Saturday, July 28, 2007

Grants Pass shhhh don't tell Californians

Grants Pass is a jewel on I5 just north of Medford.
"It's the Climate" shouts the banner. It's a familiar saying to Southern Californians and while I still prefer Weather over Climate it was a beautiful day today in Grants Pass.


We parked the Musemobile two blocks from the Farmers Market and I took this shot of some red stems, blue berries and a green bug on the way there.


I'm not prepared to say Oregonians are weird but we are all unique individuals.

Even our tomatoes are uniquely individuals.

Our peppers are pretty when peacefully, placed near uncovered peds (feet)

This cool guy very nicely playing the Beatles on his hand made Dulcimer so I increased the weight on his turned over hat. The Appalachian dulcimer, a fretted, plucked instrument which is also referred to as a mountain dulcimer or just a dulcimer.

Now this is a standard farmer who looks like he belongs in Kansas. His eggs looked as great as his smile. (Yes he IS smiling)

Someone should tell this pet Grasshopper/Cricket to be careful playing instruments at a farmer's market...

With a booth for insect eating plants nearby. The man in the booth suggested (I overheard this conversation) 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce and about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a container with steep sides for killing earwigs.

Some kids are just plain pampered but I think this idea was more for mom's sanity.

We were invited to visit the Butte Creek Mill for some grain on an upcoming stay in Eagle Point for a Vince Gill concert nearby. It looks like a great place for photographs.

OK so I got a picture of me taking a picture of both sides of this lady's head in one shot.

Of course there were flowers...

...and some great art. There are two markets actually going on here. The Growers Market and The Artisan & Crafters Market. These art works are part of a musician series by Kurt Mottram.


Here is a quote:
"Kurt Mottram a notable and potentially rising talent worth watching—was also there with prints from his series of pen & ink musician portraits, along with a few of his recent oil paintings."


I wish I'd gotten this gentleman's name but he does marvelous metal sculptures. One I took a picture of I'm not going to show here because it's a utilitarian thing that could be used in most cities and I would hate to see it reproduced because of my image. He was a very interesting person to talk with.

As we left the market area I took this shot through the opening in a produce cart larger but similar to the one my grandfather used to sell produce on the streets of Houston, Texas.

Of course this is a great Dalmatian Fire Plug.... OK I get it dog-fire plug-fire plug- firemen-firemen Dalmatian.
"The famous spotted coat is unique to the Dalmatian breed; no other purebred dog breed sports the flashy spotted markings. The breed takes its name from the Croatian province of Dalmatia, where it is believed to have originated."



A bear with an eagle on it's back? Must be a Grant's Pass thing. They were also the guys that greeted J.F.K. on a campaign appearance all (Except Kennedy) dressed as Cavemen. This is a jumping off place to visit the fascinating Oregon Caves.

Sunny Valley is a little north of Grants Pass and we stopped there to see the Grave Creek Covered Bridge. But first a little history (ugh reading but just grin and bear it)



"In the fall of 1846, the first emigrant train from Fort Hall, Idaho, to travel the southern route to the Willamette Valley camped on the north side of this creek, then Woodpile Creek. Martha Leland Crowley, 16 years old died of typhoid fever during this encampment and was buried 150 feet north of the creek on the east side or a white oak tree that was later removed for the present roadway, thus the name "Grave Creek".

When James H. Twogood laid out his land claim in the fall of 1851 and filed it on May 1st 1852, he named it the Grave Creek Ranch in memory of that unfortunate incident.

McDonough Harkness, his partner, was the first postmaster of Josephine County in the newly named town of Leland on March 28,1855. Harkness was killed by the Indians in April 1856 while riding dispatch for the Army during the second Indian War of southern Oregon which started in October of 1855.

A stockade was built around a log wayside and the hotel building at Leland. The small town was the gateway to the lower Rogue country where Indians retreated so it became the gathering point of a large force of regular army and volunteers and was known as Fort Leland.

A major encounter of the war took place some 8 miles west of the Fort known as the Battle of Hungry Hill. This ill-fated engagement produced some 37 dead, wounded and missing. Some of these soldiers were buried north of the Fort at the corner of the present Leland road and old Pacific highway.

The last remnants of old Leland are the three large maple trees to the north on the east side of the road and the Ft. Leland rock-lined well on the west side of the road both on private property. In 1860 the Grave Creek Ranch became an overland stage stop for the California Oregon Stage Line. A new hotel known as the Grave Creek House #2 was built and operated until it burned down in December of 1875. A nearby farmhouse was enlarged enough to accommodate the stage company and was known as the Grave Creek House #3 or Harkness Inn. President Hayes, his wife and entourage spent the night here on September 28,1880.

Throughout the years the Grave Creek watershed was home to hundreds of gold miners. Many millions of dollars worth of gold came out of this area."


I did my usual crawling around underneath the bridge for the next few shots. This is the underside of the bridge from the creek bed. Elmer Nelson built the bridge for $21,128.65 in 1920.

I got low to shoot some pictures of the creek flowing over the rocks.


I'll count these as my artsy pics


And I really like this shot of an old fence post. I guess I just like the little things in life I used to walk by and never notice their beauty. It really comes from using the camera for a long second look.

Scrabble Score ~ The Scrabble Queen is back with a resounding 423 to the Contender's measly 292

Quote of the Day ~ on this date 07/28 The Hamburger was created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut, the year was 1900.
"It was not her sex appeal but the obvious relish with which she devoured the hamburger that made my pulse begin to hammer with excitement." ~ Raymond Albert Kroch (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American entrepreneur, famous for significantly expanding the McDonald's Corporation from 1955.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Hill climbing made difficult

Well here we are at 7 Feather RV again.

