Ocean perspective

Looking out into the ocean can bring a sense of calm, even when the waves are crashing.  Trips to the coast always entails a beach walk.

Next to Redwoods, I don't feel so Giant

Its 2017, a new year upon us.  Reflections on the past year's successes, failures, events, dull-drums, etc can become overwhelming, causing one to feel low.  Then you look into the night sky, see a vast universe of stars and all your reflections and perspectives become irrelevant in scale.  Staring into the ocean can give a similar result, washing away things and leaving a clear mind.
A walk in the Redwoods, among the Giants, can cause thoughts and sensations of being a part of a larger system, one operating on a long range time scale, not on a Monday-Friday routine with structured weekends.
These photographs were from 2015, it has taken me a while to post them.  Prairie Creek Area.

Burnt core, the upper part of the tree was still alive.

Note: Todd is in the picture, just below center.  Scale!!

The bark on some of the trees is bizarre.

Todd is on the trail, once again, the scale!!

Garden Time!

Northern Cali is a new place for me.  This will be my first year having a vegetable garden at our home.  It is also the first week of June, in gardening terms that typically means its safe to get tomatoes, peppers, and other heat loving plants in the ground.

It has been a slow start but full of work.  First, we had to clear out blackberries and willow trees that have invaded the garden area.  This laborious task was not without surprise, we discovered rhubarb, an ornamental dogwood, spearmint, and an animal trap in the thorny brush.  Next, we replaced the old fence, adding 10 feet on both sides for a total 70 x 40 ft garden area.  Don't go gasping at 2800 sq ft, a large portion of it is apple and pear trees.  Then we had to wait for the soil to dry out from the spring rains before we could roto-till the soil and grass.  For all you lasagna gardeners out there, this will be the only deep tilling for a while, we had to break up grass and tree roots.

Then it was a slow planting of leafy greens, cabbage, and broccoli.  Followed by peas and bean seeds. And most recently, the tomatoes (21), peppers (18), and various squashes and melons.  I look forward to summer harvest, salsa, and canning!  Lastly, I am setting up drip irrigation.  It is so very hot here and water is at a premium.  Todd installed faucets in the garden that supply the garden with river water.  What a relief from having three lengths of hose from the house.

Garden as of June 2

California King Snake

California has plenty of reptiles.  Sunday, I saw a California King Snake slither across our road into the woods.  These are good snakes as they eat Rattlesnakes, which I heard the following day near the property boundary.  My cat was in the shrub that the rattling sound came from.  Luckily for her, she slowly walked out of the shrub, with eyes on the snake.  She was bit last year, not sure she learned her lesson.

Riverine spring

Spring along the creeks is fantastic here.  Within the rivers, an amazing plant is sprouting pink fleshy shoots of flowers from a twist of tuberous roots submerged in the water.  I do not recall the name of this plant.  Come summer time, it has large green leaves that gives a tropical feel to the river.

Also along the edges of the rivers, in meadow areas that were underwater, comes a delicate orchid, the fairy slipper, Calypso bulbosa.

Calypso bulbosa

On the open slopes, a white native lily sprouts and fuzzy pussy ears lily (Calochortus tolmiei), like the sego lily in ID but fuzzy.

Calochortus tolmiei

?

Spring at the B Bar K home

It is spring time at B Bar K.  This has been a wet spring, especially after the past 5 drought years.  This is also my first spring in California, first spring on B Bar K.


Some wildflowers have bloomed in April, mostly trillium, an early spring flower even in Idaho.  The trillium in California are huge.  The leaves and flower are both twice as big as an Idaho specimen.

Trillium

Trillium

Today, May 6, the following plants were in bloom in our B Bar K flower beds.  Most of these are not native, some are relatives of natives, and all are pleasant to see.

Purple Robe locust Robinia pseudoacacia

 

Columbine  Aquilegia sp.

Columbine  Aquilegia sp.

