The Family That Shakes Together....

The final piece to prepare the barn for winter was to finish the windows for above the barn doors. You may remember that Nick framed out the glass panels a while back, so we just needed to complete the actual install.

The only problem once the windows were installed (there is always ONE MORE thing) was what to do about the space to each side of the window. Plywood panels? That would be way too plain for our barn! That is when Nick came up with the idea that we could make our own cedar shakes and do shake panels on either side of the window.

Here is a shot of Nick surrounded by the cedar shakes we had axed off of our cedar log and applying them to the plywood:


Here are the finished panels:


Here is everything installed:


It is much warmer and a little dryer inside now, not that the animals have thanked us!

Go Coho!

Since Nick just can't get enough of the northwest salmon we headed to the Sandy Oregon Fish Hatchery at Cedar Creek this weekend.

The number of fish fighting their way up Cedar Creek to try and get into the hatchery was amazing to say the least.

Here you can see some of the coho who were repeatedly scaling the waterfall right outside the penned in areas.

The pens had been closed off as they were at maximum capacity. Fish scale to scale as far as the eye could see!

Nick just happened to have his rod in the car so we made our way down to the creek to see if anything was biting. Nick fished for a bit but didn't manage to snag one. Several people were packing out fish so they were definitely there, snagging them in the mouth is the hardest part.


On the hike back there was an amazing view of the mountain across Cedar Creek Ranch's open field. This picture really doesn't do it justice but the camera was trying to die while Nick took it.

Fall In Brightwood

Yesterday was one of those "perfect fall days" I always wish I could bottle for later continued enjoyment. Nick and I worked on some barn projects and while on break I got some great shots of fall around the property.

Most of our trees around the house are evergreen but we do have a couple of maples. Here is the bright yellow on display in the side yard:


These shaggy mane mushrooms have been popping up all around the side pasture. The chickens seem to enjoy pecking them.


The little maple by the front of the house is giving off a beautiful display as well:

Woodland Man Bag

The other night I came home to find Nick slaving away at my sewing machine. Nick does not sew often but when he does the results are usually pretty "amazing". I have to admit though that this is his best fabric creation yet:



You may be thinking - what the heck is that? N0, it is not a utilitarian man bag. It's a fabric wood carrier! We do a lot of wood balancing and schlepping so this will be a huge help. I didn't have anyone around to model (Scraps just wouldn't hold still) so I apologize for the not so great photo. Also, I KNOW we need to finish the wainscoting on that side of the wall!

BrewFest!

Last night Nick and I went to a culinary showcase of sorts at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, El Loco Burro. If you have ever visited us I am SURE we took you there and the food is so amazing you never forget. Last night was a special showcase put on by the owner/chef to showcase his culinary talents outside of the Mexican realm.

The dinner was served family style which was very fun! We were at a six top with two other couples who were very interesting. We had a world traveling masseuse in our midst as well as a math teacher and pharmacist. The best part was were were all animal enthusiasts and that common thread led to many entertaining tales.

The meal consisted of five courses and each was paired with a beer to compliment its particular flavoring.

The first dish was Marzen-steamed mussels with leeks & crositini. Steamed mussels are one of my favorite dishes so this was a huge hit. It really reminded my of the West Village Bier Garden we used to visit after work and all those goods friends I miss so much. The beer was a delicious Bavarian brew - Brauerei Aying.

Next was Risotto with a local blend of wild mushrooms, finished with parmesan regianno and crispy shallots . The risotto had just the right texture and was topped with chanterelles the chef and friends had picked this weekend. The shallot were perfectly crisped and reminded me of those yummy fried onions that top green bean casserole at Christmas. The beer was Hales Cream HSB from Hale's Ales in Seattle WA.

Hailbut with herb butter roasted halibut over provencal vegetables was next. The fish was good but I have to say that my own version of herbed butter is more to my liking. The beer was Killer Green Fresh-Hopped IPA from Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River OR.

After that was the Gnocchi with duck confit, pomdoraccio, herbs and goat cheese. I thought this dish was pretty good. Nick's dish came with too much duck and not enough cheese - he was not a fan. The beer was Highway to Ale Barleywine from Beer Valley Brewing Ontario OR. My favorite part of this dish was watching everyone's reaction to the "unique" aftertaste of the barleywine.

Dessert was caramelized pear creme brulee. Now it was my turn to get the "just okay dish". Nick's was piping hot and delicious, mine was lukewarm and not so great. The beer was Cuvee du Jongleur from Cascade Brewing in Beaverton OR. Just pronouncing the name of this last brew provided some great entertainment!

All in all the showcase was quite a success. It was very fun to be able to something a little out of the ordinary and yet close to home. And the company was great!

