My Dad

 My dad, Kermit Williams, had a remarkable life.  He was born January 27, 1918, in a cabin in Greer, West Virginia, a tiny Appalachin coal mining community. He grew up in nearby Masontown, the oldest of 5 children in a broken family.  After high school, he began working in the coal mines with pick and shovel before enrolling in Shenandoah Conservatory to study music.  Time there was cut short by WWII, and he joined the army knowing he would be drafted soon.

Kermit and sister Alice Jane, who died of diphtheria at the age of two, a common occurrence before a vaccine was developed. 

Kermit, 4th from the left, and sister Christine, 2nd from right, on a coal cart.

I love this photo as it shows relatives with their most esteemed possessions.  That's Dad, holding his hat,  to the right of what I suppose is a gramophone that he is clutching.  His mom, Lillie, is third from the right, holding Dad's sister Christine.

Dad is on the right, visiting his coal mine buddies before being stationed in Fort Bragg, California, and then sent overseas.  While in Fort Bragg, he met my mom, Ann Clark, who was a school teacher in Laytonville.  They corresponded for the years he was stationed overseas in the Philippines and New Guinea.

In the U.S. Army, he was a Staff Sergeant in the signal corps.  Communications were by Morse code.  When I was about 9 or 10, he taught me morse code and we used the same key he brought back from the war. A neighbor friend in the house behind ours learned Morse code also, and we strung wires from my bedroom to his bedroom.  We could buzz each other and send messages.  This led to me getting a shortwave radio kit, soldering it together, and with only 3 tubes I could listen to ham radio, Radio Moscow, and the Voice of America in the middle of the night when reception was best.  I wanted to get a ham radio license, but the exam at the time was quite difficult and I never did.

Upon returning from the war, Kermit and Ann were married.  I was born the following year.  Coming back from New Guinea on a troop carrier, Dad was reading material on occupations and decided to learn the trade of piano technician and tuner.  He and Mom went to Elkhart, Indiana, where he learned the trade.  That is where I was born.  While waiting to get into the school in Elkhart, he learned musical instrument repair in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After Elkhart, they headed west to California in an old Chevy.  Heading up the coast they were smitten by Santa Barbara, and Dad took a job as piano tuner for a music store.  After a couple years or so he decided to go into business for himself.  He became a very successful tuner/technician for Santa Barbara, tuning 4 pianos a day.  He would sometimes take jobs as far north as Paso Robles and as far south as Oxnard.  He was the tuner/technician for The Music Academy of the West in Montecito.  The work was hard, and being in business for himself, he only allowed himself a couple weeks off a year.  He made good decisions, buying an acre of land in the hills above the Santa Barbara Mission.  He and Mom helped design a house which we moved into in 1958.  They lived there the rest of their lives, over 50 years.  This family photo is from around 1976.  Left to right, are Mom, Dad, Steve, Sarah, me, and Berta.

For decades, Dad had a core group of friends who would get together and play polka music.  Practice was in our garage, and oompah music would echo off the other side of the canyon.  It was a good excuse to drink beer.  Dad is on the left.  John Ogle, with tuba, was one of Dad's best friends, and was leader of the band.  They even played live once on TV's Polka Parade!  

Mom and Dad at the farmer's market in Santa Barbara in 2004.  Dad passed away March 2, 2009, at the age of 91.  His life was truly an American success story, one of smart decisions, hard work, and loyalty to friends and family.  

Hummingbird Cam

 We've been having fun with this camera/feeder that Nick and Lauren gifted us.  When it's triggered, it automatically sends a 10 second video to my phone.  

This Rufous Hummingbird made its migration from southern Mexico to our yard.  Life is amazing!

Common Merganser With Ducklings

 This Common Merganser is a super mom with her 14 (hard to count) ducklings.  They come by my camera by the river every few days.  

Happy Birthday, Hon!

 Yesterday, we celebrated Gail's birthday.  She had requested we do a big hike in the Drift Creek Wilderness, a vast area in the Siuslaw National Forest.  The trailhead was at 1,450 feet elevation.  We hiked down to Drift Creek at 150 feet elevation.  We never saw another person from start to finish.

