fabulous John Deshler (google him)….. and John not only showed him that very NEST that I was SO close to) but sent him photos of the chicks his nature photog Scott Carpenter had taken.

I am SO thrilled to NOW be able to not just walk the dog, but go check on the progress of the 4 little owlets………….

5) Oregon Juncos. These poor little bottom of the food chain birds NEST IN THE LAWN or on the ground…..SO defenseless…..almost EVERY year we get ONE….we found one, she had five eggs. NOW, 2 are hatched doing well (today), one egg/young disappeared, and should be 2 more tomorrow or……. AND yes, we protect them by putting a tomato cage around that lawn spot…..that is not touched or mowed until the young are fledged:

6) RAIN. Yep, it’s becoming the Junuary I hate……….I HAD to put sluggo on the borders of the garden near the lettuce…..who knows…….and snow levels will get down to 3500′ tonight…… We will know Wednesday……..

What an exciting 2012 THIS is starting out to be…………I had a nature day I’ll never forget.

Fall went on a respectfully long time it seems across much of the country. We kept snapping pics because fall colors have never been so brilliant so long.

But with the first REAL winter RAINS in the forecast, and most leaves exiting the trees, I grabbed the android a couple days ago to snap a few “bye” pics around the place or on the trail to say “bye” to our unusual fall. **pic quality suffered a bit** it was foggy in places.

**I can COUNT the last Gravenstein apples left (4). All that fell have fed deer & coyotes. These last four are feeding birds….I love it:

I am quite sure it’s birds….. squirrels would have pulled too hard and they’d have fallen. This is delicate eating:

But, at least the Granny Smith tree is now about ripe. A pie in December?

Once again, as in the spring post, at the top of the trail, we start down Dave’s little road….the leaves WERE SO THICK I took the mower / bagger to them twice in the last 2 weeks. This is what was left 2 days ago….the leaves are almost ALL gone off the tree today:

Then on to Arnie’s stretch of the trail where several perfectly healthy Vine Maples seem to enjoy their warm quilt of MOSS:

At the bottom, I’ve mentioned the mammothly tall cedar…here’s looking up from the bottom…to PROVE it IS alive. What’s interesting, the top 40 feet of this tree sits ABOVE those branches as dead as can be…and serves as a feeding/calling post for EVERY woodpecker in the area:

MOSS! IT WAS a rather cool summer, not too dry . . .so the MOSS has hung on….can you imagine what this will look like in the spring?

MORE MOSS….it’s beautiful right now:

And some of it’s LONG:

And as you walk BY the MOSSY branches, the leaves on the trail make a lovely carpet:

If you’re in the right place, thin branches look good under moss:

The Newton Fire Lane ……

One of the first markers one reaches from OUR starting point is this old growth tree with MilePost 25 1/4 on it. This means you are 25 miles from the Wildwood trail start in MacCleay Park downtown:

Just this week, as some wind began prior to this incoming BIG storm, three week thin trees came down…. IN a park like THIS, they don’t leave much of a mark:

One Ravine view is a natural pic place….taken by one of the few OLD growth Fir trees left after the 1940′s logging:

A Fall Trail view;

Trail view 2:

And on to beginning a few things for the weekend dining……………..

Sauteed Sprouts….stir-fried w/onion/garlic/brown sugar / touch of peppers & soy, YUM:

Roasted Asparagus:

Tomorrow…..Winter Garden Salad, Rodger’s Pies, and more and more.

Tis the season for family and friends.

Awakening to foggy morning, dark later, cooler days, shorter light spans, the garden is doomed. Until then, however, busy busy busy, yes, like the ant and the grasshopper! I wanted to save some of this 2011 Sept memory to see NEXT year late-summer ….. just in case THAT year’s harvest is a bust. Hah.

Some things are about done….The herb row for one (except for the fennel seeds that are JUST beginning to form:

***These will be harvested in about a month….dried slowly, and we’ll have a big supply ready*** Bruce and Kevin? Ready for your shipment? )
The Oregano (closest) has been harvested, dried, and is being used in salsa. Thyme awaits cutting for drying, and the celery will be around until November for kitchen use:

On the other end, things ARE looking perhaps a bit ragged now, but somewhere in this picture there are hundreds of hot peppers that, will either be used fresh, or when it gets some colder, will be cut and dried for use through the year:

***The cilantro in that pic IS going to seed….I’ll have enough out of that to keep us in the herb through next summer and beyond.

