Bay Bound

After filming the electric tractor at work for a future video, We left Steve Heckeroth's and headed south back over the crazy goat tracks that California decided to pave and call highways. I admire them for their penuriousness but I curse them for the steep blind corners, their BMW convertible drivers and for all love, their bicyclists who choose to train on said "highways."  Having gotten the 27' long Land Whale safely all the way back to a real highway, 101, I felt there should have been a cold beer and a medal for me.

Our next stop was in Petaluma so Paul could give a talk at the local Seed Bank.  The Seed Bank is located in Downtown Petaluma in a former bank building which is a cool thing given its name.  What is even cooler is that this is a building that was designed to be as impressive as a temple for money you could imagine.  The ceilings in the Bank lobby is about 30 feet high with arched windows that go nearly the full height of the walls.  There are all sorts of medallions on the wall (a couple of matched griiffins were especially remarkable), marble floors, etc. that now serve the place as a temple to heirloom seeds.  That was a delightful reuse of a building a bank could no longer make it in.

Before Paul's speaking engagement we all enjoyed dinner at a Sushi restaurant with James, our delightful host (a Yorkshireman!) and one of Paul's fellow permaculture warriors, Toby Hemenway. Not surprisingly, they talked shop and permaculture gossip until it was time to leave.  Eivind soaked up every word and jumped in where he could.  This trip is turning out to be more than he hoped for with each of these encounters with permaculturalists.  James, who is a civilian like me, visited with me about a variety of non-permaculture topics.  James, by the way, was a terrific host.  He ferried us to and from our various obligations safely and timely.  On top that, he made sure we had a great breakfast before we dashed off 101 to San Francisco.  Thanks, James, for your brilliant hosting!

Now, San Francisco is one of my favorite cities.  Some of my most favorite memories occurred here and when I visit, they hang around like welcome ghosts.  The places and experiences will always be a rich source of things to remember fondly.  So, why are we here?  Well, Paul has this thing for the Palace of Fine Arts.  He saw it once and it has haunted him and never left his bucket list so we had to go see it.  My misgivings about taking the Land Whale to San Francisco's streets notwithstanding, the Parking Fairies looked out for us and plopped a three space spot for us and we took them all.  As I got out of the rig, a local police officer rolled up and I asked, "Can I park here?  That big guy needs to see the Palace of Fine Arts real badly" The cop said, "No." "Even for half an hour?" I countered.  He looked at the Montana license plates on the Whale and said, "OK."  How reasonable do you want your peace officers to be?  About that reasonable.  And it made Paul happy to see the Palace of Fine Arts.  I think it is the only thing I know of that dwarfs him:

 

The second reason we came to San Francisco was for Paul to meet up with Carol Steinfeld.  Carol is a waste water treatment pioneer who has planned a variety of ecological human waste systems and has authored three books Liquid Gold which is about the beneficial use of human urine.  Now, don't get all icky on me.  To hear her talk about the chemistry, the biology and the physics, it is clear there is room for open, adult conversation about this subject.  Her other books are Reusing the Resource and The Composting Toilet.  You can understand why someone involved in permaculture would be interested in Carol's ideas.  After lunch at Scoma's down on Fisherman's wharf, Paul and Carol sat down to record a good, long podcast about, I swear, 'your poop and pee.'   It will be up in a couple of weeks.  Her work and eco plumbing products are available at www.ecovita.net, and her books are available through www.carol-steinfeld.com.  She invites your experiments in this field and welcomes your comments and experiences, so let her know what's going down.

(l to r) Carol, Jocelyn, Paul, Eivind at Scoma's

 Lunch and the podcast consumed more than our scheduled time in San Francisco so in spite of not going to Cha Cha Cha's, Rue Le Pic, Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store, and visiting friends and relatives (next time, Nephew Tim!), we must be off to visit a farm near Yosemite Park.  Now, how do I get a Land Whale out of San Francisco?

