Global Whating?

As you can see, the snow is still coming down.  The question now is, will it ever end???

We dug ourselves out last night - and then we got another 6-8".  So, we dug ourselves out again today at lunch so we can run out and stock up on food for X-mas before the Wednesday storm hits (rain, freezing rain or snow - not sure what it will be yet).

Ice Pics

Here are a couple of ice pics from this morning.

Berries on the Ash tree in our front yard.

A maple leaf left on the bonsai-turned yard tree

Coop Dog lost a wheel.

It's gonna be a White Christmas

So those that are familiar with what is going on in the NW this past week, you know we have had some cold weather.  We were predicted to be down in the low teens with a wind chill predicted to be about 0F.  So, I made the choice to move most of my trees into the garage until the super cold weather passed - I don't do anything if it gets down to about 30F, but lower than that I like to make sure they are on the ground and bundled together.  Not sure if it helps, but I do it with success.  Below 20F, I like to cover them.  We hit about 9F with the windchill this last week, so I am glad I moved about half into the garage.

So, I didn't quite get the final two monkey posts finished before it started snowing last weekend.  We ended up with about 5" of snow.  Again, the NW corner of the yard, sans trees.

The week was off and on snow and rain, and we ended the week with about 2-3" of snow still on the ground.  It seems we are in a cold pocket along the foothills (our driveway is at about 210 feet above sea level) between a couple of valleys - so 1/2 mile away all the snow melted and we kept a good bit.

Coop Dog loves the snow.  He has been getting 4 walks a day...

Yesterday the snow came back.  A lot.  All day...

We finished the day at an X-mas party around the corner.  Upon coming home the snow was finishing up and the freezing rain starting.  We ended the day with about 10" snow and about 1" of freezing rain (ice) on top of the dry, fluffy powder.

Again, the NW corner of the yard.  Check out the snow on the seating and fire pit!

The bad news is we should have this snow through next weekend - so my trees will be in the garage for another week.  

The good news is that it is going to be a White Christmas - very rare for Portland!

New Benches

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything - work has been very busy these past couple of months.  That said, I was able to take a couple weekends and build some benches for my trees.  If you look down a post or two, you will see that when we moved in there was a large deck around a hot tub - which had to go to give us room in the back yard.  You can see below the transformation - I hope you agree we are moving in the right direction...

With the removal of the deck we salvaged as much as we could - the pump house went to the landfill, all non-pressure treated was saved for our fire pit and the balance was put aside for a potential new deck (4 x 6 pressure treated) and benches (2 x 6 cedar for bench tops).

With the decision not to build a new deck, I took the recommendation of Darrell Walker to use the 4 x 6 for verticals and the decking for the tops.  This actually was a great recommendation as I wanted to make sure that whatever benches I made were unobtrusive, allowed for plenty of planter space around the yard and given time would disappear against the fence and plantings.

So, I built a number of benches and monkey poles, making sure they were different sizes and heights as Jason suggested, and got them in the ground and cemented into place.  Once done, I realized a couple of things - I need more benches and/or less trees!  So, I built two more monkey poles, got the holes dug and almost got them cemented before the dark and snow came (more on that later.

The deck being torn down and salvaged.

Benches to the south waiting for the concrete to set.  You can see the horizontal braces to square the legs.  This area will look nice when the triple trunk birch and bamboo fill in.

Southwest corner waiting for the concrete to set.  Trees in flats will fit nicely under the benches.

To the north.  We are going to put a tree on the left side of this shot and bamboo in the middle and right.  Need to screen out the neighbors!

Northwest corner.  Monkey pole in the behind some of the pines there.  The afore mentioned tree will be to the left of the bench on the right.  We are also going to put small goldfish pond and bubbler fountain back in this corner - which will be just off of a large concrete patio we have decided to put in the back here.

What do you think?

Yard Work

We are coming along nicely in our landscaping of the house.  While we are nowhere near done, we are getting there - hence, no after pics as of yet.

I won't show pics of the removal of palm trees, junk trees, bad turf, dozens of yards of rock, two concrete pads, a deck or a hot tub.  Nor will I show pics of the addition of dozens of yards of garden mulch, or dozens of plants and trees (thanks to Heather's parents for the donation and all the helping hands).

We still need to build a deck in the back, finish adding plants front and rear, build benches for the bonsai, re-do the lawn along the curb (Coop's Poop area) and add a few trees and bamboo to the rear.  Hopefully all the plants will be in this fall, and the deck will follow next year.  Oh, and the opposite side yard - I don't even want to think about that...

Enjoy the pics.  Click to enlarge.  

Before Pics: Front Yard

Before Pics: Back Yard

Before Pics: Side Yard

During Pics: Front Yard

During Pics: Back Yard

During Pics: Side Yard

Bailey B

We just learned that out that everybody's favorite russell, Bailey B, is no longer with us.  Bailey was always first to say hi, ask for a treat, yell for somebody to throw a stick and was sure to dominate the room.  Full of pith and vinegar until the end, she will always be loved and remembered for the entertainment she brought us all...

 

We've got grass...

Might not be a big deal to you (reader), but let me tell you what, it is a milestone for us...

There's something wrong with Mr. Cooper...

I should have known when we took him to the beach for the first time when he was 4 months old.  He is normally a fun loving yet well behaved lab, but you get him into the sand and some recessive gene takes hold and he goes nuts.  It is either chasing kites (no wind, so check back for updates from future beach trips) or digging in the sand.  Note, he has never dug a hole in the ground at home - which might explain his penchant for digging when he gets to the beach...

This was then.  Mr. Cooper circa 2003.

This is now, circa yesterday.

Gotta dig, gotta dig, gotta dig...

This is kinda scary...

Still gotta dig...

Doin' good!  Gotta take a breather though...

Life is good!

Now, once he had the opportunity to dig a hole big enough to trap a Hemi, we decided a little swim was in order.  His favorite surf game is fetch, and this weekend was no exception...

Coming back with a little salt water in the eyes.

Yes, he is in here some where (center, above first wave you can see bit of his tail).

Coming up with the stick.

Riding the waves in...

All in all, a great day at the beach.  Mr. Cooper had to stop and pose for a "normal" picture.

Back home, well, you know the story.  It's lights out for a few days!

Dreaming of the sand, he even smiles in his sleep...