Wednesday, June 19, 2013
On the Road Again
We are on our way to Yellowstone for 5 nights in the park plus three interesting scenic drives off I-90 and three nights in a lovely campground north of the park, joining our friends Ann and Bill (and their dog Jake). This packing was been easy-two weeks.
Much has happened since arriving on Vashon almost two months ago. The garden is in and cranking. I am more and more limiting what I plant to 1) what does well in this climate, and 2) things that are better than what you get in the markets on the island or handy to have just outside the door. That means this year only cherry/pear tomatoes as the larger ones' ripening is often questionable in the climate, lots of snap peas, herbs, especially dill, carrots because they are easy, cukes and lettuce. The fig tree is laden, as is one pear tree and the little Fiesta apple tree had to be thinned as the fruit was so heavy. The flowers have been lovely, especially the peonies. Not having them grow in SoCal makes it a special treat to have them here.
The weather was very nice for this time of year with lots of sunshine, interrupted by some cloudy days and occasional rain. When Vashon is nice there is no prettier place.
We are now in the little town of Philipsburg in Montana on the first of three scenic routes off the interstate. This route is south of Missoula and west of Butte.
This valley was a big mining center in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The campground is three full service sites right in town. Terrific to walk to the famous BBQ place and the recently opened and already award winning Brewery. I walked the shops while the boys hung our in Bella and escaped with only 4 postcards. I like the spirit of Montana so far, independent and common sense based, maybe something you can do in a state with less that 1 million people. You may go to the brewery and get a beer and walk down the street carrying it to the BBQ joint-or visa versa. The brewmaster, a young man with a 4 year degree from Oregon in beer making, walks to work with his dog following him through town and the cat following the dog. Both critters hang out in the brewery. So civilized.
The old buildings are painted to reflect the original Victorian trim.
Much has happened since arriving on Vashon almost two months ago. The garden is in and cranking. I am more and more limiting what I plant to 1) what does well in this climate, and 2) things that are better than what you get in the markets on the island or handy to have just outside the door. That means this year only cherry/pear tomatoes as the larger ones' ripening is often questionable in the climate, lots of snap peas, herbs, especially dill, carrots because they are easy, cukes and lettuce. The fig tree is laden, as is one pear tree and the little Fiesta apple tree had to be thinned as the fruit was so heavy. The flowers have been lovely, especially the peonies. Not having them grow in SoCal makes it a special treat to have them here.
The weather was very nice for this time of year with lots of sunshine, interrupted by some cloudy days and occasional rain. When Vashon is nice there is no prettier place.
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| Views from the deck |
Max is slowly fitting in. He and Raggie have been buddies from the start and remain so. That is a huge advantage. We have mastered the leash walking up the hill but it is so quiet and private that it is not a real test. We will need to work on more congested areas. We have also gone to a little commercial area and sat and walked with the clicker and treats. Car goes by, Max tries to lunge, we preempt with a click and treat. Same with trucks, motorcycles, joggers, bikes, deer... some seems to be fear based, the deer represents a prey drive. It is a lot of work but he seems to be slowly responding. We are using the crate in the car as he does not do well in that environment, I suspect partly because he was not accustomed to it. He has been crate trained and his house manners are quite good now that he has learned the kitchen counters are not for him.
He is earning his keep. Living in the country includes living with lots of bugs and critters that invade the house and damage the yard. It seems that we have many more dirt cones from moles than ever before. Max found and killed a Coast Mole.
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| Good Boy Max |
This valley was a big mining center in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The campground is three full service sites right in town. Terrific to walk to the famous BBQ place and the recently opened and already award winning Brewery. I walked the shops while the boys hung our in Bella and escaped with only 4 postcards. I like the spirit of Montana so far, independent and common sense based, maybe something you can do in a state with less that 1 million people. You may go to the brewery and get a beer and walk down the street carrying it to the BBQ joint-or visa versa. The brewmaster, a young man with a 4 year degree from Oregon in beer making, walks to work with his dog following him through town and the cat following the dog. Both critters hang out in the brewery. So civilized.
