Our summer was late getting here but it was well worth waiting for.....and still continues. We are getting temps in the high 40's to 70's with clear beautiful day. No frost yet, and no snow on the 10,000 ft mountains. It will be hard to leave.
Our community garden was very productive this summer....lots more than we needed. We ate loads of fresh veggies gave them away. Last year I got a dehydrator so tried vegetables and was very pleased with the results. I did about 25 lbs of green beans as well as a lot of carrots, squash, apples, pears etc. Tried the veggies in a stew and it was a great. Sure an easier way to keep them since our freezer will be turned off for the winter.
This computer is driving me nuts!!! [again]. The letter "R" just fell off the other day. Took it in and the guy said a new key could be ordered and just snapped into place. However, there was not enough time to get it done before we leave. So now when I type, if I have to hit "R" my finger falls into a hole and touches an electrical connection. So, if Dan finds me dead at my computer in the near future, he will know what happened.
Have had more back injections, all with varying degrees of success. However, the one I had last week seems to be helping. Hope it lasts at least until we get to Texas.
We leave on Monday to drive to Tucson where we store our car at a friend's, then will leave from there for a birding trip into NW Mexico. The guide is Dave who was our guide on our 2 Alaska trips. He and his wife have a hotel in Mexico and do birding tours from there. They are really nice people and we are looking forward to the trip. They will pick us up [and 6 others] in Tucson and drive through Nogales into Mexico. That concerns me a little as that is a bad corridor for the smugglers of drugs and illegals. However, hopefully everything will be OK.
After that trip we will head to Oklahoma to Lawton to pick up the motorhome and then head to Mission [arriving Nov 8] where we will spend the winter at the same location as previous years.
I love our house and location and friends here and at times, don't want to leave. However, I also love to travel, see new places, stay at our familiar Texas location and catch up on friends from previous years. The only thing is, the packing up and moving is not a fun thing...especially from here. There is a lot to do to get things ready and it is not particularly fun [the birds are really going to miss their feeders]. At the moment we are up to our ears in preparation but once we are on the road, all that is quickly behind us.
Sorry about the lack of photos. They take a bunch more time and that is what I am running out of. Fingers crossed for us as we travel.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Getting Ready to Leave
I have certainly been less than diligent in keeping my blog updated. It seems we just do stuff around here and the time just disappears. I intended to add photos to this, but am not going to get that done.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Travels with the Scotts
Since I have not posted to my blog for a long time, and since I have a lot of photos, I am going to make two separate postings so when you get to the bottom of this, keep reading [the Harvard Classics, Montana style!].
In between all the great projects Scotty did for us while they were here, the four of us took some trips to see some of the local sights. Montana is such a huge state, there is no way we could have hit anything but the local high spots.
One day we went into Missoula, had lunch downtown then went to a carousel near by. You need to have visitors that look up local stuff, because I did not even know it was there. I had never ridden a carousel but got lucky and caught the brass ring.
Another day we went to the Daly Mansion, a beautiful place built by a wealthy early settler to the Bitterroot Valley. The group who runs it has been fortunate to get some grants for renovation as it is a wonderful example of local history.
From our house we can look up and see St Mary's Peak. One day we drove to near the top and looked down at our house [our house is 3600 ft and the peak is 10,000]. One of the local delicacies are huckleberries which grow on bushes at higher elevations, and are a favorite of bears. We stopped and picked some, although there weren't a lot [not sure if it was the bears or the tourists that ate them!]
Anne is the one who got me into wood carving [although I have not done much in the last year] so one day we went to the neighbor's yard and looked for cottonwood bark that is a favorite of carvers. Anne had gotten some different and interesting pieces of wood in her western travels and started experimenting with them. She also got a new camera while here, and was trying it out. In between all this we did some cooking, ate some good food, drank some beer [guys] and wine [girls], told and heard some great stories and all in all, had a great time.
Carousel at a park in downtown Missoula
Scotty and Anne
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Picking huckleberries [is that Scotty or a grizzly!]
