New Neighbors

The babies have arrived.  These photos were taken with a telephoto lens.

We keep a bucket of water fresh for the wild life to use. 

Squirrels, crows, jack rabbits, deer and who knows what else make use of the water.

Mama deer is on the wrong side of the fence.

Ahem...

This little one had to soak his/her feet for awhile.

  Nature is so incredible that she camouflages the young ones to blend into the surroundings.

There's a little one nursing here, just as Mama decides enough is enough.  Let's move along up the hillside.

Daylilies

Just a quick hello!

 

These photos were taken a week ago or so when my Daylilies first started to bloom.

The wind was blowing and it was hard to get a clear focus.

They're about half way done with their blooms for the summer.

Summer finally arrived for us.  It was 106*F.  yesterday.  

 Currently it's 102*F.

   It's going to be lake time real soon,

as in a couple of hours.

Weekend,

Hey there, Have a wonderful weekend. 

 

 Cloud shapes.

What do you see?

From the Garden.

Here's a small peek at what's growing over at the garden.

Swiss Chard,  Rainbow and Neon Brights.

Sorry for the blur on the next photo, but I wanted to show the color of these stems.

 Oops, I spy some weeds.

 

Green Beans are blooming.

So are the tomatoes.

Cucumbers are starting to climb and they have started blooming also.

Making an appearance in our garden for the first time,  Carrots!

 

In the background left to right, zuchinni, strawberries and peppers.

We're expecting our first 100 degree day this weekend. Sundays forecast 104*F.

Have a great weekend.

Reruns

I was checking out old "sent" files in my e-mail account.

What a treasure trove there is to explore there. 

                                      Forgotten stories, and details of when what happened etc.

Here's one I found of  our first fire evacuation and the new pontoon boat in June 2007.

This is a photo from our neighborhood fire that occurred Saturday night. It burned 21 acres.

We were on our way home from the lake and saw the smoke from*** *** Road.

When we got to our turnoff, there were police barricades and we weren't allowed to get up the hill to our home. The police man told us that the fire was just north of the corner of *** ***** and ***** Way. Our lane connects there as well, so it really scared us that the fire was so close. We went to our friends house which was just around the corner by the freeway directly across a hill from the fire. We parked our boat there on their property and left it there overnight. We weren't sure when we were going to be allowed to get home. We had Brinkley with us, so that wasn't a worry thank goodness. We went to our previously planned potluck at the Seniors to go ahead and have dinner. There wasn't anything we could do anyhow, and there wasn't any reason to miss dinner with our friends who were also going to dinner. She had made the mashed potatoes for everyone. We went empty handed, but hey, we couldn't get home to put together the salad I had planned on taking. When we got back to our neighborhood our road up the hill was open to our house. But half of **** **** was still closed with the firemen still in the area. One of our neighbors smashed her car into her sons car while they were trying to evacuate and he was coming up to see about helping her... I guess that's the story. The car is totaled. But I heard there wasn't any real injury. Thank Goodness! Thank Goodness - we didn't loose any homes this time either. The wind was blowing north at the time and we were  thankful for that as our home would have been in harms way if the wind had been blowing to the south.

Thank goodness for firefighters and northerly winds! 

We had spent the day on the lake with our new pontoon boat. Yep, we went ahead and bought it on the 10th. We took it out that night for our shakedown cruise. Cool beans! We are so happy with it. But I was scared to pieces towing, launching, retrieving, etc. It's bigger than our old boat. Saturday we had it out for the second time and spent the day out on the lake. Rick caught one fish, a bass. It was a twelve incher and he released it back into the lake. I forgot to take the camera, but next time I will. We absolutely loved being out on the pontoon and even Brinkley can climb up the ladder to get back on board. Tonight we are taking it back to the dealer to have a full enclosure made for the boat so that we can camp or run during the shoulder seasons when it's a bit colder but better fishing weather. I think I heard that it would take two weeks, but I'm hoping I misunderstood and it would only take a week or less.

Camping Time from Last October.

Since I've posted reruns about the summer 2008 fire season,  I figure I might as well post a camping story from last fall.  What can I say, it's rerun season.   What's interesting to me is the difference in the lake level compaired to now.   OK, here's the story from when I wrote about our camping trip from October.

A couple of weekends ago, we had the time, good weather, no commitments, and the energy to go out for an overnight stay on the boat. Yeah, finally. So we packed, and packed some more. For one night. What you carry downhill, you also have to carry back up OK? yeah.

