06-28-11

I went up to IC last Monday. I got there around 10:00 in the morning, unloaded the van, moved into the cabin and started working on the shower. By noon the temperature was in the high 90’s. The rest of the day was spent trying to stay cool, without success.

I was doing some more work on the shower Tuesday morning when my friend Bob showed up. It was around the time when it was getting too hot to work any more. I was happy for the excuse to stop. We spent most of the day just hanging out in the shade trying to stay cool (no such luck). We were sitting on a bench where there was a slight breeze wafting up the canyon. While we were sitting there we noticed a large bee hive in a tree not far from us.

At first I thought we would just blast the hive with a couple of shot gun blasts when we were leaving on Monday. But then after a couple of days and looking at the hive a few times I realized that the hive was a Hornet nest. Now, hornets are not aggressive to humans and they have a kill on sight instinct toward Yellow Jackets. Anything that hunts and kills Yellow Jackets is a good creature and should be nurtured rather than destroyed. I have noticed that there are fewer yellow jackets around the cabin this year so maybe that is the reason. So the nest stays.

The next day Bob worked on re-tapping the old spring and I started working on the kitchen in the cabin. I know, I keep changing the kitchen configuration but this time I went back to my original design with the sink and stove both in the counter. I had some sheet metal to make the counter top. Once I got all the cut outs for the sink and stove Bob helped me set the counter top. We screwed it down along the back and then started bending the edges. Bob has had some experience bending sheet metal by hand with very little in the way of tools. The tool he used the most was a 2ft long piece of 2X2 that he used like a lever to bend down the edges. The kitchen is now in its final configuration.

I will build a shelf under the window where the stove was to to use as a work surface.

Bob left Thursday around noon. he was headed up the coast to do some kayaking. I really appreciate all his help. 

I got the sink plumbed, water in and water out. It is sure fine to have some indoor plumbing even if we still have to walk 150 yards to go to the privy. Eventually we will have a septic system and a flush toilette in the bath house but that means a lot of hand digging so it will be a while.

Dave showed up around 11:00 on Friday. By then the weather had cooled a little, high 80’s to low 90’s. He got all moved in to his place

and we spent the day just hanging out. Patti showed up around 5:00.

I think that I must have over done it and worked too hard in the heat. Maybe even got a bit of heat exhaustion because by Friday I was totally wiped out. I tried to do a little work but could only work for about a half hour at a time and then I would have to lie down for a while. I did manage to get the shower to a point where it was functional. For the hot shower part I hung up Dave’s (camping on demand water heater/shower). 

By Saturday afternoon it was done.

After a week of working in the searing heat without a shower I wasted no time trying it out. The shower works great.

Saturday morning, Dave could not find his hearing aid. He said that he had set it on the empty cot next to his head with some other things. In the morning it was no where to be found. We all took his tent apart with no sign of the hearing aid. We finally decided that some critter must have run off with it probably because of the ear wax on the end.

Dave’s son Matt and Matt’s brother-in-law Mike showed up Saturday around noon.

Mike is on the left.

They came up to set up Matt’s Baker tent down on the point where Dave and Joanne originally had their camp.

The place is starting to look like an old Mining camp.

Matt and Mike left Sunday morning. The weather is continuing to cool and I am starting to feel better. Dave left around 3:00. I took a nap.

Patti and I left on Monday around noon.

Tuesday, June 28th,

As I sit here writing this to you it is raining in Santa Rosa.

We plan to go up to Indian Creek for the fourth of July weekend. Our grandson Harvey and one of his friends will be coming to spend the weekend with us. The weather is supposed to be back in the 90’s by the weekend but this time we will have the key to the gate so we will have access to the creek and the swimming hole. I will probably spend most of the daytime in the creek staying cool.

06-17-11

It has been quite a long time since my last post. Since then we have gone to and returned from Redmond, Oregon and our granddaughter, Samantha’s High School graduation. It took us a day and a half to get from Santa Rosa  to Redmond; spending the night at the Waterwheel RV Park just North of Klamath Falls on the Williamson River.

When we got to Redmond we went directly to the The Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center RV Park; where we spent the next six nights. After we got set up, Patti’s daughter Becki, Samantha and Becki’s friend Dereck came by to guide us to their house.

We spent the next few days visiting, getting ready for Samantha’s graduation and just hanging out.

One day while Patti and Becki were doing some shopping, I decided to get familiar with the town of Redmond, so I jumped in the jeep to take a ride around town. The city is stretched along Highway 97 which runs North & South. There are a lot of new business's along the highway. To the West of the highway is the older business streets. I managed to find my way around town (including a couple of shortcuts) and was able to find my way home again.