A Friend for Life

I woke up this morning at 6:30, fully awake and excited to see my friend, Larry "A.J." Hanne.  Larry is a professor and researcher at Chico State University.   I met Larry back in the early '70's when I was an RA in Duniway Hall on The University of Montana campus.  Larry and his room-mate, John, arrived at UM from UC Davis as graduate students studying, respectively, biochemistry and microbiology.  Larry at one point acknowledged to his closer dorm-mates that his work was in research in gonorrhea, or "the gong," as he taught us to know it by.  He and John were quickly assimilated into an odd group of friends who were characterized by their love of cribbage and late night movies.  And Pinball.  We loved playing pinball at the UM Rec Center and eventually came to call ourselves the "River City Pinball Team" who wore team shirts with our nicknames on them.  Larry was known as "A.J" which was short for 'anti-juke' a pinball playing maneuver he claimed to have invented.  If  you ever saw him play, you know it's for real.

Of course, real friendship is much more than that.  It is time spent in conversation, sharing ideas, discussing issues as if they mattered, respecting another point of view, and, at the end of the day, knowing that if the chips were down, a friend is one person who would be there to do what a friend needs to do, no questions asked and without hesitation.  I would always want Larry to think I was that kind of friend because I know he is that kind of friend to me.  So, we might all ask, how come I haven't seen him or hardly talked to him in twenty years or so?  I don't know--time, distance, focus on our own lives--all these explain it but they don't excuse it.

Still, today when he rolled up at Woodleaf Farms to pick me up to go to breakfast, it was as if I hadn't seen him for a few days.  We fell right into our conversational patterns, laughing at all the right places, knowing the bumps in life we shared over a Denny's breakfast were grasped and understood and empathized with to just the right degree. We had a couple hours to catch up, but it wasn't enough after all these years.  Hell, it wasn't enough if it had been a couple of days.

I don't know what it is about the people I consider my truest and dearest friends.  They all seem so unlike me.  I cannot say what clicked to make us friends or make me care about them the way I do.  Do you have friends that are a mystery to you that way?  Like the women in my life that I have felt love for, each of my friends has a different perspective that enriches me, they have all taught me something about life, they have all made me want to be as good as they imagine I am.  Larry will always be my friend and it won't take me 20 years to see him again.

With Larry in front of the Land Whale

After Larry headed home it was time to head West with the next part of the Permie Tour 2012.  It was over to the Coast to visit Steve Hekeroth near Albion, California.

To get there means crossing the Central Valley of California, no mean feat even if you can avoid the farm vehicles and getting run up the backside by a semi with urgent business on the other side of you.  If that weren't enough, there were scores of miles over unbelievably windy roads which, if they weren't going up rather steeply, were going down rather steeply-er.  [See previous posts about my thoughts on the usefulness of brakes.] I am sure it was an oversight on Paul's part in picking out the Land Whale that does not include a 500 c.u. hemi motor and a tuned Ferrari suspension with the wide, super grippy Pirelli tires.  Sure would have helped today.  It was a good thing I had Eivind in the navigator's seat keeping me on course.  He called out the turns and directions in a timely, helpful way.  There is simply no telling you how big a difference that makes to my performance.

This part of our trip took us past a number of wineries without stopping.  I like wineries and the wine makers I have come across have a fairly solid land ethic and are good stewards.  They must pay attention to the soil, weather, water, seasons, fruit, etc. as much as any permaculturalist, I suppose, and many eschew use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  They love bees and provide good bee habitat.  But they come from a tradition that is largely monoculturalist and so will never get the Paul Wheaton permacultural seal of approval.  Paul is not a wine drinker so his rigidity in this regard may be understood.

Oh, and another nice diversion...we stopped for a respite at Boonville and soon Paul came rushing back to the Land Whale saying, "Come quick!  I have found someone who wants to be famous in your blog!"  Up I jumped and followed Paul to the Boont Berry Farm (home of naturally fine foods!) where I met Jessica Ceja who loved what the Permie Tour was all about and wanted to join us. (Her co-worker, Taunia Green, was also very cool and hip to what we are doing, but she is OK in  Boonville for now.).  Too bad, Jessica, maybe next tour...still, Paul left her smiling:

Jessica of Boont Berry Farm and Big Paul

Back to the tour...Steve is perhaps best known for his work developing electric tractors.  Think about it: a machine that could be used in farm operations that would be powered by the electricity generated from sun or wind.  One less bundle of cash in the petroleum company's pocket and a bit cleaner planet.  Steve's experiences prove it is feasible and scalable to some degree which means that it is a technology to be shared and improvised and improved upon.Here is one example of one of Steve's electric tractors.  Yep, still in use on his farm.

