For everything, there is a season

Is it me, or does that baby seem too big to be nursing?  Downtown Sisters.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately.  I've spent time just looking around me, and really looking at all the things, the people and the animals that surround me every day.  I am blessed.  And I am so very, very thankful for everyone and everything in my life.  *sigh*  I am overwhelmed and humbled by the abundance in my world.

As is true to our nature, we have been using our off-time away from the paying jobs to prepare and re-organize for life spent indoors.  You've heard me describe it before, as squirreling.  But it's more than that.  It's a shifting of ones' focus on living differently.  It's about the fluffing of our nest, the cozy-ing of our home in anticipation of shorter days and longer nights.  It's all about trying to make everyone in our little world, including ourselves, comfortable and harboring a feeling of being nurtured.

My hard working husband has spent countless hours cleaning the horse's barn.  He washed the wood, swept away cobwebs, removed old bedding and cleaned and organized everything.  And last night, for the first time this fall, our horses were lined up, all ready and waiting, to come inside for the night.  We always chuckle that we don't decide when the time is right, they do.  In the late spring, they just refuse one evening to come inside, they want to remain outdoors.  And we just go with it.  Thus begins our season of "not cleaning stalls".  So last evening they came inside to freshly bedded stalls, fresh water and their hay.  And something else, that they haven't had since late spring - a bit of grain with their vitamins.  Eagle nickers at me, and then looks over the top of his wall at the grain barrel in the adjoining room.  It's right there mom...  and we oblige.  I just smile and feel all warm inside knowing that this little measure of something special, gives them such joy.  It really is the simple pleasures in life that bring us happiness.

Reflections on the beautiful Metolius River, where we spent our last night on vacation

Brothers...

 I've pretty much picked everything from the garden, except for some herbs that remain.  If we're lucky, we'll get enough sunshine to ripen the last of the tomatoes on the vines.  Oh how I'll miss those garden fresh tomatoes soon!  But I've done what I can to preserve what bounty we've had from our little vegetable patch for this year.  The beef that we bought last fall is almost gone.  We've got a couple of roasts, a couple packages of steaks and about six pounds of hamburger left.  We're debating on whether to buy some more or not.  I can no longer eat meat purchased at the grocery stores.  I've been spoiled by good, organic, home-raised beef and simply would do without, before eating the mass-produced stuff.  I need to do some research, or better yet, talk with my gardening guru friend, about what is the best way to put our little garden boxes to bed for the winter.

Yesterday, hubby borrowed our neighbor's tractor and pushed up our manure pile, cleared some blackberries growing where they shouldn't be, and covered our little camper to protect it from the elements.  We are always on the look-out for a great deal on a smaller tractor equipped with a bucket, but are so thankful for our wonderful neighbors who are willing to lend us theirs when we're in need.  Where would we be without our neighbors?  I'm so grateful to them for their generosity!  I always have to get creative for new and hopefully, appreciated ways of thanking them.

We took a little ride around the neighboring fields on Ladde and Missy on Sunday.  Missy, as usual, was a delight.  Calm, sweet and willing to go wherever I pointed her.  Ladde on the other hand, *sigh*  was a bit of a pistol.  I truly believe he thinks himself to be an Andalusian stallion, with his high-stepping leg action, beautifully arched neck and snorty way of breathing.  Beautiful to behold, but not so much fun to ride!  So...back home we headed, to the round pen, where Ladde's excess energy was put to use in a different manner.  A little loping, lots of trotting and changing directions had him "chillin" in no time at all.  Second time through the fields was a much more appreciated and down to earth horse.  Ladde was back.  Andalusian stallion was gone.  :)  We enjoyed the ride and took in the splendor of the lovely afternoon and the fall colors all around.

And as predicted, just about bedtime it began to rain.  We're supposed to have rain throughout much of the next five days, but today is just cooler and overcast.  The rain felt nice for a change.  I sure hope some of the areas that are drought-stricken get some much needed rain soon.

So far October has been just lovely.  I find myself anxious for that first frost, and the brisk days that welcome a sweater.  Oh, and we did get our brush pile all burned up last weekend.  Whoohoo!!  I love getting things done, and feeling a sense of accomplishment at jobs well done.

Reflections on Little Lava Lake

I just threw in a variety of some more shots from our Central Oregon vacation.  Most of my pics were taken using my little Canon, but you can't help but notice how much improved color and clarity comes from the Kodak.  I don't carry it with me very often because it's bulkier, but the picture quality is much better.  

You're probably a little sick and tired of all the vacation pictures, but there's plenty more where these came from!  :)

Until next time,
Blessings all...

A little vaca, a little squirreling

I'm going to try and not go overboard with the picture posting.  I took so many that it's really amazing, even to me.  I got a little carried away.

So these pictures are all taken along the scenic route called the Aufderheide, named for a man who did a lot of forest preservation work and was highly respected in his lifetime.  The road starts out on the McKenzie highway and goes south, basically up and over the mountain range following alongside the South Fork of the McKenzie river, and once over the top, you're now driving alongside the Middle South Fork of the Willamette River.  The Willamette is the same river that flows (albeit much larger) through our little home valley, appropriately named the Willamette Valley.  I'm thinking that the Willamette here, is renowned for fishing because of the many trails leading down to the river, and all the absolutely beautiful pools.

