Meanwhile, Back on the Farm...

The day after Johnny's return from California, friends from Maryland arrived. Suue and I were high school horse-crazy pals, then roommates at college. We married forestry majors in college, but Suue parted company with her partner, went through several others until settling on her forever mate, Kit. (Not all of us get it right the first time.) It was wonderful having them here... just wish it could have been for longer and hope they come again soon! (Like us, they have to get an animal sitter if both of them leave at the same time.)

From Road's End park, Johnny (my forestry major and forever partner) is pointing out "The Thumb" in the distance where I hike weekly. Johnny and I rendezvoused with Suue and Kit in Lincoln City at Jasmine Thai restaurant for supper, then showed them the ocean. ...Although Suue had missed the turn to our house and had already taken them to the ocean by Pacific City and Cape Lookout! A road trip with Suue (aka Sue) is always interesting...

 At the farm, finally... Kit and Suue holding the newest goat kids.

Here is the kid that Kit was holding... a week later with his mom. He is a naturally polled (hornless) kid who will be a herd sire for another goat farm friend.

This photo that Johnny took startled me because the gray-haired woman on the left looks just like my mother... but it's me.

Kit up close and personal with the llamas. 

Johnny took this photo of some old gray-haired lady in my overgrown garden.

This was a ceremonial picking of the first ripe tomato... in mid July. (Same old gray-haired lady.) We cut it into 4 pieces and shared it with Suue and Kit.

The garden (with help from the chickens) supplies daily, colorful salads. Johnny took a photo of this one.

Every week, (when I'm not home watering garden, etc., trying to keep things alive in this dry weather), I still climb The Thumb to check on the BLOY nesting on the seastack at the left of this photo. Tough job, but somebody's got to do it... in the lovely sunshine and comfortable 60s while the farm is usually smoldering in 90 plus heat...

I took this photo on my way to The Thumb... on the right... where I sit and watch BLOY... and eat lunch... and enjoy the view.

 The South Rock, where the BLOY nest. None of the other nest sites I monitor were successful this year.

 And here's the guard BLOY, with the nesting mate out of sight. They change places about every 50 minutes. One of these trips, they'll have chicks, hopefully. They lost their first nest and had to start over. It's a good thing these birds can live 40 years because they sure don't successfully fledge chicks very often.

This early morning, friend Michael took me on a hike to Cliff Creek Falls. It is not a falls that should be hiked to. We survived and it is beautiful. But I'll not do it again.

Here is the view from the beach where that waterfall is hidden from all (or almost all) except those who come by sea. A lovely scene and why I keep going back to the coast. It nourishes my soul.

Meanwhile, back on the farm... I finally have enough milk to drink, make ice cream, custard and mozzerella cheese. I love mozzerella. It was originally made from water buffalo milk but I use goat milk, not having any water buffalo... yet...

Johnny's Trip to California

Never one to pass up a chance to work on "projects" at one of the kids' homes, Johnny spent a week this month in California. With help from Steve and Munazza, he redid a bathroom floor (which involved more than the floor), readied the garage for cabinets, helped the kids with building more pieces for their parkour course... and did "play" things, too.

In fact, the first day he arrived they all attended a music fest with this Beatles' impersonation ...

 
And a dance class at a new studio... with one of their favorite teachers from the recently closed studio...   That's Kestrel in blue...

 Back home, the kids were sorting their school papers from the past year. Johnny told them it would be easier if they wore their "sorting hats" from Griffindor House. So they did...

Then it was project time. First, the bathroom.

These are "before" photos of the floor with the rug and toilet removed...

And then the new subfloor...

And Steve laying the tile...

Munazza finished up the last two squares...

Looks nice, but the subfloor did not stick the way it was supposed to, so Johnny and Steve had to take tiles up and add nails to the flooring.

All this took a lot of Grandpa's time and at a family meeting, the kids said he wasn't spending any time with them, so... the next day they all worked on the kids' parkour course.

Cedrus is rounding the edges on an adjustable ramp for one of the obstacles that was a little too high to vault over...

And here is the completed ramp...

Kestrel is working on a triangular seat for their play structure, now known as the literary corner, I think. It's where they sit and read (among other places.) Kestrel, especially, is a bookworm... much like his father before him.

Cedrus painting the seat...

Cedrus tries out the seat...

Kestrel is removing nails and bolts from boards to repurpose them for a later use.

Working with Grandpa is fun but... tide pools are fun, too! So they spent a day at the beach...

Cedrus practiced cartwheels on the sand...

And participating in the Fink family tradition of jumping a bull kelp...

At a park nearby was a wonderful old Magnolia tree for climbing...

 Johnny took no photos of the garage project. He said that Munazza and Steve did a monumental job of getting tools/etc. sorted and out of the way of the wall that Johnny insulated and drywalled. Two big cabinets and a set of shelves will go there. Eventually, the garage will be a game room as well as tool and laundry and storage room.

Always more projects. Johnny will be ready for more. He had a great time.

I was sure glad to see him when he returned on Amtrak. The farm had projects waiting for him, too...

Roses 2017

Our roses took their time recovering from the cold, soggy winter and spring. But most are blooming like mad now (in July). The once-blooming Paul's Himalayan Musk outdid itself last month, covering the hybrid poplar and framing our driveway.

The usually hale and hearty Playboy nearly died over winter, but is coming back and will hopefully return to its usual splendor in time.

Sunsprite...

John F. Kennedy died back dramatically, but has recovered.

 My only purple rose, Burgundy Iceberg, is blooming like crazy.

The climbing roses New Dawn, covering a trellis near the garden statue made by friend Monica, never missed a beat and are blooming nonstop, as usual.

I have a thing for vibrant orange roses...

Here is Disco Dancer...

Kaleidoscope...

 Gebruder Grimm, usually full of ever-changing colors, had a hard time but is coming back.

Dolly Parton, first blossom this year...

Armada is covered constantly, as always, in cheery pink blooms

An old-fashioned rose that was here when we moved here in 1977. Hardy bush!

English Violet...

Double Delight...

 Double Delight, fully open...

Love...

Dolly Parton...

The climbing roses along the llama field fence are still struggling. Here is Dublin Bay... (I will add more as they bloom...)

But by the chicken fence, Climbing Iceberg is more spectacular than ever.

Next to it is Queen Elizabeth, pretty in pink with numerous, enormous blooms.

Out along the driveway are the old-fashioned, spreading roses that were here when we moved here. I love them as they are once-blooming so I don't have to deadhead them. And they are lovely... for the month or two they bloom...

And there are more... I love roses.

And now it's August... Playgirl died completely back last winter but has come from the roots to bloom again. That's the wonderful thing about own root (not grafted) roses. You never get a wild root stock coming back.

Sunsprite is still blooming well...