Time for a Break--whether we want it or not!

Kia ora and greetings to one and all as we approach the crazy season!

After four straight storms and then the one two nights later to beat all of them--I guess some might call it wind-ing (read very stiff breezes!) down.  And the rain that followed!  So our local river,the Rogue, swelled to more than fill its banks again...

During the last storm, we had even more sizeable flooding on our local rivers; besides some cracks forming in our highway which weren't too encouraging.  One of the things that people don't get is just how big the winds get here--for sure, gusts measuring 100kmph (60+mph). No, the weather is not boring on the south Oregon coast!

But enough about all the weather.  It is the time of the year that our garden is almost at rest.  Our brassicas are still growing, a few tomatoes are hanging on (dead stalks, of course!), the potatoes which have slowly been dying back and waiting to be discovered underground (loads of them, we hope), and the fava cover crop just poked its (many) heads above the soil--hopefully not in sight of the herd of a dozen elk that wandered thru last week (Sorry, pictures are on Brent's camara.).  They must have been quite curious as to the plants all growing on the other side of the wire.  HOPEFULLY, as it is 'deer' fencing, they won't get curiousER!

This may be my last missive of the OLD year, and I so look forward to 21 or 22 December, when the days will once again lengthen.  And of course, by mid-February, that means that when we get sun, the solar panels will once again be getting jazzed-up and the first seedlings will be bursting above the soil--in my new cold frames--yet to be created.

I wish the best to you over the holiday seasons, in whatever hemishpere you find yourself at present, with especially warm thoughts to this season's Wwoofers and to my Kiwi friends; all of you at CCS Disability Action, I think of you often.

Love from Oregon
Scott

You WILL Survive!

And perhaps you'll THRIVE!!!

No really, I mean it...in our 6 months back in the US, we have lived--actually done quite well--without a TV.  Now that being said, we did again watch five out of six years of the series "Northern Exposure" during that period.  We'll watch it again if you'd like when you visit.

It's amazing what you can learn to live without.  And probably your lifestyle will improve vastly.  Say, you just don't 'have time' to fish.  Well, take the time that you spent watching the tube and I bet you'll now be able to do A LOT of fishing  (I still have to get hooked.).

Of course, the area that we most put time into was our garden. And thanks to 9 Wonderfful Wwoofers, we came a long way in that creation.  And with more vegetables--and I dare say, more vegetarians around--well...you will definitely be eating more healthfully.  

As we also ended up living out of our cooler as the 'new' refrigerator, we also have ended up spending less money on propane.  Our old propane/electrical fridge biting the dust didn't necessarily turn out too bad.  It also made us even more mindful in planning our menu.

One block of ice every second or third day worked great!  

Making changes has proved beneficial for us, and they may do the same for you, and if you really don't like your new lives, just change back!  Promise, you won't melt!

in hono(u)r of Christmas

Lime, Favas, and Season's Bounty

Final Butternut squash take for the season

It's already November, and even though the growing is almost done for the season, there's still much to do including the final harvest of the season--just in time for our Thanksgiving butternut squash pie Brent is planning on making for our big family meal together at the end of the month...

There's bags of lime to put down (Most has been completed.); even though everything grew very nicely this season, a pH of only 5 seems a bit low for optimum production...

There's a sizable bag of fava beans that have been carefully planted in all the areas we "degrassed" at the end of the season that will serve as this year's cover crop to add nitrogen to our soil.  I've planted them in various ways to see what technique will prove most .

And there's a lot of landscaping in our efforts to beautify the entire planting area and to add some interest to our homestead (See the round river stones in the picture that follows.); many plants that the deer found tasty in the arboretum have been moved near to the cabin to help make them less desirable...

the 'limed' garden down from the partially landscaped swath
of ornamental plants and river rock


Watch for future developments!!!

The Cherry (or Strawberry) on Top

Actually, it's more like a very small pebble or a large piece of sand...my suggestion: don't pass a kidney stone unless you can do so extremely quickly--or--it's SO small you don't know you had it!  Almost $4000 and TWO visits to the emergency room later--and in our hospital--we definitely look to returning Down Under.