Life's A Circus

Last night Nick and I met up with an old high school friend April for dinner and the circus. Let me set the scene of this reunion for you. I have been in desperate need of a haircut and very short on cash for quite some time now. My girlfriend recommended a friend who is finishing up beauty school. The price was right and it is only hair so I agreed to go. I did get a nice cut - a little too much off in some places, but again it will grow. When she finished my hair and heard I was on my way to dinner she offered/decided to do my makeup as well. I am not a make up girl. So fast forward a couple hours and there I am to reconnect with April with tons of mousse in my hair and what feels like enough makeup to make Tammy Faye actually blush on my face. I immediately apologized for my appearance and I hope she doesn't think I look like that all the time. When Nick saw me he immediately asked "Are we late for prom?". Awesome!

Before the circus we went to eat at a GREAT Mexican dive joint called Ole Frijole. With a name like that you know it has got to be good! The prices were less than Taco Bell and the food was homemade - YUM! April chauffeured us around in her loaner beater Nova which was half the fun as well.

After dinner we headed to Circus Artemis for an all woman aerial show. I had hoped to get some pics but no photography allowed - sorry. Those women are amazing! There was silk, single and double point trapeze, aerial ladder and strap performances just to name a few. The final strap performer was amazing! Strap is like the rings in the Olympics but no rings just loops on the ends. Her body was one lean muscle and her control was amazing! If the show comes to your town you MUST go check it out.

Shear Excitement!

We finally did it - we sheared the goats yesterday! I think the hardest part was wrestling them into the truck by myself. They are all officially naked. The babies were very vocal but all survived. They did have a case of lice so our "goat mentor" friends who did the actuall shearing for us were also kind enough to mix up some dip for us and they got a dowsing yesterday and I will repeat it in two weeks.

Here was Dolly in all her fuzzy glory before being clipped:


Here she is getting blown out:


Now she is naked!




We are going to send Dolly's fiber in with our friends for processing. I should have shots of the beautiful finished fiber in a few months. Spinning anyone??

Bend Bliss

We are back from our whirlwind tour of Bend! It was a mad dash for the door (okay several mad dashes as we kept remembering things we had forgotten) after work yesterday but we made it on the road about 4:30pm. The film began at 8pm so I had the petal to the metal in the GEO as we rounded Mount Hood.

We make one pit stop, for some human fuel in Madras. When we vacationed at Lake Billy Chinook this summer we were super excited to see that there was a Sonic in Madras (the next closest Sonic is in VAncouver WA) and then super disappointed when we got closer and saw that it was still under construction. This time it was open! I was slightly discouraged when I saw that they did not offer the Hickory Burger. Maybe that is a regional OK offering? I made due with a toaster burger with hickory sauce and it was pretty close. YUM!

Next stop was the McMenamins Old St Francis School where The Skyjacker was screening as part of the Bend Film festival. Amazingly we made it with a few minutes to spare so we enjoyed the Octoberfest brew at the bar and then joined the Director, Jeff Pickett, his mom and her husband to enjoy the show.

There were two shorts before the film: Death in Charge and Miracle Investigators. Death in Charge is an ironic look at death through both the eyes of a modern day child and Death when the child's harried single mom leaves her in the care of Death as a babysitter for the evening. Miracle Investigators is a very humorous look at the "miracles" that appear and are endorsed by the Catholic Church. It felt to me to be very much in the same vein as Shaolin Soccer so of course I was a fan!

The Skyjacker was a really interesting film inspired by the story of D.B. Cooper. The timing was fantastic and we can't wait to see Nature when it is complete. The film was well attended and the audience has some great questions - way to go Jeff!

After the film Jeff's family was kind enough to let us crash at their place on Crooked River Ranch which was amazing. We played pool in the game room and got a chance to view some of Jeff's mom's bronze work which was amazing. The sun glinting off of the Deschutes River this morning was so beautiful. We wish we could have stayed longer but we left Scraps in charge of the farm and really needed to hit the road early. Next time!

Bend Or Bust!

Nick and I are headed out for a whirlwind tour of Bend for the Bend Film Festival. The director Jeff Pickett who we met through Nick working with his crew on their recent Mount Hood shoot has a film in the festival and we promised to check it out. Over the Mountain we go!

Barn Beautification

The overnight lows will be dipping into the thirties this weekend and Nick has been working very hard to tie up the final loose ends of our barn beautification project.

We were very blessed by the fact that our property came with a two stall barn already on it but it had not been upkept very well. There was no front door at all and the stalls were completely open which is just not safe for our smaller livestock (the previous owners had horses).

Nick and I have enclosed the side alcove so the animal can be "outside" but protected from the elements and predators. We modified one stall into a chicken coop with nesting boxes built in and wire enclosing. Then we put in additional windows to provide more light.