A Steve Hekeroth Electric Tractor

Like all the farmers we have met on this tour, Steve is a creative visionary guy who delights in putting his thoughts and ideas to work through his own hands.  Here are some of the structures he has imagined and built.  First up, his home (below.)  You will note the tall structure is a water tower with a windmill that powers the pumps to get the tower filled with water.  Then it can be used by Steve's extensive gravity fed system to irrigate his gardens, etc.

Steve Hekeroth's home

 One of the VERY cool features Steve has on his place is a cement swimming pool that functions as a receptacle for water treated in a network of swales.  Taking impure water from grey systems, run-off, etc. and channeling it through the ponds that hold plants which take up and filter the bad stuff results in a pond with water clean enough to swim in --without use of chlorine! In addition to the pond itself, surrounded by plants feeding into it, the structure also includes a tree house (built in a living tree) linked to the mainland by a graceful cement bridge.  Other features in progress include a sauna with a hot tub on its roof which is, in turn, connected by a water slide to the pond, a diving board, a giant raft with a fire pit on it, art and other decorations.  As Steve walked up through the project, he quietly observed,  "A guy's gotta have some fun in his life."

The Ce-Ment Pond

While Steve's plants are hard at work doing their filtering, uptake thing, there is still a problem of algae growing in the pond.  Through a combination of aeration and time, Steve hopes to have the "ce-ment pond" suitable for swimming before long.

Outhouse

Eivind offered that Steve Hekeroth is a genius, and to that I would add Renaissance Man.  He seems both at ease and acutely aware of things he makes.  One example is this outhouse he built out of a stump.  From the outside it looks like something a hobbit might have fashioned.  Inside it's another story.  Not only is the commode beautiful, it is comfortable.  All hand-fashioned by Steve, it contains an innovative waste handling system that is both efficient, ecologically sound, essentially odorless and a wonder.

The seat of ease

Finally, we enjoyed a delightful dinner tonight with Steve and Anna, who is visiting to do some tweaking on the pond systems.  Like all the people we have met on the farms we have visited, Steve is gracious, humble, visionary and hospitable.  We see if that holds tomorrow when he and Paul put their noggins together for a podcast session.

Just Peachy

While at the Chaffin Family Orchard Farm, and while I was taking some time for myself away from the group, I noticed a field next to our parking space that was full of old farm machinery and other relics.  Now, every farm I know of has equipment that wears out past the repairable stage; maybe it can be made into parts, or sold someday, but often it gets left in some field.  These pieces seemed more than left, they seemed composed.  Now, I am no photographer, and what I know about capturing images can be summarized in the phrase, 'point and shoot.'  Still, there was something about these hot, rusted hulks and husks that begged to be put into images. Yeah, not my job. Yeah, the light was all wrong.  Yeah, I was stuck on the wrong side of fence.  Still, here is what I got:

Hot Iron 2

 

Hot Iron 3

Hot Iron 5

Before leaving the Chaffin Family Orchard, I should share with you that this is a family orchard/farm that has been owned and managed by 5 or so generations of the same family.  All along the way the family has been committed to the idea of producing flavorful, healthy foods. Their orchards produce mouth watering fruits of all kinds including citrus. [I am dying to tear into a massive, delicious-looking grapefruit that was among the cornucopia of food they gave us.  In addition to their fruit, they also run chickens, turkeys, goats and cows using what is called a "paddock shift system" where the animals are frequently moved so their grazing feed is fresh and the work they do is useful and not damaging.  They have followed the principle of turning outputs into inputs and putting everything in the farm operation to work doing something.  The goats help with the pruning, the fowl help with bug control and fertilizing the ground, the beef keeps the pastures under control as they live out their grass-fed lives on the range.

 Interestingly, the farm has a "friendly to predators" philosophy they follow.  Using guardian dogs and electric fences, they keep their livestock and chickens safe.  At the same time, they know that the predators are working to keep the voles and other damaging critters at bay.  The Chaffin family operators don't want to spend a lot of time killing predators.  They figure by managing their farm operation mindfully, they can co-exist with the coyotes, racoons, mountain lions and other species that are normally considered the animals that terrorize farming operations. Would this approach work on any other farm or ranch?  I don't know, but I hope this example gives other farmers something to think about.  All critters, after all, are simply trying to do what we are trying to do: survive.  As the alpha species capable of destroying everything in our path, don't we have some sort of obligation to think about things as the Chaffin family has?

