Windfall Farm

Dec. 1
Webster, MN

This blog finds me back in the state of  Minnesota for a second time. I've taken a job with my former employer here, and so far have been very busy. I arrived on the 3rd of November and have settled into a homestead nestled on 50 acres about 20 miles south of Lakeville where I work, and about and about 40 miles south of the twin cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul. I'm renting a room and sharing the place with three adults; Scott, Adam, and Mary, and two children; Violet, and Corrina, aged 12 and 8 respectively. We usually share the evening meal together, and by "we" I mean "them", because I have been working the second shift most days, and don't get back 'til about 9ish, but there are always leftovers to warm up. It's been a pretty mild fall so far, and in the mornings, if I have time, I head out into the woods armed with chainsaw and splitting maul, and gather firewood for the sure to be long, cold, snowy winter ahead. The farm also hosts a drove of goats, a brood of chickens, a brace of ducks, a trace of rabbits, and a pounce of cats. In the wild can occasionally be spotted a leash of deer, and a posse of wild turkeys. The property also has a couple of small lakes, of which I walked along the edges today testing the ice thickness. I think they're ready for ice fishing, or skating, or hockey.

Adventure on the Big South Fork

July 22
McCreary Co. KY

I've neglected writing lately because I haven't had any blog worthy adventures lately... that is until yesterday. The weekend started off mellow enough with a trip to Cincinatti Saturday for a post wedding celebration picnic at Mt. Echo Park for my former CAP housemate Jen and her new husband Chris. Six housemates from the Jackson House of '06-'07 were there and we were able to catch up on each others lives and enjoy each others company.

Sunday morning a canoe trip on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River with Janean, a former long-term volunteer who arrived last Monday and will be staying a month working with me on the housing crew. After positioning a truck at our take out point at the Yamacraw Bridge, we drove our work truck loaded with our canoe to Blue Heron and put in for a leisurely five mile float with a few small rapids to spice things up, and an optional class II rapid just past our take out point. We had an enjoyable trip and as we approached the bridge we decided (as any great explorers would do) to shoot the last rapids. The river narrowed at this point with a couple of small exposed rocks on the left side of the channel and a huge undercut rock on the right bank the size of a small r.v. We decided to aim for the middle so as not to capsize on the smaller rocks, and hopefully steer of the huge boulder on the right, but as we neared it, despite our best efforts to paddle clear of it, the current carried us on a straight collision course with the behemoth. I envisioned us slamming into the boulder and bouncing off. I was half right... We slammed into the rock alright, but instead of bouncing off, the front of the canoe wedged under the undercut rock pinning Janean in the canoe, although thankfully above the water. After what seemed like a couple of minutes of trying to free the canoe from the grasp of the rogue current, we only seemed to wedge it tighter, and unlike a good captain, decided to abandon ship. Janean finally managed to wriggle herself free and swim downstream to safety. My exit was much easier as I just had to conveniently step out of the canoe onto the rock. After watching Janean's flip flops speedily float down the mad river, I decided to rescue my own shoes, as well as the paddles, and a raincoat from the canoe, and with my legs I was able to rock the canoe loose from it's restraint, and then I swiftly clambered over slippery rocks, boulders, and brush down shore to retrieve the canoe in calmer waters, at which point it started to pour down rain, which really didn't matter since we were already soaked. But we had to trek back up stream to collect the paddles and gear, and bring them back to the canoe so we could paddle across stream, and drag the canoe across slippery rocks, through a thunderstorm to our take out. Not to mention almost getting the truck stuck on the steep gravel path leading up from the river, which was remedied by having Janean lean across the tailgate (wedged between the canoe and the camper shell) for extra traction. (I think she may be getting used to tight spots.) Not a bad adventure for a lazy Sunday morning in the South. On the way back to the house we stopped at the Family Dollar to replace Janean's flip flops that sought their freedom on the mighty Cumberland. She came out of the store with not only one new pair, but two. Just in case we decide to take another relaxing float down some Kentucky river.

That evening, although I had already attended Mass on Saturday evening, I decided to go along to church with Janean... just to give thanks...

My Old Kentucky Home

November 5
McCreary County, KY

As you can probably guess by the title I've moved back to KY, commiting for a year of volunteer service with the Christian Appalachian Project, and reuniting with my old housing crew leader Kevin B., and former Mt. Vernon housemate Kristi. I'm staying in the newly built McCreary Volunteer House, which is quite an improvement over the trailer I lived in my first term here. The salon I was working at in Idaho Falls closed Oct. 26th, and there was very little business at the nail salon, so I decided to get the hell outta Dodge before the snows set in. I had an uneventful drive across the country (which is a good thing) arriving here Friday evening. I started my first day of work today, finishing some underpinning on a house trailer, putting a metal roof on a porch addition, and coating the trailer roof with sealer. It was almost like I'd never left.

Vacation

October 5
Idaho Falls, ID

My two sisters, Rose and Leona, and a friend Vernita arrived Monday evening for a visit. After camping in my basement overnight, I cooked them a five-star breakfast of fresh Idaho fried potatoes, and toast, and we took to the road to explore Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and parts of ID, MT, and WY. We spent the first night in West Yellowstone, MT, the second in Jackson, WY, and arrived back at my place on Thursday morning. We managed to travel nearly every road in the parks, as well as taking an adventurous trip across a mountain pass in the snow en route to Cody, WY. Lots of good eateries were encountered along the way, as well as lots of wildlife, and fall scenery.

Fall In The Tetons

September 29
Idaho Falls, ID

I took a day off on Tuesday to utilize my National Park Pass, and take in some fall colors in the Grand Tetons. I started with a hike in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, followed by another shorter hike to Taggert Lake. The fall colors are at their peak, and hopefully will stay so when my sisters come to visit next week. The temperatures have been in the 70's lately so I'm trying to enjoy them before winter arrives.

Streams and Steam

Sept. 10th
Idaho Falls, ID

I made it up to Yellowstone yesterday. It was still a little crowded, but I manged to find a few out of the way spots to enjoy some solitude. I checked out some of the geysers, and hot springs, as well as taking a back country hike. I also got to experience the obligatory wildlife traffic jams on the drive out, as tourists were stopping to view the animals, namely bison and elk, which were coming out for their evening feeding along the roadsides. I purchased an inter-agency pass, which entitles me to free admission to any national park for a year. I will be putting it to good use.

Fire On The Mountain

September 3rd
Idaho Falls, ID

It's been a hot, dry, smokey summer. Lots of wildfires burning throughout Idaho. On some mornings there's a light dusting of ashes on my car, and the hazy skies remind me of Midwestern summers. We had some rain over the weekend which has cleared things up a bit. On Sunday co-worker John and I traveled to Lava Hot Springs, and Bear Lake in southeastern Idaho and northern Utah. The water in the lake was clear and blue, and a nice cool temperature for a refreshing swim. A few weeks back I camped in the Caribou National Forest near Pocatello, and checked out the sand dunes near St. Anthony. Other than that I haven't been up to too much. I still haven't made it over to the Tetons and Yellowstone, but with the tourist season winding down, and the temps. moderating I plan on taking in some late summer and early fall scenery there. I also have some family coming to visit at the end of the month.