But folks here have been incredibly generous as I just transported all sorts of herbs and flowers from the place that I worked this summer and transplanted a few dozen strawberry starts from the plants that the person that I worked with there provided me.  They're all supposed to bear fruit in June, so I planted them in a patch by the house to hopefully keep whatever critters may like them away.

My permaculture plan has definitely evolved into a vibrant vision--and reality--of a garden this past summer and autumn, and has even included a bit of landscaping by using the plants that the deer kept munching that were further from the house.  So, along with all of the plants started from seed, dug up or donated, this has been a pretty economical start to creating a sustainable homestead.  I'll try to take a current picture of that planting as well as the view from the house into the garden in my next posting.

The Garden is Defined!

Can you believe it?  Four months from our first planting and we’ve got next year’s garden all but ready to go!

Son & Son Kettle


Thanks to Steve(n) and Cooper,  essentially all the ‘desodding’ has been completed.  What this means is most of the perennial grass roots have been removed.   We’re hoping this will result in much less weeding in the future.  Again, it’s that idea of trying to get things right from the beginning.  But whatever you do, don’t let Margaret (my organic guru from New Zealand) know…as she met her better half by agreeing with him that he didn’t have to do any digging in her gardens.

Almost there!

So, now it comes down to trying to raise my pH a couple of octaves!   What this means is now I’ve got to get serious about laying down the lime.  Rob was always encouraging me to do this in Royal Oak, and I think he was on to something.  Unfortunately for us (according to our soil test results), that might mean that what I actually should be applying would require a dumptruck rather than the ten 50-pound bags (Yes, no more metrics as we’re out of NZ!) I just purchased yesterday.  Just for the record, the recommendations suggest that I need 9999+ lbs per acre.  As we have about ¼ acre in vegetables, that’s only 2499 ¼ lbs…isn’t that comforting?

And, again for the records, EVERYTHING in the garden has grown well this summer; perhaps, I’m being overscientific about all of this!  BUT again, I AM trying to get this right from the beginning.

IN CLOSING, for this segment of organification, I would like to thank Sandy, Dan, Angelita, Noel, David, Matt, Reed, Steve and Cooper for their wonderful Wwoofing efforts and getting us on track for the future!  And, just to let the Wwoofers know, we’re now in full harvest, and that one big pumpkin is now very big!!!

Getting in the artichokes and rhubarb

As we’re getting to the end of our planting season, it’s time to put in the perennial veggies that were started from seed.  Overall, I’ve been happy with the results…the few rhubarb plants that did come up came from seed from our own plants!

Matt and his four-legged friend, Reed

You’ll notice that my Wwoofers, Matt and Reed, hailing from Washington DC, are planting them outside the deer fence.  I think this will be a safe move as I know that no animals have been feasting on the parent rhubarb plant (which will also be divided and moved to this planting area once the rains kick in) in a very vulnerable open area in which it’s been growing.  I also understand that deer don’t like artichokes (although I’ve covered with netting to give them protection from deer and other varmints through the winter); they have grown greatly from the seedlings transplanted just three weeks ago.

Being drawn toward experimentation, we’ll be planting the other half of artichokes next spring.  I think it will be interesting to see how the two groups of plants grow and produce.  It also will give me more options should a killing freeze do in the artichokes that are in the ground right now.  I think that our climate should be fine.

The seed packet states that these plants may produce a crop next year.  As I got them planted up by the end of June and they’ve had a short summer in which to reach their current size, this may be hoping for too much.

Natural Beauty

One of the joys of living in this neck of the world is the tremendous scenery and natural wonders that it has to offer.  We open our door daily to it which is pretty (and) amazing!  There is something about Cloudplay that brings all of those wonders together…

That being said, there are so many other special spots to see and experience that make it natural to share these with the Wwoofers who make our place their temporary home.  I have made it a point for anyone staying two weeks or more to take them to visit at least a couple of those awesome wonders as well as to various spots that make Curry County and the Siskiyou region such a unique bioregion.