The NEW HARVEST BEGINNING TODAY? CORN! Here’s the Corn Chowder ready for supper tonight:

**and there’s a big bowl of sauteed fresh corn to add to that if one wants ……BODACIOUS corn! VERY Sweet.

There is ONE HUGE thing making the garden still look spectacular. SUNFLOWERS. It truly is a beautiful space right now….FULL of BEES everywhere. Here’s the big view:

Nice!

Things HAVE been coming along nicely……. the Sungolds will STILL be giving up those little golden gems for a couple weeks at least:

The Tomatillos will ALSO continue to ripen perhaps into the 1st of October, and I’ll probably have enough to make another double batch by Friday:

BUT….for The last 3-4 days, besides what we’ve eaten and given away, or taken to a dinner, THESE are ON the island awaiting some attention……. ***AND PLEASE, CLICK on the PICTURE…..You MUST see it in its FULL POSE!!!!****

**NOTE: Tomorrow nite, Rodger will make a fabulous “sauce” with some, and I’ll roast the others. Some of his sauce will be in the freezer with the roasted ones.

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Other than that we have FINALLY made SERIOUS progress about cleaning up the downed tree mess. Remember all those stump pieces in the yard:

Here’s that same view now:

Lookin’ better, but will need to re-seed the lawn in the fall:

Then, there were TWO rows of big branches to saw, split, move, and stack:
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NOW, there’s ONE left that will be gone by weekend:

Must post….. many other tasks of catch-up to do still……….. **NOTE here: Wednesday, weather appears to seriously be downgrading . .. not bad, but not good enough to ripen tomatoes further….. Must plan on freezing corn next.

NOTE: ALL the photos here were caught JUST with the PHONE Camera…it was all I had…. I AM surprised how well it does, I know some aren’t composed really well….but……..it summer’s moving too fast to pose for long.

On to my favorite summer dessert.

You KNOW your summer’s peaked when you eat SUMMER PUDDING (link to Recipe) . . . . . the first time.

Nancy had a few family members over last evening for a summer picnic evening ….yes it was fabulous. We both made a little of that magic dish and “I” thought it was the highlight of the evening.

There’s no stopping me now….after the dental appt this morning, picked up 4 mixed berry containers and am on the way! (Blueberries, Boysenberry, Blackberry, Raspberry)………

***** SOME of these pics can be enlarged ******* They get a little more interesting on a hot day if you can almost FEEL some of this summer air *****

Summer Pudding starts this way:

Next thing you know, your berries are mixed, and brought JUST to the point that the juices start to run:

Next thing is slapping down the pound cake slices around the bottom and sides of the bowl, pour in the fruit & juices, then TOP the thing with more pound cake:

NOW:
Weight that all down, set in the fridge for 12 hours. You’ll pull out a purple lovely Dessert just begging for a little whipped cream………. Yep, that was Poor Man’s Dessert in England 100 years ago.

We’re STILL enjoying the best of summer, and hoping friends suffering from the 100+ temps back east can feel the falls, here’s photo of La Tourell Falls, this time kept LARGE so you can feel it’s power…..CLICK on this photo:

And sure, portland has lots of rose gardens. Here’s a minor one: Peninsula Park Rose Gardens #1:

Garden Pic #2

And those SAUVIE ISLAND FARMS old trucks they keep seasonal flowers in? Here’s what they look like this week.

Truck 1:

Truck 2:

Truck 3:

Let’s try to cool off a little…..Here’s a Columbia River Gorge Shot from cooler times in the early summer, shot from the Washington Side of the river, simply with the Android phone camera….

And lastly, a little wild foxglove….really stood out hiding there in the forest:

Ah summer. It’s too short.

* As we came back out of the park on the way home………. Right in the parking lot, OWL MAN (a scientist, who’s been studying the progress of owl growth inside the park for some time, was lecturing to a group. **Mark’s history with Owl Man:
One morning OUR little walk-group was hearing OWL Hoots as we descended Newton Rd to get to the trails. I, being SO famous for making owl hoots, hah, began answering back to see what the owl would respond with……. Hoots came back, and I kept answering, MOST coollll……. As we neared the lot, I saw a guy nearing the lot also with packs, etc. I asked him if he’d “heard” the OWL calls in an excited birding guy way, to which he responded that he WAS the Owl Scientist, and those were HIS calls to a Pygmy Owl he’d been listening to, and that MY sad imitations, my “karaoke” of owl hoots wasn’t fooling anybody, in fact, his Pygmy Owl was NOT amused……. THAT was how I met Owl Man…..