By the way, as solid and organic and committed as the Chaffin's are to a basically organic operation free of herbicides and pesticides, they are still caught up in the obligation of innovation on their farm.  They are excited about permaculture and whether adding permaculture to their operation will make it even better. If you are ever in Oroville, get something produced on the Chaffin Family Orchard farm operation and tell me if you don't agree they have latched on to something with some real bottom to it.

After leaving the Chaffin Family orchard, We headed over to the nearby Woodleaf farm.  We had no sooner docked the Land Whale when we met Carl Rosato, the owner and operator.   Carl shook my hand with his own strong, calloused farmer's hand and handed me a just-picked peach.  If I told you it was the best peach I ever ate, I am confident I would pass a lie detector test with flying colors.  The Woodleaf operation is small enough (Carl and his hand, Leo do almost all the work) that their commitment to raising good food is met completely.  Whether it is peaches, apples, pears, mushrooms, figs, or other produce, it is ALWAYS harvested at the peak of ripeness and good flavor.  Carl deals  primarily with his customers through markets he attends. After 32 years attending his farm, Carl ought to know what's what and his peaches speak loudly for him.

In addition to seeing his excellent orchards and gardens, Carl showed us around his many construction projects which are in various states of completion.  Among the projects is one he called his "man-cave," a place on his property that he can retreat to to edit his video productions and simply find a cool place to retreat. Like many operations, things take a while to become fully visualized and even longer to become realized.  Carl seems to be both urged on by his projects and yet wise enough to let them season in time.  He is a consummate farmer, both thoughtful and innovative.  He also has some quality that strikes me as being definitively human. He is an admirable man.

Give Me A Brake!

The area around Lake Siskiyou in Northern California is blanketed by smoke from wildfires located very near our destination.  As we descended into California' Central Valley, I-5 was about the craziest driving I have been in since I can remember.  Lots of semi-trucks, lots of people going somewhere in a tear ass hurry on roads that invite a little reticence.  In my own car I would probably be right with them, but the Land Whale's lack of nimbleness and plowing tendencies keep my constantly checking my mirrors to see who I might be pissing off and who might take a shot at passing us from a blind spot behind the Whale Tail.  One of Paul's readers warned me to take care, and I am glad I did.  Engineers working on the flight control systems for the Space Shuttle described their problem as having to "fly a brick."  Many times at the wheel I have been reminded of that description.

On the way down I-5 we stopped at the little railroad town of Dunsmuir and had breakfast. The town's origins were rooted in the need for railroad trains to need "pushers" to get over the pass.  I believe the town was originally known as Pusher.  Anyway we ate at a lovely, funky Cafe called the Dogwood Diner and, during our breakfast, Paul and Jocelyn and Eivind and I recorded a podcast on non-chemical ways to do house chores.  Be looking for it among Paul's future podcasts--it will be as amusing as it is informative.  I would like to do a shout out to the artists of Dunsmuir whose art graces the community at every turn.  Finally, a shout out to our friendly, attentive server.  If the Land Whale was all about picking up passengers on an ad hoc basis, I would have found room for you--you seemed to have a spirit that would have added to the Tour.   I suspect you and Eivind might have found something to talk about.

The farm we visited is very remote and required taking the Land Whale up a winding canyon road, to an unbelievably winding side road (with logging trucks, no less) onto a short road that was barely wide enough for the Land Whale to the farm itself.  I made the final looping turn in anticipation of our departure this morning and when I went to stop, the brake pedal went right to the floor.  Imagine my surprise.  Paul said, "Don't worry, they are probably just hot from all the use they got today."  Me:  [WTH?] These are the brakes, after all, and I don't like systems that fail when they're hot.  We are in California and it is wildfire hot.  Those brakes seem important to me, especially since we had to backtrack all the way to Redding to pick up I-5 again.  As the Tour driver, I told Paul my job was to 1) have everyone arrive alive and 2) get where we need to be on time, provided #1 is met.

