Month: August 2022

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

M decided to get himself a take-out pizza for dinner. (Wed. is double stamp day!) So he called in his order and was told it would be ready in half an hour. He used that time to wash some lettuce and put together a salad. He already had a beer in the fridge. When he got to the pizza place his order wasn’t quite ready, so he paid and sat down to wait. Just a couple of minutes, they told him. The place wasn’t busy, just one person finishing in a booth and another who looked like he was also waiting for a take-out. And sure enough, after a few minutes a pizza came out of the oven and that other fellow got his pie. At this point things were looking pretty good for M. The next pizza out of the oven would surely be his! From where he was sitting the oven was partially visible, so as soon as it came out he would know. He could taste it already. Soon he saw the counterman turn and open the oven. M couldn’t see exactly what happened next but he heard a sort of muffled flopping sound and at the same time a strangled groan. He could see the counterman looking down at the floor. Not a good sign. M didn’t bother with denial or anger; he just went directly to despair. And then, perversely, a kind of joy. This had never happened to him before. It was a new experience…

Thursday, August 18, 2022

M is off on another overnight campout. He’s picked out a spot near the coast where the weather ought to be cooler. And yes, it’s another place, he thinks, to which tourists do not flock and for which locals have no use. As he nears his goal, he is struck by how different this forest is from the one in the Ochocos. The trees here are huge with an impenetrable understory of shrubs and berry bushes. The lush growth pushes in from both sides of the road, narrowing it considerably and threatening to scratch the sides of the new truck. The real problem, though, is that there is no place to park and pitch a tent. Just this endless, narrow one lane road. His map shows him a number of spur roads, but reality tells another story. In the end, though, he comes to something…

It looks like a nice grassy spot, but when he tries to drive tent pegs, M is soon reminded it’s really an old gravel road with just half an inch of soil on top. He ends up anchoring the tent by tying it off to a couple of logs he finds nearby. When he finishes he looks at the logs again. How did they get here? How is it that they are exactly the size this purpose requires? Someone has been here before.

When the sun went down, it got dark fast. M stayed in his chair for a while, musing in the gloom. It was very, very quiet, as it had been ever since he arrived. He could hear his heart pushing blood around and for a short time he could hear a roaring sound from the south that must have been wind in the trees. As it got darker that sound faded. Then, at 9:34, when it was really quite dark, suddenly a tree or large limb came crashing to the ground somewhere nearby, something heavy and partly rotten collapsing down to rest. 

Friday, August 19, 2022

Back in the Adirondacks, the annual “Cousins Week” reunion of the Chambers family is just winding up. As a final event, the family staged a re-enactment of an 1950’s photo of E, her parents and her three brothers. Some of the original participants are now departed, but Jesse, Tom and Henry–three younger members of the clan–graciously agreed to fill in for them. We regret not being able to show Henry’s handsome face, but his elegant handstand will go down in history. Photo credit to Anne, Henry’s mom, who has had years of experience dealing with the Chambers antics. Andrea and apprentice out-law Andy were also there to cheer them on.

In the afternoon brother John transported E from the lake down south to the Hillbilly Fun Park, where he handed her off to Mrs H, who had driven north to pick her up. Did they have ice cream cones while they were there, you ask? Oh yes. Stopping for ice cream on the way to and from the lake is a Chambers family tradition. From her childhood E remembers her mother insisting upon it even though it made her father grumpy. On this day many years later, our three overage youngsters broke the HFP house rules by sitting in a pavilion bearing a sign saying “FOR SEEING EYE DOGS ONLY.” No one seemed to mind.

M’s Friday started at 2:00 in the morning when he woke to hear a few tiny drops making gentle landings on the roof of the tent. Very few in number and just barely audible, you wouldn’t think they were loud enough to wake a person. M’s brain must have left a few cells on watch while the rest slipped into dreams. What to do, what to do? M lay in his sleeping bag for a while listening to the drops, realizing that he really should get up and put the fly on the tent and maybe put his chair under the truck…

The rain sounds continued all night and into the morning. When he got up, M saw that it wasn’t really rain at all, just fog off the ocean jettisoning tiny bits of itself as condensation now and again. He had no trouble cooking his breakfast and eating it out in the open. Kinda nice out there amid the big, damp trees.

