Back Again!

Well, I tried WordPress, but it was even more tricky and frustrating than Blogger, so I'm back here again to try again. It's been a year of travel and pets and Facebook (look me up: Kathi Williams) as well as a year of losses.

I'll add pictures when I dare....

Erratic

Well, I certainly didn't mean to supersize the three pix below, but I've been wrestling with this sorta-new Blogger and it's ANNOYING! Can't seem to get in and easily erase or edit, so I'm leaving it for the meantime and going outside....apology.

Nature's Beauty

We're very lucky in that Lake Siskiyou is about eight minutes from our house, so we can dash over there for a bit of beauty and a cold one while we enjoy nature. It's the first mountain lake we can swim in around here each summer, but the water's just warm enough for toes this mid-June.

The gooses are starting to arrive, probably a short stop on their way north. Gorgeous and regal, they float by with a few inquisitive snorts unless one has visible treats.

Hometowns

This is a small picture of the home I grew up in from about age 6 to 12. The overgrown trees and bushes are new. It was painted white when we lived there & looked out to the Columbia River in a residential area. A cemetary was right next door. One of my 'sister' Heidi's best tricks was to galumph into the middle of funerals while we hid in the bushes and hissed for the escaped hound: "Ashes to Ashes, St Bernard dog...." Camas, WA had the largest specialized paper mill in the world then, under Crown Zellerbach. Every day smelly smoke would belch out from the mill and fathers said to families, "That's money in the bank!" It turned the silver black & who knows what it did to us, but it's still there, under another company name. Being there gave me a definite small town experience: as kids, we rode our bikes all over town, through the woods and down to the rivers, with our pals. Most everyone knew everyone else. Now there are more folks and a new bridge to Portland, but downtown Camas still looks much the same. When I go there and walk around, I feel like a ghost....what's your home town like now? And you when you're in it?

Summertime Fun

http://www.moteldelrogue.com/ Here's the URL for our favorite quaint motel. We've been going since daughter Sylvia was about 2, and now she's a beautiful 5'7" gal. (She was too busy with end-of-school activities to stop for a photo!) We took eight friends there last week and had a blast with potlucks and veranda breakfasts. And nearby Grant's Pass has wild boat rides, big funny painted bears downtown, and very cool restaurants. HOORAY for summer! Now I'm planning an Oregon coast trip, and time in Portland and Camas, where Gramma is!

A group of us went up to Grant's Pass, OR to stay at our favorite motel, Motel Del Rogue, which is wonderful, cozy and a peaceful retreat. We also went to see Asleep at the Wheel, an Austin band who've been around since early Willy Nelson, et al. Lotsa fun! There are 15 varied units here in a restful, fun atmosphere. The innkeepers Kevin and Constance are very welcoming and helpful. Sorry the shot of Michael fiddlin' on the balcony came out dark. Come join us for the next excursion, less than two hours from home!

A bit down the Klamath

The occasion of the fiddlers' camp was to celebrate diva Evelyn's 81st! Sweet little cove where kayaks put in and room to wander. Some of the musicians have been doing this for 25 years or more!

"Tree of Heaven" campground

Here's some shots at the fiddler group's campout on the Klamath River. Gorgeous though we had all four seasons in a couple of days...

Musical May

May's been busy! We went to Hoy Park in Weed for the eclipse festival. Quite unique, and we did see the confluence! Ski, Michael, and the Onward Bus

Spring's coming slowly...

Howdy--where did March and April go? Cameron the 8 month old and her Uncle Jack, about six, relax after one of the first warmish days, when they could go to their supervised pen and catch bugs. They are no doubt conferring as to strategy. This old barn is on a rural road near Montague. Ditto the old bridge over the meandering Shasta river. We've seen the water teeming with big salmon.

Nearby Lake Siskiyou

Here are some winter shots of Lake Siskiyou, which offers great swimming in July! With the odd warm dry winter we're having, we've enjoyed going over to the lake just to sit on short beach chairs and put our faces in the sun. So far, only one real snowfall lets us know it's winter, but last year it was a St. Patrick's Day blizzard that buried us, so winter's far from over. How is it where you are?

Somethin' Fishy Around Here!

Our new baby, Cameron Clare. Blind Jack just loves her and licks her on the head, though he plays a little rough. This quiet tiny kitten from the shelter has turned into a wild waterdog who loves all water spots in the house & isn't into hugs. But she does give snuffly kisses in the night as she performs the ritual bedcheck. She was about four months old in this living room shot. Very cute! ANy new pets at your house?!

Kitchen Window Scene, Blizzard #1

Well, she waited until Jan. 19th and then she hit: a nice lttle snowstorm that slammed into the Northwest much more strongly than us. Supposed to keep up for a week! Time for a pot of beans and retreat to a warm spot--woodstove's working well! Hope it's cozy where you are!

Moon over Mt. Shasta

I took this picture with a Japanese alumni friend Jan. 7th. It was an eerie twilight moment, cold with a touch of fog. Come back, Fuji, and we'll take one with the new fallen snow!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are having one of the dryest and warmest winters on record, which is great for a snow-hater like me, but bad for the spring waters needed. No doubt we'll be seeing snow before long, but meanwhile, we're all enjoying temperatures in the 50's during the day.

Life's busy, with occasional guests coming through and a tasty crab feed this Saturday that Michael's band will play for. Hope the new year is good to you, too!!

Santa's Best Friend

Santa and Boris see eye to eye during our recent Santa Paws event. Boris Osborn has his own Facebook page and is about a year old. I just love both their expressions!

Merry Thanksgiving to All!

This is actually from last year when we were hiking to a high mountain lake with our new Belgian friends. Some of us take our fiddle everywhere! We are grateful for all the old and new friends we have, and hope they'll come to Mt. Shasta befoe long. Happy Turkey/Tofu Day!!

And the band played on...from benefits to the holiday season

Evelyn Horner and the Front Porch Swing band get ready for the season! Thanks for being the headliner of our recent benefit for the animal shelter!

Winter Comes Around Again

November 12 we had a great fundraising event for the Siskiyou Humane Society. Everyone pitched in with desserts to auction, drawing prizes, and a fun warm evening with singalongs and laughter. Can hardly wait for next year!

Here's a few shots (after a few tries--the new blog in-structions/formats aren't easy...)

Where do the months go when you're.....

...summer and autumn 2011 went peacefully around here, although we were deeply struck by the loss of three people very dear to us. Dad was buried and we learned that Kaimi and Leticia passed on as well. Sadness all around. Yet the summertime was glorious and extended way past Indian Summer days.

Kitten season hit early and hasn't let up yet. Dapple here is a character cat. They're all amazing. I help mainly in the infirmary with the babies and the sick ones. Someday we'll have more room!

Summer Sights

Here we have the baby boy Ambrose, guest kitty from the shelter, and some shots up the north fork of the Sacramento River, above our Lake Siskiyou. The prickly red berries were teensy little things, too, and I'd never seen them before--almost like mini-rambutans!

Summer 2011

More fiddle camping & visitors to Mt. Shasta, some climbing up up up!

Diamond Lake fiddle camp

What you can't see are the ten billion mosquitos there, but we made the best of it...