Washougal MX

What's more fun than heading to a motorcycle race in Washougal, Washington with 3 motorcycles, 1 dog, 2 kids and a brother in law? Ummm nothing except adding a case of croup and pink eye with the oldest daughter. Despite warmer than usual weather, we had a great time. The location was beautiful, the track was outstanding and Doug came home with a second place in expert unlimited on his Honda. Unfortunately the motor on his Yamaha had some serious complications and ended its racing career for awhile.

Doug took Monday off so we could all spend the day together for Kate's second birthday. Because Hadley was sick, we just kept it very small. Motorcycles and Cinderella, she couldn't ask for anything more. Betty and Dean came over for a hamburger dinner from Fast Eddies and Kate relished in her gifts of Cinderella, Beauty and Ariel dolls and various stickers and stuffed animals. We watched the Jungle Book to finish up the night. Simple pleasures for an amazing little girl.

With the high temps we have had some impressive storms move through the valley. Thankfully none of them have delivered the predicted hail with the wheat crops so close to harvest. Just thunder, lightening and wind storms.

A Day on the Mountain

Every year my mom and her friends head up to the mountains for their annual week long trail ride. Originally we would all go on the Wagon Train which is an organized trail ride and wagon pull that would often times retrace the route of the Oregon trail. However, I suppose as everyone gets older, creature comforts over ride and the idea of a hot shower and a soft bed take us to my parents cabin. Because of my schedule I was only able to get away for an overnight trip but an eventful one it was. I got up to the cabin at noon on Sunday and we immediately went to work building fence. After a good session of moving fencing we saddled up for our first ride. It was a beautiful day and we were joined by the Gammond's. We were also able to get an exhilarating motorcycle ride in which took us out to the breaks of the Umatilla River. What could be better than following such a fun day with a "pit meeting" at the camp fire over cocktails.

Monday morning was another lovely day and we started out trying to go for a ride on the horses but my horse, Keeper, seemed to have something bothering her so we decided to take the motorcycles again. Oh what a ride. We rode in a favorite spot of mine cleverly called "the pasture." After winding around in there, avoiding fallen trees, realizing the benefits of a horse which can just head out cross country, we made it out.

We had such a great time up there, I hope I can spend more time up there next year. I always appreciate my mom and Penny's desire to have a good time whether it be riding the horses, touring on the motorbikes or sitting around the camp fire visiting.

So Monday brought me down off the hill to the news that Cruiser had been out during the day. Thankfully Betty and a couple of men working for her saw him and caught him. By the looks of the hay I would guess he spend a better part of the roaming around the farm. When I thanked Miguel for catching him I learned that he was down the creek hanging out in the trees when he spotted him. Miguel said "Man that horse can really run!" Just what everyone wants to here about their accident prone show horse. As they say, all's well that ends well.

This week Hadley has been attending a dance camp for 3 and 4 year olds. She seems to really enjoy it. It is very entertaining watching the kids dancing and trying to take direction on what moves to perform. The first day was rather hellish because I had Kate with me and she wanted no part of sitting and watching like the other well behaved siblings. Betty was kind enough to watch her the second day so I could capture this streak of Hadley dancing across the room at the end of class.

A quick note to say I am back in the saddle again with Cruiser. It felt great to get a ride in and he was ready for work. Looks like we are going to be preparing for the Region 1 Experience in Nampa at the end of July.

Free and Easy down the road I go....

I like to think of this as my summer motto....free and easy down the road I go. Originally it was my motto for rolling down the highway heading to horse shows but as I have mentioned before that has been postponed a little. However, for my birthday we got I got a new motorcycle. It is a 2008 Yamaha TW200. It is street legal but actually is an off road bike in most respects. Doug rides it to work quite a bit and we use it on the farm to ride down to check the pump in the creek or to check irrigation or whatever else we need to do. But last night I took it on our maiden voyage to town for dinner. Doug rode his bike and I rode mine. We went to my FAVORITE restaraunt in town, Bangkok 103. It serves the best Thai food. The woman who cooks is from a family who used to cook for the king of Thailand. It is always a little slice of heaven when we can eat at this hole in the wall and we eat like kings. Doug and I both love the variety of dishes served and the exotic flavors. But back to my original story...my maiden voyage on the bike. I have ridden the bike on the farm a fair amount but taking it to town was a new experience. We had a blast. The warm summer evening was perfect, the smell of locust blooming, the wheat starting to turn from green to golden followed by a gorgeous sunset. I am hooked. We talked about the possibility of taking the bikes to the San Juan islands this summer and touring the islands from the back of our bikes. I suppose we are both feeling inspired after watching a really cool documentary recommended by a friend called the Long Way Around which follows a couple of actors on a motorcycle journey all the way around the world from London heading east and ending up in NY. Photo credits: Hadley Dunham

With summer comes a lot of mowing. We probably have 10 acres of grass to be mowed around our place so your conventional lawn mower would require a full time yard person to take care of mowing. So it gives us an opportunity to show our truly red neck side. Doug loads up the kids and a dog or two into our special Suburban and starts mowing. I always wonder what people think when they drive by and see Doug out mowing. Maybe it is best if I don't know what they are thinking.