Saturday, August 20, 2022

On Saturday the Andees left the lake and headed down towards the Albany airport to depart for home. On the way they stopped to see E and Mrs H, who were delighted to see them and served them a lunch of Harts’ pizza and homemade cake.

Back in Corvallis, the large and bulky air mattress found a buyer! Another $50 gets added to our vast hoard of cash. 

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Sunday was the big day for the reunion of The Ev–as E was known in college days–and her friend Botany. In between bouts of laughter, they polished off a fancy Greek lunch followed by American ice cream cones, then spent some time thinking of ways to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their friendship. Botany, aka The Plant, presented Ev with a copy of Michael Pollan’s book, The Botany of Desire, and kept another copy for herself. Although far apart, they will be able to enjoy the experience of reading it and comparing notes after each chapter. The day flew by.

Monday, August 22, 2022

Today E went to Saratoga to visit again with J & J. In order to gain entry to J’s senior residence, E needed a recent Covid test. When she arrived, they gave her a kit and told her to go back to her car to administer it, wait the required time, etc. Later in the day, she went to see her high school friend F for another happy reunion. 

Twenty-five hundred miles almost due west, M went to take the garbage out and found this…

Tuesday, August 22, 2022

M thought that the Porsche needed exercise, so in the morning he took it for a spin over to the coast. 

In the evening he drove the Mazda up to the Portland airport to pick up E. Her Delta flight was on time and we arrived back in Corvallis just before midnight. All four of the flights on this trip were on time and no luggage was lost. You know what they say: Ida y vuelta, vuele con Delta.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

E has already started packing for her Wednesday trip to New York. She has several places she wants to visit and communications are flying as she tries to finalize dates and places. M is planning a solo camping excursion closer to home. He’s not at the packing stage, but earlier this week he had a vision of packing, which revealed to him that he needs a new duffel. That arrived today. 

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Dinner with B and B at Momiji in North Albany. They’ve been busy as usual, with guests coming and going. Momiji is nice, and their menu has lots of photos to help you make sense of the sushi selection. E and M shared a large bottle of Kirin. Does everybody know that the Kirin logo was based on a long ago traveller’s description of a giraffe? Doesn’t look like a giraffe…

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

After spending an hour at the dentist, M went out to visit K and L and see about buying their old suitcase style solar panel. They don’t need it anymore since their new travel trailer has built-in panels on its roof. But will their old one work with M’s new Jackery battery pack? Initially it refused to cooperate, but M took it home anyway to fiddle with it.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

M got the solar panel working by asking the Internet for advice and getting a simple answer right away. E finished packing, which was not simple but was very organized. Now she has to actually travel. There are all kinds of air travel horror stories going around. Airlines are cancelling 900 or 1,000 flights a day and apparently there are vast numbers of bags out wandering around trying to catch up with their owners. “Damn the torpedos,” says E, “I’m going to the lake.” Her first flight leaves Portland at 11:00 P.M. We put her on the Corvallis to Portland shuttle at 5:45. 

Thursday, August 11, 2022

M packed up the new duffel and threw it in the truck along with the refrigerator, battery pack and solar panel. He headed east toward the Maury Mountains. He’s just guessing, but he expects that the Maurys don’t attract many visitors. He also expects that his route will take him right past the Sisters bakery…

While M was still in range of a cell tower, E texted to say that she was safely ensconced at Mrs. H’s place in Glens Falls and eating cookies. Both her flights were on time and no luggage was lost. 

M was in Prineville at this point, where he stopped for gas. Yikes, guess what else stops at the Prineville Sinclair?