Nick built the most beautiful (and HEAVY) cedar doors for the front which are my favorite part:



Now he has purchased glass panes and made the frame for the windows that are going to go up top above the door to help keep it warmer inside.

Can't Win 'Em All

We have been dealing with a VERY sick goat the past 48 hours. Our mama Pygora "Dolly" was her usual happy self Sunday and then Monday morning I awoke to her obviously suffering from a very intense bout of gastroenteritis. It was a big mess and she looked awful - droopy ears, staggering, glassy eyes. It was horrible! It is no secret that Nick and I are NOT goat experts. However, we do our best.

Our goat mentors had referred us to a great book of homeopathic remedies called The Complete Herbal Handbook For Farm and Stable and I remembered it recommended slippery elm for treating scours. I mixed it up according to the directions and administered it to Dolly orally using a turkey baster. Luckily she was too sick to put up much of a fight. Within a few hours she took a couple sips of water but no food.

This morning she was looking more alert and put up more of a fight when I had to give her the "medicine". And to our enormous relief she was eating this afternoon and looking almost 100% by the time I made it home. We are very thankful!



I had asked Nick to please keep me posted throughout the day as to how Dolly was doing. He sent me a text that she was eating mid morning and then late afternoon I got a really funny email. The subject said "you saved the goat but lost a dog. Then I opened it and there is no text but a pic attached entitled deaddog.jpg. I opened it.....


Hysterical! This is Craps passed out in the fall sunshine in the backyard! He was such a good dog - LOL.

(disclaimer - it is a weird shot and it looks like he has a huge deformed stomach but he does not it is actually his extremely large chicken chest)

Wainscoting - the poor man's way!

One of the many mid-way completed projects around our house is the wainscoting. We made some major progress this weekend by getting all the frame pieces cut as we gear up for winter interior project tackling. In our defense we have made some major progress in the 11 months since we moved in!

Here is a shot of the living room before:



We tore out the carpet and laid laminate, took down the entry way wall, removed the pellet stove, installed a wood stove, re-painted and have half of the room covered in handmade wainscoting.

An "after" shot (before wainscoting):


How does one obtain "handmade wainscoting" you ask? Well, you start with sheets of mdf that you cut into the baseboards and framing pieces:



Inside the frame you install thin drywall as backing and then edge the interior of each rectangle and the entire top rail with trim. To add an extra level of fun do all this without a mider saw!

The "finished" product (note Nick's glass sconce):



It is a major feature of the room that we love. We do now own a mider saw so hopefully this winter will see to the completion of this project. We have the other half of the living room, kitchen and hallway to complete. Wish us luck!

Jack - O - Lantern

I LOVE Halloween so when I saw pumpkins at the grocery store this week I could not resist. I honestly can't remember the last time I carved a pumpkin so this is such a treat. We decided on carving a Jack - from the Nightmare Before Christmas Jack O Lantern.

My resident artist did the sketch and hollowed it out:


I did the carving:


Here is the final materpiece:


We also decided to roast the seeds:



You may notice they were slightly overdone. This is because while they were roasting I decided to look at Jack from the front window and spotted a deer in the distance. I ran in and we grabbed the flashlight to try and spotlight the yard. We saw a very nice sized doe with a mid size fawn. In all the excitement though we forgot about the seeds!

Dear Nature, Love Luke

Luke loves nature - particularly the small skittering aspects of it! We have dubbed the downstairs bathroom "Luke's den of death and destruction" since that is usually where he takes his prey to finish them off.

The other night I was cooking dinner when he brought in a STILL ALIVE field mouse for me to watch him as he did it in. I shrieked like a little girl and Nick had to chase him outside for me. I just knew he was going to let that thing go in the house and then it would be an all out free for all.

Nick intercepted him on his way back to his den with his most recent conquest. Nick said he was growling up a storm the whole time while he devoured it tail and all, all the while trying to get past Nick to the doggy door to access his den.

I spared you the gorier pictures but I bet you get the idea.

Sneak Peek

Nick did some kiln as well as pitfiring this week with some fabulous results. He will have them posted officially to his website and Etsy store but until then, these will have to do.

In case you are unfamiliar with pitfiring it is pretty much what it sounds like. He packs the bisque fired and burnished ceramic pieces into a pit (large burn barrel) along with various combustables.

He lights it and then lets it burn and smolder overnight.



The finished pieces are "glazed" by the smoke with different patterns and colors based on where they were in the burn and what materials they interacted with.

Here are some stones:



And mushrooms:


If you happen to be in Brightwood on Sunday, November 29th stop by McLundy's Green Room for the Artist's Show and Reception from 1-4 to see these and more pieces in person.