Happy Fourth of July!

Last night, I picked black currents, blueberries, and raspberries to that I could have black current scones with fresh blueberries and raspberries this morning.

 
May all my readers have a good independence day.

After a damp and dismal day, we get a nice sunset

After a full day of grey clouds and constant raining here in the Mid-Willamette Valley (something that Colorado needs right now), we finally get to see the sun just before it sets. So as I went out to put the chickens away for the night, I grabbed the camera to get proof that the rainclouds let the sun visit today.

 

 

 

 

Finally, some pictures of the fruit that is ripe

We have two small patches of strawberries that are of mixed variety where I live. I know that some of them are the sweet and juicy Hood variety (my favorite). [By 'We' I mean my parents as I am living with them while paying off my student loans and trying to get back on my feet so-to-speak]

 

 

We also have several rows of blueberries (of which only three bushes are producing ripe berries so far)

The cherry trees are starting to produce quite a bit, but it is always a battle between us and the birds to get them first. One year the birds ate all of the cherries off of our old tree while we were on vacation. Sadly, we had to cut that big tree down as it was rotting from the inside out.

I also made another hotpad this morning (the harvest colored one) since I need something to keep me busy until I go back to the cannery. The other one I made on Memorial Day.

 

Just As I Predicted....

Just as I predicted, we will have another delayed canning season here in the Willamette Valley. When did I predict it? Back in March when we were getting snow during the first couple days of Spring (highly unusual for the Willamette Valley). I even said so on my post about March Madness: http://beavercountryramblings.blogspot.com/2012/03/it-looks-like-it-will-be-another-cold.html

Due to the cool, cloudy, and sometimes wet weather that the Willamette Valley is experiencing, crops are being delayed, which is delaying the local canneries. It seems that over the last three years, the season has been delayed a little bit longer. Last year some of the 2nd year workers at the Norpac in Stayton, Oregon (including myself) started on the strawberries around the 20th of June and were still working by December 1st. (I heard that a normal season is done by Thanksgiving) So what's in store for us this year? Will the cannery season go into the second week in December?

A nice June Sunset in the Mid-Willamette Valley

Last night, I went outside after 9 pm at night to check out the sunset. It was a good thing I brought my camera as it was a nice one. From where I live, the sun now seems to set in the Northwest or West Northwest (between West and Northwest) direction.

 

As I was scanning the sky, I noticed some nice coloring  on the clouds to the South. So I went out into the empty cow  pasture to get a better look. As I was taking pictures, the three cows came over to see what I was doing.

 

Before heading back up to the house, I zoomed in to get one last photo of a cloud in the West that was close to the horizon. I'd like to see the folks in nearby Salem get pictures like this without buildings in the way.

The Strawberries are ripe and the Blueberries are comming into season

The strawberries growing in two little patches where I live are producing many berries, and I was able to pick a popcan-sized amount of blueberries from three bushes, but many other blueberry bushes are not even close to being ripe. Both types of berries are perfect for desserts made for the holiday just two weeks from today. I will have to have some blueberry pancakes with strawberries on top for breakfast sometime soon. I am actually kind of surprised that I haven't been called back to the cannery yet to sort out the good and bad strawberries. I will have to get some pictures up later of the blueberries and strawberries.

It's Finally Canning Season in the Mid-Willamette Valley

It's that time of year again. The canneries in and around the greater Salem area are about to open their doors to seasonals to come in and package strawberries and other early fruits. In roughly one month from now every cannery will be bustling with activity as the new-hires come on. Strawberries are already being picked on local U-pick farms such as Fordyces' near the Willamette Valley Fruit Company. Speaking of which, the Willamette Valley Fruit Company is giving free slices of pies to Dads for Father's Day. Have you tried their Forestberry Pie yet?

Silver Falls State Park Volunteer Day 2012

So, last weekend I found out from Park Ranger Dylan that they would have a State Park Volunteer Day today. There were three options to help out with: repairing bridges, making a new trail, and mapping invasive species along the canyon trail. I decided the third choice.

I got to the park this morning around 8:45 to check in and sign a few papers. Then I was off with a small group of about 8 as we were shown different invasive species and given a map and a specific species to map. I ended up having to map Creeping Buttercup. What a pain that was! I saw so few that I thought I wasn't looking for them good enough. If what I saw was all there was, than it is good that they have not become a huge problem.

By staying near Ranger Dylan, I did get to learn a lot about the native species. I got to see Skunk Cabbage, which I have seen before but never at the park. I also saw Trailing Blackberry, Western Trillium, Siberian Miner's-lettuce, Three-leaved Anemone, and many other plants that I either have not seen before, or have seen but not known what they were. Today was a very educational day.

But by the time I was hiking the Rim Trail on the way back, my bad right hip was hurting quite a bit, especially when I was hiking uphill. And due to carrying a backpack with my lunch and a few other stuff in it weighing 10 - 15 pounds, my shoulders are now sore. But I don't mind, it was worth the exercise and learning about some of the plants. By the way, many of the plants are blooming, unfortunately the Trillium had already bloomed, so if I want a picture, I need to get one next year.

Have you helped out lately at your nearest state or national park?

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Mother's Day Weekend at Silver Falls State Park

Last Saturday, I met up with a group that had four adults and 6 kids and led them on an geological interpretive hike at Silver Falls State Park. It went almost perfectly (I need to talk louder behind the waterfall for future interpretive hikes that I lead). We started off at the Historic South Falls Lodge that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) while I used the basaltic rock that makes up the walls of the lodge to talk about the oldest rock in the park. Next stop was at the Stone Shelter, which is the second oldest building in the park and also built by the CCC boys. Here I talked about the next two rocks, which one could be seen in the stone walls that make up the stone shelter. The next few stops took us to the South Falls Viewpoint, the bridge just downstream from South Falls, behind South Falls, and just at the edge of the rock overhang that rises over the trail. At these places I talked about the Columbia River Basalts  as well at the tree & root casts, erosional chimneys, and how much basalt is in the park (enough to make a road from San Francisco to New York that is 2 feet thick and 1 mile wide!) The last stop was at the South Falls viewpoint once again where I talked about the source of the waterfalls and what effects the Ice Ages had on them.

After that the group and I went over to the South Falls Lodge where they had their annual wildflower show. Flowers were on display in the lodge, and others were being sold on the porch outside. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, which is why I came back the next day. So on Mother's Day, I came back to get pictures and enjoy a hike instead of talk about how the park was created.

After taking pictures of the plants, I went on a hike with my parents and took pictures of some of the local wildflowers and an unnamed waterfall that seems to be getting larger over the past several years.

On the way back, I took a few pictures of the countryside. The yellow field is mustard. I also took a picture of one of the few wind turbines in the Willamette Valley, and the first one I have seen in Oregon as it was built about 2 years ago. The turbine is at a major grass seed growing distributor that ships worldwide.