As well as these pictures of the coast, which are quite indicative of what you’ll experience in travelling here, there’s (at least) a couple places that I don’t want folks who come all of this way to miss.

a shot along the way

 



shrouded in clouds or sunny, it's magic!

streams and waterfalls, too...

‘Secret Beach’ is one of those.  Whether you catch it on a foggy or sunny day, the magic of that spot cannot begin to be gathered until seen by descending the hill from a very basic pull-off behind a safety railing from the main highway.  There are pelicans and seals checking you out from just offshore, waterfalls, small creeks with pools, tree-topped rock islands and forested cliffs that filter the sun, hidden caves and routes through the humungous rock formations and even natural arches and rock bridges to explore during low tide.

 

Dan in awe in our living cathedral

‘Stout Grove’ is another.  A path winding along a pristinely turquoise river takes you to a cathedral of trees—the mighty redwoods—that speak of another time and which man has fortunately left to be.  There are nooks and crannies, fallen logs, gigantic trees that a family of ten can’t reach around, and a fairy forest in which you can just sit and absorb forever.  Viewing upward takes awhile to discover how and where the sun could possibly enter to hit on scattered patches on the fern-laden ground.  There is no doubt that this place is sacred, and this is only enhanced by the ghostlike voices of fellow souls as they echo within and throughout.  Leaving this place is possible, but not something you are in a hurry to do.

 

All of this being said, you can discover much more at your leisure and find those places that resonate for you.  And no, I am not a tour guide!

Labo(u)r Day

It’s already September!  For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s kind of like Good Friday (although that’s a bit changeable) in that it marks the end of summer and good weather and getting out and about for holidays and vacations.

On the other hand, Kiwis and Ozzies have Christmas to mark the entrance to down time and better weather, where we here in the US have Memorial Day, which is more like your Anzac—although, we always move it toward a weekend to make for a longer break.  So, we’re now all back to work and/or to school and the days are rapidly getting shorter.

So we have just celebrated our last ‘day off’ until Thanksgiving just like you wait for the Queen to celebrate her birthday in early June.  It also marks the official end of our tourist season, although here in Curry county in SW Oregon, that can go until the rain really sets in in November when most of the retirees and childless couples take advantage of the kids being off the road to visit and to enjoy the natural beauty in our neck of the woods.

Just a few fun facts for those of you interested in planning future breaks depending on your hemispherical perspective.

Labor Day has always been a time that I stop, observe, and reflect on where I and we are and where we’re going.  For us here at Cloudplay that’s easy: we established, planted, and fenced the main garden with the help of Wwoofers Sandy and Danny and just finished fencing the addition that Wwoofers Angelita and Noel helped create.  This creation has been quite satisfying and organic in nature and has really helped this homestead to become a home.

A note on the addition of the ‘winter garden’, after finding several cabbage seedlings disappear, it became imperative to get the fencing up that our friend Sue donated to the cause.  Other than a few plants being munched, however, all the other kale, broccoli, greens and peas appear very happy indeed.

GOT PHOTO UPLOADED, see below...

...and if you don't see it on here the first time, try, try again.

This small success IN NO WAY changes my feeling about computers, however.

The brassicas are in/The computer is my enemy...

OK, so here we go with changing colo(u)rs again...just trying to brighten things up a bit (as we are getting into autumn)--esp given the second half of my title this time around.

The end of this month has seen the exit of our two semi-resident Angelinos, right after they helped create--actually, they did over 3/4 of the work, so why not give them credit?--the autumn/winter veggie bed.  We are going to have some wonderful broccoli and kale this winter, thanks to Noel and AngeliTa, yes that's 't' not an 'n', no matter what Mr. Brad Pitt would have you think.

These two are the second couple of Wwoofers that have made their way to our newly 'founded' homestead, where we now have quite the gardening space.  They also helped finish off the perfect gate that all the work and deer fencing that Sandy and Danny led us to...