We flipped a coin to see which arm of the lake to go up, McCloud, or Squaw Creek.

Off we go to Squaw Creek. Water Level  is 125' from the crest.

When they built the dam, they expected the lake to fill slower than it did.

 Consequently they didn't finish logging out some of the trees

 in the Squaw Creek and Pitt River arms of the lakes.

When the water level drops in the summer, the trees show up.

They've been underwater most of the time since the dam was built in the mid 40's.

We found a spot and tied up for the night. First thing though, gather firewood.

We heated a can of clam chowder for our dinner, and no it wasn't Cambells, it was some other chunkier kind. Not very good, but easy to clean up afterwards. And besides, it was only for one night. Note to self, next time home made soup. We went for a walk and found several other campfire rings in terrific spots for future camp outs when the water level is much higher. We even found more firewood to burn. Someone had left a few pieces of oak and manzanita firewood already cut up.

That evening we had our own campfire and reminisced about other campfires and Aunt H. She loved campfires and had the burned soles of her shoes to prove it. We can't have a campfire without thinking of her and how much she loved gathering around the campfire ring, telling stories and dodging smoke.

It got dark and was getting cold by 8pm. We listened to the owls hooting, and then decided it was time to turn in. First though, we had to anchor the boat off the shore. It's to keep us away from the bears and other food seeking critters out there. Plus to make it so we're floating semi-free and not banging against the shore with the wakes. So we (ahem..it was Rick) loosened the right shore lines, but they were connected to the wrong cleats and so now we've swung around and twisted our shore lines with the engine close to tangling up in the anchor line. Rick had to get into the water which is 65 degrees to turn the boat back around.

Brrr. cold water.

So he gets the boat back around and anchors it close to the shore. We blow up the air beds (the tall versions which are rather nice) and turn in for the night about 9:30. It's cold, and our beds need more air, but we're asleep soon. At 1AM strong wind gusts push the boat and the anchor gives way, so we're banging against the shore line. This isn't good and we're not getting much sleep. Rick starts the boat engine to push the pontoons up on the shore to secure the boat from banging around. We'll take our chances with the critters. Now we're in bed at an angle steep enough to keep us sliding downward in our beds to the cold-er spots. Toss and turn. My hips and lower back are killing me. I need more air in my bed, but it's too cold to get up again to use the shrill air pump. My nose is the only thing exposed to the air. I'm trying to sleep with my head under the covers, and can't breath. Back to the cold nose. I was awake listening to talk radio off and on for the rest of morning, just waiting for daylight.

Morning doesn't come soon enough, but we stayed in the torture racks until almost 7 aching cold, and trying not to complain. I grabbed the thermos of day old coffee to gulp down Tylenol from the first aid kit. Next up fresh coffee, bananas and still cold bagels with burn marks.

Our home for the night.

The photo below shows the boat with the tenting up, with the exception of the front piece.

Take care and have some fun adventues this summer.

Two Years Ago Today.

Most of this post is from  letters and photos about our fires  from  two years ago.

Two years ago today, we had an extreme lightning storm that covered half the state. 

 It was the beginning of a summer full of smoke from 2000  lightning strike fires.

This photo was taken June 19, 2008

 and this one  on June 28, 2008.  Taken from just about the same location.

June 25, 2008 we were evacuated from our home due to the Vista Fire.   

