July Snapshots

This has been a busy month on the homestead, with many hours of cutting back stuff and watering. I didn't realize that the rain would just stop in May, much like SoCal. We've had some crystal clear nights where the Milky Way stands out clearly.

Recently, we took part in a Marbled Murrelet count that was informative. The Marbled Murrelet is a small ocean going seabird, related to puffins, that spends most of its life in the water. It is the only alcid that flies inland to nest in trees.  Not just any trees, but old growth trees that have high limbs at least 10 inches in diameter and are draped in moss. Because of logging, these birds are now endangered in most of the Northwest.  We met our group at a trailhead at 4:30 in the morning to hike inland. For two hours we stared skyward, recording the birds' sounds and sightings as they flew to and from the ocean. This commute occurs primarily at dawn and dusk.

Below are some random shots from the past three weeks.

Nick knows I'm fond of goats, and made this drawing on my Fathers Day card.  Thanks, Nick!

One of our several close encounters with elk while hiking our nearby Forest Service road.

While riding our bikes to town, we explored a little dirt road that led to this gem of a waterfall.

The inside of a paper wasp nest that I had to take down, as it was right over some plants that I needed to water.

 We have seen clusters of these caterpillars on a particular plant, lately. I'm waiting for iNaturalist to come up with an id.

ID came in: these are the larvae of the cinnabar moth, a native of Europe and Asia. It was introduced in parts of the U.S. to devour the invasive weed, ragwort (also known as mare's fart).  These caterpillars are on ragwort in the picture.  The striping serves as a warning that they are toxic to eat.

 The water continues to go down in the river, but does make it more accessible.

 Friends John and Mary from Santa Barbara came up to stay a couple days on their road trip of national parks.  John and I have been pals since 7th grade. We traveled on motorcycles together for several months in Europe the year we graduated from high school.

Showing them the covered bridge down the road.

The greenhouse is flourishing!

 I've been having to freeze green beans there are so many. Next year I will stagger smaller plantings.

Red Siberian tomatoes did well, although they turned out to be a bush variety.

An animal sheared off the tops of our strawberries, mowed down the pansies, and chewed the leaves off of a broccoli plant. I set out the camera and here she is!

The birders we did the Marbled Murrelet count with.  After doing the forest counts, we met at the coast to spot the "Marvelettes" in the water.

This fish sculpture hanging outside the Home Grown Cafe in Florence gave us ideas for a winter project.