Nonetheless, I continue to walk in the park, and today, took a few cheap shots of a few nature items I noticed this day in july……they’re posted in random order….. (and, most can be enlarged w/a click…..I felt a larger pic on some view points was worth it)……

The kids and dogs await for me to catch up (embiggen this picture for a better feel:)

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Another corner, one of many on the hike……

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There’s always a few winter trees w/stumps down that get lost during our WET winters: This tree will take years to finally decay:

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Here’s very last remains of a tree whose little bottom shell remains standing……all the rest now forest compost. Of course, one could only guess how many years ago the top fell over:

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A favorite early summer week….the small native tiger lilies bloom, and this year, there’s lots of em:

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If you’re starving, the salmonberries are beginning to ripen….make sure you let ‘em get soft/bright….they can be bitter:
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One of many scenic little ravines, and in winter, every one has a little stream in it:

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Here’s a tree that began its life growing out of a decaying old log….that old “nurse” log still giving some support…..

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Another old nurse log….this one LONG gone, and a lot of weight now on those roots:
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Love the old growth trees that get enough just-right setting to grow moss:

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There ARE a FEW old growth trees still in the park….most lost to logging just before the place was established as a park 70 years ago:

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and here, as in many corner turns/ravines of the trail….an offshoot little trail goes UP the ravine….and is probably used by many animals at night….. for…. ??

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The Vine Maples grow well in the shade, hence: they develop moss that is there all year, just gets a little dried out during the summer. It’s STILL nice stuff:

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Nice Wildwood Trail markers? Ev 1/4 – 1/2 mile ……a tree tells you just how far you are from City Center, er, rather, the START of the Wildwood near downtown:

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Here’s a clump of Maple trees…obviously started when the old one died out….now as they mature, lucky they’re all alive as they compete below and above ground for space, light, soil, water:

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As Mac and I head home, ev day, we’re kinda happy to reach this point…..we’re only about 3 blocks from home now, and some water, or breakfast maybe:

And summer is on……………..The BIRD CALLING is strong now…..I can tell OTHER birds are fledging young besides robins.
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If I’d been asked a month ago whether our little hobby 2011 garden would be doing what it’s doing NOW, I’d have laughed. It was SO wet, cool, dark, I thought things we’re gonna just slowly rot. NOT so. The LAST two weeks of June things TRULY dried up, and slowly began to warm. THIS week we had 3 days in a row over 80! NOTE: IF…….you’ve done your wet/dark garden preps carefully over the last month leading up to this drying period, things simply “explode” in spring out there. It appears that’s happening again…..Hurrah!

Those shivering skeered little Russian Stupice Tomatoes hiding in those water walls? They’re between 3 1/2 to 4 ft tall now, blooming, and I’m excited…. The ripe garden picked tomato? Nothing in life better than those:

As a group, you can see…with any luck, we’ll be roasting, canning by Sept 1:

The corn? Portland’s corn calendar calls for calf high corn by July 5…….that’s exactly where we’re at:

The end herb row is doing well….that blind spot at the end? baby carrots sprouting for MAC:

The shallots we planted early? Already drooping tops means….harvest in a couple weeks:

**and I have MORE shallots in the kitchen that sat here too long to eat, but will sprout out there…….gonna try it.

Looking toward the tomato side…you CAN see in here squash, potatoes, tomatoes, end of the corn row, cucumber:

Here’s the 2nd round of lettuce READY to harvest (a nice Michigan leaf lettuce, and red romaine):

Here’s the 4th crop (3rd is about 2 inches tall)…..just sprouting along with cilantro, and even MORE carrots):

The two rhubarb plants will deliver their second harvest in a couple weeks it looks like:

****NOW. For the Future…………………… The weather, just today, took a downward spin on temps…..and OUR plants need HEAT. Today’s high up here? 58. …..tomorrow? 65….. and the outlook is for more of the same……. We’ll see………….