White Pine Down

When we first moved into the RR HQ complex several years ago, one feature we enjoyed the most about our Back 40 was the eight story white pine that towered majestically over the neighborhood. Unfortunately, ice storms during the last few winters broke off the lower branches, rendering this once-regal tree into a toothpick with a sail. Its days were clearly numbered- the tree was going to come down soon, either by chainsaw or by wind. And by wind would almost certainly crush our abode or our neighbors.

So we called the local tree service and initiated euthanasia. The owner looked up and purveyed the enormity of the situation: "This is too tall for my bucket truck" he said, "I'm going to have to call my monkey boy."

His monkey boy arrived and we asked how many trees of this height he's cut down. "Millions. Dude, I've been doing this for twelve years." Allrighty then! Fire up the Husquevarna!

The monkey boy scramb-led up the trunk quicker than a fox squirrel and began the surgical cutting of smaller branches to get to bigger branches. How these guys don't cut their safety lines or get tangled in rope systems or have a massive branch twist and slam into them is a credit to their skillset. We're continuously amazed at professionals with jobs that straddle the razor's edge between accomplishment and failure on a daily basis- heart surgeons, state troopers, airline pilots, and yes, monkey boys.

He loped off the top and descended from his high perch. One of his co-workers cut the pine at the base and it fell with a loud thud that shook the house. The trunk indented a deep groove into the wet ground that will have to be filled in with a load of dirt. The tree, which once produced both admiration and fear, had been felled. Summertime views of our world from the back porch will never be the same. Over the last several years, we've cut down three dead ash trees and a dying pear tree. Our yard, once a haven for birds and sheltered from neighbors we don't know, is now an open expanse.

The skidder came and lifted the cut pieces into a utility truck. After the stump grinder comes and pulverizes the only remaining sign that a 100 year old white pine (the state tree of Michigan!) once stood here, nothing will remain but a pile of mulch. We will miss our white pine- except when the strong winds sough across Portage Lake.

Bones and Ashes

Animal bones, abandoned Air Force radar base, Burns, Oregon.

Desert car, Wrights Point, Oregon.


Abandoned wrangler cabin, Oregon.


Motorcycle accident, Ukiah, Oregon.


Ashes into the Umitilla River.

Water Rock Sky

The Crooked River at Smith Rock State Park, Prineville, Oregon.














Look closely- three rock jocks are scaling the cliff. We used to do that kind of thing but those days are long gone....

Buddha head rock.


Big scrum rock.

Vapor trail.

Tumalo Falls.

West

Dagger Falls, Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho.





Middle Fork launch at Boundary Creek.






Frosted mountain tops, Bear Valley, Idaho.



Tree trunk, Pendleton, Oregon.

Harney County, Oregon

Redneck hunting blind, downtown Burns, Oregon.

Check out this cool Polaris four wheeler.

Or this even cooler Oregon State Police Charger.

Firefighters are welcomed back at Egans Tavern.

To play a game of shuffleboard.

And make a selection from the taps.

Hell Music Festival

Hell, Michigan, home to Screams Ice Cream Parlor and this weekend, the Hell Music Festival, an annual fundraiser for UM Children's Hospital.

Stickman outside of Screams. Inside, we ordered a cone of chocolate/caramel/fudge goop from Erik, the Survivor guy known by millions of viewers for making one of the dumbest moves in the history of the show. We wondered how many pesky customers bring up his bonehead move that probably cost him the million dollar prize. "Have a hell of a day", he said as he handed the cone over the counter.

Our melting cone of brown goop would have made great ammo for a game of Monkey Poo Toss.

Cementhead.

Ten bands played from 11am to 11pm. We left to attend our first-ever co-ed baby shower and missed the evening acts. Below, one of the first bands of the day covers Jane Says.