In the mean time, we had a great visit with the couple who own the farm, The Dell Artemis Farm. [I don't know what to make of the naming of farms.  It is one of the VERY few things farmers get to do for free.  How do you pick a farm name?  Does it speak to you?  Do you grow up thinking, "If I ever own a farm, I am going to name it---?"  Do you make it speak to your hopes or dreams?  Is it part of your marketing scheme?]

Robert and Marina are raising, chickens and pigs, vegetables, etc.  That they have chosen to build their place from the ground up is very impressive.  I mean, there was nothing there when they started but the land itself.  They have lived in a cramped cabin structure for quite some time but are building more suitable quarters, as well as shelter for their animals.   They have a pretty impressive gravity fed water system for irrigation and consumption, solar shower, an amazing root cellar, and other improvements that belong on a farm.  They are 21st century pioneers, plain and simple.   Yes, they have the internet and telephone service, power tools, and farm vehicles, but they have not chosen an easy path.  It seemed they are working toward a dream and fulfilling the  dream is giving their lives meaning and joy.  They are employing human initiative, problem solving and creativity in their work on their farm.  Every farmer does that, I suppose, but they are going to own their place body and soul when they are done.  Not relying on chemicals as fertilizer or herbicides means they have to find different ways to accomplish agricultural results that are sustaining and profitable.

While there, Paul recorded a couple of podcasts.  The first, over wine, was about philosophy, getting along, good fortune, etc.  You will have to wait for the edited version before you can be certain anything insightful was said.  Finally, before we left, Paul did another podcast with our hosts about their lives, experiences, approach to farming as well as other topics.  THAT one will be worth listening to, I believe if nothing else than to demonstrate that not everyone lines up entirely in line with Paul's views.  Marina knows how to push back.

So, we have worked our way further south and east.  I am writing this from the deck of the Land Whale docked here at the Chaffin Family Orchard outside of Oroville, California. I am in need of a little not-driving time to myself.  The rest of the band is off touring the place and learning how they operation works and Paul is no doubt making observations and suggestions.  That is what he does.  Later we will head to Woodleaf Farms near here.

Oh, and about those brakes.  It seems they were just hot yesterday because today they worked fine.  I am lobbying for a complete inspection/tune up, etc. in the Southern California area before we head across the desert to Phoenix.  I am enjoying the driving and the things I am seeing, but safety first.

Then We Were Four

After waking up at the Oregon State Beach Campground South of Newport, and breaking camp,  the men had lunch--fish tacos all around--with a few hands of penny-ante poker at the Cafe' Mundo.  Paul and Jocelyn had found this place on a previous visit and Paul wanted me to see it. It's a wild little place decorated by local artists and long on funk but short on grokking Mexican food, in my humble opinion.  It made me long for Taco Del Sol on Higgins Avenue in Missoula.  They know how I like my fish tacos. 

Jimmy Pardo at the Cafe' Mundo

As soon as he walked in the door, Jimmy spotted the stage and a million open mike night posters.  He asked the server if it was OK for him to get on stage and play his Uke (through his amp, of course.). Whether it was the nature of the place or the fact that the lunch rush hadn't started, she said 'yes' and before anyone knew it, he was on stage zoned out in his own groove.  I don't know what to call Jimmy's music.  It's kind of a jazz-funk-rock fusion deal, I guess.  He uses feed back and looping to give his sound a greater dimension.  He has pick-ups on the body of his hollow body Uke to allow him to play percussion while he plays, too.  And when he plays, Jimmy goes someplace very spiritual.  I guess that is why Paul likes to use his music to back his videos.  Keep an eye on this guy--his music is going to take him as far as he wants it to.


After we left Newport, we headed south toward Creswell near Eugene.  Jeff Tunnell had invited Paul to make a presentation at the hall next to his daughter's establishment, Heidi Tunnell Catering and Event Center.  The Event Center is next to Heidi's restaurant where they make delicious pizza in a custom-made wood fired pizza oven.  Over 45 interested folks showed up to hear Paul hold forth on his thoughts on the relative aspects of urban versus rural lifestyles and each's affect on the planet.  Anyone who has listened to Paul's podcasts knows they were in for stuff that would challenge their world view, and he didn't let them down.