Here and below we are just about at the summit of the Aufderheide pass, in a meadow where we happened upon an old cabin, and below a Forest Service cabin that can be rented.  It even has a horse corral out back.  There seems to be a lot of trail heads in this area, but I'll just bet the terrain is very, very steep wherever you would go.

Here we are in Box Canyon Horse Camp.  We had the entire place to ourselves and this is a free campground.  Amazingly enough, there was no evidence of horses having camped here in a long time.  There was grass growing in the corrals and there was no tell-tale horse poop anywhere.  Quite sad really as this is a beautiful and well-equipped camp ground.  Too bad it's so far from home.

Box Canyon is at the summit of the pass and is appropriately named for the ginormous canyon that runs along the south side.  I believe this is where the South Fork McKenzie veers into another direction and the road now is following the Middle South Fork Willamette.  The dogs and I took a walk alongside the canyon until my fear of heights won out, and we had to turn back.  We spent the night here, all alone; and darkness was overwhelming and the silence was deafening.  At some point during the night, it began to rain.  So peaceful sleeping to the pitter-patter of rainfall on the camper roof.

The rain continued throughout the morning hours as we headed down the mountain, stopping many times to take pictures and check out roadside camping locations.  It was just beautiful.  I felt more relaxed than I've felt in a very long time...

Driving through an old-growth rain forest on a winding, quiet mountain road in the softly falling rain is very peaceful, and we just loved it.

This is the end of the Aufderheide, in a very small town called Westifir.  The old covered bridge is solid and nostalgic and reminiscent of days gone by.

From here, we headed to Oakridge.  We needed to find a laundromat and wash the blankets we used on the couches for the dogs.  Rain and dogs do not mix...

So while there in Oakridge, while our laundry dried, we went out for lunch.  Chinese food, hot tea and a little quiet time were in order.  Perfect for a misty, cool Oregon day.

Back on the road, we headed East towards our next destination, Odelle Lake.  The rain had picked up somewhat and driving wasn't exactly enjoying, so we decided to book a cabin for the night.  I forgot to get any pictures of our adorable little mountain cabin, but it was well-equipped with a bedroom, kitchen, wood stove and best of all...a hot shower.  *sigh*  Who could ask for anything more?  We wiled the afternoon and evening away in our PJ's, reading, dozing, lake-watching and just enjoying the downtime.  Just before dark, the dogs and I headed outside for a little walk down by the lake and up into some trails.  The lodge has horses there, so we even got in a little horsey schmoozing time.  By this time, I was missing our ponies pretty badly!

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the lodge, overlooking the lake and taking life easy.  The next short leg of our trip would take us further east, up and over the top of the Cascade Range and into Central Oregon - the drier side of our state.  We passed Crescent Lake and the Crescent Ski Resort, again climbing to an even higher summit on our journey.  Then it was a northerly turn onto the Cascade Lakes Scenic Biway where there are too many lakes to count.  A different kind of beauty was in store...

This is the area near where I'd like to move to.  This trip did nothing more than to reaffirm my desire to move east of our mountains to this drier climate.  This area is home to numerous beautiful high mountain lakes, several gorgeous rivers, great sport fishing, hiking, horseback riding, Mt. Bachelor ski resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and so much more.  A very active lifestyle is what this area is all about.  And when it does rain, there's no mud - the volcanic soil soaks the moisture in and that's it.  Some day...

So, last weekend we did get another cord and a half of firewood with the help of our hay-hauling high school boys.  They sure do make short work of things!  We took down our swimming pool and have it stored for the winter, sniff.  My hubby's home today cleaning out the garden shed and reorganizing that, next on the list for purchase and storage is stall bedding.  I hope to get 3 tons, which hopefully will take us pretty much through the winter.  We've picked out a piece of granite for the re-installation of our pellet stove in the living room.  Hopefully we'll get that put back in soon.  After that, we'll need to get 1 ton of stove pellets for use during the coldest part of winter.  I guess I really have to face it.  Summer's over.  Autumn is here.

But by our weather this past week you sure wouldn't know it!  I miscalculated our recent/current daytime temps when I said lower 70's.  What is correct is the low 80's, even the nights are still quite warm, having to leave all the windows open and the ceiling fans going.  I'm certainly not complaining!  The mornings are a wee bit cooler, and we even had a little fog this morning, but it's fantastic weather!!  We're planning on a load of junk to the dump soon...where does this stuff come from!?  And I'm still hoping to get some apples for preserving soon...always something to keep a body busy, right?

The leaves are falling and the colors are continuing to emerge as we get further into this glorious season.  We're hoping the burn ban is lifted soon so we can fire up the debris pile we've been adding to all year long.  That's always a fun Autumn chore.  The smell of smoke in the air...aahh, I love it!

Hope you're enjoying the change of seasons as much as we are!  If all else fails, we may put all projects on hold and go for a few rides on our horses before the rains come.  That is what I really want to do!  Work can wait!!

