Everything is Growing

"In this world you're either growing or you're dying"
   Lou Holtz

Luckily for many, growth comes in assorted shapes and sizes. Growth can occur throughout the year, but now is the prime season.

The plum and cherry trees are going like gangbusters (planted just two years ago). 

So are the peach and the fig trees (who says you can't grow peaches and figs in Northern Idaho!).

The strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries always seem to grow and set a good crop.

We're getting a bucket a day out of the little strawberry patch.

The one year old blackberries will give their first fruit this year

The two year old raspberries are getting a little too aggressive.

The mushroom harvests has been unusually "growthy" this year.

Morel Mushrooms

Puffball Mushroom (texture like mozzarella cheese, slice thin and saute in butter with salt and pepper)

The Kootenai Tribe has been busy for decades trying to get the sturgeon population growing again. We helped to release the this season's yearlings. These one-year-olds won't be sexually mature for 30 years and they'll live to be over 100 years old. A truly prehistoric ocean fish trapped by glacial dams and converted to an inland fish. They grow slowly, but they're still growing.

The most beautiful conifer in the world is the Idaho White Pine. It was nearly wiped out by a disease introduced from Europe in the early 1900's called Blister Rust, Disease resistant trees are making a comeback in Northern Idaho. We keep planting a few hundred seedlings every year to see if we can reintroduce them to our property. They are growing fast and putting on long leaders.

Even the size of the tractors is growing.

And in a classic example of burying the lede, our boondocking forestland paradise is growing.

We seized the opportunity to buy a neighbor's adjoining parcel this spring, increasing our preserve to a robust 120 acres.

This gives us some new elevations and views, forest habitat types, soil types, more privacy, and another convenient easement in and out of the property. There will be some forest restoration to do and a funky/rustic old home site to resurrect. All of those University of Idaho forestry classes will come in handy (and a tractor).

Western Red Cedar and Larch trees  don't usually co-habitate, but they seem to enjoy each other's company on this parcel.

Out of Arizona

With the mild weather this winter, we were able to spend much more time in the high elevation grasslands of southeastern Arizona. Even though every place should be appreciated for its own uniqueness, you can't help but compare this place to the grasslands of Africa.

Sarengeti Grassland

SE Arizona Grassland

Of course, the wildlife we saw is far different from the African continent, there were some striking similarities there as well.

African Grassland Wildlife

SE Arizona Grassland Wildlife

Even the grasslands leading up to the mountains share a common look and feel.

African Mountain

SE Arizona Mountain

We gravitated towards this region because for most people it is just too cold. A snow birder will look at you in horror if you told them you were wintering in a spot where it drops below freezing at night and rarely gets above 70 during the day (even if it is relentlessly sunny every day). Unfortunately, we missed that this year. With the mild weather, we spent the whole winter sleeping with our windows open at night. Regardless, the region is still almost deserted when it comes to snow birders, and we've been able to find dozens of new secluded boondocking sites that aren't blabbed about anywhere on the Internet or other common RV sources. We plan on spending a lot of time here in future years!

African Bird Flock


SE Arizona Bird Flock

It's almost time for us to start our northern migration. We've decided to try out the colder, higher elevations of central Arizona next. Normally, the weather wouldn't allow it, but maybe this year, the Mogollon Rim and forests around Show Low, AZ will be open to us in March. 

Four Years in the (Super Bowl) Wilderness

In our four years on the road, it seems we always end up in some remote spot for the Super Bowl. From a sky island in the middle of a Florida to a high desert plateau in Arizona, we end up watching the game in private. The spots are good enough that we spend anywhere from 16-24 days in the place. 

The Super Bowl camping spot has become our own pseudo Walden Pond. What's more quintessentially modern-American than combining the Super Bowl with self-reliance, independence, solitude, and nature?

Thoreau probably wouldn't agree, but what's wrong with inviting the "modern" world into your own personal Walden Pond for one day each year? We always have a food theme. In the past it's been dishes such as elk stew and oyster/smoked turkey gumbo. This year its Carolina Pulled Pork and Panther Pierogis with a Russian River Zinfandel. Go Blue!

Super Bowl 47
Ravens 34, 49ers 31
Ocala National Forest, Florida

The lights went out, but the Ravens still held on for the win.

Super Bowl 48
Seahawks 43, Broncos 8
Mittry Lake Wildlife Area (BLM), Arizona

It's hard to find a private, secluded spot at Mittry, but we managed. The Broncos didn't fare so well.

