daddy-daughter hiking
Tuesday and the week plods along.
If you're caught up to yesterday's entry you know that I don't feel like I spent near enough time away from work to "bond" with my newly larger family. I did, however, use what time I had wisely. I tried to spend purposeful time with both Keaton and Cohen. However, since time with Cohen chiefly amounts to napping together on a couch, I'll share here about some daddy-daughter time that Keaton and I had last week.
We joined a friend and his son (also a good friend of Keaton's) on a hike to a local waterfall. We left early and grabbed breakfast along the way and had a gorgeous day for some fun in the water, sight-seeing, hiking and even some basic four-year-old-compatible rock scrambling. Keaton was a champ, and followed my instructions well, practicing safe climbing during the hairiest parts of the short ~200ft ascent. She did slip on some decomposed granite a couple times, once falling enough to scrape her calve before I could pull her up (we had a strict "always hold daddy's hand while climbing" policy for just this reason). Here are some pictures of the expedition (please excuse the sasquatch escorting her):
We spent more than a few hours wandering around, wading, and enjoying creation. And in the end Keaton was immensely proud of herself for making the haul to the top (we were proud of both the kids, as they both did really well on the little outing). In fact we talked about getting them each a "climbing" or "hiking" badge ala Scouts or something to tout their new experience (maybe I'm not properly conveying the amount of pride they each felt in their efforts... but it was a big deal for them both).
I've been making regular trips back to that waterfall in my head at my desk this week...
Later.
salvaging the harvest
T-minus one week and counting suckas. This baby is coming. Time to write.
Coming off our family sickness I made the call to stay home Tuesday and rest. My body needed it and I wanted to keep an eye on Sharaun after she'd lost so much fluid during her bout the day prior, make sure she re-hydrated appropriately. Around noon Keaton got a little restless, having tired of reading and coloring and me not wanting to feed her any more TV shows to pass the time. And, since I was feeling a mite better myself, I decided we'd tackle some father-daughter project to both keep her occupied and get her out of Sharaun's hair so she could rest and recuperate.
I decided we'd turn the apricot harvest into jam. See, the apricots were a disappointment to me. The tree produced a ton for its small size, I was happy with that, the fruit was good-sized and ripened well, and the birds didn't destroy the crop as in years past (I think they had their fill on plums, which is fine - since there were at least a hundred of those things I had some to spare for the birds). But the fruit itself just wasn't that good. The flavor was lacking and the texture was mushy and just unappealing. A pretty big disappointment for a tree I planted with hopes of a yummy yearly harvest. So I had this bowl of apricots that I was 1) extremely proud of and 2) bitterly disappointed in (I wonder if this is how my folks felt when their straight-As whiz-kid teenager overdosed on psychedelics... just a random thought), and I figured I'd try to salvage the harvest.
When I made this decision I didn't have any jars, any canning pot, and tools, and equipment, nor any idea how to make jam. But heck, how hard could it be? But we actually had some pectin in the pantry (I have no idea what for) and it had instructions for making any type of jam or jelly a body could ever imagine. Looks like all I'd need would be an insane amount of sugar, some canning jars and a big pot to cook them in. Right then... Keaton and I set off to the store in search of jars and made a phone call to a friend to see if we could borrow her canning pot and jar-holding crimper things. An hour or so later we returned home together all ready to make our first foray into the world of preserving (sometimes they call this "canning," even tho there are no cans, right?).
A few hours later we had eight jars of what turned out to be some pretty dang delicious apricot jam. Keaton helped by pitting the fruit, measuring out the sugar, and even stirring the hot fruit slurry. We had a great time and I like the apricot jam a heck of a lot better than I did the apricots themselves.
Goodnight.
sore muscles, family, & fruit
Tuesday and I haven't worked yet this week. That's my kind of Monday.
This weekend Doug and I left our pregnant wifes at home and spent two nights in Yosemite valley. It was a quick trip, giving us just one full day in the park, but the plan was to somehow find a "workaround" for the new trail permitting system the park has implemented for Half Dome climbers and summit Sunday. When we made our reservations over a year ago, there was no permit requirement for the cable ascent, and we've always been able to just go and summit. And by the time we learned of the new requirements the permits for this weekend had already sold out. So, we were apparently stuck.