Columbine  Aquilegia sp.

Iris Iris

Iris Iris

 

California Dogwood Cornus nuttallii

 

 

Puffball Hydrangea Hortensia

Merced River float

We also floated down the Merced River.  Being with a bunch of Alaskan kids, there was some swimming to be had by them!  Brrrr.

Yosemite NP Vernal Falls hike

We did one hike, it was not far but very steep.  We went to the top of Vernal Falls.

Past half way up

Granite steps, very well done!  There were many of these.

Hi Kate! and the Edwards staff (see shirt).

Vernal Falls

Yosemite N.P.

Yosemite National Park has been established in 1864! The park is fantastic to see. Here is just a snap shot:

The waterfalls were in full glory!

Bridal Veil Falls

Merced River and Yosemite Falls

Vernal Falls

Above Vernal Falls, Merced River

Yosemite Valley view

Yosemite flowers

Todd and I spent last week in Yosemite area.  We went to view spring flowers and were pleasantly surprised by the display.

Adventurous June Bug

In November, Todd, the fur Kids and I went to the coast near Arcata and the Redwoods National Park.  Such a wonderful place.

The weather was a bit stormy but that just resulted in a high tide and large waves.  June Bug, the adventurous cat, went on an extensive beach walk with us:

 

Hydrology

Rain has been coming from the sky for the past week.  Some days only a quarter of an inch will fall.  Other days over an inch, up to two inches, falls within a 24 hour period.  The drops are big.
this is a stark contrast to the hot, dry summers.
Browns Creek peaked about 6 feet on Sunday afternoon, it was flowing at 2.8 feet in the morning.

The ephemeral creek crossing our property has not flowed in over 4 years.  Its flowing now.



 



 
With all this rain also comes erosion.

Yo Stoners

Since there is a movement of Farm to Fork, getting to know where your food comes from, I propose a Farm to Pipe movement.  Why? well look at this article:
Mother Jones


Since moving to the Emerald Triangle a few weeks ago, I have assisted with a clean-up.  I have also walked through "legal" private grow operations.  One is not the same as the other, yet weed from the Emerald Triangle (Humbolt, Mendocino, Trinity Counties) of California may be for sale in your home state and you would not know how it was grown nor the environmental impacts growing it has caused.

I'm not preaching to not smoke, eat, or rub marijuana products on and into your body.  Just think about what the environmental impact your purchase is supporting.

California Dreaming

Well, its not a dream but a reality.  We are now living in beautiful Trinity County, true Northern California.  No, not Tahoe or San Francisco, but further north, almost to Oregon.

In June, we purchased a home in a quiet neighborhood.  Our small 2 bedroom home sits in a meadow on a long rectangular 13 acres within a narrow north-south valley with a creek that would flow year round if it were not for the drought. On the east end of the lot, is a steep oak-ponderosa tree covered slope.  The west end of the lot is a moderately steep oak-fir-ponderosa covered slope.  The meadow is a mix of pasture and native grasses, mostly dry and brown.  On the south end of the lot are two gardens.  The first is a neglected French garden of lavender, hazelnuts, and butterfly bush.  The second is an orchard with apple trees originally trained to be espalier but have been neglected so they are wild shrubs.  The entrance and parking area is also landscaped with lavender, butterfly bush, ornamental maples, hazelnuts, and rosemary.

Aerial of the center of the property.  Creek is on the right in the trees.

The house is a cedar sided cottage with a green metal roof.  The main floor is an open floor plan containing kitchen, living, and dining space. Upstairs are the two bedrooms separated by a bathroom.  Both bedrooms have a large window placed on opposite sides of the house, allowing for great cross drafting.  Outside, a covered porch wraps nearly 3/4 the house.

Our water source is from a spring on the west slope and it is nearly a trickle so conservation is huge.  We do have a pump house to get irrigation water from the creek, but with the little water in the creek, we choose not to. 

And that is what we are starting with.