Afterwards we get the Land Whale all snuggled in behind Jeff's barn on his farm outside of town. Jeff came aboard the Land Whale and joined us in a glass of wine (except Paul who does not partake) and good conversation.  Jeff was gracious to invite Paul and super about publicizing and promoting his talk--the fact that he allowed our band of gypsies to camp out at his place was going the extra mile.

The sad event of the day was Jimmy's departure to return to Portland.  He took all his gear (including his amp and Uke) and hung out his thumb while we motored on.  Later today we got word from Jimmy that the Universe had bestowed him with a cool ride with someone who was interested in having Jimmy do some music for him. While he was with us, he added a unique dimension as musician, philosopher, person on a quest, and wonderful smile.  Now we are Four.

After leaving Creswell, we headed South on into California.  The Land Whale had a hiccup and wouldn't start last night but just why remains a mystery.  We have a full charge on the battery and had it checked. We ruled out the solonoid and unless the new fan belt is sli[ping (and there is no sound to indicate that) I am putting my bet on gremlins.  We got as far as Lake Siskiyou Camp ground based on their advertisement of laundry and showers. 

Now I have clean clothes.  I always say, a drawer full of clean underwear is like money in the bank. I have showered and shaved and realized we were exactly halfway through the journey.  Two more weeks to go, and thousands of miles.  Tomorrow we head to a farm in northern California to look at some exciting alternative approaches to agriculture.

It's a Family Affair

We were all set to leave Friendly Haven Rise Farm when the Land Whale curse struck again.  This time, a dead battery with no explanation that a layman could provide.  We decided to get a jump from Joseph and be on our way and see what happened.

Give me juice!!!

Paul had a presentation at Beaverton, Oregon so progress seemed to be something for which it was worth taking a risk.  As we cruised down the highway, Jocelyn, in another of her amazing pull-the-rabbit-out-of-the-hat moments determined that a place for battery assessment and replacement existed only two blocks from Paul's engagement.  I dare say the woman is amazing as she finds these solutions to problems floating in the Universe and drops them into my lap.  Anyway, we found ourselves at the battery place and Pat, a harried and multitasking store manager, dropped us into the work queue after determining that the Land Whale's battery was not holding a charge.

Paul and Jocelyn and Eivind went to the speaking engagement and I dealt with the battery.  Given the location of Beaverton, I called my brother, Jim, who lives nearby.  Fortunately, he was only moments into making dinner and suggested he and his lovely wife, Sharon, would be swooping in to pick me up to take me to dinner to an Italian restaurant they had been wanting to try.  It is always great to spend time with Jim and Sharon because they are solid, caring people.  I admire Jim for the man he turned out to be.  Dinner was pleasant but way too short.

I got to Paul's presentation in time to see him working his magic before a crowd of engaged listeners who hung on his every word.  Well, maybe not every word, but certainly most of them.  He showed portions of a video of one of his heroes, Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer.  As we approached nine o'clock I started giving him the cut off signal but it is always hard to pull him away from people who are eager to learn what he has to teach.  Upon leaving at long last, we picked up the last member of the tour, Jimmy Pardo, the guy who makes the outstanding music for Paul's videos.  It has been great traveling with Paul and Jocelyn and Eivind, but adding Jimmy made our number five, and the dynamics changed in a perceptibly positive way.

Charging down I-5, our destination was to my sister, Jean's house.  Jean and I had our tonsils out together when we were very young and that experience of being in the hospital created a link that has always been there.  It was a time when our history was inextricably bound tighter than just being siblings.  Anyway, Jean exudes hospitality and caring and she took my band of fellow travelers in without a second's hesitation. That is one of the hallmarks of our family, I think; the price of admission and acceptance is simply being somehow tied to another member of the family.  Over the years I have seen the boyfriends and girlfriends (among these, some of them mine) introduced by siblings and my family has embraced each of them warmly and without reservation simply on the basis of a brother or a sister saying, "he/she is with me."  My band of Permie Tour 2012 folks  appeared with me and Jean said, "Welcome!"  We got dinner and breakfast and interesting conversation with Jean and her husband,  Lawrence, who always has something that adds to the discussion.