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| The copper strip is ice cold so that your beer stays nice |
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| The Brewery with Bruce the Brewmaster's dog. He is an Idaho Shag-a new breed from Border Collie, Aussie and Airedale |
The old buildings are painted to reflect the original Victorian trim.
We took a nice side trip up to the Granite Ghost town, site of the most productive silver mines in the world in the 1890's. During that time over 3,000 people lived in Granite, which is 8,000' high and perched on granite hills. Water had to be brought in. I found a wonderful Granite photo essay on the internet
http://onmyfeetorinmymind.com/a-silver-mining-ghost-town-granite-montana-a-photo-essay/
Well, a circuit is blown so my coffee making is interrupted. Off to another scenic drive this morning.
Monday, May 6, 2013
More on Max
Boy, has it been less than a week since Max joined us? He has seemed to settle in to his new digs with only one dust up with Raggie, over the one toy I don't want Max to take over. Is that how it is with kids? As I said in the last post, Max looked to me to have some Greyhound/Whippet type lineage even though some of the adoption descriptions said he was a Shepherd mix or a Central American Street Dog. Well Max had his initial check up with Dr. Dana who immediately concluded that he is largely a "sighthound" and his vet file now tags him as Whippet Mix. For you non dog people, breed info is helpful to identify characteristics that are likely to be found since for much of their history breeding was done to refine behavior that was considered desirable. Always curious, I have spent some time reading about sighthounds.
Sighthounds are an ancient category of dog that rely heavily on sight for hunting as opposed to scent hounds, who mostly used their nose. Included among sighthounds are Greyhounds, Whippets, Salukis, Basenjis and Afghans. Typical scent hounds are Basset Hounds and Blood Hounds. You can spot a sighthound by the oversized chest cavity, relatively long legs and narrow hips. They also often have their head up looking into the distance as opposed to my old Basset Hound who always had his nose to the ground.
They can run extremely fast, Whippets being clocked at 35mph in a sprint. They are very "prey driven." What that means it you better hold on to the leash. We are looking for a trainer who can help with recall but one issue according to the Whippet sites is that they instinctively take off after prey and run so fast that once they stop, they may not know where they are and how to get home.
Whippets were breed in England and Ireland by the working class for racing and for game hunting. The story goes that the kids might eat bread but the dog would get meat since if he won his race on the weekend, he would bring home money for the family. He would also hunt small game like rabbit for the table. Some were encouraged to poach. Looking through the large dog book at the vet, I thought I had found Max's "roots" when I found the picture of a sighthound called a Lurcher.
While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning. Collie crosses are popular, given the working instinct of a sheepdog when mated with a sighthound gives a dog of great intelligence plus speed - prerequisites for the hunter/poacher. In the USA midwest, crosses with large scent hounds are fairly common.
He looked the closest and the dog is found in England, Ireland and the US and owned by Gypsies who use the dog to poach. I thought that was quite hilarious until we discovered that they run 50-60 pounds, where Max is 22 1/2.
Whippets are sometimes called "Velcro dogs" as they follow their owner everywhere, even into the bathroom. They love to cuddle as well and are pretty sensitive to correction and quite smart. They are very athletic and can jump with ease. I found this out last night.
One couch backs on to a large counter which covers a stairwell, the other side of which is the kitchen. The habits from years of living with chow hound Boogs taught me to keep food off the floor and low tables. He was however, never able to get to the kitchen counter. Well, it is a short "Max jump" from the floor, to the couch to the large counter over the staircase to the kitchen counter. Himself and I were out in the back yard discussing what fence "hardening" was necessary to contain Max and exclude the deer. I had put leftover spareribs and rice in a container covered with saran wrap on the counter, planning to heat it up for our dinner. When we returned, half was gone.
We are eager to hear from the trainer as some work needs to be done.