From Prineville M heads for Post, Oregon, which is said to be the geographical center of the state. There are no giant server barns in Post, and no cell service either. And in fact there are no actual residences. At one time, though, it appears that there was food::

From Post, M went up into the mountains and found an out of the way spot to set up camp. The solar panel worked like a charm, putting out enough current to run the refrigerator and re-charge the Jackery battery at the same time. Once the sun went down the battery took over and kept things going till dawn. With this system, a person could just hunker down there on the mountainside and run that little fridge forever. Of course that’s about all a person could do. No water, no bathroom, no cell service, not very many stars

Why not many stars? Well, the night of Aug. 11-12 was a little strange in that it never really got dark.

Saturday, August 13, 2022

M is home now and having a hard time putting away his camping stuff. There’s no room in the garage. He needs to clear some space for his new stuff by getting rid of some of his old stuff. He starts making Craigslist ads for a car cover, an air mattress, and a radio controlled tank. 

Sunday, August 14, 2022

E travelled with Mrs H to what they call the north country–the area not far from the Canadian border–to visit E’s aunt. She reports a wonderful visit with N, D and H in Malone, NY. Cousin H made the world’s most delicious cake in honor of her visit. One key to its success was an enhanced proportion of light fluffy sweet frosting.

After that, E and H also visited their long-time friend S, in Saranac Lake. 

Monday, August 15, 2022

E arrived at the hamlet of Huletts landing on Lake George today, just in time for a happy hour reunion at Baby Brother’s cabin. Niece M served sumptuous hors d’oeuvre on a century old tea wagon. Nephew J and his wife L were also there along with A&A. After a lovely time, E and the two A’s headed back to their rental cabin, which is down by the post office.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Lots of swimming today. A swam from BB’s dock all the way around 2 peninsulas back to her rental cabin. It was an hour’s swim, with Andy paddle boarding along beside her. E swam over to the dock at nephew T’s rental house, but there was no one there; so she started swimming back to BB’s dock, only to be overtaken by T in a kayak, who accompanied her the rest of the way. They sat on the dock and had a long catch up chat. Soon E noticed another figure swimming towards them. It turned out to be T’s 16-year-old son, H, who came to join them.

After all that exercise and chatting, E took an inspiring nap in the loft of BB’s new cottage. Here’s a photo of the view from the loft bed. In the background is the main house.

E committed a serious error by not texting her whereabouts to her daughter, who became worried and issued a silver alert to various family members, one of whom reported that E was safely napping on the loft bed.

E contritely walked home and upon arrival found best son-in-law in the kitchen preparing dinner. Not a bad day: family, food, swimming and beautiful scenery. Meanwhile, M’s Craigslist offensive has stalled. The tank went fast, but no action on the other things. 

Friday, July 22, 2022

M’s birthday! E made him a double chocolate sour cream bundt cake. She’s made it before and M loves it. E herself is less enthusiastic. She likes the chocolate chips that are baked in and also the richness that comes from adding the sour cream. But how, she asks, can anyone even think about a cake that doesn’t have any frosting at all? She ate a little to be polite. We had our friends D and S over to mark the occasion. We hadn’t had a chance to talk to them for a long time. Very nice.  

As for presents, M got just what he wanted. E gave him a refrigerator (!) and M gave himself a solar capable battery pack to run it. These are for his latest project: equipping himself for low rent truck camping. He figures he just needs one or two more things. A little folding or roll-up camp table would be nice. And he may end up getting solar panels to charge the battery pack. But those are down the road a bit. First he has to get a new truck. 

Monday, July 25, 2022

M sold his old truck to Carmax. We are both sorry to see it go. It was cute and tough. But its bed was too short to sleep in. Also, it’s color, alas, was controversial.  

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

We went shopping in Salem today. E went to REI and Macy’s and got some summer cloths on sale. M went to a used car dealer (the horror! the horror!) and bought a new truck. It’s just like his last truck, but one year newer. Features include a more efficient engine, a longer bed, and less red paint. 