Paradise...

That's where we spent the first week of fall, and it was refreshing and reaffirming.  We had such a good time on our road trip!  We spent each night in a different location and checked out so many different campgrounds, rivers, lakes and restaurants that it's hard to keep them all straight.  :)  Alright, some of that may be age-related, but still...

These first few shots are from Odell Campground.  Such a beautiful place.  We were at the confluence of this rushing creek with the McKenzie River, and the rushing water was incredible.  The weather was perfect, people were scare and we loved every minute of it.  

The day before we left, my hubs had an issue with his back and he suffered with it the entire trip.  Major bummer!  But at least he didn't have to go to work, and could just relax and rest, which is what he did.  We took a few short walks together and made good use of the hot springs.  As the week wore on, he felt a little better every day.  

our campsite #1

I went down these rapids!

We took walks, explored the woods and waterways, had a couple of naps, read, played games, sat by the camp fire, soaked in natural hot springs and ate way more than we should have.  It was wonderful!!  And yes, I went whitewater rafting!!!  Oh my gosh - why did I wait so long to do this!!??  I had a blast and cannot wait to do it again!!!  Poor hubs absolutely could not go.  At this point he could barely walk, so it would have been foolish to even attempt it.  I almost didn't go, but then I thought, what the heck - I'm going!  So much fun!!!  The beautiful and wild McKenzie is a perfect rafting river, and I will be returning...

I'm ordering a CD of the trip so soon I'll post a few shots of my adventure.  :)  We got a credit for hubs since he had a medical reason for not going, so next time we only have to pay for one.  Perfect reason to go back.

my beautiful, Annie

Ruby giving sugar

my reading buddy

The second night we stayed in Paradise Campground and that portion of the river was below where we put our raft in.  There was a thunder and lightning storm that night, with a few sprinkles, but the morning dawned sunny and warm again.

Then we headed to Belknap Springs Resort where we met up with the rafting guides, spent most of the day on the river and when we returned, had a nice, long soak in the Belknap hot springs pool...heaven.  The hot, mineral waters helped my hubby's back, a lot.  We showered, dressed and headed for our next destination...Cougar Reservoir.  

This is taken from on top of the dam, looking at the reservoir, and that's some sort of fish dispersal place on the right.  The photo below is looking down below the dam, at the fish hatchery and the road we drove up runs alongside the mountain edge just to the left.  I was a bit sick on that road, but thankfully the visual of the hole below us, was brief.  *whew*.  Have I mentioned that I hate heights???  

Very pretty isn't it?  We followed the south fork of the McKenzie to this reservoir.  

Of course, the dogs would have spent their entire time in the water, had I allowed it.  Labs!!

And yes, the water really is that color.  I don't know how to edit my pictures so they're always straight out of my camera.  One of these days, I'd really enjoy learning one of those editing softwares for photography...what fun!

And this is our little campsite at Cougar Crossing.  The following morning we took the short hike into Cougar Hot Springs.  6 beautiful, natural pools stair-stepped down the mountain.  It really is a beautiful place, located in old growth timber and lots of ferns.  It felt absolutely wonderful, especially for my hubby's back.  However, my body temp got a wee bit high, and after getting out, I had to recline for a while, and dump cold water on my face and head.  For a while I thought I was either going to pass out, puke, or both.  But it passed and I felt revitalized once again!  After having heat stroke twice now, I apparently cannot allow my body temperature to get overly high.  There were only a few other people there, some of which were nude and another couple who (like us), were not.  I don't mind people going in without clothing on, but why oh why does it always have to be skinny, pasty white people who enjoy getting in, getting out and showing off their "junk" to everybody else!?  *sigh*  I would appreciate a little modesty in such places...I really must be getting old.  And I forgot to take my camera, so I didn't get any pictures to share with you!  I know - you're crushed, right?  :)

I know this post has gotten quite picture heavy, so I think I'll quit for now.  This was only Tuesday I think, so we had lots of adventures ahead.  We really did enjoy ourselves, and I took so many pictures it was crazy.  I need to go through them all and delete about half of them.  I took both cameras with me because I wasn't sure if we'd have access to power for charging.  And yes, I used both of them up.  When you're surrounded by such beauty in nature, a girl can get a little camera-happy!  

I'm so thankful that we got to go, and get away from all our responsibilities for a little while.  Rejuvenation is certainly good for the soul.  Hannah took excellent care of our horses and cats while we were away, and had no problems to report.  I'm always thankful for that.  I did miss our horses though, a lot!  The first thing I did after getting home, was head out and say hello to them all.  They sure are getting fuzzy already!  I don't blame them one bit, autumn has certainly arrived, lots of color and much cooler nights.  I'm sure it won't be long before we have fires in the wood stove again.  Sounds good huh?  

Today is a beautiful, sunny day.  Our daytime temps are in the lower 70's and that's just about perfect for me.  This weekend we're getting some firewood, taking the pool down and storing it for winter, hopefully do our fall burning and maybe, if we have time and energy left, go apple picking!  

Vacations are wonderful, but it sure feels good to be home!  

Feeling blessed...