Red Jewels...53º

Imnaha Roma Tomatoes

Twenty five miles to the east of us and much lower in elevation, Imnaha (a small hamlet) rests deep in a canyon and is a haven for vegetable gardens and orchards....And I almost forgot, some very eccentric characters live there and occasionally a convict looking for a place to hide...Most of the farmers, ranchers and gardeners, in residence, count the family generation back to the first Wallowa County settlers...Jerry who grows and delivers these red beauties told me yesterday that he has lived there some 70 years...Imnaha is a place of rugged canyons, rivers that rage in the spring and the ever present rattle snakes...The nearest doctor and hospital is about 30 miles away, as are major grocery stores and high schools...Larger cities and freeways are over 100 miles away...On Imnaha's main street (the only street) sits the tiny postoffice, grade school/ library and the Imnaha Store and Tavern, a few miles out of "town" is the Community Church...These people pride themselves as being self-sufficient, are leery of outsiders and make the trip to town only when absolutely necessary.

Jerry had the back of his pickup loaded with tomatoes yesterday...He dropped 200# of roma's at our house and went on to deliver about 400# of slicers to other customers...He said his biggest day was earlier in the week when he and Lou picked and delivered 1000# of slicers...It has been a good season and should continue through the middle of September...

I shared some of our fresh garlic and my "Roasted Tomato" recipe with Jerry and Lou before they left to finish their deliveries, then back to the canyons to tend their garden and store their own veggies and fruit away for the winter.

The tomatoes need to ripen for a few days while I make plum jam, start some more sauerkraut and make buns so we can have BLT's for dinner...(We still have a few ripe tomatoes from Walla Walla)...Our warm weather is slated to last a few more days, Herb just left for the log deck to cut more wood and I must get moving as I plan to listen to music this afternoon at Juniper Jam taking place at the fairgrounds in Enterprise....That's life on Barton Heights...Hugs to all..OWAV:)

Quick Trip...53º

Above is the sunrise before we left Joseph yesterday, for eye appointments in LaGrande...The sun was a florescent red ball in the sky, (sorry it doesn't show in the photo)...As always we were treated to beautiful scenery in the Wallowa river canyon and Minam grade...The smell of mint tickled our noses as we drop into the Grande Ronde Valley...The scent lingers long after the harvest...Our shopping list was short so we were headed home shortly after 11am...Dined on leftovers from our fridge and took in the last regular Thursday night music on the courthouse lawn in Enterprise...Such is life on Barton Heights...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wiped-Out-Day...56º

Is it true that the second day after a trip is the worst?...Monday was a busy day as I tried to catch up on garden chores, watering, cooked a big dinner and felt good..Tuesday morning started out good as I picked black currants early, then arrived on time at our weekly write people...About half-way through this meeting fatigue set in...I just wanted to go home...At home I sat on the deck, then fixed zucchini casserole for our dinner and then back to sit in the sun on the deck...It was warm and relaxing but I started having chills...Strange...Then muscle cramps...My shoulder tied in a knot...Inside I heated rice packs to stop my shivering and about 7:30 with the heat blanket turned on high I crawled between the sheets...Of course in a couple of hours I woke up "roasted"...The rest of the night was fitful, from hot to cold and back again...Awake and up at 5am, I felt like I had been drug through a knot-hole, backwards... So it is off to the shower this morning, maybe that will revive me...I have a noon luncheon and a 4pm acupuncture...Probably if I just get up and moving I will feel better...Not complaining, just recording the day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Garden Dinner...57º

Friends came to dinner last night...Pam, Becky and John...While the chicken thawed, I gathered beets, potatoes, zucchini and onions from the garden...Everything was eventually sliced, diced, breaded and ready for the oven...Fresh garlic and dill sprinkled over the potatoes, balsamic vinegar and oil over the beets and greens...Everything went into the oven, timed to be ready about 4:30...Dinner rolls, wrapped in foil, waited patiently on the counter to be warmed for only 15 minutes...I sliced fresh tomatoes while Herb set the picnic table then poured me a glass of wine and himself a beer...We had a few minutes before our guests arrived.

