Some Work Done

While I was off goofing around in WY, Melissa actually did some real work around here. She peeled all these logs (all the white looking wood you can see). We decided the milled beams I did a while ago don't have the structural integrity we hoped they might. (you can still see one in the background on the mill) so we had to go for more round logs.

That's Jack doing some supervising in front of one of the piles of bark taken off.

Smoke and Table

I was trying to get a picture of the blood red sunset that has been regular since the fires started around here. This isn't a great picture of the sun, but it does show our nice picnic table looking stylish. it's nice to eat lunch out here as the yurt is way too hot in the middle of the day.

Our own strawberries!

Finally, we got a harvest of strawberries that is at least worth taking a picture of. The basket is filled with one morning's grab of our planted strawberries, and the little bowl has a batch of wild strawberries from around our property. They are really really good. (we have some from the store as well, and the storebought ones really seem like red bags of water)

Summer baking day

Despite the lack of posts these last days, we have been doing some stuff. Here's an artsy picture of some great pizzas coming out of the earthen oven:








We're getting better at the baking process, and now Melissa is into playing cribbage, so we're hanging out, watching the sunset, eating pizza, playing cards, baking bread, and crackers. Nice.

Other Garden updates:

Someone's been eating the strawberries, and it's not the banana slugs. I decided to go full force on the defensive, and put in the 'hardware cloth' baskets around the strawberry rows. Didn't take long, and looks pretty good.


Jack models the latest in grape arbor updates. Our seedless table grape was jumping out of the ground, so I gave it something to climb. That's (hand) split rail verticals with heart redwood split
and carved from a very large log (see below)



and the new ameranth is starting to come in. This is just two pinches from the stuff we 'winnowed' a month ago. Seed saving has begun!


and, First Potatoes! I robbed just two potato plants for one meals' worth the other day. Man, these were good.

Remember that big log?

The log I dragged out of the woods and wanted to make into one big 46 foot beam? Well, it didn't work out. Of course, I put all the work in before I found that out.

Here's me making a side cut with a chainsaw attachment called 'the Beam Machine' that uses a 2x4 as a guide. it's not bad, but only one side of the cut is clean. the other has deep saw marks.


Here's the beam looking pretty good...


But cut down the middle to make 6x10s reveals the termite damage. It can still be used, but not for the house interior. 'hello fancy patio steps!'

T0mato cages

I know, they sell them at the store. well, I wanted to make better ones than last year, and, well, we do have wood laying around. This time I peeled them, and wedged the ends of the cross pieces as they do with an axe head: split down the end and a little wooden wedge put in. I think they worked out pretty well. I'm hoping these will last a few years.

Haven't been getting much work done...

I know, I know; not many posts lately. here comes a bunch. The last week of May, we had guests up here with babies in tow. We managed to get some work done, but we also did a great job of wine tasting and eating.

Here we are on 'party ridge' for a quick appetizer course before it got too cold.


Out at the local winery, Hallcrest, where some great Zin was found. The little baby 'onesy' says, "pirate in training"


And we had many good meals in the yurt.