Author / kritterspaw

by kritterspaw

Olympic Peninsula

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The Olympic Peninsula is in the northwestern part of Washington state.  It is home to the Olympic National Park, but the park itself weaves in and out of the Olympic Wilderness and National Forests.  Several small towns sprout up here and there between the park and the wilderness areas, Quinault, Forks, Port Angeles, Sequim.   It’s hard to know where the park begins and the wilderness ends.

You can see my post here on Olympic National Park.

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It’s a huge wooded area and beautiful drive in and out of the park and forests.  We love the eerie fog and rain forest trees.

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It’s hard to imagine the amount of rain this area must have to get to develop the lush green that is evident by the result of it, but very interesting and beautiful to see.

by kritterspaw

Portland’s Japanese Gardens

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I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Portland, Oregon as a travel destination… but if stuck there, I would recommend Portland’s Japanese Gardens.  It is poetry in life and living Japanese art.  The gardens are a contemplative beautiful place filled with moss ridden artfully composed bonsai trees and Japanese sentries.

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The walkways and landscapes were stunningly choreographed.  Admittedly a better time of the year to go would be when the leaves are flowering and with more color – probably October.  Definitely worth the visit if in Portland – probably the best thing in Portland to see and do, in my humble opinion.  Frankly, I hope never to have to go back to Portland… while I’m sure it’s not altogether true, it sure seemed like the bum population must outnumber the working class.  But that was just our observation staying in downtown, as we had to step over and around the abundance of people sleeping on, in, and around the streets. It was disconcerting and uncomfortable for us.  Would never go back.

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by kritterspaw

Pendleton Woolen Mill

When I was in grade school I hated history… it was my least favorite subject… that and geography.  Now that I am older, I find history and geography fascinating.  We tour places around the world and seek out museums and tours to heighten our knowledge, whether it’s home or abroad.  Education gives one new perspective and insight.

We recently had the opportunity to tour the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon.  Not something I would have normally took a great deal of interest in, but given the opportunity all knowledge and education is good right?

Well, I was fascinated by the vast work and manipulation that goes into the simple task of not just making a Pendleton blanket… but the YARN, that goes into the Pendleton blanket.

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It starts from the ‘fur’ from the sheep.  It begins as coarse clumps of fur, which is picked through by large rollers with fine comb brushes to pick it apart.  This fur goes through the rollers several times before it starts to resemble cotton.

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These woolen fibers are then layers like puff pastry and kneaded through a series of rollers to press it into fine layers of strands until it can be funneled into a fine singular strand of fibrous wool, then twisted into individual strands of woolen yarn.

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The yarn it then threaded onto individual bobbins that can be loaded into looms to weave Pendleton products.

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It takes 2-1/2 sheep to make one blanket, and about 2 months of work and process.  It’s a fascinating process to watch as this dying art comes to life.  Only 5 woolen mills still exist in this country, and 2 are owned and operated by Pendleton.

 

by kritterspaw

Function over Form

Since I have started selling more photographs I have needed a more useful ‘studio’ space.  Necessity is the mother of invention they say, and we created a work surface to sit on a futon coach we had in our office.  We put cute little curtains in front of it to hide the fact that it was actually a couch that this work top sat on.

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Somehow we actually thought we might use the couch again… well that wasn’t a viable idea!  Instead the couch became a place to put stuff… on, under, and around.  So we opted to get rid of the couch altogether, and build some cabinets to house the clutter that collected around the couch.

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We cut 7 sheets of baltic birch 7-ply plywood to make sides, tops, bottoms, shelves and doors for our cabinets, veneering all the edges with solid pecan wood.  We made 3 separate boxes.  We sanded the doors, shelves and boxes, and fit hinges for the flush mount doors.

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Then we stained and finished the bunch of them over 3 days.

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Once they dried we brought them up to the office and installed them in place.

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Whew!  What a difference.  They are not only beautiful, but functional.. and clean.  No more clutter.  They came out great.

 

by kritterspaw

Lockett Meadow

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One of the easiest and most beautiful fall color outings to get to outside of the ‘big city’ is Lockett Meadow.  It’s only 20 minutes from Flagstaff and yields awesome concentrations of full color yellowing aspens.

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The characteristic white trunks and silver dollar yellow leaves make these aspen fields stand out in their stunning beauty.  It’s a great place to go for the day, for a picnic, and just soak in nature at it’s finest.

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It’s been an early fall.  I wrote about it first here.  As such the leaves are already starting to dissipate.  Compounded by our gusty winds, the leaves are definitely falling as we are getting ready for winter.  But for now we are enjoying the last hurrah of what has been a gorgeous Fall here on the mountain.

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by kritterspaw

Leaf Peeping

forestcolorPSi.JPGFall cometh early to Northern AZ.   I have told anyone that would listen, winter is coming.  It’s getting cold early and fast.  We’ve already had overnight lows below freezing.  So with it, the leaves are popping.  We have been out several times to see them, and plan on several more trips.  I think October 1 is the earliest I have ever seen this abundance of color.  Usually it’s not until at least 2nd or 3rd week of October.  My guess is by then we’ll be taking photos of snow instead of leaves.

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But we’re loving it.  The beauty is incredible.  I don’t know how I every lived in the valley without getting the 4 seasons.  I’m addicted… and love it.

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Talk about photographic fodor.  The color variations and possibilities are stunning.   We packed a lunch and had an amazing view amidst the burst of color we found ourselves in.

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Fantastic!