This dinner of plain, wholesome straight from the garden food, eaten and enjoyed on our deck was a special dinner as Pam had received word Monday morning that her sister Jude had died after a long, seven year battle with colon cancer...Pam and Becky struggled with words at times,  as they trying to express their feelings, as they talked about the last seven years and Jude's struggle as she, a single Mom raised her two boys and kept a business going while she underwent surgeries and chemo after doctors gave her 6 months to live...Being a self employed person, she also had a continual battle with the insurance company and paying the huge deductible that started over every year...She beat all the odds by living almost seven years...Thinking many times that the end was near, she tried to prepare her boys for life without her...Although they are still too young to lose their mother, they are of age, 23 and 19, making lives of their own and will live by her example...I've taken a quote that was used in a newspaper article written about her in the "Bend Bulletin" in 2011...When some people referred to her as a hero, she didn't think the term fit and replied.. "Really what other choice do I have?" She said. "I either fight like hell or I die." This is the legacy she left for her boys, and in every sense of the word, she was their hero...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wild/Fun Weekend...63º

Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Herb and I spent watering, mowing and getting things in place so we could leave Barton Heights for a long weekend...We were packed and ready Friday morning leaving about 8am...We chose what seems to be the best roads with the least traffic going via LaGrande, Baker City, John Day and about 7 hours later we reached Redmond, OR within minutes of meeting Bobi and Cienna as they drove from Portland to Redmond...Cienna was there to participate in a water polo jamboree with her team (Beaverton Beavers)...Bobi dropped the girls off at the aquatic park and we checked into the motel.

The Redmond Jamboree had invited teams from California, Washington and Oregon...All high school teams, boys and girls arrived on Friday afternoon, set up tents on the grounds while some parents in RV's set up camp in the parking lot, where they would cook meals and chaperone the students...Water Polo Games started Friday afternoon each match lasting only 10 minutes (4 minutes of play, 2 minutes half time and another 4 minutes of play)...Herb and I were introduced to the world of water polo...Lots of teenagers, of every size and shape, all in swim suits, boys in speedo's, girls in one-piece suits with zippers up the back...Suits must be very tight so the opponents can't get a hold on the fabric.

Following Bobi we made our way to the bleachers amid dripping bodies, the smell of chlorine, blaring whistles, horns and screaming "fans"...Ci and her teammates were waiting their turn in the pool...We spent the next two days watching the turbulent waters as swimmers fought for possession of the ball and tried to make a goal...This Jamboree is held as a learning experience where referee's are trained, new students are introduced to water polo and a few seasoned players show them all how it is supposed to be done...By Sunday morning when we watched one final match, before heading home the kids had lost much of their exuberance after two nights of little sleep and a lot of swimming...But they were still out in the water fighting for the ball and one final score!

It was a great weekend, so glad we went to watch "the girl" compete in a sport she loves and practice her skills in water where she is so comfortable....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Ci with friend and teammate waiting between matches

Ready to get in the water

Ci is #3

"Oma, that better be your last photo!"

Full Moon...50º

Up at 4am this morning, full moon flooded the western sky and illuminated Wallowa valley before it made its silent descent behind Chief Joseph Mountain...Now two hours later the sun is rising in the east almost missing the front window of our house as it moves in a southernly direction...A feeling of fall is in the air...Summer is but a mere blink of the eye here in Joseph...Thankfully we have Indian Summer to look forward to...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Mostly about food...51º

I have been playing with the sourdough start recently, trying pancakes and I added some starter to my dinner roll recipe...The rolls were light and fluffy, I still need to work on the pancakes...Last night I mixed sourdough with most of the pancake ingredients and this morning will add eggs and more milk and see what happens.

