Back to Biking~

A beautiful Easter Sunday, sunshine & temperatures climbing into the mid-80's with 20-30 mph wind gusts.  We'd made reservations for an early dinner in Mineola.  I also had the bright idea of getting our bikes out of the shed & back on the trail.  I had no idea if I could even balance with one eye, but after a few trials & errors - things got easier.

Between the handle bars~

How long it's been since we've had the bikes out, I can hardly remember.  It was in Washington, probably 2015 when we went camping with the Peters at Ft. Flagler.  Before that, mostly on the Centennial Trail prior to Farah & my adventure.  This is the section of trail Farah & I rode in reverse, last September.

At the point where Farah & I got on the trail~

Riding on the limestone was a new experience, but easier than I'd thought. Of course we picked the uphill grade & were ready for a break by the time we reached 275th.

The way we'd come~

A gentleman pulled up, coming from the opposite direction.  He asked where we'd started & said we'd reached the high point of this stretch of trail.  From here on would be mostly downhill into Silver City.  That good news renewed our interest in continuing forward. :-)

Concrete!

We soon came to trail that had a concrete surface! Of course nicer than the limestone & a little more out of the wind. Speeding along, we reached Silver City in no time.

Downtown Silver City

It's a tiny, quaint little town. Nothing open on Sunday. A bike shop, porta-potty in good condition & water not yet turned on. We looked at some of the store fronts, the one below long closed up.

Old style~

Since I hadn't fully charged my Garmin, it gave out just before we reached town.  At the park, was a nice Gazebo & trail signage.

Butch~

We hitched the bikes to the available hitching post.  Of course there are no horses allowed on this, or any other section of the trail.  The exception being a 6-mile stretch south from Council Bluffs. Farah & I rode it often.

The jail was built in 1911 & restored in 2007

Behind the jail, was this nice old wagon, flag flying.

Park like setting~

I had to look around, one of the horses had fallen down, but there they were! The last of their kind on this trail. One with his front legs missing & the other with the hind legs gone. A sad testimony to how little horses are appreciated for all they have done for us - throughout history.  They sported some very weathered tack.

Wagon horses~

From here we turned back.  It was nice having the concrete about half the way back to the high point & we flew the final miles into Mineola.

our route~

 The round-trip was 8.6 miles.  I told Butch that next time we eat after the ride - not before!  At least my completely boring hours at the Y on the elliptical, seem to be paying off.  

Makin' Progress~

A week ago today, we enjoyed the first real spring weather, of the new season.  This week was totally stellar, at least until yesterday.  It was sunny, which was great, but with blowing wind.  Late in the afternoon the temperature dropped ten-degrees & with the wind, it felt much colder!

This morning, after the rain~

I'd been cutting & chopping most of the week, until Wed., when Clara invited me up to divide hosta's & bring home those extra plants! I took the wheelbarrow & by the time we were done, it was full & heavy! I'd thought about where to plant, some spot I could see & enjoy. I decided on the leading edge of the timber.  I worked to cut back more of the honeysuckle. Butch came home & helped. He dug up the area between where I'd planted two sets of daffodil bulbs. Soon the hosta's had a new home & I added three boxwood's.

Morning's brief sun & new corner post~

With all the evening daylight now, we still had plenty of time to plant the corner posts. I found molded aluminum post caps at Menards.

Never-ending trash~

The trash that has been dumped on this property over the years is horrendous... My latest finds include a long kitchen knife, double edged razor blade & the usual miscellaneous rusted metal. Butch found an intact zinc canning jar cap with milk glass insert!

The Cabin~

On Tue. our temperatures climbed to 80 degrees!  It was a perfect day to stain the porch on the Cabin.  I also painted the trim around the sliding door & the trim piece across the front, Butch added.

Our weekend was spent putting in the split rail fence.  I think I'm going to let it age gray before using preservative.  Two people stopped by to ask about the little building, both thought we lived there :-)  With so many people looking for alternative housing since the flood - these storage buildings - are a good option.

New post, SW corner looking east down the creek toward the house~

After all the water that Tinkle Branch carried, there's been a lot of scouring along the banks. The blue post appeared late last fall, right next to our survey marker. Like the surveyor said; you pay for a survey & others try to take advantage. Butch sat our post up ten feet from the actual corner. I'm going to stain this one cedar color to match the others. We'll have our work cut out for us over the summer, clearing all the debris.

Far west property line.  NW & SW corners~

I bought two unknown arborvitae at Sherbony's on Sat. They are pretty ratty looking, but the price was right! I think they may be the Tall Green Giant variety - time will tell if they survive.

Surprise~

By the time we were done, the sunshine was gone & clouds had moved in.  I was really hoping for a little rain to settle the plants.  I walked out on the back deck & looked west.  There - was the top of the SW corner post!  I could just see the silver of the post cap!  I think of the years it took me working our Woods in WA, before we had our first tour group of friends over.  Even though half the size, this property is a challenge.

Last night, the big thunderstorms rolled over.  Much to Nika's dismay - lightening, thunder & a little hard rain too.  Today, the hosta's are an inch taller & temperatures have fallen to the mid-40s!

Spring's Bright Spots~

It is spring!  The wait seemed like forever, through the long, harsh winter months.  Just as the weather seemed to smooth out, the melt waters came...  Our temperatures are trying to climb their way up toward normal.  We've even had a day or two that reached 70.  The mood of the town has brightened along with the warm spring sunshine.

3.20.19 Nika & my clearing~

With the nice weather - I was back working in the timber.  One of the things I've missed most, is those hours spent in Farah's saddle.  Being outside is one of my favorite things & I always feel deprived in the winter.  It was great to enjoy the spring sunshine, while cutting & chopping away.

Butch came down with the chain saw, to cut away some of the larger limbs.  Next, he used the big bolt cutters to remove sections of old, half buried barbed wire.  The longer days & mild evenings are such a welcome change.

3.24.19 - Farah

Farah too, has been out enjoying the Washington sunshine. It always makes me happy to receive a photo of her! Her winter gold is starting to change to the summer chocolate... The first year I've missed this event. Her tail is almost fully grown out again! It's taken almost two-years, I evened it up when I was there.

3.19.19  - Cedar Waxwings~

Last Tuesday, I heard a ruckus outside our bedroom window. I went out to the east end of the house. The neighbor's cedar tree was full of birds! I'd not seen a waxwing since years ago at the Homestead! They were so fast moving - it was hard to get a photo.  It was a feeding frenzy on the cedar berries.

2.22.19

Another critter I enjoyed back in WA - a really cute squirrel taking advantage of the dropped seeds, from Courtney's bird feeder!

On the home front, rock hauling has been our gig.  Butch did get most of the walkway to the Cabin done, before flood waters closed off the road. Instead, we picked up masonry stones for the edging.

3.20.19 Walkway~

 The insulation is done inside the Cabin & the paneling is going up.  I've decided on an interior trim color & can't wait to see what the corrugated steel will look like on the ceiling. 

Edge of the timber~

 I spent April first, planting daffodil bulbs all along the eastern edge of the timber.  Since they'd already sprouted, maybe I'll see blooms!  Light rain yesterday & today should help them settle in.

Late this afternoon, we got word that water usage restrictions have been lifted, except for the boil order.  One of the Glenwood's wells is on-line & the towers have been pumped full.  Now, we all need to use water, to help in the process of flushing the tanks.  A much appreciated step in returning to normalcy.   

Our third spring & each has been completely different.  Butch keeps hoping that eventually his honey-do list will get shorter!  :-)