In between all the great projects Scotty did for us while they were here, the four of us took some trips to see some of the local sights. Montana is such a huge state, there is no way we could have hit anything but the local high spots.
One day we went into Missoula, had lunch downtown then went to a carousel near by. You need to have visitors that look up local stuff, because I did not even know it was there. I had never ridden a carousel but got lucky and caught the brass ring.
Another day we went to the Daly Mansion, a beautiful place built by a wealthy early settler to the Bitterroot Valley. The group who runs it has been fortunate to get some grants for renovation as it is a wonderful example of local history.
From our house we can look up and see St Mary's Peak. One day we drove to near the top and looked down at our house [our house is 3600 ft and the peak is 10,000]. One of the local delicacies are huckleberries which grow on bushes at higher elevations, and are a favorite of bears. We stopped and picked some, although there weren't a lot [not sure if it was the bears or the tourists that ate them!]
Anne is the one who got me into wood carving [although I have not done much in the last year] so one day we went to the neighbor's yard and looked for cottonwood bark that is a favorite of carvers. Anne had gotten some different and interesting pieces of wood in her western travels and started experimenting with them. She also got a new camera while here, and was trying it out. In between all this we did some cooking, ate some good food, drank some beer [guys] and wine [girls], told and heard some great stories and all in all, had a great time.
Carousel at a park in downtown Missoula
Scotty and Anne
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
Daly Mansion
From St Mary's Peak
Our house is in the middle of the picture [what do you mean you can't see it!]
Our house is in the middle of the picture [what do you mean you can't see it!]
Picking huckleberries [is that Scotty or a grizzly!]
Goodbye to the Scotts
Our friends Anne & Scotty have left and we sure do miss them. As I mentioned in a previous posting, they stay at the same park in the winter where we do, but this year, instead of going home to visit family in New England for the summer, they made a trip through the western part of the country and spent time with us. Scotty is an amazing handyman and boy did we have stuff for him to be handy with. Below are some photos of the projects he did [with Dan, his able bodied assistant].
The light over our dining room table was one that I had disliked since we moved here. The guys replaced it with an antique fixture that we brought from Oklahoma that had been given to Dan by a very good friend. The lights in the kitchen were track lights that only illuminated the island, but no light over the kitchen sink [who wants to do dishes anyway]. It didn't matter in the summer when there was lots of light but early spring and late fall it was a problem. They replaced the original with a different kind of track light that was longer and flexible so that it lit the sink and adjacent counter tops.
We have radiant heating in our floor but it was put in 12 years ago when the house was built and while it worked well, we were not sure if it needed any repair or maintenance. Scotty has installed many of these units so checked ours, and said it was a really good system and did not need any repairs, other than a shut off switch for safety, which he installed.
In the shop, he got our second well working [we have plenty of water for domestic use but this well is for irrigation etc], fixed the heater, fixed the generator, and installed 20-30-50 amp electicity [and built a box to put them in] to take care of any visiting RV's.
The light over our dining room table was one that I had disliked since we moved here. The guys replaced it with an antique fixture that we brought from Oklahoma that had been given to Dan by a very good friend. The lights in the kitchen were track lights that only illuminated the island, but no light over the kitchen sink [who wants to do dishes anyway]. It didn't matter in the summer when there was lots of light but early spring and late fall it was a problem. They replaced the original with a different kind of track light that was longer and flexible so that it lit the sink and adjacent counter tops.
We have radiant heating in our floor but it was put in 12 years ago when the house was built and while it worked well, we were not sure if it needed any repair or maintenance. Scotty has installed many of these units so checked ours, and said it was a really good system and did not need any repairs, other than a shut off switch for safety, which he installed.
In the shop, he got our second well working [we have plenty of water for domestic use but this well is for irrigation etc], fixed the heater, fixed the generator, and installed 20-30-50 amp electicity [and built a box to put them in] to take care of any visiting RV's.
We kept telling him he didn't have to do all this stuff but he said he loves projects. We really did appreciate all he did for us.
Scotty and Dan replacing ugly light fixture.