My idea, however, was to go find out just how high you could climb sans permit. A couple questions to rangers and I learned that the permits are truly just to limit cable traffic (not Mist or Muir trail traffic to Happy Isles), and that you're OK going as far as Sub Dome with a permit. This means you can post up right there in the saddle below the cables and wait for law-abiding permitted people to chicken out (I've seen it happen many times with folks who make it that far, I'd guess it's something in the 40% of folks range). I queried two rangers and neither saw any issue with begging permits off those who'd given into fear and decided forgo the cables. So, if you're willing to be a permit-vulture I think you could make a permitless day-ascent pretty easily.
But, I didn't think the plan through until it was too late and we had already decided to just to a morning hike to the top of Nevada Falls. Even then we were asked three times by permit-checking roving rangers (I don't think I imagined their heightened presence over years past) if we planned on summiting. So even though we didn't summit, the hike was amazing (as it always is), the weather was fantastic, and the barbecue dinner along the Merced later that afternoon with friends was a perfect cap to the day.
The only thing missing from our Father's Day was our wives and progeny.
As an added weekend bonus, about a third of the fruit on the plum tree was ready to pick before we left for Yosemite, so we grabbed that this evening with the help of the ladder.
Pictures.
Goodnight.
fix some sprinklers before going into work
Last night Sharaun and I laid in bed until 2am, talking.
Been a while since we've done that, actually. But sometimes the best time for just talking is when there's not much else that's doable (six months pregnant... remember?). When the mind is tired and everything else has already been thought about or talking about or watched or read or listened to. Being up so late and being tired and knowing I should be asleep but wanting to continue our conversation reminded me of way back when we were dating. Sharaun would sneak the phone into her room and we'd literally talk all night. Wasn't all night last night or anything, but for an old man like me who has to wake up at 6:30am to fix some sprinklers before going into work... it's close.
The weather has been so fantastic here lately. Warm, sunny. Things are green and budding. The grapes Keaton and I planted are already putting out nice thick growth and we'll be training the strongest of them to wires this weekend. The fruit trees are all flowers and buds, aside from the orange tree which, despite showing strong growth and having a good healthy look, just doesn't seem to want to flower. The blueberry starts we planted only a month ago are full of leaves and the raspberry a friend gifted me from his lot seems to be taking to its new home. Driving home from work today with the windows down I decided that I'm going to try and start biking to work again come Monday. I'm done saying I'm going to make it an everyday thing, I never have and obviously won't... but I'll do it again when I can.
I think it's time to go to bed now. It's dark and I seem to be done writing. Usually those are signs. In the end I'll just noodle around online until Sharaun makes her move and end up following her. She mostly leads on the "time for bed" thing. And I'm still not writing right.
Goodnight.
crack eggs like julia child
Happy Wednesday. Week's half-gone already.
After dinner tonight Keaton was asking for dessert. Not that we do dessert as a regular thing, but she pretty much asks about it after each dinner. Most times we just remind her that not every dinner is followed by something sweet. Tonight I suggested we make cookies. Keaton helped me dump in and mix the ingredients and then run the beater to blend it all together into a mushy dough. She busied herself licking the beaters while I dolloped out the dough. Afterward she used a fork to score them for baking (peanut butter chocolate this time around). They came out OK... sort of overly salty and not very sweet. Next time I'd adjust the recipe in both regards. At least we had a good time.
I love doing with her. Not just being or being-around but actually cooperating, teaming up, collaborating. It's surprising how much she knows and how decent she is at things like following instructions. It's in these instances when I tend to appreciate how much she's grown up in her just-about-four years. I can remember her helping me in the garden a while back and that she was too worried about getting dirt in her shoes to really enjoy it. Now she cracks eggs Julia Child.
I've had this plan or idea or maybe notion... I've told Sharaun about it. Keaton's going to be four in a month and I think she's old enough to go on a solo back-country hiking overnighter with her dad. Well, not truly "solo" in that case I suppose, but meaning that she and I could have a daddy/daughter trip into the wilderness together. I've been doing some trail scouting (online, since there's currently snow in most of the places I'm checking), looking for a short hike in and out with relatively small change in elevation. Despite wanting it to be short enough for her to hack, I'd also want it to afford us a chance to really get away into the open wilderness.