Tried a new recipe yesterday, imitating our dinner at Jeff and Connies but I use ground beef instead of chicken in the zucchini boats...It was very tasty, easy to do and Herb cooked it before I arrived home from the Joseph Center...So dinner was all but ready when I stepped in the door...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Weekend/Reunion...52º

Thirty years since Rusty graduated from high school...Seems like yesterday when Herb and I attended his 40th and my 30th...The only ones we have been to...This year two of Rusty's friends stayed with us on Barton Heights...Frank and family set up a tent trailer in the back yard and Brian surprised us when he showed up to claim our spare bedroom...With a lot to catch up on the stories flew as we shared food and sat on the deck and reminisced about old times and life now...Both of these "boys" had spend many hours at our house growing up...Brian reminded me that I was alway telling him that it was time for him to go home and Frank enjoying his umpteenth dinner roll asked for the recipe...They attended reunion festivities, a family picnic at the lake, then a dinner at the "Stubborn Mule" in Joseph...Both of these boys are fathers now and Frank a soon to be grandfather...We enjoyed the weekend and feel privileged that they wanted to spend time with us...Everyone vacated yesterday going to Montana, Washington and Rusty to Bend for a few days, then to Boise and on Sept 2nd he flies to Savannah for a job...Our house is quiet and empty, peaceful as Herb and I get back into our routine.

I have a stint at the Josephy Center today, write people tomorrow, pinochle on Wednesday and acupuncture on Thursday...Won't take long for this week to fly by...We are working on plans for a trip to Portland to watch Cienna play water polo...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Hot Trip...56º

Yesterday was my first day as a volunteer at the Wallowa County Museum...I enjoyed looking at all of the exhibits, some from my era, such as a child's wooden desk...Brought back memories of the one room school house.

Rusty and Biscuit arrived last night...Music was good at the market...Pat and I have a trip to Walla Walla today...It is going to be a scorcher!!!Must get moving...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Busy Tuesday....63º

I was up and outside early yesterday setting water, pulling weeds and just checking things out, in and around our place on Barton Heights...Later in the morning I attended our usual Tuesday Write People and from there Pat, Ruth and I met Brian and Herb for lunch at the Community Bank annual appreciation lunch of burgers/hotdogs, chips, soda and cake...We arrived just before the lunch crowd really moved in and settled ourselves in chairs under the canopy to enjoy our lunch...As I munched on a burger and chips, I felt a tap on my shoulder...Robin (magic garden) was delivering produce and had cucumbers for me.

Back home Herb and I went through the very familiar routine of putting the cukes in cold water, him getting jars and lids from the cellar, me gathering dill and grape leaves from the garden...After scrubbing each cuke, they are placed in quart jars along with dill, garlic, hot pickles and the grape leaf, then covered with hot vinegar and salt brine, then processed...After spending about 3 months on the cellar shelves they will be ready to eat...Will I ever tire of this process?..I think not.

Pickles cooling, Herb and I relaxed and read for the rest of the afternoon...About 5pm we drove to Alder Slope where Jeff and Connie live...They have extra raspberries, ours for the picking...We are invited to stay and have dinner with them, which we do and have a nice evening catching up on family news and visit about old times with the Forest Service as we have know J & C for almost 30 years and Herb worked with both of them...Home at last, we change the water one last time, have a bowl of raspberries and head for bed....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

We-3 Crazies...54º

Even though We-3 are not sending anything to Katey this summer we still like to get together...Our last meeting was at Amy's new place and this time Pat volunteered to have us at her cabin at Wallowa Lake...Of the three of us Pat is the hostess with the "mostess" as she loves to entertain...It was a gorgeous day as Amy and I arrived to a lovely set table, glasses of ice water adorned with mint sprigs, shrimp salads ready, wine glasses waiting...Amy brought the wine and I a warm loaf of bread...The clinking of wine glasses started us off as we made short work of the salads... Hardly coming up for breath we discussed many things including writing as we laughed and chatted our way through the afternoon...Raspberries and ice cream appeared for dessert....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Saying Goodbye.