Beautiful Drift Creek, with it's sunny sitting area.

We had to do a selfie!

It didn't look like the forest we hiked through had been logged.  It was diverse with old growth trees, younger trees, fallen giants, and some old fire scars.  This picture is of a hemlock that sprouted on top of a dead tree trunk and then sent its roots down the trunk to the ground.  Eventually the the encased dead trunk will rot away, leaving the hemlock on its stilts.   

This hemlock sprouted on a decaying log (a nurse log) that is now mostly rotted away.   

Fun with the "pano" feature on the iPhone.

On the hike back out up the mountain we had a little excitement.  A bear was coming down the trail towards us, about 40 feet away.  We raised our voices and the bear disappeared into the vegetation.  Then Daisy got it's scent and went totally berserk.  She has a real hatred for bears and pulled me like a sled for the next 15 minutes or so.  I was worried her collar might break.

We finished our day back home with appetizers, a movie, and dinner from The Drift Inn.  

Nothing Wasted

 1

A Red-tailed Hawk kills a rabbit and comes back the next day to eat much of it, leaving the organs, bones, and fur.

2

Several days later, a Bobcat comes along that night, checks it out, but the rancid guts are not to its liking.

3

The next day a Turkey Vulture comes in and finishes off all but the skull and neck bones.

That evening, another rabbit appears.  Look carefully at the top of the frame after the rabbit takes off.

This frame grab from the above video shows an owl swooping over.  Luckily for the rabbit, it appears the owl has its mouth full with a small rodent which it could be taking to its nestlings.  Oh, the drama!

Animals of the Week

 A few days ago I found a dead rabbit with a mangled head not far from the house. I thought maybe a bobcat had killed it and then was scared off by something.  I moved it a few feet to a spot in front of my trail cam.  When I checked the camera the next day, I saw that the predator came back the previous afternoon to eat away on it.

The Red-tailed Hawk came back the next day and finished off most all of the rabbit except the organs.

On a sweeter note, this Mallard and her 9 ducklings passed by my river cam.

On my drive to check on some duck nest boxes, I stopped to admire these elk.

Ominous Visitors

 

It seemed these turkey vultures spotted a raven digging around in our compost bin and came down to investigate.  They ended up relaxing and basking in the yard.

Another Success For "April"!

 This is the 4th year in a row that our Hooded Merganser "April" has had a successful fledging of ducklings.  Our "river cam" caught her yesterday morning headed downstream with what appears to be nine ducklings.  I will count the egg membranes left behind in the wood shavings in her nest box to verify.

Big Mammal Trail Cam Bonanza!

 About 2 weeks ago, 6 miles into the forest, we came upon mud with tracks of bear, bobcats, opossums, and other animals.  We came back the next day and set up a trail cam on this remote ridge jeep trail.  We left this camera for 10 days, as well as another one off another spur trail several miles away.  

When we returned last Sunday to retrieve them our hearts sank as we could see the camera was aiming down at the ground. Something had knocked it hard.  We didn't know when it had been knocked. The whole 10 days could have been a waste.  When we downloaded the 64 videos from the camera back home, the answer was clear.  It had been knocked down about one hour before our return.  Below is the evidence of who the culprit was.

Four days earlier, another drama had unfolded.

A male Roosevelt Elk trotted by in a bit of a hurry.

Eight minutes later, a Mountain Lion followed.

The next morning, the big cat returned.  Mountain Lions can and do kill and eat elk of all sizes.  I watched a video of one locked onto a bull elk's throat and grappling its head.  This apparently asphyxiated the elk enough to weaken it, allowing the lion to bring it down.  We don't know if this was the case in this instance.

Deer seem intensely aware of their surroundings.  My camera was in the bushes and is somewhat camouflaged.  In spite of this, if something appears to not belong there, they react in fear or curiosity.  Maybe it looks like eyes peering at them.  