So here it is, with the field being readied for its new crop:

AngeliTa and Noel--hard at it, and still smiling!

and, so much for the colour (as photos go), can't upload AGAIN! ($&(@^(&$()@!!!)

and, so for the second part of this posting.  I am downright troubled by technology.  I honestly don't know how to make this funny.  The computer and I really don't communicate, in any effective way anyhow.  BUT, it isn't just me.  The guy at Radio Shack could not figure out why I couldn't open up my Yahoo email account on my new "Android"anymore.  The guy at the other copy/biz centre had to take several steps including two calls to Brent to finish uploading my new Windows software  that he had not been able to finish the other day (WARNING: Do not start something that you cannot finish, ESPECIALLY if it's on the computer!).  We had to wait 30 more minutes for it to load, AND THEN go thru 28 additions (so-called 'updates') which took even longer.

and, so, if you'd join me in a moment of furor in raging against the machine.

and, yes, I will try to upload a picture of the new garden addition, but there may be a few days of growing involved before I can put that up.

and yes, the computer is my enemy...Help me Julia!!!

The (first) garden is in!

The first pole of the deer fence goes in thanks to Dan!

Awhile in the coming, but yes, the "diamond in the rough" is planted out...thanks to my first two great Wwoofers, Sandy and Dan!  The plants are growing big (well, actually pretty small right now considering the late start...) and happy.

ah, yes, my first deer fence!

For the final touch, I've yet to put a gated entry through our deer fence (Dan helped me create this on his final day that we could work together.), but the first garden is now officially going and growing.  I actually found the perfect sprinkler and have run it for its first two sessions, and it worked wonders.  Still have to handwater the corners, but that is easy.


I will AGAIN try to upload some pictures on my personal computer, but have really struggled with making this happen and just want to keep the story going.  


When I have truly figured this out, you'll have to go back and take a look at previous entries for which I am presently photo-less, because you know what they say about pictures telling stories...

a diamond in the rough...

It's finally happened!!!

the 'diamond'

 So, just to update the blog and all of you, I am successfully uploading photos on the web!  HIP-HIP-                                  
                                                                      HURRAY!

Sandy enters the scene--my 1st Wwoofer from Chicago!

We have a plot--well you could say that the story has started for real.  The picture you will see (I'm having a HELLUVA time down or up or otherwise loading these gems for your viewing pleasure.) will be that of my FIRST Wwoofer from Chicago who helped me plant up the first part of the 'diamond' the day after she arrived.  I can tell you that Sandy has been awesome, and it is SO great to get support as we planted out all of the first little seedlings--SO, you also think that planting in mid-July (well at least in the northern hemishphere) is a little late...oh, you of little hope!

Unbelievably, outside of all the little lettuce starts (which will probably grow regardless) and the beans (which really all did need to be planted out about one week earlier), the timing on putting out all of these was perfect.  As many of you know, we've not really had a summer in which to make this happen.  What was weird though, with the fog, the thunderstorms, all of the prep-work necessary, and then finally the arrival of Dan from Hawaii, and the rest of the seedlings placed (the pumkins, tomatos, and squash) again, after another rain that added back a lot of needed moisture and made the earth much less dusty, I could not have asked for better conditions.

It will be interesting to see how all of this love and care in planting and the gentleness of the circumstances Mum Nature bestowed on us on the witching/planting hour will ACTUALLY make things go.

Several other tasks were tied into making what happens here in the future more meaning-full--like taking soil samples just before putting Dr. Earth all-purpose organic fertilizer on half of the bed to see what kind of a difference it will make compared to those that didn't get any.  I also want you to know--esp you, Rob, Margaret, and Julia--that I AM recording this in my plant diary...you know, I am going to start this thing right this time round!

Today, staying in the same kind of mode (you know, getting it right from the get-go), we also weeded out a lot of thistle and tansy (known to be fatal to animals, especially cattle here in Oregon).   Just in case you forgot from my previous entry and are curious about the bat encounters and results, Brent went through the remainder of his bat shots JUST IN CASE there was something really wrong about the bat that brushed by Brent's ear when we moved the wood shed about three weeks back.  He is totally done with the series of shot treatments, and finally, finally, got a nurse who massaged the final injection into his shoulders in Denver which greatly helped reduce the discomfort he experienced previously in Gold Beach.