With temperatures feeling more like summer I continue to feel inspired to garden this year and put as many perennials in the ground as I can. Hadley and I have enjoyed picking out flowers and learning a lot about different plants and educating myself about what might thrive out on the farm. It is a good way to enjoy the shade in the front yard and still be outside when the temp's soar. Our strawberries are close to being ripe and ready for picking. Late harvest this year, not unlike a lot of things in the valley. Raspberries also look like they are going to be be a bumper crop.

With Hadley done with school for the summer, our schedule is freed up and our

trips to town are minimized which sounds good to me. We have her scheduled to participate in a dance camp next week and she and Kate will be taking some swim lessons at a friends pool before too long. Of course, there are always the usual actitivies on the farm. Collecting eggs, fishing in the horse trough with long pieces of grass and playing in the mud bogs left from the irrigation lines.

To satisfy the followers of my blog who take a special interest in Jesus I offer you an updated image. She continues to offer laughs--at her expense I am afraid. I recently read these chickens are easily spooked because they lack the ability to see things until they are upon her. And this makes her easier to catch than the average chicken. She is the slowest chicken of any I have had and it is hard to imagine her being a contributing member of the roost (laying eggs) but she will keep us entertained non the less.

Lastly, I would like to direct you to another blog of a child hood friend of mine. She is in the middle of a very exciting adventure with her husband and two young children out on the Atlantic ocean. In addition to living in a variety of countries since graduating since college as a CPA, they have now taken up residence on their beautiful boat and they will be sailing for the next year as I understand. Their blog is http://duerfamilycruising.blogspot.com/ . My hat's off to her for having the courage to go ahead with their dream. YOU GO GIRL!!

Fathers Day on the Farm

For my fathers day blog how can I not write about the two most important men in my life? My own father and the father of my girls. Pictured at left you will recognize Doug and I and the two feral coyote pups we call Hadley and Kate. Would you believe this was the best picture of the batch? Trying to get those two to sit still and look at the camera is task enough, to request a smile is simply too much. You will note that despite it all Doug is still smiling. That's my guy. Doug is without a doubt the most devoted and loving father of anyone I know.





And we were able to get my parents together for a photo with their grand kids. From left: David, Hadley, Michael, Nana Sue, Grandpa Nat holding Kate. We enjoyed a tasty BBQ of rib eye steaks and some of our favorite side salad followed by lemon squares for dessert made by ours truly Hadley.






My mom, nephew Michael and sister Lisa

Beautiful climbing roses

"Ride hard or Go home" Kate She races her dad around the patio and she ended her race with bloody toes and feet. She can't reach the peddles on the tricycle so she has to push herself around on the ground with her feet. I thought Hadley was hell bent for leather but Kate takes it to a new level. She loves the "nun nun's" and cries if Doug rides without her.

June Already?

Well, it seems summer is just around the corner but it still doesn't feel like it. We are all enjoying a break from the hot weather and some add'l irrigation courtesy of God. Today is the last day of irrigation on the crop. Tomorrow we will begin to let it dry out and prepare for harvest in July. This has been our first year of using two pumps to pump water from the creek and the results have been impressive. Our water right allows 500+ gallons per minutes and our new pumps afford us the capability of getting it done.

We have a new guest on the farm. Elvis is here to stay for awhile and enjoy some of the grass on the pasture. Elvis is a retired rodeo pick up horse and has earned his days living in the green pastures of the valley. Cash and Cruiser were happy to see a new face and I was surprised at how similar Cash and Elvis looked in terms of their markings.

Cruiser continues to recover from one set back after another. I am thankful I got a few early shows in because my showing has come to a complete stand still while I give him time to recooperate. It is disappointing because I had sent him to California to spend the winter and prepare for the show season but after the first three shows he developed an abscess in his right hind foot and with that healed up it looks like now we are looking at another one in his front left! UGH! One thing Cruiser has taught me is patience and that I am not completely in charge of my world so I need to learn to roll with the punches and appreciate the opportunity to spend more time at home on the weekends. Without this time off Hadley and I wouldn't have been able to get the plants into the ground. Without this time I wouldn't have been able to join Doug in Goldendale for the motorcycle race with plans of joining him at another one in Washougal at the end of the month. It has also allowed me some time to spend with my grandma as she recooperates from a fall that has set her back considerably. So, I may be missing out on chasing points at the Quarter Horse shows but I am enjoying many other things locally.

Tonight I am going to Waitsburg to enjoy the first art show of my good friend, Todd Tucker. He has taken up photography and I am anxious to get a first hand look at his work at the art gallery. With a new interest in photography myself, have the chance to study someone else's view through the lense should hold even more interest to me.

My aunt Meridy has flown in from Cheyenne Wyoming to help care for my grandma as she recooperates from her fall. We always enjoy Meridy's calm demeanor and kind way of helping. We all wish she lived closer but she gets out here on a regular basis while maintaining a busy life of working and grandparenting back home.