The other camera, after 10 days, caught only this bobcat.  Not too far away, maybe 200 yards, we found fresh remains of a mostly eaten opossum.

Of the 64 videos taken by the first camera (bears, Mountain Lion, deer, elk), 53 were of branches blowing in late afternoon breezes.  Such is the life of a trail cam geek.

Oregon Coast Council For The Arts: Member Show

 Gail, who is an OCCA member, entered a piece she created for the members show that ran for the past month at the Newport Visual Arts Center.  

Gail at the Newport Visual Arts Center

Gail's entry was a multimedia piece that expresses her loss over the past year, including loss of her cat 

Yummy Delicious, the loss of much of our democracy, and the damage inflicted on nature.

It was a fun day yesterday seeing the show and then going to the community theater production of "Clue". 

California Trip, Part Three

 On Monday the 7th, Nick, Lauren, and I went to the 1,600 acre Moore County Regional Park in the eastern hills above Napa Valley.  I think my time in California was the best week of the year for wildflowers, green grass, and perfect weather.

Nick in his glory

Quintessential Northern California

There were patches of Pipevine with numerous Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies flying around them.  These butterflies only lay their eggs on the Pipevine plant which the emerging  caterpillars feed on.

Hello

We came upon a Great Blue Heron rookery that also included a Double-crested Cormorant.  Nick took this picture with his cell phone held up against binoculars.  His hands are so much steadier than mine!

We had to send Nick to time out in this old circus wagon for excessive plant excitement.

The end of a fine day

The next day, I drove over to Santa Rosa to see my friend Jim and his wife Mary Ann.  Jim and I took a long hike in Annadel State Park  which is a short walk from his house.  Jim got me into backpacking about 24 years ago.

Jim

Lily and Indian Paintbrush

Red Larkspur

Hillside Woodland Star

The next day I flew back to Oregon to be with my girls, Gail, Daisy, and Penelope.  Gail did a fine job holding down the fort.  The trip went without a hitch.  I'm glad the folks I visited are doing well and enjoying life.

California Trip, Part Two

 On Sunday the 6th, Nick, Lauren, and I spent the day slow hiking in northeastern Napa County.  None of us had hiked the Oathill Mine Trail starting from the Aetna Springs Trailhead.  We have hiked the route from Calistoga up to the top of the mountain, but not down the other side to the bottom at Aetna Springs.

This is what remains of the resort, which is currently being restored.  It was developed in 1891, and was a popular summer destination for people from San Francisco and Hollywood.  In 1966, Ronald Reagan announced his intention to run for governor in the dining hall here.  The road from here to the trailhead was a narrow rocky affair with a sketchy washout in one place.  The whole area is remarkable for being serene, having little traffic, and being mostly rugged countryside with scattered large oaks.

There is a lot of volcanic rock making for a striking landscape.  Fire swept through here in 2020, burning 315,000 acres in 5 counties.

Waiting for the next big earthquake?

Oat Hill Mine Road, now a trail, was a stagecoach road that linked Calistoga and Aetna Springs.  You can see the wagon wheel ruts worn into the volcanic stone.  The "road" is 8.3 miles long and climbs 1,500 feet from Calistoga.

Nick and Lauren's love of plants is infectious.  They had me photographing and identifying wildflowers along with them.

Henderson's Shooting Star

Bush Poppy

Looking at all those Kellogg's Monkey Flowers!

Indian Warrior

Kellogg's Monkey Flower

A lot to look at on this hike.

Nick spent a lot of time down on the ground.

To me this area is a real treasure of raw nature.

You can see the old stagecoach road crossing the middle of the picture.  It must have been one bumpy ride!  You can also see the burned fallen trees.

Miniature Lupine

Lily of some sort?

Erythronium Californicum

Scarlet Fritillary

Diogenes' Lantern

We had to stop to check out this '30-31 Ford Model A Coupe at the historic Pope Valley General Store.  This is just like my first car I bought for $100 when I was 14.  It would be perfect for chugging around the Forest Service Roads here in Oregon!

To be continued