Super Bowl 49
Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
BLM, Why, Arizona

Helped by dumb Seahawk play calling, The Patriots lucked out in the Deflate Gate Bowl.

Super Bowl 50
Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (BLM), Arizona

One of the quietest spots we've ever been in, and the grasslands are easy on the dogs' paws.

Prediction: Panthers 31, Broncos 17

Panthers cover the spread.
At 45 points, take the over.

Update:
Broncos 24, Panthers 10
The Broncos take care of business decisively and Peyton Manning gets to go out on top. A true fairy tale ending.

Tails from the Back Seat: Our Idahome

Summer in Idahome actually starts in April and goes through October...

that's 7 months of FREEDOM!!!

Boy, oh boy, oh boy, is it ever FUN!!  And this past summer was even FUNNER because Lucy visited with us for more than a month.  

Word-up!  She lost over 2 pounds going on adventures with us--that has to be at least 10% of her body weight!!  Maybe we can start a puppy health spa resort, we can help keep the treats at bay :-) 

Another spa secret, a shaggy doo can add phantom pounds to an otherwise svelte lad, er, Golden Retriever.

Light and breezy, that's the way I like it

It's a long winter looking like this

Karly just doesn't seem to have the same grooming issues, but this past summer she tore her nail and found herself in a bit of a bind.....literally!

With the addition of something called The Viking in early summer, we were able to go on even more adventures...although it took Karly some getting used to.

We went to some of our favorite swimming holes...

Smith Creek

Boundary Creek

Kootenai River 

Although there seems to be a trend here, we like to go on walks too, especially if there are sticks to retrieve.

And bigger IS better...

Not sure why, but sticks in a pile are off-limits...

we can look but not touch...

or we can just ignore them....

But just in case, I'm always ready for them.....

Another new treat for us this summer, but also on a look-but-not-touch basis, were turkeys!!!  We hear that our neighbors eat turkeys so they don't live very long around our 'hood, but there is hope for the future!!!

A family of turkeys in our "backyard"

Turkey eggs just hatched...hope for the future!!

It was quite a hot and smoky summer so there were days it took all the cleverness we had to keep cool....

Perhaps Jake is more clever than Karly???

Nah, Karly found the deer trough...do I look like I'm keeping it a secret from Jake??

Awwww, I love our neighbor's pond!!

And the cool breeze through my ears is not bad either!!

Clever is an understatement when it came to the apples that John and Susan put out for the poor parched deer, what are we, chopped liver???!!!  Until we learned about something called a Game Camera-----Caught, red-mouthed!!

Well, this is going to be easy...

For goodness sake, Jake, pretend like you don't care...

Where'd you go, Karly, you're missing the snatch

It's like they were never there...

You snooze, you lose, you lousy deer...

There's so much fun to be had in our Idahome, sometimes we just get plumb tired out.




But the pièce de résistance of our summer was the visit from Lucy and introducing her to our Idahome.

Small dogs don't rule, we're just being nice to our guest

Well, maybe small dogs rule...

Fine, small dogs DO rule!!

At first there was a bit of getting used to each other....

What do you mean?  This bed fits me just fine....

HELP!!!!!   PLEASE!!!!

OK, then I'll just make myself comfortable here

This bed was made for sharin' and that's just what we'll do

We took Lucy swimming...



And hiking....

And even to visit our pals, April and Suka....

How many humans does it take to get five puppies to pose???

We may never know....

We played....

Ha Ha, I'm over here, Lucy...perhaps I'm more svelte than I thought?

And sometimes we just took it easy.....

And enjoyed the view.....

Lucy was especially fond of watching our neighborly cows, we think she actually thought she was guarding us.

A small dog with big intentions...,

Stylin' coat though

She also liked to guard Jerry's beer, which we allowed since it was a "light" beer, we had a reputation to uphold at our puppy health spa resort!

Speaking of beer, there is a cool brew pub in our Idahome that allows dogs but not children, imagine that!!!  Something about not serving people-food so children aren't allowed.  But they do serve dog treats so dogs are allowed.  We are especially tickled by the name and the logo.....

Overall it was an awesome summer and we always look forward to Idahome.
But having Lucy visit us made the ordinary...

...EXTRAORDINARY!!!!!

Because you're mine, I walk the line