New light fixture
New light fixture
New track lighting in kitchen
20-30-50 amp RV hookups in weatherproof box
Fixed heater
New hose bib [backyard never had one]
Second well in shop now works
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Philipsburg, Montana
Skalkaho Falls with Anne & Scotty
Doe Brothers Restaurant at Philipsburg
Restored Building...Philipsburg
Historic Jail...still in use...has solar panels!!!
Area around Philipsburg
Gem Mountain
Searching for Sapphires
We have really enjoyed having Anne & Scotty here. Dan and Scotty have been working on the myriad things that always need to be fixed when you have a house. Scotty is really a master and Dan is becoming an experienced assistant. We now have 20, 30 and 50 amp hookups for any visiting RV, as well as solutions to the water and sewer connections. There is no way we could have done those things by ourselves.
Friday, to break the all day work hours, we took a drive up to Skalkaho Falls then over to Philipsburg for lunch. After all the stops to look at birds, deer, butterflies, flowers, plants, lakes, trails etc we finally ate lunch at 4 pm. The drive was beautiful up through the Sapphire Mountains and the town of Philipsburg is a real experience. It is a restored 19th century mining town and they have done a wonderful job. Almost all of the downtown is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, and painted in keeping with the period. We had lunch at Doe Brothers which was decorated in 19th century motif. After lunch, we walked around the town admiring all the buildings and flowers [while shaking down our lunch so we had room for ice cream cones] then headed back home.
Along the way we passed Gem Mountain where they mine sapphires. You can buy a bucket of gravel, sluice it in the water to clean it, then pick through and find possible sapphires. Then they will look at your treasures and tell you what they are worth and if the stones are worth doing anything with. We talked about trying our luck but decided to head down the road. Good thing as we didn't get home until 7 as it was and I am sure those buckets of gravel are not designed to make you rich!!
Friday, to break the all day work hours, we took a drive up to Skalkaho Falls then over to Philipsburg for lunch. After all the stops to look at birds, deer, butterflies, flowers, plants, lakes, trails etc we finally ate lunch at 4 pm. The drive was beautiful up through the Sapphire Mountains and the town of Philipsburg is a real experience. It is a restored 19th century mining town and they have done a wonderful job. Almost all of the downtown is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, and painted in keeping with the period. We had lunch at Doe Brothers which was decorated in 19th century motif. After lunch, we walked around the town admiring all the buildings and flowers [while shaking down our lunch so we had room for ice cream cones] then headed back home.
Along the way we passed Gem Mountain where they mine sapphires. You can buy a bucket of gravel, sluice it in the water to clean it, then pick through and find possible sapphires. Then they will look at your treasures and tell you what they are worth and if the stones are worth doing anything with. We talked about trying our luck but decided to head down the road. Good thing as we didn't get home until 7 as it was and I am sure those buckets of gravel are not designed to make you rich!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Hummingbirds
Rufous...immature male
The "Junk Yard Dog" ...who else can I beat up!!
Calliope with broken bill
Black chinned at Anne's feeder
Through Anne's window.
We have had a few hummingbirds at our feeders all summer....black chinned, rufous and calliope all of which I feel sure had nests somewhere in the area. Now, with fall approaching, migration has started and the chaos has begun. The birds that have been in the area are stocking up on calories, and the ones that have been up north are taking advantage of the feeders as they pass through. The immature male rufous are very territorial and spend most of their time chasing off the others. As a result, I put a second feeder in the front yard out of sight of the one in the back yard so that "tough guy" would have to fly over the house if he wanted to defend both feeders....and defend them he does. You can hear the little skirmishes constantly through the day and up until dark. Today I decided to try to take some photos. On looking more closely, there was a female calliope that had a broken top bill and could not/would not retract her tongue. I ended up with a few good photos [after taking MANY] and will post some. Our friends Anne & Scotty who are staying in their motorhome at our place have a feeder that attaches to their window. The window is tinted and the birds cannot see in so you can take a close-up picture through the window without them knowing. All in all a terrific time waster!! but lots of fun.