Last summer she aced the Happy Isles to Vernal Falls footbridge climb with Sharaun - so I know she's got some stamina. I'm thinking something along the same lines, around a mile or less in country and then an overnight campout in the backpacking tent. A campfire with some good camp-food and marshmallows. Maybe some books to read or a lesson on constellations or just listening to the wildlife before bed. We could bum around the following day checking out nature, trying to identify the plants and trees by name or inventing our own names for land features (oh man I'm a nerd when it comes to this stuff). Then break camp and head back down.
As adventures go, I think she'd rate this highly - and taking her out to show her God's beauty in natural form is ultimately appealing to me. Gonna do it for sure; already been hyping her on it for when the weather gets nice.
Goodnight.
eighteen apples
There was a storm here last week while we were in Mexico. Apparently it was fairly violent, or so say our friends.
When we got home, I did a quick inspection to look for damage. The newer trees were the most notable casualties. I don't think any of them are broken beyond repair, but several were bent nearly 90°. Most alarming was seeing the apple tree I planted only this year, broken free from it's stabilizing stake and doubled over under the weight of its own fruit.
Over the years I've had mixed luck with fruit trees, although lots of that is likely just my impatience during the early years when they just don't produce much. But this apple tree has surprised me; producing so much fruit I was amazed that the little sapling could even support it all (both weight-wise and nutrient-wise). It'll be interesting to see what it does next year, as I have a theory that I got so much fruit this year because it was cross-pollinated at the nursery amongst all the other trees before I even planted it. Likely next year, unless I plant a sufficient cross-pollinator (don't think my pears will do it), I won't get as much. The internet also says I did wrong by allowing so much fruit to grow this year, and that by not thinning it I may have ruined the tree's crop for years to come... so we'll see.
But anyway... this was about my poor tree all bent and broken after the stormwinds. Since it was 1am when we got home, I only propped the thing back up against its stake, not re-tying it or anything. Then, a day or so ago, Sharaun picked one of the largest apples, insisting it was ripe and looked "like the Fujis I buy in the store." Sure enough, it was ripe, and was totally delicious. Today then, after work, I went ahead and picked the rest of the fruit. Keep in mind, this tree is only about four feet tall and just over an inch around at the thickest part of trunk. Even leaving a clump of four for a little more growing time, I pulled the bounty pictured above-right from the little tree, not bad!
Eighteen apples. Word.
Goodnight blog.
going up the country
Sunday evening in Oregon.
Had all gone as planned, my brother and I would’ve hiked down from the heights of the gorge today after three days in the wilderness. As it happened, though, we managed to trek the entire thirty miles in two days, and made out exit yesterday evening instead. Finished a day early, and unwilling to pay the money necessary to change my flights home up a day, I managed to have a whole extra day in Portland. Turned out to be a good thing; time to rest my over-sore muscles. Portland always seems to have something going on, so I hobbled out with my folks and brother to the local Polish festival for some Polish food, drink, song, and dance. Not a bad way to spend an unplanned sabbath with family.
As for the hike itself, what a brilliant trip. I've never hiked up Oregon way, and being broken in along one of the Gorge's most popular trail was a grand entrance. Out thirty miles took us up the Eagle Creek Trail to Wahtum Lake, where we flipped our steady ascent and headed back down to the Columbia via the Pacific Crest Trail. A few miles into that and we veered off along Ruckle Creek for a massively steep descent. We camped over night a few miles below Wahtum Lake at a beautiful spot alongside an unnamed creek just off the trail. In Oregon, unlike most places in California, you're allowed fires at night - so we built a nice warm one in a ring of rocks and sat around it drinking port from our hip flasks. The first day was easy, the second day was insane, but partly because we pushed ourselves to finish early. Altogether, it was a great weekend in-country with my brother... one of the coolest things I've done with him since our days playing Star Wars in the backyard.
Anyway, I gathered some of the better pictures I took along the trail and am presenting them here for you. Check 'em out by moving your eyes an imperceptible bit south down this very page...
And now... with the hour getting late and me still having to pack before catching a 5am train to the airport, I must bid you adieu.
Goodnight.
Recent Posts
- “tell cohen i love him infinity times…”
- nomads & their garlic-hands
- go on little sister!
- what would it be?
- some new pictures
Random Posts
Recent Comments
Categories
Archives
Hearing