Sighthounds are an ancient category of dog that rely heavily on sight for hunting as opposed to scent hounds, who mostly used their nose. Included among sighthounds are Greyhounds, Whippets, Salukis, Basenjis and Afghans. Typical scent hounds are Basset Hounds and Blood Hounds. You can spot a sighthound by the oversized chest cavity, relatively long legs and narrow hips. They also often have their head up looking into the distance as opposed to my old Basset Hound who always had his nose to the ground.
They can run extremely fast, Whippets being clocked at 35mph in a sprint. They are very "prey driven." What that means it you better hold on to the leash. We are looking for a trainer who can help with recall but one issue according to the Whippet sites is that they instinctively take off after prey and run so fast that once they stop, they may not know where they are and how to get home.
Whippets were breed in England and Ireland by the working class for racing and for game hunting. The story goes that the kids might eat bread but the dog would get meat since if he won his race on the weekend, he would bring home money for the family. He would also hunt small game like rabbit for the table. Some were encouraged to poach. Looking through the large dog book at the vet, I thought I had found Max's "roots" when I found the picture of a sighthound called a Lurcher.
While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning. Collie crosses are popular, given the working instinct of a sheepdog when mated with a sighthound gives a dog of great intelligence plus speed - prerequisites for the hunter/poacher. In the USA midwest, crosses with large scent hounds are fairly common.
He looked the closest and the dog is found in England, Ireland and the US and owned by Gypsies who use the dog to poach. I thought that was quite hilarious until we discovered that they run 50-60 pounds, where Max is 22 1/2.
Whippets are sometimes called "Velcro dogs" as they follow their owner everywhere, even into the bathroom. They love to cuddle as well and are pretty sensitive to correction and quite smart. They are very athletic and can jump with ease. I found this out last night.
One couch backs on to a large counter which covers a stairwell, the other side of which is the kitchen. The habits from years of living with chow hound Boogs taught me to keep food off the floor and low tables. He was however, never able to get to the kitchen counter. Well, it is a short "Max jump" from the floor, to the couch to the large counter over the staircase to the kitchen counter. Himself and I were out in the back yard discussing what fence "hardening" was necessary to contain Max and exclude the deer. I had put leftover spareribs and rice in a container covered with saran wrap on the counter, planning to heat it up for our dinner. When we returned, half was gone.
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| Dogs have always enjoyed the couch |
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| Kitchen prep space |
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| Chow isn't too bad around here |
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| It must have been Raggie |
We are eager to hear from the trainer as some work needs to be done.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Coming home and Max
Much has transpired since the last post in the Keys. We had a wonderful day in the Everglades, a day driving through Miami (not my favorite experience) and then west. The highlight of the trip west was a stop in Fredericksburg, where himself toured the newly expanded Pacific War Museum and I enjoyed the shops and pastries in this lovely town founded by German stonemasons.
A stop to see our friends Larry and Sherrill (and Dude), then to Seal Beach for 3 weeks. While there we took care of many appointments, including looking for an orthopedic surgeon for a hip replacement this coming fall for himself. It is always a treat to see old friends and enjoy sunshine. The trip back was quick but we were able to fit in a stop to see Fern and her family in Lodi at their lovely home on the river.
It is an interesting area as is the adjacent Sacramento Delta. Lots of wineries and the oldest occupied Chinese community in the US called Locke
After visiting Fern and her family we headed home. We arrived to glorious spring weather which has pretty much continued, with temperatures expected in the high 70's in the next few days. It isn't any better in summer and this is only May! The conventional wisdom is you don't plant tomatoes till after Memorial Day.
Max's foster family fell in love with him and for a while, we didn't thing we would get him. We did visit and Raggie immediately began tail wagging. Himself and I were taken with his curiosity which included putting his nose in the adoption coordinator's purse within seconds of her putting it on the floor. Just what Boogs would have done. Two days ago we were notified that Max was ours.
