ROGUE RIVER, OREGON.

Jim and I stopped off to visit my son while he builds a new house for me. He is housed in a fifth-wheel while he works. I designed it and he made sure everything worked so a cupboard door doesn’t bang into kitchen fixture, and that I have enough outlets for electrical and important stuff like that. Then he drew the plans and had them stamped for approval and any input from a local architect. It was raining steadily while we were there and my camera lens got smudged and wet, even though I had it covered with a hat, under a poncho, while I carried it.


The forms were ready for the required inspection. He made an appointment last Monday for the inspector to arrive this Wednesday and his pour was scheduled for today, Thursday which involves his labor, the cement company, the materials, etc.  And, a delivery for framing materials on Friday. Doug has 28 years of building experience, from tract homes, commercial tilt-ups, condos, fancy custom homes like Ruby Ridge in Livermore, and he has built bridges in environmentally sensitive areas. This house is a small two bedroom and I designed it to sit on a narrow site where the original mobile home sat. That way we take advantage of an existing well, and septic system. So it is 16 feet wide by 64 feet long,  and will be wheel chair accessible. Just in case…


I love my place here on Evans Creek, so I tromped through the wet to look at the river. It looks good for spawning salmon. Nice and full. Little gravel beds near the banks are spots they like to lay their eggs. When I bought the place in 2001, I specified I was looking for a property that was south-facing. I had to be able to walk into the river without climbing down a steep bank and it had to have year round water and fish. I’m standing looking down river with rain drops visible on the surface. I’ve seen beaver here, and a turtle, some frogs, and many, many ducks.


This is looking up river with high weeds and blackberry vines regrown during the last couple of years. The trees on the bank are alder and they have a limited life span.

I tromped the 7 acres from one end to the other, looking for star thistle that took me three years to obliterate by hand picking it. I found a few colonies had resurfaced and Doug will hire someone to hand-pick them again. And, the blackberries I had removed mechanically have come back. And, another invasive plant has found a home and I will have to return in the spring and work removing it. I’m very much a farmer at heart. I’ve seen wild turkeys, coyote, fox, many deer and a possum on my small strip of land. And once, I scared something heavy that thrashed through the bushes. Don’t know if it was a bear, or a feral pig?


My back gate onto the property has been locked for so long, the key wouldn’t turn in the lock.  I was thoroughly wet by the time I returned to the guys in the 5th wheel. Jim set Doug up with a set of ear phones so he could use his satellite service to make phone calls by computer. His cell, nor mine, nor Jim’s work from the property, though a few people have been able to call from here over the years. Not with any consistency, though every company you talk to promises, AT&T, Verizon, Century Link and some others I’ve forgotten the name of. I guess I bought property in a dead spot.
An even deader spot is the Jackson County Building Department.  The inspector didn’t show up yesterday and Doug had to cancel his pour for today.


But the people here are friendly and helpful. Rogue River has a beautiful library for a small town. Doug has built birdhouses for one of their fundraisers, and he loves it that he can buy great books from their book sales. We thought we’d check out their book sale, but they are closed on Wednesdays. The totem is part of the library building.


I don’t know how to interpret totems and this one has similarities to many of the Pacific North West tribes we’ve bumped into. For a small town, Rogue River has some good restaurants and “watering holes.”
We stopped at the VFW and had a beer. We met a great group of friendly people and that has been my experience in the past. I love the people here. When I told them my son would like to join them, they personally told us he should just come down, he’d be welcome. Since his father was a vet, he can join, but even if he wasn’t they said, he can come by any time.
People make a place and I feel fortunate to have had good years in Rogue River and a never-ending supply of water. I’m also a survivalist. I need to know I have access to water.

STRIVING FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Having spent 7 months crossing the United States, enjoying its parks, its beauty, great stretches of  barely inhabited land, fields full of grain, tree fruits, nuts, berries, beautiful lakes, bridges... what a great country this is. Puzzling, though, we sometimes  parked  near a pond or woods and did not see or hear a bird or an insect. Strange. Not even a mosquito.

 Sightings of wild animals in the South and West were better, but even then, mostly in protected parks. In the East where population is denser, we saw squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, and deer. Frogs only in protected gardens.

