The Tornado

Sarah, over the last couple months, has earned herself a new nickname. She is now affectionately known as "The Tornado." She is all over the place and never slows down. Things are usually knocked off the wall or table or wherever, as she blows by. She could not even sit still long enough to get a clear picture the other day.

Here Riah is about to get hit by with the full force of "The Tornado." We have had her rated as a catagory F3 tornado, so it may build into a stronger one yet.

Salsa

We are making our yearly ration of salsa. We ran out way too soon last year, so we decided to make a bigger batch. We should end up with 25-30 quarts!! Here is some of the tomatoes and serrano peppers that we are using from our garden. But, we needed to get more stuff from the store and Brooke found some free tomatoes somewhere.(70 # worth!!)

Here is most of the ingredients. 70 #'s tomatos(various varieties), 40 cups diced green peppers, 32 cups diced onions, 10 various varieties of hot peppers(serrano, habenaro, pablano, banana, etc.), and a few spices to finish it off.

We are going to make 2-3 pints of "special" salsa as well. This little guy is one of the key components of that mix! Do you like your salsa extra spicy?

Jayne Family Hospital Ward

Here is how the girls spent about 5 days last week while they were sick. We got an inflatable air matress and put it in the living room. They all spent the week watching movies and resting on the air matresses or the couch. Great fun. In this pic they are watching a Vegitales movie called, "Sheerluck Holmes and the golden ruler." Now that they are pretty much all well again, we had to bring them back to reality and shut the TV off. It was fun for them while it lasted.

Photography

I have been playing with my camera again and I have learned a few new things from a book I got recently. Here is the latest pics I took out at McDowell creek falls.

The sun was just starting to rise when I took these pics. I used my tripod and had a shutter speed of up to 8 seconds.

Summer vacation cottage?

Need a nice summer vacation home? I have found the place for you. Nestled up in the Cascade Mountains at a place called Wolf Lake. Here is the view from the front door of this cozy little cabin in the woods that is just waiting for your arrival. That is Wolf lake! In the winter there is actually a lake, but in the summer, it is this beautiful High mountain meadow. (there is a small pond like thing out in the middle if you still would like to have a lake.)

What is the best part of a wilderness vacation? I'm glad you asked. Solitude. You do not want to be disturbed by all the pesky tourist and touristy things to do, right. Well, this cabin is for you. Once you get up here and get settled in, you won't see another soul. Even if someone comes by, chances are, they would not see you or your cabin, as it is tucked up into the trees and blends in nicely with its surroundings. Here is the front door to your new paradise, looking at it from the shores of Wolf lake.

The builder was also thinking about how to get out in case of emergency. What if the door is blocked by fire? Well, ok, if the door is on fire, the whole thing probably is! But, if you woke up from a nice afternoon nap and there was a bear standing in your front door looking for your garbage can, you can escape out the second exit to the east. Here is a pic of the east side of your hidden hide away. It is also helpful for when Wolf lake might get too full in the rainy season and you don't want to get your new expensive hiking boots dirty in the mud out the front door.

Next in the virtual tour of your new wilderness paradise, is shows the view from inside looking out the front door. As you can see, you are right there on the shore of Wolf Lake. You can't find a better location.

One more view of the outside to show the builders conscientious effort to build a "green" building. As you can see from this picture, it is built to blend into the environment and even goes so far as using natural elements as part of the structure. Notice the large old growth log on the ground acting as part of the foundation of the cabin and the live tree that is the main vertical support structure for the building. All elements that help it blend into the natural surroundings.

Now for the interior of this cozy cottage. Furniture is included. The next pic show the sleeping area and the custom built wilderness recliner. Try to find that at Ikea!! Notice the efficient use of resources in that the bed is the old log that is also part of the foundation, and if the bed is not soft enough, there is ample supply of padding just outside the door so you can fluff it up the way you want. I recommend moss, but there is also plenty of ferns and grass as well.

Okay. So I know you are thinking, "that's kinda small." Of course it is, what part of "cozy" did you not understand? But, before the claustrophobia sets in completely and you change your mind prematurely, it has high vaulted ceilings, which make it see very roomy and airy. (Well maybe its the wind blowing throught the gaps in the walls making it feel "airy", but we just call that wilderness air conditioning.)

Next we have the Dining/Kitchen area. It comes complete with the basic utensils, dishes, and a frying pan. It also has a fully unstocked pantry there on the wall above the kitchen table/counter top. I know, I know, you want to know about the running water, right? What do you need that for, when Wolf lake is 2 steps out the front door. This will give you the old frontier days feel that you have been longing for since being stuck in traffic on the way home from work everyday. It takes you back to a time before cars, cell phones, and computers. Speaking of computers, don't bother bringing your laptop, there is no internet out here and very sketchy cell phone service, if any. This is a real wilderness experience cabin.

That concludes the virtual tour of the cozy little wolf lake wilderness frontier days experience vacation cabin on the lake. You are probably now wondering, "What about a bathroom?" This is the wilderness remember. Just step out the front door, and pick a bathroom. There are hundreds of them. They are also known as "trees." I told you this is a wilderness cabin. (just be sure not to use the one right by the door. That could get messy.)

So if you are interested in staying in this wilderness wonderland, just call for reservations, and have your credit card handy. Once payment is recieved, you will recieve an email with the location and how to get the keys. Just call - 1-888-UR2GULLIBLEIFUACTUALLYTRY2 CALLTHISNUMBER and you will be on your way to communing with nature in a way you never before dreamed.