So, finally, we've got caught up a bit on the practical and I do promise those pictures--some day!

Going Batty

Amazing how the time has gone!  Not even two entries for June--the month of beginnings...

the "batty" woodshed moved and...

You know that you are not in control when you can't blog more than that--my partner, Brent, and I have now been back to Cloudplay for almost two weeks.  That being said, it's been a bit slow-going.  A big part of what we've been up to is getting our place--especially our infrastructure--back in order.  One of the main things we've aimed to accomplish is to get our wood shed moved and set up next to our cabin.

This task wasn't actually that difficult, but did involve some major deconstruction of the present structure.  I wish someone had told the bats our intentions to give them a bit more time to be prepared.

To cut to the chase, there were several who obviously weren't going to move and needed more than a push to move them along.  Although a number of the flying rodents took off immediately, there were several who kept returning or lingered, and one mother was definitely not going to leave her young one    

being painted by Wwoofers Sandy and Dan

behind.


Perhaps she thought that she might win the struggle and to prove it, she decided to wing by Brent's ear closely enough to encourage him to make a trip to the local clinic to follow up on what he'd read that even a brush of a claw that didn't even draw blood was enough to transmit rabies.  Whether that was her intention or not, we'll never know, but Brent is now in the middle of his 4 or 5-shot treatment--just in case.


The result:  several somewhat sleepless nights and some very weird sensations in his body.  There will be more on this later...

It's all relative(s)

Welcome back.  I hope you enjoyed the Tahiti pictures...it often takes me awhile to load them up and get them organized, so check them out if you didn't see them in my previous blog--same thing will apply to the family photos yet to come.

What a great time I've had with my family!
The amazing thing about people that are part of your life is that when you get together again, it's often as you have never left (Maybe this has something to do with a space/time warp that I watched on the plane from Tahiti to LAX airport.).

My time with family has truly been awesome; it was so the right decision to make to spend some quality time with them.  To make this short and sweet, this has included 3 legs:
1) my parents in Sierra Vista, a high desert region in SE Arizona
2) my sister and her family in Westminster, Colorado, about 5 km (Yes, it's time to teach Americans metrics; scream and fight, see if I care!) from where I grew up, and, 
3) my brother and his family in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
I could go on and on, but leave it to say I have had a fantastic time reconnecting and catching up on their lives and sharing mine.  Great food, games, camping and comfortable time together made my visits about as good as it gets.


There have been some interesting things that have happened along the way.  One is that BOTH my siblings and their families are buying veggies from CSAs (community supported agriculture), and both took me to the places that they buy from or know of in their communities to check these operations out.  This provided a tremendous boost to me and our future direction at Cloudplay in Oregon, not only providing me some models of what is being done and working, but the reality that this is a movement that is obviously becoming more mainstream.


It was a confirmation that we are on the right path.

One other unfortunate event has been the burning up of thousands of acres of forestry land near Ft. Collins in a fire that appears to be getting only bigger and more out of control.  It reminds me of the Biscuit Fire we experienced not far from our place in SW Oregon (and N California).  This one has been exacerbated by so much bark beetle infestation.  

Lastly, one of the richest aspects of this trip has been a kind of coming together in spite of our various beliefs as the Thiemann family is quite passionate in their lives and pursuits.  I TRULY realize that being gay or straight (or whatever?) does not have to be an issue or divider unless I--or my family--puts energy into it being so.  How this can and will play out in society at large is still being uncovered daily.  I think we'll get there.  

Everybody has views, beliefs, and ideas that differ, and that's because we are all relative---s of the whole.  We all have our various life experiences and realities, and yet they are just takes on a truth that we are all connected.  What a joy it will be when we can all come to that bigger realization. 





 

Tahiti & in-between

So now begins the real journey...