 
 Underneath all this visible beauty survival is precarious for jaguars, Florida panthers, many birds, whales, turtles...the list seems endless. But one danger, we can do something about easily. The Center for Biological Diversity offered this thoughtful science to hunters, and gun users everywhere. Lead ammunition puts humans and wildlife at risk. That surprised me.

California condors were brought back from the brink of extinction starting with efforts in 1996 at a tremendous cost. These majestic birds began dying at unusually high rates since their heroic rescue. Scientific studies traced it to lead poisoning from hunting and fishing. Condors are carrion eaters and just one abandoned lead ridden carcass or gut pile can poison several birds and cause death. Other scavengers, Owls, hawks, eagles and vultures are impacted. Small birds  mistake lead pellets or fishing tackle for grit or seed. Birds at risk  include pheasant, grouse, songbirds, waterfowl and wading birds, as well as golden eagles, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, peregrine falcons, all are poisoned by lead if they encounter it. People who eat deer and elk or other game shot with lead ammunition are ingesting tiny fragments of lead from shattered bullets. Fragments  too small for the human eye to see.  Lead is a neurotoxin that affects children at very low levels.
For hunters and fishermen, its an easy fix. Choose lead free bullets and tackle. Lead ammo has been banned in California. It doesn't ban hunting or fishing, just the lead. So, if you get a chance to support a vote for banning lead bullets in your state, support it. Then we can always appreciate these gorgeous beauties.
 

PAT AND SIMONE PURECELL

Traveling to the East coast from California, we've covered about 7,000 miles in the RV so far. Most travelers don't get to experience the byways and side trips as deeply as we do. And, this trip has a purpose, an eventual reunion with Jim's family members.  I took a picture of Jim with his closest cousin Simone Couisneau Purcell and her husband Pat. Jim and Simone grew up near each other as kids and considered each other more like brother and sister. His last visit was in 2007. We had lunch at her house in Bergenfield, NJ and though the visit was short we will see her again in late July.

We returned to Palumbo's for a light supper, potato salad and the all American hot dog, grilled. Also organic in this case. Jim and Ginnie have chipmunks zipping around the yard all the time and I finally caught one for the camera. Its mouth is lumpy with found treasures.

We enjoyed another walk in their favorite nearby garden, Laurelwood. Because it was later in the day, we caught some fat frogs out for an evening mosquito meal.

We visited the private for-residents-only Pines Lake and watched the sunset. New friends for me, a sweet three days, then back on the road to whatever is around the bend.

CATCHING UP WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS

Being home for a stretch, reconnecting with family and friends takes some adjusting. Going through pounds of mail, remembering where things are in the cupboards and attending to details that are of no consequence on the road is confusing at first. The last five days I met with three old "bay area"  friends, visited my daughter's "new" cabin in the woods, and worked two days at my favorite volunteer project, the Alameda County Sheriffs Archives.

The cabin sits atop a hill looking over acres of rolling hills and woodlands in every direction. A creek and part of the Eel river run through it. No electricity yet, since the solar has yet to be installed, but the place is comfortable and livable with a flush toilet and running water. Solitude is an endearing feature.

 The misty mornings were magical and remind you what life must have been like before people penetrated every inch of the forest primeval.

We hiked, explored the river bed for pretty rocks, (too cold to swim) found a couple of different frogs, watched the birds, especially the raptors floating about the valley below the cabin, and enjoyed a wienie roast and s'mores around the fire.

 
 Visiting a remote cabin requires you to travel over one of those Omigod bridges, since the property sits about five miles off a main road. But, we saved a turtle from extinction by moving him off the roadway and transporting him to the deep canyon under the bridge.

This bridge used to have boards that rose about three feet into the air when the back tires hit the end of the board, requiring a following car to keep its distance. A nice fix this year.
Noticeable to me is the strain on working families to balance work and play. And a getaway such as this helps renew energy and gives something to look forward to in retirement. State and National Parks serve the same function but this is more private.  We live in a marvelous country even if you consider the current disorder we live in and these laws:

A woman can't dance on a table in a saloon in Helena, MT unless she is wearing at least 3 pounds of clothes.
In Michigan it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant.
Eating ice cream in public with a fork is strictly forbidden in Rosemead, CA.

I've lived in all three of those states. I hope this made you smile.