Water

In the desert sun is the enemy. Here, it's water.

At some point this spring a highly saturated chunk of our bluff land sloughed down to the lower level of the property. Heavy snowmelt has turned some areas into sloppy bottomless pits of soil and clay. We made the mistake of walking along Mud Bay yesterday where runoff plus seawater has turned the world to muck. Tag's rear end sank into a mud pit so deep he couldn't get out, that happening one day after diagnosis of a cruciate ligament problem in his knee. I was able to pull him out from a solid spot but he is really hurting today. No more walks on that beach until our world dries out a little.

Anyway, back to the bluff. We are looking at a very expensive solution to the ground water problem, but with all the water draining our direction from the upper bluff we have to do something to stabilize our property. An eight foot deep French drain will have to be dug along the north and west lines of our lot, diverting all the water collected to the lower level where there is a boggy area now. That should dry out the upper shelf, reduce the sloughing and maintain the stability of our building foundations. Maybe the extreme amount of precipitation that fell this winter was an anomaly, but we're thinking weather extremes are becoming more the norm than the exception so might as well prepare.

And since we're spending a small fortune for all that earthwork we're thinking we might as well put in a new septic system while everything is dug up. We're still hooked to the original crib that was put in years ago. It's probably functioning because we aren't here full time and we have some of the gray water diverted so it isn't being overwhelmed with water. It's going to collapse one of these days though, and no bank will loan on this place without a proper septic should we decide to sell. Might as well do the work now and enjoy the benefits. But I think Bob is going to have to go to work to help cover the costs. On top of all this, we have to get siding up on the garage this summer or risk damaging what we've already built.

In the meantime I'm doing a Dry Dance to keep the rain away.

Overnight Guests

There were two moose curled up on the frozen lawn this morning. They looked in relatively good condition compared to the starving moose seen around town. No doubt they are the ones responsible for a lot of the damage to trees and shrubs in the yard. The bark on the mountain ash trees has been eaten off seven feet up. Hope the trees survive because their red berries are a favorite of waxwings in the fall.    

I did a little yard clean up last evening and am covered with mosquito bites from the waist down. The itching is miserable. How the heck do they get into my clothes!

We caged the climbing rose with three foot high hardware cloth before leaving last fall so fortunately only the tops of the limbs were nipped off. Probably rabbit damage. The old rose bush that's been here for years was trimmed down to about three foot lengths and the raspberries were almost wiped out, too, so there will be another season without berries. A fencer is coming by next week to see about moose-proofing the yard.

We need to keep the dogs on the property, too, because some old codger in the neighborhood is into shooting loose dogs. There is still an uproar over one he shot last month that had been trained as a cadaver dog -- one test left for certification. The old guy said the dog threatened him while it had a hare in its mouth. Right. And there is no one here who would mourn the loss of a hare after all the damage they've done the last two winters. Oh well. I will be happy to get a fence, whatever the reason. It will keep out moose and gun-happy grouchy old codgers, too.

A few pheasants survived the harsh winter. I hear the raspy screech of one as he makes his morning rounds. The Sandhill cranes got in a few days before us. They congregate on the beach in the evening, legs dangling like marionettes as they float down on outstretched wings. The crows saw Tag and went nuts. I guess they have good memories. It started with one crow fixating on him last spring and spread to all the local crows before end of summer so that the whole flock would go nuts when they saw him. Just Tag, not the other dogs. Funny.

Here is a view of the Spit at low tide this morning. We were greeted with great weather when we got to Homer, but the report shows a stretch of rain on the way soon.

Our moose. Check the nubbins on this guy's head (enlarge the photo with a click). It's hard to imagine how fast they will grow into a huge rack. He's giving me a wary eye, not at all happy having us around to complicate life.

The cow didn't even twitch her ears when I snapped her picture. Fish and Game says the cows will probably abort their fetuses this year due to severe dietary stress. This one doesn't look too bad. Will the moose hunt will be closed this fall to allow the population to recover?

We are here - Homer.

It was a rainy, snowy, icy, and windy but comfortable (as comfortable as you can be confined to your seat all day) and mostly uneventful trip. We spent a couple of days birding at Malhuer NWR in Oregon and made a stopover near Spokane to visit with friends. Photos from the trip below.

Still settling in at the cabin and wrapping up other business before I can put much time into this new blog.

Pelicans at Malhuer. I think these pictures are clickable to see a larger file.

More white birds. Huge numbers of snow geese gathered in all directions.

An avocet and stilt.

A pretty camping area someplace in British Columbia

Hooper passing time on the long drive

Camp on the Donjek River in Yukon Territory

with our neat new Chalet

In Homer, an unwelcome guest in the garden

still wearing winter coat