Since then he has had his first car trip to Pandora's Box to get food, a proper collar and tag and treats. He seemed to enjoy his ride and took my seat when I got out.
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| Fredericksburg Stone home |
A stop to see our friends Larry and Sherrill (and Dude), then to Seal Beach for 3 weeks. While there we took care of many appointments, including looking for an orthopedic surgeon for a hip replacement this coming fall for himself. It is always a treat to see old friends and enjoy sunshine. The trip back was quick but we were able to fit in a stop to see Fern and her family in Lodi at their lovely home on the river.
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| On the Davis Deck in Lodi |
It is an interesting area as is the adjacent Sacramento Delta. Lots of wineries and the oldest occupied Chinese community in the US called Locke
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| Locke |
After visiting Fern and her family we headed home. We arrived to glorious spring weather which has pretty much continued, with temperatures expected in the high 70's in the next few days. It isn't any better in summer and this is only May! The conventional wisdom is you don't plant tomatoes till after Memorial Day.
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| Spring in Vashon |
The BIG news is that there is a new family member. Himself and I have been talking about getting another dog for a while. Raggie has really missed Boogs and his canine companionship. It was apparent when we visited Dude in Arizona and Riley in Texas that he would enjoy having a sibling. I have spent literally hours on Petfinder. A few prospects were identified and I originally looked for another Cocker. Some of the rescues make it harder than emigrating to New Zealand, which we would never qualify to do. Then one day a dog came up on Petfinder, with a Vashon VIPP (Vashon Island Pet Protectors) designation.
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| MAX |
Since then he has had his first car trip to Pandora's Box to get food, a proper collar and tag and treats. He seemed to enjoy his ride and took my seat when I got out.
He is quickly getting used to the house and yard, looking out windows and smelling everything. He is alert, curious and affectionate. He slowly tried to crawl up on my lap while I was resting on the couch and was delighted to find that dogs are permitted on furniture in his new house. He was clearly trying to endear himself so that he could snuggle.
Max is an athletic dog with the large chest of a greyhound/whippet type dog and he is very fast. We hope to train him to come so he can be off leash on our unfenced 8 acre parcel as well as at the waterfront. Until then, I am walking him up the steep private road, about a 2 mile roundtrip. He is not winded and his muscles don't seem to complain, unlike his human companion. Five months on the road have taken its toll on my exercise program. Raggie has a propensity for back problems and is nearly 16, so his walks are frequent, but short.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Key West and Homestead
Late in the week, himself felt well enough to make the 40-50 mile drive to Key West from Grassy Key. He has been there before but I was eager to see it and had my list of interesting attractions. He was going to find shady spots and rest in the car, along with Raggie. The temp was about 68 degrees with a 20-25 mph wind, so that was a good thing. The drive down was nice, seeing the water on both sides and the different keys along the way. Once we hit KW and the main part of town, it was a zoo. Construction at the entrance to the island slowed entry and two cruise ships and spring break overwhelmed the town. It reminded us of the little town of Skagway which is in a beautiful, but very small harbor and town and is ruined every day by 4-6 cruise ships.
We drove around and saw many of the sights that would have been fun to visit. The parking was just about non existent, so we toured the island and left. I will buy books and dvd's for a "virtual" visit. Some of the attractions that would have been interesting are the Hemingway home, where he did much of his writing and kept numerous 6 toed cats. There are now abut 50 descendants of those cats.
One of the wonderful things about traveling as we do is the availability of the Internet, especially since we purchased our own hot spot and don't need to rely on campground wifi. When we run across something interesting, want to check weather etc., onto the computer we go. I looked up 6 toed cats, also called Hemingway cats or more correctly, polydactyl cats, I ran across this article. Where will government intrusion end????
http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2012/12/28/dont-tread-on-sixtoed-cats-n1474945/page/full/
Another attraction that was new to me was the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Himself was familiar with the stories but it was all new to me. I have since found books and dvd's about this on Amazon and will see what I missed on the visit. The following is a brief summary from the museum website about the Fisher story.