As we just arrived a couple days ago via Tahiti, I thought I'd stick with "Trebuchet" font, something I am sure you all want to know...I've never been much on fancy scribing here, but I've also decided to use various colours, or should I now say 'colors' to keep myself amused.

Taking a few days layover from New Zealand on the way here made so much sense in so many ways: 1) We were able to see friends. 2) We were able to save $ to a destination that we may never have afforded being able to check out. 3) We were able to break up a 12-13 hour airtrip, which almost made it bearable.

Believe it or not, Moorea, the island on which this photo was taken, is NOT a national park...

As being resourceful is going to become ever more important in our changing world, it is a good thing to take advantage or any way possible to make things possible.  If you have never been to Tahiti, do stop!  The people were friendly, and the scenery is incredible.  We were able to use our 'carry-on' tent (I really do think that we brought everything but the kitchen sink with us on the trip.) to make a one day stopover on Moorea, a national park in its own right.  I'll try to include some pictures once I have access to a computer in Denver where I'm going next to visit family members to add to this post.

Sleeping was a challenge in the warm/hot temps and especially the humidity.  That being said, the rest (and some great French cooking!) we experienced with our travel network hosts, Gerard and his friend Stefan, and the warmth of spending scattered hours with our New Zealand friends, Olivier and Erica, made it all a real, much needed break on our way back to the intensity of the USA. 

Part of the wonder of our time spent Down Under was all of the places we were able to travel to and explore.  During our six years there, we made 5 travel circuits throughout New Zealand, with many more trips to Northland and to the Coromandel, we went to Australia twice, we travelled to Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia, and finally through Tahiti back to the States.  There isn't a place I WOULDN'T recommend which we visited...and we will return--remember, that is a promise and not a threat!

Two weeks and counting...

So, first let me try some "Trebuchet" on you...no, that's not green, it's the font, must be French.

You see, this is my opportunity to just let go--although hopefully at not too much expense to you.  This blog is also my diary of our upcoming journey, and I want to tell you a little bit more about what we're leaving behind.

  Presently, I work for CCS Disability Action, an organisation that works with people with disabilities to help them have an ordinary life.  That means all the opportunities that we all take for granted on a daily basis.  My place in all of this has been to oversee the development of the community gardens here and the ongoing programmes associated with work reflecting our organisational (That's organizational for all of you Americans reading this.) values and mission.  I have to say that I have truly enjoyed the process and have learned and experienced so much in my 5 1/2+ years working here.  To say that I will miss my colleagues and the folks with whom I have associated and gardened with is a true understatement.  It's part of what has prepared me for the upcoming journey.

As many of you who know me who are reading this realise (another 's' instead of 'zed'), organics is not part of my background or education; whereas ornamental gardening has been my main area of experience and expertise.  That being said, with the feedback I'm getting back from Master Gardeners in the States, it appears that we are all moving organically forward--and for good reason! 

Organics & permaculture (read: 'permanent agriculture') will be a large part of the foundation of what we are planning going forward at Cloudplay.  In this day and age, if you are not looking at logical and resourceful ways of producing at least some of your own food, well, you may well be paying exorbitant prices for such neglect and what you eat in the future!

So quickly, back to the present...2 more weeks and we'll be saying 'goodbye' to this land we love (If there is a more beautiful country than New Zealand in the world, we'll put that next on our list as a 'must-see'!).  Given the increasing (and future skyrocketing) costs of travel, it may be some time before we return.  All of the last-minute details to take care and the many people to see before we're off may make for a few shorter entries, but my goal is to keep us all informed of the journey.

what's in a name???



How many words?

 so.........

WHY

Cloudplay?

Calling all Wwoofers!!!

AND SO HERE (and WHO) WE ARE--especially if you have any WWOOFER tendencies...:

Welcome to Curry County, known as Oregon’s “Banana Belt” and to our retreat we call “Cloudplay”!  It is truly magic!  What makes it so is the amount and types of wildlife among which we live and the cloud formations that temporarily make their homes above—or on—the top of our hill. 