Jean learned much of this attitude of hospitality from our Mother and Father, who were always rounding up strays for a Sunday dinner or other festivity.  Looking at our schedule, I couldn't figure out how to get a visit to my Mom, who lives less than 30 miles from Jean.  I couldn't even imagine how the heck I would get the Land Whale to her door or even how to get it back on the road.  What a bad son!  I called Mom and, like so many times in my life, my dilemma was met with patience and forbearance.  No guilt trip, just love and best wishes for a fun and safe journey.

(l to r) Paul, Jocelyn, Geoff, Eivind, and Jimmy at Silver Falls

In the morning we headed up to Silver Park where Jean's son, Dylan (my nephew), is the Interpretive Ranger.  Dylan gave us the short loop tour of the Falls pointing out the interesting flora, fauna and geology.  Jimmy spotted a small snake by the trail and Dylan carefully picked it up to find it was a type of garter snake he had not seen before in the Park.

Dylan, Snake Handler

 I am as proud as an uncle can be of Dylan.  He is upstanding, committed to making the world a better place and just a joy to watch as he engages with people.  He is contemplating entering teaching as a career and nothing makes me want to be a first grader more than the thought of being one of his pupils.  After the tour we got the Land Whale back on the road and headed to Newport, Oregon, for one of our rare off-days.

Newport is an ocean-side town, obviously, and it gave us all a chance to walk on the beach in the fog. Newport is also a popular spot for tourists so there was some shopping (ho-hum) by some members of our party.  Our tour of Newport peaked at Nye Beach Sweets Shop because Paul needed ice cream.  When Paul needs ice cream, well...Anyway, this was kind of a funky place and Paul determined that it was the place to bring out "the Hat of Awesomeness."  This is a hat that was custom-made for Paul and his work promoting permaculture.  There was something about this sweet shop that demanded an appearance by the hat.  See if you can tell what it is.

This evening my dear friend, Heidi, called from Montana where she was waiting for "Shakespeare in the Park" to begin.  I don't know how many years I have gone to this event with her and her husband Mike, or her and other friends, on the Oval of The University of Montana.  I was touched that my absence prompted her call.  I knew when I agreed to pilot the Land Whale for Paul that there were going to be certain important things in my life I would be forgoing, and this was certainly one of them.  Shakespeare in the Park is one of those touchstones of tradition that binds us again and again to our friends so that no matter what happens in our lives, we always return to this stage and find familiarity, affection and understanding--those things which ground us when the planet and our daily lives would fling us into space.  As you finish reading this, think of someone you know--a friend or family member--who needs to hear from you.  Be that person who gives them grounding.

Two For One!

 We finally pulled out of Jocelyn's driveway at around 7:30 to begin the tour in earnest; granted, a half hour later than I wanted but this trip is not so much about schedules as it is getting where we are going to let Paul teach and learn.  I mean up to this point, it had been a matter of venturing out from the base camp of her home.  Now we were leaving the planet and going into space in our own self-contained Land Whale.  Eivind served as co-pilot and kept me posted on the GPS directions while Paul and Jocelyn sat at the dining room table and stayed connected to the world via our mobile hot spot.  Connectivity is one of the problems we had to solve before this journey could be undertaken and it seems to work amazingly well.

Speaking of connectivity, nearly everyone agrees that connectivity of tires to the road is a good idea so when we were near Fort Lewis, Washington, a passing motorist waved frantically at us pointing to the left rear tire, I pulled over.  Knowing the Land Whale, I knew this was probably extremely necessary.  When we pulled safely off the road, our inspection of the rig showed that the outer tire of the rear dual set was pretty much shredded. Since the inner tire was keeping us up, Paul suggested we limp along to the next exit which was about half a mile away and pull off and put the Good Sam Road side Service membership to good use.  In spite of taking an inordinate amount of time (a little staff development wouldn't hurt, Good Sam!) to get us located and our needs communicated, we finally got a visit from Bob of S and S Tires.  This is what he was faced with:     

Bob was one of those workman who doesn't sit around a chat--he had a job to do and he did it, quickly and efficiently.  I think the only sentence he uttered while he was working was when he looked at the condition of the inner tire and said, "I'm surprised that one didn't go, too." He put two new tires on the Land Whale faster than I could even figure out how to do it if it was only up to me.  He took a look at the rest of our rubber and pronounced it serviceable.  I hope Bob is appreciated by everyone he helps as much as I appreciated him.  Having cheated Death one more time, off we headed to Friendly Haven Rise Farm. 