Mel Fisher, a dreamer, a visionary, a legend and most importantly, the World's Greatest Treasure Hunter! Mel Fisher did what many have not - he realized his dream during his lifetime. Everyday he insisted, "Today's the Day"! His mantra continues to inspire the search for the rest of the treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita, the Spanish galleons that sank during a hurricane on September 6, 1622, near Key West, Florida.
Mel Fisher suffered many personal losses to keep his dream alive during his 16 year search and endured over 100 court battles which ended in victory in the US Supreme Court. The riches Mel Fisher, his team and investors had worked so hard for all those years were finally theirs. The $450 million dollar treasure cache or "Atocha Mother Lode" would be found on that momentous day, July 20, 1985. Over 40 tons of silver and gold were located including over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as "Pieces of Eight", gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.
Another attraction is the symbol demonstrating that Key West is the furthest point south in the continental US. Again, the line was about 50 persons long for a personal picture so here it is without Raggie and me. Note that Key West is closer to Cuba than to Miami!
One of the things we noticed in the Keys, particularly Key West, was the colorful roosters. I decided to google Key West Roosters and here you are. It seems that our island, Vashon, has no corner of local controversy.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-01-16-roosters-usat_x.htm
Another appeal to Key West is the "Caribbean" architecture. There are many old homes that are just fabulous. It we come back at a time when the crowds are tolerable, I would love to take a walking tour.
Another item on my culinary bucket list was conch. We left the island and found a neat local cafe so I could try conch.
The conch strips reminded me of friend clams, which are only really tasty if you dip them in a nice sauce. Here we had a key lime, mustard/mayo sauce, plus the usual tartar and red sauce. the fish tacos were actually better.
Once back to our area, we tried a locally recommend restaurant, both on the water and dog friendly. We all had a nice time with fish tacos and a fish sandwich.
We left the keys yesterday and found a City RV park in Homestead. Homestead is a major winter produce growing area, in addition to having many tropical plant nurseries. We found several farm stands and loaded up on corn, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, avocados, papaya and strawberries. Like summer in Vashon, tomatoes and strawberries that have not been picked early, refrigerated and shipped are such a treat.
We drove around and saw many of the sights that would have been fun to visit. The parking was just about non existent, so we toured the island and left. I will buy books and dvd's for a "virtual" visit. Some of the attractions that would have been interesting are the Hemingway home, where he did much of his writing and kept numerous 6 toed cats. There are now abut 50 descendants of those cats.
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| Hemingway's Key West House |
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| A favorite Hemingway Bar-a pic from the Internet with no crowds |
One of the wonderful things about traveling as we do is the availability of the Internet, especially since we purchased our own hot spot and don't need to rely on campground wifi. When we run across something interesting, want to check weather etc., onto the computer we go. I looked up 6 toed cats, also called Hemingway cats or more correctly, polydactyl cats, I ran across this article. Where will government intrusion end????
http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2012/12/28/dont-tread-on-sixtoed-cats-n1474945/page/full/
Another attraction that was new to me was the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Himself was familiar with the stories but it was all new to me. I have since found books and dvd's about this on Amazon and will see what I missed on the visit. The following is a brief summary from the museum website about the Fisher story.
Mel Fisher, a dreamer, a visionary, a legend and most importantly, the World's Greatest Treasure Hunter! Mel Fisher did what many have not - he realized his dream during his lifetime. Everyday he insisted, "Today's the Day"! His mantra continues to inspire the search for the rest of the treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the Santa Margarita, the Spanish galleons that sank during a hurricane on September 6, 1622, near Key West, Florida.
Mel Fisher suffered many personal losses to keep his dream alive during his 16 year search and endured over 100 court battles which ended in victory in the US Supreme Court. The riches Mel Fisher, his team and investors had worked so hard for all those years were finally theirs. The $450 million dollar treasure cache or "Atocha Mother Lode" would be found on that momentous day, July 20, 1985. Over 40 tons of silver and gold were located including over 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as "Pieces of Eight", gold coins, Columbian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts and over 1000 silver bars.