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by kritterspaw

Vegas Fall

We tend to go to Vegas fairly often.  The first thing everyone assumes is we like to gamble. Actually, not so much.  For us, Vegas isn’t about gambling.  It’s about the art, photography , and food.  We eat stunning meals, helmed by amazing chefs, and then walk it off as we wander aimless through the miles of eye candy.  Eye candy that is art, color, and lots of photographic fodor.  The whole idea that someone built a very reasonable facsimile to Paris, INSIDE a building, is just plain remarkable.  The imagination and creativity is fantastic.

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The decorations are seasonal, and change constantly, so there is always something new to see.  I can only imagine the creative staff sitting around in their morning meetings having some conversation… ‘ so Fall is coming… what speaks Fall to you?.  How about birds migrating, sitting on power poles, flying about?  And we have to have a pumpkin?  How about a pumpkin head person?  Why not?  Let’s build it.’  INSIDE a building, mind you.  Really?!  Wow!

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There is art in art stores…

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There is art in purse stores and other unseeming places.. inside and out.

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It’s a pleasure to walk around and through… ever changing, and ever interesting… and delicious, in more ways than one.

by kritterspaw

The one that got away

Unfortunately, despite our many trips to the Mogollon Rim looking for animals, we just haven’t seen that many.  I don’t know where they are, but they just aren’t here.  It’s rut season here on the mountain, so the bull elk are collecting their harems.  We did just see a small herd of elk the other day.

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We saw a few little babies born this year with fading spots, and few cow elk, along with a young single spike bull.

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But the one I really wanted to get a photo of was the one on the way out and I only got a fleeting view of this big bull.

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Darn.  He was just the one that got away.  It astounds me how these big boys can walk (not to mention run) through our tangled forests with those big racks on their heads.

Maybe next time.

by kritterspaw

Mushroom Foraging

magicmush_Ssi.JPGSince the first time I tasted a porcini just outside of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, I was hooked.  The flavor of a porcini is like none other.  Fresh, fried in butter it melts in your mouth with a umami elegance and buttery nuttiness. It’s the best mushroom ever.

Walking through our AZ forests I have thought for years that I wish I could forage for my own mushrooms.  After our rains, they are everywhere.  Surely some edible.  Hmmm.

It’s only recently that I was able to actually join a mushroom club to help me determine which are edible, and which to stay away from.  With this knowledge and practice I could fill my table with delectable mushroom treats.

So it seems… I have a new hobby.  What’s not to like… walking in the forest on a quest for something delicious that you can consume.  Awesome!

This year alone we have been on 7 mushroom hunts… and we’re building confidence, safety, and our coffers with a finite collection of edible beauties.  We have chosen to only pick mushrooms that are easily identifiable with easy to spot look alikes in order to avoid all risks.  The mushrooms we can now collect and consume with confidence include the prized porcini (how amazing is that), morels, chanterelles, oyster, and lobster mushrooms.

aspenbolete_Ssi.JPG With all the recent rains we are starting to not only build experience, but product as well.  We are de-hydrating and cooking up mushrooms to freeze… and hosting mushroom dinners with fresh varieties.  You can check out our most recent mushroom feast here.

It’s about time we took on a hobby that didn’t require WORK. 🙂

by kritterspaw

A Year in the Grand Canyon

Every once in awhile you come across something you really want to share.  Point in case, my friend, Dave.  Dave, is like my dog… in a good way (I do love my dog, Journey, by the way, and Journey adores Dave – she has good taste.).  I mean that in the way that he has never met a stranger.  Everyone he meets is a friend.  He’s affable, friendly, talented, intelligent, and kind.  He’s one of those interesting people that you just love to know, and someone I am super proud and happy to call my friend.

But this isn’t a plug for Dave… not really.  It’s a plug for his book. You see, Dave is quite the aficionado on the Grand Canyon.  He has been down the Grand Canyon over a year. And by that I mean IN the Canyon OVER 365 days.  Pretty impressive.  In that time he has had quite the many experiences.  We are very fortunate that Dave heeded the advise of many who know him to write them down and publish them in a book.  He finally did.

His book, A Year in the Grand Canyon, is a collection of those adventures.  It reads like stories around the campfire.  It’s engaging, inviting, fascinating and intriguing.  It’s one of those books you just can’t put down.  It’s a man’s tales of life through passing through the Grand Canyon and it’s many lessons it teaches.  It’s fun, dead serious, and entertaining.

He got an impressive endorsement from none other than the famous Arizona story teller himself, Marshal Trimble who gives it a glowering review:

“Dave Elston’s passion for spending time in the beautiful Grand Canyon wilderness has produced a series of riveting stories that makes it a must read for anyone who’s ever been bitten by the “Canyon Bug.” His quest to spend 400 days in “Natures Grandest Architectural Masterpiece” over a period of years turned him from a green novice into an experienced veteran.

Elston’s stories also provide many important lessons in survival. Nature can be very unforgiving. The vicissitudes of the wilderness including the capricious elements, ankle-twisting terrain, lack of preparation, not understanding one’s limitations, and a myriad of others have endangered or cost the lives of many who fail to give it proper respect.

This book should be on the shelves of anyone who’s ever hiked the challenging trails of the Grand Canyon or ever wanted to.”

I don’t recommend a lot of books.  In truth, I don’t find the time to read a lot.  But this book is hard to put down, and a great read, one I highly recommend.  Check it out..

A Year in the Grand Canyon, by Dave Elston

It is published by Vishnu Temple Press, Flagstaff, AZ . Online orders can be made at vishnutemplepress.com. The price is $15.95, and the book will ship around mid-August. If you would rather have an e-book, it will be ready by the end of August. Both versions will soon be on Amazon as well.

Order yours today.