My latest project is restoration of the boat I bought in September. See it at:
Misty afternoon
Well, it’s the end of the year, and the end of my photo-a-day project. I had fun, learned a lot about using my camera, and discovered that life has a way of getting in the way of projects like this. Lost a lot of time to Alki’s cancer treatments, and once I lost momentum it was hard to pick it up again. Still, it was a fun experiment.
I think I’ll end a year with this: one of my favorite wintertime scenes, the mist rolls in for the evening, shrouding the trees across the street.
Have a great new year!
Our new farm employees
On our wee little ‘farm’ we have added two employees to help keep the weeds under control. Meet Oreo and Cookie!
An Alki photo-essay
Alki and I were playing in a sunbeam this afternoon.
The funny looks on her face is because she is muttering and grumbling – talking to me while I try to get her in a good position for a shot.
Lots of talking!
And occasionally stopping to keep an eye on what the other critters in the house are up to, in case she needs to go intervene.
Close up.
Mid bark!
Is that what you wanted? Now where’s my cookie?
At 12 years old, she is the smartest, most beautiful, most playful and loving dog I’ve ever had. All dogs that come after her will be cursed with having to live up to the legend of Alki 🙂 I don’t know why everyone doesn’t have an American Eskimo!
Alki blocks the doorway
It is the alpha dog’s right to control the movement of the dogs under him or her. Alki takes this very seriously, and either to frustrate him, or just to make sure he still knows who’s boss, she will block the doorway, hallway, etc, and refuse to move to let Chester pass. This results in his sitting and crying about it until we make her move. He would probably just sit there and cry and pee on the floor if we didn’t intervene. He certainly does not have the authority to pull rank and step over her – she’d put him DOWN if he tried. Here she lounges across the hallway, trapping him in the office until his whining annoyed us enough to step in.
Moving day!
Moving day for the Mustang, anyway. For the first time since I brought my prize home, it has rolled back out of the garage (with Dave pushing it unfortunately), and will be stuck under a cover outdoors for the rest of the winter.
Meanwhile the boat has taken over the garage, and hopefully I will have it finished and ready to use by spring. Then it will get an outdoor cover and the Mustang will get to move back inside for it’s restoration.
When they’re done, they can probably both fit in the garage side by side, but for working on them, a double car garage is really only room enough for one (particularly a double car garage full of junk, as mine is!)
Praying Mantis
I always enjoy running into Mantis in the fall. I don’t know why this always seems to be the time we find them hanging about. We found two of them in the shop, and evicted them to the bushes by the pond. My husband pointed out that normally I would never pick up a bug that big! But I make exceptions for Mantis and Woolly Bear Caterpillars.
He settled in for a bit of grooming…
Then he got curious about the camera…
And finally he climbed right up on the lens!
It’s been raining…
It’s been raining for a solid week, and the forecast is for more rain as far out as it goes , it must be fall again. Alki still wants to go for her daily walk, so I grabbed an umbrella and bought her a raincoat, and we’re off!
This little coat, BTW, is made by Doodlebug Duds right across the river in Oregon, and it’s nicer than some coats I’ve had! Nylon on the outside with reflective strips, fleece on the inside, and the collar turns up or down for really nasty days. It fastens on with a big velcro chest strap and a wide tummy strap, and comes off again just as quick. The first walk out she was putting up a good fuss, pretending she couldn’t figure out how to walk in it, but in no time she was romping around! I highly recommend it!
Emigrant Lake – Fall 07
Here’s a picture I took this spring…
And here’s from the same area this weekend. Although we go every fall, this is the lowest I’ve ever seen the lake.
The water should be up to the base of those trees.
The low water revealed fascinating old pieces of driftwood. What do you see in this one?
This is one of three Scamps that was at the campground this weekend, in addition to about ten more we saw on the road. There must have been a Scamp party going on somewhere. We even saw a Scamp fifth wheel!
Here we are. Thanks to the Scamp we were not the smallest trailer at the campground.
Sunset through the branches.
The next day we walked as far as we could before rocks blocked our way. When we walked back past the info board we noticed the big sign warning that cougars had been seen in the area! We probably wouldn’t have wandered so far if I’d seen that sign first!
Canada geese
This is a vineyard up on the hill overlooking the park. It’s so beautiful, it always makes us wish we could stay there.
Storms blew in Saturday evenign
A heron picked along the beach
Clouds reflected in the Airstream.
Steff Does Stuff! 