Russian River Canoe Trip

We were throwing sticks into the river for Ozzie this morning when the first of many canoes made its way past this little backwater called Sunset Beach and around the corner. The river is at its lowest this time of year so Ozzie could walk most of the way to his stick, and we could pick up a few river rocks for our garden project. OilMan staggered down the trail with a very heavy bag and I brought up the rear with a couple of lighter ones. I told OilMan he attracted attention to himself acting like he had just knocked over a bank! It was only a bag of rocks!

We dropped by the cheese shop where I took a picture of the Cheese Lady, but I wasn't happy with her portrait, so her story will have to wait until another day.

It's a pretty quiet day here at the farmhouse. Our neighbor, with a newly developed beard, dropped by to tell us about his fishing trip to Kamchatka
(We thought he looked quite debonair with his new beard but he had already decided to get rid of it "because it's a lot more grey than it was last time.") It seems that he and some buddies were flown into the back of beyond in a Russian military helicopter which dropped them off with some supplies and left. Accommodation consisted of "plywood sided buildings to keep the bears out, surrounded by bear dogs--the bears are everywhere". They had a fishing guide who paddled a canoe and guided them to the best fishing places. They threw the trout back, but kept the salmon which they apparently ate for every meal. The salmon "had already spawned a couple of times, so there were dead fish everywhere". At the end of two weeks the military helicopter fetched them, took them back to Kamchatka and they flew home. They had a wonderful time.

#2 son called to say that he and his wife just bought their very first brand new car. OilMan had to talk him down, telling him, "it's done now. Don't even think about it anymore.". #2 son hates to spend money. I'm sure that despite his willingness to try and diagnose fix any car problem that arises himself, his wife is most happy to have a reliable car in which to take the kids to school.

OilMan is putting the finishing touches on the garden project before we entertain a group of his high school buddies and their wives, in town for their annual reunion, on Tuesday. Then we'll sit with a glass of wine and watch the birds jockeying for position on the bird feeders. The goldfinches are losing their bright yellow plumage as winter draws nearer. The Annas hummingbirds have their own feeder, yet they are really mean. Or at least one of them is. His mate will be peacefully feeding when he comes zooming in out of nowhere and drives her off. The downy woodpecker is quite timid, waiting his turn for the suet feeder. He seems equally happy right side up or upside down, even when it is swinging wildly in the wind. The chickadees seem to find safety in numbers. My favorite is the titmouse, also quite timid, but very appealing with his little grey crest.

No need for excitement here at the farmhouse....