Friday, July 30, 2010
For the last few days we have had friends visiting [full time RVers] who stay at the same RV park we do in Texas [when our neighbor Mike saw the Texas license plates in our driveway he said "there goes the neighborhood!"]. Anne & Scotty are staying at our place with limited hookups [although Scotty is such a great handyman that he has solved all the hookup problems] while Jim & Linda are staying at a park south of here where hookups were easier to manage. They have had dinner here a couple of times and once we ate out [Chinese]. For one of our dinners we had pork chops [cooked expertly by Anne] and fresh vegetables [that I had picked that day out of our community garden]. There is nothing that tastes better than just picked veggies. We had potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbage and beets. Yummm!!
We also had home made apple dumplings. For over 100 years our town has had a festival called the Creamery Picnic where there are a lot of food booths and a barbeque cookoff. Our church women make and sell apple dumplings, which is our one fund raiser for the year. These dumplings are well known and people come from all over to get dumplings. We made them this week, they will be frozen then sold at the festival next weekend [thawed then microwaved then served with ice cream for only $3.50]. Since we had made them the day before our dinner, I bought some early and that is what we had for desert.
Yesterday Anne & Scotty left to fly to Maine to be with family for a week, leaving their motorhome here, while Jim & Linda will continue on their way. Dan and Scotty have some projects to work on when the Scotts get back. We don't want to work him to death but sure do appreciate Scotty's expertise as you sure need to know what you are doing especially when you get into electrical stuff.
The poppies that were blooming [see earlier photos] have now gone to seed and while they are beautiful at the time, cleanup is another deal. We have decided that next year we are going to limit their production.
It has warmed up here [in the 90's] but even without air conditioning in our house we are keeping cool. This place is well insulated and we manage the temps by opening the windows at night when it gets into the 50's then closing the windows and blinds during the day when it warms up. I am the first one to complain when it gets hot but even I am happy.
We have a pond on our place that has thousands of small fish, and obviously some large ones. I have tried my hand at fishing but I sure don't have the magic touch. Our neighbor told us that the fish were easy to catch....ha!! Good thing my life does not depend on eating what I catch.
I have had the second back injection when they burn the nerves. It is an improvement but not back to normal [I think those days are gone...I will always have to be careful]. It will take a couple of weeks to get maximum benefit from the procedure.
We also had home made apple dumplings. For over 100 years our town has had a festival called the Creamery Picnic where there are a lot of food booths and a barbeque cookoff. Our church women make and sell apple dumplings, which is our one fund raiser for the year. These dumplings are well known and people come from all over to get dumplings. We made them this week, they will be frozen then sold at the festival next weekend [thawed then microwaved then served with ice cream for only $3.50]. Since we had made them the day before our dinner, I bought some early and that is what we had for desert.
Yesterday Anne & Scotty left to fly to Maine to be with family for a week, leaving their motorhome here, while Jim & Linda will continue on their way. Dan and Scotty have some projects to work on when the Scotts get back. We don't want to work him to death but sure do appreciate Scotty's expertise as you sure need to know what you are doing especially when you get into electrical stuff.
The poppies that were blooming [see earlier photos] have now gone to seed and while they are beautiful at the time, cleanup is another deal. We have decided that next year we are going to limit their production.
It has warmed up here [in the 90's] but even without air conditioning in our house we are keeping cool. This place is well insulated and we manage the temps by opening the windows at night when it gets into the 50's then closing the windows and blinds during the day when it warms up. I am the first one to complain when it gets hot but even I am happy.
We have a pond on our place that has thousands of small fish, and obviously some large ones. I have tried my hand at fishing but I sure don't have the magic touch. Our neighbor told us that the fish were easy to catch....ha!! Good thing my life does not depend on eating what I catch.
I have had the second back injection when they burn the nerves. It is an improvement but not back to normal [I think those days are gone...I will always have to be careful]. It will take a couple of weeks to get maximum benefit from the procedure.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Trip Photos - 1
Cottage where we stayed.
Private entrance and driveway.
Secluded amidst the trees
Covered patio with comfortable chairs and large gas grill
Furnished with everything you need
Beautiful landscaping around cottage and the home of the hosts
We would recommend this location to anyone visiting the area.
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