 

~~~~ Last night just as we were eating dinner we heard fire engine sirens which sounded close. Cousin P. called and asked if we knew anything. The fire engines were coming in through **** ****Road as well as off the exit to ***Trail by our house. So  we knew that the fire was between us. We are 2 1/2 driving miles apart, but in actuality we are closer if you could draw a straight line. I   With all of the smoke in the air from the fires we've had since Saturday's lightning storm we couldn't see anything. Our smoke just increased the heavy smoke that was already settling down as if it were fog. We saw the sheriffs car at our neighbors house, but he didn't come to ours.  Then we saw the sheriff go up the hill behind our house and we could hear our other neighbor  *** and his mom yelling something. Meanwhile the phone keeps ringing with two cousins and I trying to coordinate just where the fire is and the info we're hearing.  Five  of our family members homes are in this  area and the fire was between us all. Anyway, I missed the reverse 911 call advising us to evacuate, but R. had gone to the neighbor to see what was up and came running back saying to GET OUT!

We only have one way out of our neighborhood. It's down **** Road and the fire trucks are already coming up the hill to make at stand at *** Way.  I grabbed insurance papers.   The things you think of aren't exactly what you had preplanned in your head in case you ever got evacuated. R grabbed the fire safe .  He also grabbed the lap top,  the dog, and yelled for me to grab the uncashed tax stimulus check that was being saved for vacation in three weeks... (we are going to go see the new granddaughter G  in LA)  It is absolute panic, and Rick is yelling COME ON GET OUT as I'm grabbing a change of clothes. I'm wearing an absolutely crappy shirt with missing buttons, safety pinned to keep closed because I had been to the garden earlier and well you know the crap you wear at home kinda stuff. Thank goodness I had jeans on instead of Capri's with worn out Birkenstocks.

We had the presence of mind to turn off the swamp cooler, close the windows, thank Goodness that R  had just cleared the gutters again a couple weeks ago to get rid of tree debris, and leave the front door unlocked for the firemen. K (our daughter and her son) and I left in our vehicles and R was behind us, but turned back to get the garbage cans away from the wall by the deck. If they ignited from the heat , it could catch the deck on fire. He couldn't move the truck away from the house as he had left his house/truck key set inside my car. You think about all you would take in an evacuation if the time ever comes, but in the panic of the moment you just can't think. I left the photo boxes behind, and my cell phone that I wished I had.   We left our prescriptions, one of which R is not supposed to miss. Even that wouldn't have been too much of a problem, we'd just head back to our doctors. But you know, we got out with what was important. Ourselves and Brinkley.  (Brinkley was our yellow lab that we lost to kidney failure and pancreatitis a year and a  half ago.)   Everything else, (not photos though) is replaceable...eventually.

If our home burned we could rebuild. But I would dearly miss the trees.

We drove back up to  a convenience market gas station at our exit from I-5 and watched the helicopters drop water onto the fire just over the ridge from our house.

Our neighbor was there with his scanner  and  we got information from him about what he was hearing.  The police had said on the scanner that the fire was started by someone mowing weeds........... Happens every year, someone starts fires that way....   With the valley full of smoke already, and we're in an extreme fire hazard watch, someone is stupid enough to mow in the late afternoon.   

We were allowed to go home after 9pm. When R  came up the canyon there were still fire trucks here. He came up first to see if the roads were clear as his phone call to the sheriffs office wasn't very productive. They told him that the roads were closed and didn't have an estimate on when we could get back home. In reality though, the roads had just opened cause ten minutes later Rick made it through and then called us to come on home. When I got up the canyon, there was one water tanker fire truck left by our mail boxes.
The smoke that had been so bad before, was much worse. It makes your throat and lungs hurt.
 Take care , and actually do have an evacuation plan. Make a list of the things you should evacuate with. Post it where you can see it. Believe me, you just can't think when the panic sets in. ~~~~~

Photo below :  June 26, 2008   This is the gas station/convenience store/restaurant that we and a lot of our neighbors evacuated to   This isn't the smoke from our Vista Fire which was night before last. This was the Motion Fire, to the west of us by Shasta Dam. It started yesterday and today has consumed over 5000 acres.



 

Same fire as seen above.  The Motion fire.

Motion Fire 6/26/08 Photo below:  See that white (was red/orange that the camera doesn't pick up) spot in the smoke about a third of the way across from the left side of the picture. That's a tree exploding into flames. An entire tree burning at once and it only lasts for a couple of seconds before it disappears into the smoke. This is advancing fire which is north of the dam and our major fire closest to us. 

Saturday Conditions. 6/28/08

The air is … smoky.  You can’t see too far without looking through a veil of hazy smoke.
The Motion fire has grown to 12,000 plus acres and has merged with another fire.

R  and I drove up **** Way ( just up the hill behind our house) this morning and there was one fireman left.  He told us that they put out hot spots last night but that they would be leaving the hillside unattended later today. He said to keep an eye on the hill and if we see smoke to call it in and let them know there is smoke coming from the Vista fire area. The local volunteer firemen would be checking the area once in a while for a few more days.