This time I was sent to harvest Oregon Blackberries from the hill in front of the Musemobile (our Winnebago Sightseer) because we need more berries for the winter.

While on the hill being stuck by blackberry thorns I came across these strange little balls. I think they fell from a tree but I wasn't pleased with being scarred by thorns so I moved on.

This is Oregon and anything that stands still for a moment gets covered with something green, grey or black. This fallen limb got the green stuff.

While on the hill I got a good shot of the Musemobile and our campsite.

So here is a husband and wife team parking a huge land cruiser luxury coach. She gave hand signals like a catcher in baseball. I think one is for fastball and two is for curve.

Hands down must mean you are doing fine, keep coming.

Touchdown - Wait that's a football signal.

Watching the show was Dick, Jane and Fido from across the creek.

Our neighbor Bill Becker was too bust creating a walking stick to notice. He later showed me a great collection of walking sticks he had made. They were all wonderfully hand crafted and each one unique from the different woods including a Yucca Stem that was strong but light as a feather.

Of course I took some weird shots of the sun filtering through the trees giving a prismatic glow...

...and beautiful streaks of light.

I liked the effect of this shot of a tree in the light framed by others in the shade.

Another interesting thing was the roots of two trees exposed by creek erosion.

Bill is a great neighbor I really enjoyed talking with him today. He is what makes Marines great through and through.

Bill's wife Mabel and a dog and a cat or two are their traveling family -- oops I can't forget the Pepper plant resting on their picnic table. Mabel plays the accordion and plays it wonderfully. I got a treat listening to her playing today as I sat in the Musemobile playing on the PC.

The creek is essentially dry except for this small pool of water in a deeper spot. It's probably from the evening watering the RV park does.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 392 - the contender 285 Yucky Yucky Yucky !!!

Quote of the Day
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years." ~ James Forrestal - Secretary of the Navy - 23rd February 1945
I have received more than a few emails from veterans of the battle for Iwo Jima asking if I'd fought there or was a relative of a man with the same name as mine. It wasn't me, however. The closest I came to that battle was watching Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima." It was a movie that anyone who doesn't understand respect for our soldiers should see.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Bohemia Days

Today was Bohemia Days in Cottage Grove. This is all in celebration of the Bohemia Mine long since closed.

We went to the parade and found a great parking place near the pedestrian covered bridge and

... behind the police station. The only problem was the parade was on the other end of main street 5 blocks to the east.

We got there in time and parked next to the Boots & Sandals Square Dance Barn.

There was a big crowd and a carnival going on just north of us.



Then after only about 5 minutes the parade started.


After the color guard came a distinguished couple in an old 1921 Ford.

T%hey were followed by the float for the Bohemia Bathhouse, Assay Office & General Store and Saloon on wheels.

Then there was the Bohemia Mine owners association complete with squirrel rifle and little brown jug.

I'm not even sure what this horseless carriage was but it was cool.

This float even had Square Dancers since the were sponsored by the Square Dance Barn.

Then there were the colorful Red Hat Women

Even Figaro's Pizza was represented...

... and a less commercial woman, in bloomers, on a bike.

Of course no parade comes without the Cottage Grove High School Cheerleaders and the Lion Mascot.

Well we had to have the 1937 John Deere BO Orchard Tractor & Professional Driver.

The Chamber of Commerce was showing a replica of the pedestrian covered bridge again complete with bloomers.

The Dixie-Ray Railroad from Lebanon, Oregon was there and so was Zack in his Club Car.

"Magenta" was a Metropolitan with a wind up key in the back. "Between 1954 and 1962, a small car called the Nash Metropolitan was sold to over 100,000 buyers in North America and Britain. Thousands of these strikingly cute automobiles are still on the road today. "

These are our leaders? Yikes! It's the "One More Time Marching Band"...


... and their drummer...

Smart kid here. He was with the float for ACE, "The Academy for Character Education."

Caught in the outhouse with the door open - oh my!

Noah showed up to see what was left after the winter floods.

Well there was this thirsty cowgirl...

... and the droppings patrol.

John Deere wasn't the only tractor in town Massey-Ferguson was represented as well with a "woman driver."

I don't think this was one of the Little League Players from South Lane County but she was carrying the banner.

There were some real race cars also this one was towed by a Quad Runner.

Finally the Middlefield bus arrived and we were expecting Superputter to be aboard but her got off before the parade started and went home to relax.

Hey Mattme Ron Paul made the parade as the only Presidential contender in the race.

I'm not sure what the engine did but it was running as it was pulled down the street making all kinds of weird sounds.

After the parade we dropped by the Air Museum to look at the classic aircraft on display/

This was a plane similar to the one Superputter learned to fly in WWII.

The planes we colorful and very interesting at the Oregon Aviation History Center.

This was a cool 1930 Anzani Longster rated at 30 Horsepower

This might be a Great Lakes 2T-1R. I won't swear by that though.

Just beautiful.

A vintage Army L3-C aircraft

Well that was our day other than filling the Musemobile with $2.75999999999 regular gasoline. We heard prices may be back on the rise.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 302 (vowing to quit the game) - the contender 312

Quote of the Day ~
"I'm a girl from a good family who was very well brought up. One day I turned my back on it all and became a bohemian. ~ Brigitte Bardot, (born September 28, 1934) is a French actress, former fashion model, singer, known nationalist, animal rights activist, and considered the embodiment of the 1950s and 1960s sex kitten.


Copyright

©Paul Viel