Gardner Lockes family held his "Celebration of Life" yesterday at Ferguson Ridge, our local ski area... Gardner was instrumental in making this community ski area come into being in the 80's...His money, his brains, his common sense and his skills of bringing people together to discuss what was the best way to approach things, helped to made it happen...I first met Gardner at a school board meeting (he was a board member) when I was picked to represent the classified staff to negotiate wages and benefits...I was green, meaning I didn't know what I was doing but was the only one willing to give it a try...I approached the board with a newly developed wage scale for the classified staff and also ask about the possibility of raising the maximum that the school would pay for lodging if we had to go out of town for meetings or training...I said, "Right now the school will only pay $25.00 a night and you can't get a decent motel for that price." Gardner with a twinkle in his eye and a smile playing at the corner of his mouth said, in his slow talking way, "No you can't and a "lady, like you" shouldn't be staying in that kind of a place."...I found a friend that night and we had many conversations over the years as I visited with he and Tappy at their home on Prairie Creek.

Gardner was a nuclear engineer working at Hanford (Washington state) in the 6o's & 70's, they had 6 boys and adopted a girl to finish out the family...Tappy told me just last week on the phone that Gardner liked his work there but he started having black outs at work, so they began looking for a different place to live and a different lifestyle...They found a ranch with a large farm house in Wallowa County but before they really settled in they decided to apply for a position with the Peace Corp and ended up living in Ecuador for two or more years...After the stint in the Peace Corp they came back to Wallowa County to finish raising their family.

When I arrived at Fergie yesterday the smell of BBQ was in the air...The sounds of laughter floated my way as I approached the steps of the ski lodge...Tables were laden with potluck and Gardner's friends gathered either filling their plates or visiting in small groups...Family and friends shared food and stories throughout the afternoon...I slipped away early as clouds gathered over the mountains and a storm approached...This had been a fitting tribute to a special man, I felt privileged to call him my friend... Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Plane Ride...60º

Four seater

Pilot Tim

It was a busy morning on Saturday...At 7am we picked up Pam and Becky on our way to the Joseph Airport to take in the fly-in sponsored by the the Joseph Flying Club and the pancake breakfast served by the Pilots Association...Pat was there to greet us, giving instructions about staying off the runway, watching for traffic and advised us to sign up to fly before we headed to the breakfast table...It was fun renewing friendship, visiting with neighbors and waiting in anticipation of my second flight in a small airplane...We chatted with Brian as he directing traffic on this day, making sure things ran smoothly...Little did I know that our pilot for the day would be a "kid" now a man that was a regular in lunch line when I worked at the school cafeteria...I quietly think to myself, "Was I good to Tim when he came through lunch line, going easy on the cooked veggies and giving him an extra large piece of pizza or the biggest cinnamon roll in the pan?" I sure hope so because now as I climbed into that plane I realized my life was in his hands...Was it pay back time for me? Did he hold a grudge?

We had a beautiful flight, heart in my throat, up, up, up we went, then turning we skirted the Chief Joseph mountain, flew over Wallowa Lake, the city of Joseph and miles and miles of lush farmland, before we circled one more time to come in to land, like bouncing on a feather bed...Thanks Tim for a great ride.

Becky and Pam

Wallowa Lake

Joseph City

Coming in for a landing

Food, Music and Friends...61º

Temperatures were in the high 80's yesterday, thunder storms didn't materialize...It made for a lovely evening of music at Courtyard Square in Enterprise...First we met Pat and Brian at the Range Rider for taco night, then settled in our favorite spot for music by a local band called "Homemade Jam"...Pam and Becky joined us and for the next couple of hours, with a soft breeze blowing, the Wallowa Mountains as a backdrop, we visited, people watched and let the music entertain us.

The Thursday night music is the "brain child" of Janice Carper, a local musician and head of the music alliance in Wallowa County...The event is sponsored by the City of Enterprise and donations...Every summer for several years now in conjunction with the Farmers Market we look forward to weekly concerts...A nice event for locals and tourists.