There’s a super tanker landing on the lake today. It can scoop up enough water to drop on 3-4 acres at once. Last night we saw the support area there at Bridge Bay , where we keep our boat. There’s a semi-truck there along with a fuel tanker. They’ve put up a boat ramp and have a marina patio boat there to ferry from the plane to the dock. I took pictures of the semi truck and tanker. Right now I expect that it’s off fighting fires if it is here yet. It has been delayed two days getting here as they had mechanical problems. (According to the newspaper). Oops, just heard on the radio that the plane had taken off but had to return to its base because of mechanical problems. It should really help out when it does arrive.

 6/30/08   newspaper story.
 SHASTA – The Martin Mars splashed down on Lake Shasta at about 9 a.m. today.

The flying boat's support team is at Bridge Bay, and the plane will likely wait there until it gets its first mission, said Mary Loan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Based out of Vancouver Island, Canada, the monstrous water bomber – comparable in size to a Boeing 747 and capable of dousing three to four acres with 7,200 gallons of water – has been set to join to fight against the north state's wildfires since Thursday, but has been delayed by mechanical problems.

Loan said the plane should be used to fight fire today, depending on the visibility.

7/20/08 photo below:  from the lake sun setting on smoke cloud.

Yesterday out on the lake with the smoke from the numerous fires.

The sun set behind a thick bank of smoke, long before it actually set below the mountains.

 

From a letter written 7/ 27/08:  We had several really smoky days since getting home, and then three fairly clear days . The wind shifted again though and we were back in the smoke for another really bad three days The air quality index was reaching 260 range for us Hazardous air is at 300. Our normal for this time last summer,  15.  Today, the wind has shifted and it's better.. The major fires are just about contained, but they still will burn for weeks inside the perimeter We have new fires since Mondays lightning storm in Siskyou county. It's been a really strange summer here.   We're out in the smoke cause it's no different than being at home with the same smoke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's the first day of summer 2010, and

it's fire season again.

A little bit more of Dunsmuir.

I loved this gate and wondered about what was behind it.  A business of some sort.

Checking online a week later, I discovered it's the home and shop of an artist.  

   She makes jewelry, does watercolors, etc.  Her site is interesting  and she sells on Etsy.

Click here for a peak behind the gate.

http://www.ruddlecottage.net/  

Photo Below:  This the Window Box Bonsai and Art Gallery.

They've changed.

  It used to be the Window Box Nursery,

and they used to have a cool collection of plants

that weren't available in your average nursery. 

 It's the location of where we had a Pot Party a couple of years ago,

for a Red Hat Society gathering.

Yes, I said Pot Party.

As

in 

potted 

plants. 

We got to pick out a pot, and filled it with a variety of sun or shade loving plants for a set fee.

The soil was provided, but add any extra plants and it would increase your bill.

Mine promptly died, and I do have a green thumb.

I thought.

This property is pretty cool though.  It's a narrow lot.

To the left side is a brick wall of one of the old buildings.

On this wall, grows a lovely hydrangea type vine.

On the right hand side you can see climbing old fashioned pink roses.

Plus a row of espaliered pear trees. 

You can just see their trunks against the wall. 

In the center, potted bonsai plants.

I'm not a fan of bonsai.

I'm a bit disappointed to see this business had changed.

The back of the property, goes practically straight up the hill.

They managed to make a great  rock/creek/waterfall garden.

Just above the top of the photo, you can barely see a hammock.

There was a garden chair and table up there as well.  I didn't get a photo,

cause the owners of the shop were relaxing.  It really felt like we had intruded into their personal space.

 They were open though.

One more thing.  The waterfall is natural to this property. 

An old building that is being restored. 

 I'm glad someone has the time and money to preserve these historic buildings.

These photos are all from the same neighborhood, across the way from the train station.

I love the colors that are being used on the buildings.

Just up the hill towards the center of town. 

A mural or two. 

One last photo.

I  couldn't resist showing  the end of our Dunsmuir tour.

Why oh why, is this a trend?

Trains

As part of the Railroad Days in Dunsmuir festival,

 there was a tour of a few of the old train cars. 

We bought a pass for one dollar each 

and were able to get a feel for what train travel used to be like.

This is the California Zephyr.

The dining/kitchen car.

This photo was taken looking through the doorway gates...

What a mess.  Don't you want to just get in there and do a bit of straightening up.

I would love to see this all spic and span. 

I bet it was extremely hot to work in this space.

I'm assuming that this is the coffee pot.

The dining side of the car.

The Formica tables fold up along the sides of the walls.

The red diamond Formica inserts were nailed in.

They probably started curling up with age and heat deterioration.

The yellow/orange car is a sleeper car. 

I couldn't get good photos of the little tiny spaces through the doorways.

This photo shows a mid quality sleeper room. 

 There were other rooms.  One was rather extravagant, but I didn't get a photo.  

 The other rooms looked like a very cramped closet sized space

 with  a recliner seat that made into a bed. 

 

Time to leave the rails and explore a bit more of Dusnmuir,

on the next post.

Have a great weekend!
Maybe you'll run into something fun,

 like  Dizzy Hips.