Squeezed between our vacation trips and afterwards, things have been changing in Longville...mostly for the better. We had the big sick-amore tree removed and the stump ground up. We also took the occasion to have two more rotten sycamores removed, along with a couple of water oaks on the south side of the house.
Here's a few of the before and afters...the first is from the driveway -
Here's the sycamore in the big azaleas right out across the front porch -
And the big sick-amore where we parked (front porch view this time) -
It was quite an operation, and it took the crew most of the day, They did a good job cleaning up and left us a mountain of a burn pile in the pasture...I won't run out of backlogs for my trash fires this winter.
Meanwhile, while we were on vacation, Brian resurrected his woodsman skills to clean up some of the old fenclines in between house sitting and walking the dog. It's starting to open up nicely and look like someone's living here. Note the nice firewood pile (mainly from the two small oaks we had taken out and supplemented by smaller oaks Brian had removed from the fencelines).
...and we've been burning the mountain of sycamore trash along the way...
Another ending was for our kitchen porch. We contracted Joe to design and build a screen porch so we could enjoy being out without being pestered by the myriad bugs that call the pinewoods home. Jack helped with the demolition - you can see we took it down to the deck...
Then Joe and I jacked up the porch to make it level...dirty work with spiders...
We did get delayed by a light shower or two (note the burn pile status), but Scott squeezed in a couple of days to help notch and raise the heavy beams.
The next step was to re-establish shade (it was some kind of hot and sticky after the sun had cleared the trees). It was nice to start the work under the roof, like building the frames for the screen and the walls.
Then it was time to put in the oak walls, build some new steps, and trim it up to be ready for stain/sealant.
Finally the screens were installed, we got the stairs finished, applied the stain/sealant, and reinstalled the lattice.
...and we finished in the nick of time...
The end of summer is also marked by the re-appearance of spider lillies (a.k.a. naked ladies) and morning temperatures in the low 60's upper 50's like we had this morning.
Sadly, there was another ending today. Buckwheat had to be put down due to to a virulent and fast-spreading cancer. He had lost 20 lbs in the last few weeks and would not eat or could not drink anything in the last few days. It is very sad, and we will miss him terribly. I've included a few pictures (many very recent) to remember what a happy and vital companion he was. We have a spot out by the deer feeder to bury his ashes when they come back to place him on permanent "critter watch", his most favorite pastime since moving to the country. He was only 7 1/2 years old.
Now, who will protect us from the squirrels?
Time slips by, and the blog has languished. This will cover the last installment of the Colorado adventure, and also the week we spent in Illinois with Chris' family. First, let's finish with the mountains.
We pulled out of the Riverside Resort and headed to Steve and Jaren's place. We set up in the Ponderosa pines next to his barn in the back and made ourselves at home.
The kids were really looking forward to the activities there, and they weren't disappointed. There was swimming and/water sports to be had in the new and improved "big pond" - so inviting on a warm Colorado afternoon!
The water trampoline was a big hit.
Looks like Joe bounced off the other side. Put a grass skirt on Audrey and she could be a Polynesian on that paddleboard...
Then the kids got to practice canoeing -
The meadows had just been cut and baled for hay. There was about 800 bales lying around, but they made a good obstacle course for Jack to channel his inner Easy Rider.
Is it my imagination, or are his knuckles white? He mastered the two wheeler pretty quickly. Even Joe got in on the motorcycle action.
They weren't the only ones to enjoy off-road motorsports. Audrey and Alice were apt pupils as Steve showed them how to operate the Polaris Ranger.
He then gave them a shovel and a $0.25 bounty on each thistle (also called Jaren's Bane) and turned them loose. Three days and $60 later, thistles were endangered on Steve's ranch.
We also squeezed in a crawfish trip (another first for Jack).
It was a little past prime season, but we still got about 75 pounds of Pruett Lake giants. Very tasty!
Here's the first set of the night. You can see the tips of my nets in a line just off the bank.
Some big boys...
...with interesting color variations...
...but they all look the same after a hot bath in Zatarain's crawfish boil!
...and the aftermath of all-you-can eat crawfish...(Jack's "Great Wall of Crustaceans" to the front and my random pile of heads to the rear).
Jack, Joe and I took one more shot at getting Jack a brook trout. We headed up the Piedra canyon and hiked up the North Fork. It was very pretty, but only brown trout and no brookies.
And what is a trip to Steve's without enjoying a little wildlife viewing? It was hard to get a shot of one of the swarming Rufous Hummingbirds, but I tried (see below)...and on the last evening, this youngster came out for some supper.
We had a great time at Steve's and before we knew it, our last evening in Colorado was at hand. We savored every minute of it, too.
A night later - we were in Lubbock, TX. wow
A couple of weeks later, we took a quick trip to Illinois. Joe came along to help with the furniture moving and babysitting, not to mention adding some new states to his list and a chance to visit Chris in Champaign. We hit Curtis Orchard on the first full day there.
We enjoyed visiting with the girls and getting to know Bea a little better.
...and of course the resident Princess, Magdalena.
(and neighborhood princesses, too)
It wasn't all princess, all the time (thank goodness!)
And we were there for her very first day of Kindergarten (pay no heed to her apparent dismay at childhood's end - subsequent reports confirm she really likes going).
The visit was too short, but we had big doings going on at the homeplace - which will have to wait for another entry.
buh-bye!
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