A Visit from the Washington Family

Usually when the Washington crew comes to Oregon, it's for a horse show at Devonwood, where we rendezvous. But this time they came to our farm. Jessica said she would cook for us and she did. And left plenty to help us feed the next round of company. Jessica is a wonderful cook. This time her sister Sarah came, too. She hasn't been here since she ran into a nest of yellow jackets in our arboretum several summers ago. We assured her the bees are not out yet.

We did the usual farm things... meeting all the animals, including the llamas... (That's Sarah on the left)...

...hiking to Agency Creek and skipping rocks (Kevin)...

Kevin found lots of tiny creatures in the shallow pools, like this well camouflaged sculpin...

 Sarah and Ian spent a lot of time in the goat barn, loving up the baby goats...

Jessica's favorite activity was watching the swallows swoop after the feathers we threw up in the air for them...  or held hopefully aloft. Here are Sarah and Ian...

...and Kevin...

Jessica had another method...

We had such miraculously dry weather before they came and while they were here that we could lie out in the field without getting damp. That may be a first for April in western Oregon...

The swallows seem to enjoy the feather stealing game. Rarely did they stuff a captured feather into a gourd nest. And once, when one did but no one seemed interested in taking it from him, he pulled it out and threw it away! Few females have arrived here yet, so it's just a game for now. The swallows are not ready to feather their nests.

We also hiked through the woods to retrieve trail camera cards and saw a bobcat in one, but it did not come out clear enough for a still capture. However, it may have been the same as this bobcat caught on camera a few weeks earlier...

A leaping Ian was caught on camera this time...

It wasn't all fun and games... Jessica did a lot of cooking; Ian and Johnny cleared out the garden to prepare it for tilling... Kevin and Johnny worked on projects in the shop... Ian helped with chores each day. They probably did more things but if I don't have a photo, I don't remember what they are.

It was wonderful to have them here on the farm... in beautiful weather!