Thursday, Patti and I took a ride South on 97 to check out the Lava Land, Lava Caves. Unfortunately the caves were not open yet but we did get to take a ride to the lookout on top of a Lava butte.

From the lookout we could see a fire to the Southeast.

After looking around the lookout for a while

we drove back down the dome and found a road that went west to the Deschutes River. After traveling about 4 miles we came to a parking area and boat take out.

 

There were two couples putting their Kayaks away. They said that they put in at Sun River and had about a three hour paddle. Just below the take out point was a man made log jam

that was put in to protect a foot bridge over the river.

Patti’s youngest daughter Dina and her friend Bambi and Bambi‘s son, Micheal arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday.

Samantha’s high school Graduation started around 7:00. It was a very large graduating class and it took a while to get it over with.

Speakers had to speak,

the band had to play, choir had to sing

and then they had to hand out the 400+ diploma’s.

It was all very emotional with lots of joyful tears and cheers.

On Saturday we went to one of the local parks for a family picnic. Some more family, Kathi and Bob’s oldest daughter, Angie, her husband, Gus, daughter, Pricilla and son, Nico, arrived in the morning.

Samantha got to open some graduation gifts after lunch.

Some fool let the two teenage boys buy silly string.

Sunday, the ladies went to a casino North of Redmond. The only one to break even was Dina. Derik, Gus and I went out to the woods to do a little shooting and some four wheeling.

We left Redmond around 9:00 Monday morning and drove to just South of Redding where we got a spot at The JGW RV park on the Sacramento river.

We got home on Tuesday around 2:00.

Since we’ve been home, I got the chain saw running, the generator fixed and put the shocks on the van.

Today (Saturday) we are going to finish cleaning the RV and put in storage.

I will be going up to Indian Creek on Monday or Tuesday. Patti will be going up on Friday and we will come home the following Monday.

06-06-11

Rain! Rain! Rain!! It has been raining for over a week straight. I think today will be the last day of rain for a while. We are starting to cal this month “Juneuary”. We are leaving Santa Rosa this morning heading to Redmond Oregon for our grand daughter, Samantha’s high-school graduation. It will take us bout one an a half days to get there. Tonight, we will beat an RV park just north of Klamath Falls OR. and will be in Redmond by about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. We will be staying at the county fairgrounds for a week.

My Daughter Felice came by on Saturday. She is doing much better and is planning to go back to work in a couple of weeks.

More later.

06-01-11

Patti and I arrived at I. C. around 3;00 Friday afternoon. We unloaded the Trailblazer and setup housekeeping in the “tool shed”.

Around 7:30, we had just finished supper when, Joanne and Dave arrived. We visited for a bit, then they went to their camp to unload and eat their supper. Dave had come up on Thursday, to set up their 10’ X 12’ Wall Tent on the platform.

Like us, all they had to unload was their food, bedding and cloths. After they had eaten and got a fire going in their wood stove, Joanne and Dave came up to our place. We spent the evening visiting until bed time, when they went off to their camp.

Saturday morning started bright and clear.

Sometime before noon it clouded up and started to rain. It rained off and on for the remainder of the day and most of the night. We managed to work on a few projects between the rain storms. Dave built a bench out of the remainder of a redwood log

and some other yard furniture.

Patti and I started framing the shower surround.

During the rain storms we hung out in our cabin and played “LCR” (a dice game).

In the evening after supper we played “Five Crowns” (a card game).

The rain stopped some time before dawn and Sunday turned out to be a very nice day. Around 10:00, Dave and I started cooking brunch Dave made pancakes and I did a big frittata.

After brunch Dave and I were going to shoot some clays. Joanne and Dave’s son Matt and his wife Elisa showed up about then so Dave, Matt and I went down to the old home site where I have a clay pigeon thrower set up and shot at some clays for a while.

Video

Later Dave and I did a little more work on the shower.

Peter, the property owner stopped by for a short visit on his way to the grove to camp.

Matt and Elisa left in the late afternoon. Dave and I did some weed wacking.

It looks pretty good.

That evening, Joanne volunteered to cook supper on our new stove.

She made a pasta dish and it was great.

In the morning I did some weed wacking around the cabin and up the hill.

Joanne and Dave left for home around 4:30; it was raining when they departed.

After J & D left Patti and I played cards, listened to the radio and the rain.

We headed for home around 1:00 on Tuesday.

Some of the pictures in this post were taken by Joanne.          Thanks  Joanne.