Another attraction is the symbol demonstrating that Key West is the furthest point south in the continental US. Again, the line was about 50 persons long for a personal picture so here it is without Raggie and me. Note that Key West is closer to Cuba than to Miami!
One of the things we noticed in the Keys, particularly Key West, was the colorful roosters. I decided to google Key West Roosters and here you are. It seems that our island, Vashon, has no corner of local controversy.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-01-16-roosters-usat_x.htm
Another appeal to Key West is the "Caribbean" architecture. There are many old homes that are just fabulous. It we come back at a time when the crowds are tolerable, I would love to take a walking tour.
Another item on my culinary bucket list was conch. We left the island and found a neat local cafe so I could try conch.
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| Conch |
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| Fried Conch Strips |
Once back to our area, we tried a locally recommend restaurant, both on the water and dog friendly. We all had a nice time with fish tacos and a fish sandwich.
We left the keys yesterday and found a City RV park in Homestead. Homestead is a major winter produce growing area, in addition to having many tropical plant nurseries. We found several farm stands and loaded up on corn, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, avocados, papaya and strawberries. Like summer in Vashon, tomatoes and strawberries that have not been picked early, refrigerated and shipped are such a treat.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The Keys
We have been hunkered down on Grassy Key for three days now. We have a view of the gulf from Bella and most of the time, a nice breeze. The RV park reminds us of old Baja, funky trailers with added on rooms, painted tropical colors which have been decorated with all kinds of amusing things. There are even a couple of my all time favorite Airstreams.
Never having been to Florida and not knowing much about the keys, I did a little research.
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba. The Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude, in the subtropics. The climate of the Keys is defined as tropical. The total land area is 137.3 square miles (356 km2). As of the 2000 census the population was 79,535, with an average density of 579.27 per square mile (223.66 /km2), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire population of the Keys.
There are over 1700 islands in the archipelago but only 43 are connected by the road. They have really cool names like Sugarloaf Key, Duck Key, Cudjoe Key, Shark Key and Raccoon Key.
Since himself is still down with the bug, I decided to take a tour of the Turtle Hospital, the only state-certified vet hospital in the world for sea turtles. The most common ailments are flipper amputations, entanglements from fishing lines, shell damage from boats and debilitating viral tumors unique to the Green sea turtle and found around the world. Cooperative research with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has successfully transmitted the disease, proving that it is infectious and the cause is close to being isolated. The vets treat the tumors with CO2 lasers and if the turtle remains free of regrowth, it is released. The goal is to release all turtles possible.
While the hospital tries to rehabilitate and release all the injured and sick turtles, a few become permanent residents. My niece Maddie will receive a notice that she has "adopted" April, whose sweet temperament reminds me of Maddie.
Since himself is still down with the bug, I decided to take a tour of the Turtle Hospital, the only state-certified vet hospital in the world for sea turtles. The most common ailments are flipper amputations, entanglements from fishing lines, shell damage from boats and debilitating viral tumors unique to the Green sea turtle and found around the world. Cooperative research with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has successfully transmitted the disease, proving that it is infectious and the cause is close to being isolated. The vets treat the tumors with CO2 lasers and if the turtle remains free of regrowth, it is released. The goal is to release all turtles possible.
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| Turtle Surgery |
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| Current patient with weights to counteract buoyancy issues to to boat impact |
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| Current resident chasing turtle food |
While the hospital tries to rehabilitate and release all the injured and sick turtles, a few become permanent residents. My niece Maddie will receive a notice that she has "adopted" April, whose sweet temperament reminds me of Maddie.
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| Maddie |
While the dining options have been pretty limited due to the sick bay continuation, some key lime pie made it back to Bella as did Key West pink shrimp. Yet to be tried are conch and the local spiny lobster. I think a comparison of key lime pie styles is also in order.
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