Friday, July 29, 2022

Daytime highs have been in the upper nineties all week. We do our plant watering and truck dealing in the early morning. We walk mostly in the evening. 

Saturday, July 30, 2022

We went on a guided butterfly and moth walk today. The event was sponsored by the Luckiamute Watershed Council and took place at a property owned by one the Council board members. What a lovely place! The ranch consists of 240 acres, much of it forested in Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock and valley pine. There are two streams and two largish ponds. There are also scattered open areas of various sizes that provide good habitat for butterfly and moth species. The landowners have been working with a lepidopterist and are in the process of creating some additional open spaces so as to create a ‘butterfly corridor’ across one end of the site. 

The owners originally purchased the property as a timber investment, but soon began to appreciate it for its beauty and decided to live there. They built themselves a house with wonderful views and a big fish pond not far away. They also began giving attention to restoring the overall ecosystem of the site. Helped out by a couple of restoration grants, they first removed many acres of Himalayan blackberries and other invasive species and then replanted with natives. Another ongoing process involves the protection and expansion a small area of oak savannah. They believe that the savannah had once been much larger, but had suffered from Douglas fir encroachment that was encouraged by the forestry practices of previous owners.

The butterfly and moth walk started with a group of sixteen or so nature lovers sitting in the shade listening to Dana, an OSU lepidopterist, who gave us a basic introduction to the field. Dana then passed out butterfly nets to those who would have them and Dave, one of the land owners, took us on a walk to a part of the property where butterflies are common. As we started out, several of the group couldn’t wait to get into action and ran off into a field, nets flying. Others held back, thinking quite correctly that the really nice netting spots were a little farther along “You’ll see a lot of those later!” Dana called out to them as the rest of the group continued along the dirt road. 

It was a lovely walk. People who caught things in their nets could take them to Dana to be identified, whereas people who were more interested in flora could ask Dave questions about how the area had been restored and what remained to be done. Everyone, though, sooner or later came round to the idea that Dana was a true master of the butterfly net. He’s a strong man with quick reflexes and thousands of hours of practice. His net moves faster than the eye can see. Whew. 

Sunday, July 31, 2022

J and B came over this evening, along with retired hairdresser and bon vivant C. E made a Pavlova merengue with fresh berries and whipped cream. Our guests brought champagne. Delicious. We also took a turn about the yard to see what was thriving and what was not. We had our last sips of champagne outside on the patio, in the welcome cool of the evening.

Monday, August 1, 2022

M performed emergency surgery in the garden this morning. Last evening our friend B had noticed a trailing plant with white flowers in our newly expanded Hummock #1. Oh dear, said he, that’s bindweed. It turns out that bindweed (Convolvus arvensis) is a very obnoxious invader that is known and feared all over the world. It spreads quickly, strangling other plants as it goes. It is difficult to eradicate since it grows both from seeds and from roots. We don’t know where ours came from, but it was probably from a contaminated bag of mulch or potting soil. M has dug up what we could see, but it had already seeded some. We could be in for a long struggle. Or not.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

E had a dental appointment this morning and was once again amazed at how pleasant the experience was. It began with the dental chair, so comfortable, so supportive. She felt like a leaf bobbing in the wind. The dentist himself is always so competent and uplifting. It’s true that there were no free cupcakes in the waiting room due to ongoing COVID constraints…but a lot of places have cupcakes. Not many places make you feel better when you leave than when you came in. 

We had K(R) and L over for dinner. E made paella. Yum. For desert the guests brought strawberry pie. They have a connection to a family that has ever-bearing strawberry plants. Pretty tasty. K and L are going to Portugal in October, with travel arrangements being made by their son C. That sounds pretty good. Also of interest, K has a spare solar panel he wouldn’t mind parting with. Ah…. 

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Highs only in the 80’s these days. Much nicer than last week. We hiked up Bald Hill today and when we got back to the car E noticed some bindweed in the parking area. We looked around. Oh no! There’s more of it along there! ‘Hello, 911? There is a plant emergency at Bald Hill Park.’