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.
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