Navigating the Land Whale to the farm took us over roads that reminded me of a roller coaster. The civil engineers who designed these roads never gave much thought to them EVER having ice on them.  I swear the vertical pitch to some of them seemed more than 25%. Like going over an asphalt waterfall.  Wheee.

That stopped mattering when we finally arrived at Friendly Haven Rise Farm and the home of Jacqueline and Joseph.  Their farm simply buzzes with activity--gardening, goats, chickens, cows, permaculture vegetable beds, cheese-making, and dozens of other farm-related activities.  When we got there, we got put right to work butchering recently slaughtered chickens to go in the freezer to be eaten over the winter.

 Starting with Big Paul (who was wielding a knife) and moving clockwise, we see Eivind (our fellow traveler) loading freezer bags with raw chicken leftovers for the energetic farm dog (Rousseau), neighbor Ray (who stopped by and is cutting chickens), Joseph (our host and head butcher) and Julie (a visitor who came by to learn permaculture methods to use in her own agricultural aspirations) all moving in good order to complete one of many necessary farm tasks.  I volunteered my impeccably neat hand-writing to label the freezer bags.

These chickens were all "meat birds" and a couple of older layers that were raised on the farm.  The chickens are farm workers, too.  Nobody lives on the farm without a purpose.  They help with pest control and can eat down a weed patch in short order.  Rousseau is both a companion and a deterrent.  He gets chicken bits in addition to a diet that includes goat milk whey left over from cheese making.  The diet agrees with him because his bright-eyed and boundlessly energetic, always ready to chase a stick.

But what about that other buzzing?  Why, those are the other several hundred thousand farm workers.  Jacqueline is a beekeeper extraordinaire.  Using Warre hives primarily, she keeps bees all over her property.  The bees are an essential element to pollenization that is the cornerstone to plant production. Without the bees, eating becomes an almost insurmountable problem.  Jacqueline, like a lot of beekeepers, has a special relationship with her bees that can best be described as wonder, reverence, fiercely protective and affectionate.  She does very little with her bees for the sake of honey, however.  That's their reward for the work they do.

Recently an old rotting tree was taken down in the neighborhood.  When it hit the ground, the sawyer realized it was full of bees and so Jacqueline was called.  Joseph and some friends went and got the portion of the trunk the bees were living in (an eleven foot section he says weighed a thousand pounds) and brought it back to Friendly Haven Rise Farm.  Since the space inside the trunk was very limited, after setting it upright, Joseph cut a pattern that matched the exact shape of the top of the trunk and used it to help make the base of a double height Warre hive Jacqueline fixed tot he top of the trunk. That gave the bees a spacious penthouse to move into and enjoy the spectacular views from above the rest of the farm.  Today the bees (feral bees of naturally occurring stock) are a prominent part of the Farm operation and are doing well.

Jacqueline needs a ladder to visit her "tree bees"

 Friendly Haven Rise Farm is a fully functioning farm.  Things grow here that feed people.  Good things, healthy things.  I know because I graced their table for lunch, dinner and pancakes for breakfast this morning.  Both Jacqueline and Joseph are thoughtful people who are mindful of what it means to be stewards of the energy that feeds people.  Their animals are well-treated, their plants, vegetables and fruits are healthy and wholesome without the application of pesticides or herbicides or fertilizers.  Pests are not eradicated so much as kept in balance with other natural forces made up of plants, insects, birds or animals.  Everything found on the farm is there for a purpose and the role of farmers like Jacquiline and Joseph is to find out what that purpose is, and keep its place in balance.  Voles?  When Jacqueline opens up on voles, it is with wonder and appreciation for all they do for her.  Snakes?  You bet--Friendly Haven Farm creates snake-friendly habitat so slither on in, there will be a place to stay and lots of slugs to eat!

I'm the driver.  I am not a permaculturalist, a farmer, or a proselytizer for farming techniques. As a gardener I am little better than a dilettante.  Seeing this operation is opening some doors in my mind about farming, though, and new ways of doing things.  Jacqueline and Joseph gave me the word on making and applying some stuff called "tree paste" that they say boosts apple tree health and will probably discourage beavers.  What's not to like about that?