Evening chores

The fruit trees out back were in need of a good water.  It has been hot and dry for more than a month now, and the deer have been nibbling leaves from our little saplings.  We managed to fence the trees and now we're trying to coax them back to good health with regular watering. It's nice to have a helper.

OK, Ole, this is how we fill the water buckets.

I think I've got this all figured out.

Yep, I've got it.

Wait, Dad, am I doing this right?

After all that hard work filling and hauling buckets, Ole toddled over to plum trees on the edge of the yard.  They are so heavy with fruit that the branches hang down to the ground in places.  The ripe plums are small and golden yellow and very sweet. After watching me pick one, he quickly figured out how to pluck the fruit. Then he developed a rhythm...pick, bite, drop, pick, bite, drop.

Backyard babies

Ole and I enjoyed a Sunday meeting with our baby group. As usual, it's amazing to see all the changes in these tiny people--all walking and some talking. It's so fun to watch the babies interact and it's even great to compare notes with the other parents about things like tooth brushing and bedtime routines...a fun afternoon!

Everybody's on the go, except for one.

Road trip!

We hit the road this month to spend some quality time in my homeland of Minnesota. First it was to Bemidji for a visit to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox and the rest of my family. We feasted on garden veggies. Grandpa helped Ole with his first ear of sweet corn (or that might be his second...he ate a lot of sweet corn!).

Then it was on to the North Shore of Lake Superior to meet up with good friends. Here's Alison with little Ingrid, Missy, Ole and me, Jacquie, and Missy's boy, Gus. We tossed about a million rocks in the lake while we caught up.

We goofed around in Grand Marais as the town celebrated Fisherman's Picnic.

Then up the Gunflint Trail to visit a few of my favorite lakes. Ole celebrated his first birthday with a cake from Grandma and marveled at his new farm set.

Alex and I got away for a quiet night of camping and canoeing on Alpine Lake. 

Whew, says Ole, this trip is exhausting!  Let's go home.

We tried to take in a few sights along the long road back home.  Ole took this dugout canoe out for a paddle at Pompeys Pillar while we looked at William Clark's signature, carved into rock as they passed by during their expedition in 1806.

We admired this metal sculpture in Butte, Montana.  Ole already senses that sometimes you've got to really get in really close to appreciate art.

And we're home just in time for the dog days of summer.

Wagon days

We've put many miles on this old Radio Flyer over the last week.  I pull, Ole pushes, around and around the yard we go.
A neighbor clearing out old stuff gave us the rusty wagon.  I figured Ole was too young to ride in it unsecured, but when I sat him in it he grabbed the sides and gave me that look, "GO"!  It has already been countless hours of entertainment.

Flower power

As much as I gripe about the previous owners of our house, I sure appreciate the charming little notes and maps they've left for us.  This one charts out the various climbing vines they planted alongside the barn:

The flower pins were part of our wedding and remind me of that wonderful day.

Here's a couple photos of number 3 in bloom

And number 5

I'll let you know when the others bloom.  Apparently the Akebia has a wonderful fruit that tastes like custard.  I'm looking forward to that...yum!
This quotation must have spoken to the previous owners.  It is definitely a mantra I should strive to accept.

White River Falls

We headed down to Tygh Valley this past weekend.  It has been about nine months since our last visit when we harvested apples with our tiny baby in a sling.  The temperature soared to 100 degrees on Saturday, so after slashing our way through the cobwebs in the cabin and wedging the air conditioner in the window, we visited White River Falls to cool off.  The falls plunges 90' over a basalt shelf.

Normally we'd trek the down the short steep trail to the old hydroelectric plant and a calm bend in the river perfect for a soak, but we're riding with Mr. Porcelain Skin now, so we settled for a shady spot in the grass up top.  We looked a little longingly at the heads bobbing in the cool water far below.

The fourth

We enjoyed our annual 4th of July potluck with the neighbors.  If you asked Ole for highlights of the party, I believe he'd have two: the ball pit and Chad's delicious blueberry cobbler.