We are located six miles (10km) as the crow flies from the coast…as far as I am aware, we are the only Oregon Wwoofer location with an ocean view at the front or our property.  Our location is in the Siskiyous, a rugged mountain range located in southern Oregon and northern California.  Our altitude of 500 meters means that we’re much warmer than the coast in summer and a bit cooler in winter—although with much less fog!  As of July, we will be returning from New Zealand to make a go of what is possible here.  Maybe you might have some ideas.

Which means we will have lots to do.  Although our hearts may be in the clouds, our feet are definitely grounded and we are fairly practical guys.  Firstly, before we pursue any of the other ideas we have, we will need to establish our food source, which gives growing organically a very concrete meaning.  So, here are the details…

We need folks who can commit at least one week to some hard work.  We will put together a good, hearty lunch which will include meat at least every other day.  You will create your own breakfast (mostly toast, muesli, fruit, pancakes, etc. with clean up) and prepare your own dinners from our pantry as well.  We plan on working mornings from 8:30 or 9AM for 4 hours up to lunch, and then the rest of the day is yours.  If there is rain or inclimate weather, we can adjust days accordingly.

We’ll provide a comfortable bed-sized couch, sheets, pillows, and blankets.  You’ll be staying in a semi-private room in our house, or if you prefer, in a good-sized tent with an air mattress.  We speak English and Spanish (if my partner is on site).  We will be able to provide transport from Gold Beach and possibly Brookings to get you to our place, but it will be best for you if you have your own transport so that you can take advantage of all the hiking opportunities and ocean walks in the afternoons.

We may also be doing light construction work to create some ‘glamping’ kind of sites as well as increasing our infrastructure.  Mostly, we need to develop the areas where we will grow vegetables.  At this point, we cannot accommodate kids or pets.  We can provide room for two people.  Couples are ideal.  Although we get much more sun than most coastal sites, you will need your own boots and raingear.  We’ll provide working gloves.  Our email is cloudplayoregon@yahoo.com .  Our blog—just hot off of the blogosphere—is http://cloudplay.blogspot.co.nz/

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Well, make that mountain lions, and wolves, and bears, and you'll be close to seeing what we're up against in the future--and that's only the large carnivores--and there's going to be a full food-chain involved along the way! Actually, the wolves have only made it to the Umpqua River which serves a large watershed not too far north of us.

Critters of almost every description abound.  And there are many more carnivores involved: coyotes, bobcats, lynx, skunks, martens, civet cats, various snakes, you name it, they're lurking.  Then there's the large herbivores which include elk and deer.  The elk, especially can be very destructive, very quickly, as a number of the plants in the arboretum have learned.  We've also had the occasional horse wander up to our land.  And there are many other smaller leaf-eaters, including rabbits, of course, as well as the sneakier ones chomping roots and the like including ground squirrels and boomers--also known as mountain beavers, so you can imagine what they might do...any seedling is at risk for being chiseled at the base and being dragged down into one of many holes in the ground.

And the bird-life is amazing!  Wild turkeys are the largest, but there are the many birds of the forest, including spotted owls (which are on the endangered list) owls, and blue jays.  There are those who hover above our grassland looking for small mammals like kestrels and those that swoop like hawks, owls, and the occasional eagle.  There are those very common robins and crows, with not-so-common ravens which also make their homes around and about.  And there are even flying squirrels! (So we've heard from the folks who were caretaking our place up until recent.).

So, why start off with such a long list of animalia???
Firstly, it's what makes the place magical.
Secondly, it's what will most likely make for our biggest organic challenge.  It would be nice just to have a telepathic agreement to leave the veges alone and totally for us, but somehow, I think that may be a little naive.
Thirdly, it's why this place is meant to be shared...so how can we "behave as if the god in every creature mattered"?  This looks to be the question that will unfold and make for very interesting future endeavour (Notice, I'm still spelling in Kiwi as that is from where I presently sit and type.).

It's also important to note just how amazing the plant life is, but that's for another entry, another day...after all, I don't want you to be scared away my first go!