Yard sales are calling me...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Mosquitoes/Cabbage Moths...57º

Anticipating a busy, hot day yesterday I was outside early eradicating weeds before the sun rose too high in the sky...What I hadn't planned on was that the mosquitoes were also out looking for breakfast!...Swatting with one hand, spraying with the other I quickly finished that job and moved on to the vegetable garden where I rearranged the nylon netting that Herb had helped me with the day before when we covered the cabbages plants to protect them from the moths...The netting didn't work as well as hoped as 6 moths were gaily flying around under the netting like they had found a new favorite spot...GGGRRRRR!..

Back in the house I quickly browned ground beef, added spices and tomato, chopped lettuce and other veggies...Made up two taco salads, one for me to take as a "brown bag" lunch before our pinochle game and the other for Herb later in the day...I was right on schedule when the phone rang and Robin (Magic Garden) said, "Idella I have cucumbers for you this morning, will drop them off shortly."...Now I calculate, do I have time to get the cucumbers scrubbed, in the jars and ready to process so Herb can finish them?..Noooo not possible so I leave them soaking in cold water to do when I get back home at 5pm...7pm pickles done, we clean up the kitchen...Another perfect day on Barton Heights...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Pinochle was great fun, playing with old and new friends...Conversation entertaining and my hands were at time loaded with aces...I only took the bid once but the aces took many tricks...Donna served real homemade pie...:)

Summer Days...60º

Looking through photo's yesterday I flagged a few of Rusty's "Creations" from this summer of 2013...Although he is not home to care for a garden he has over the years hauled plants from Joseph to Bend, planted them in his yard and with an automatic sprinkling system many of them have survived...He has house plants and likes to see things grow and bloom...Many years ago he planted sedum's in a an old boot, even gave me an old pair of his boots to plant in, which I did, and every year I think in the spring that they are dead but every year they always come back to life...So at Soroptomists I found two pairs of boot (25 cents each pair), found a couple of new kinds of "Hens and Chicks" at the nursery and asked Russ to cuts holes in the boots for me...Cienna, Bobi and I "stole" a bucket of sand at the lake and before I knew what was happening Rusty had all of the boots planted (he added two pairs of his old boots to the mix) and lined up on the deck...Haven't decided what to do with them but they are growing nicely and might become gifts!..Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Logger Boots

Ladies Roping Boots

Rusty's Boots

Lazy Monday...56º

The rainstorm we had last week gave our yard and gardens renewed life...Amazing what rain does that sprinkling won't do...Herb started watering again over the weekend to keep things looking green and alive...Temps have cooled so the house stays cool but it is warm outside...Have more photo's from the garden for all to enjoy....Hugs...OWAV:)

Lettuce

Cabbage

Dill

Beans and Peas

OOPS...61º

Bobi gave me a bad time yesterday because I talked about how pretty the flowers were and then didn't post a photo....Last evening with camera in hand I walked around the yard taking pictures...Somehow I not only took 90 photos but was also doing a video at the same time...IS THIS POSSIBLE?..I tried uploading the video but it is over 5 minutes long and just keeps saying it is processing...So here are a few of the still photo's I took...Enjoy the mini tour...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Yard Sale a Bust...47º

It sounded good in the paper and when Pat ask me, "Can this be the really junky yard sale we went to in Wallowa a couple of weeks ago?"...Pat and Angie were ready for an outing and I said, "I'm not sure but it could be."...Yes it was the same "over priced junk sale" but Angie found a cute, sturdy night stand for their cabin and Pat a cast iron bacon cooker for Brian's collection...We toured Alder Slope following a yard sale sign that doesn't start until today :(...We did have a good visit.

It ended up being kind of a lazy day for me...I started a pot of soup for our dinner, wandered the gardens and checked out the fruit trees...The Santa Rosa plum tree has a nice crop of still green plums but the apricot and apples all got frozen in the May snow storm...With the help of the "liquid deer fence" all of the flowers have bloomed this year...I had forgotten how pretty some of the day lilies are...I sprayed again last night and will continue as they love the phlox and autumn joy that are now budded...Thankfully they don't seem to bother pearl yarrow, purple cone flowers, bee balm, globe thistle or black eyed Susan's.

Our nights have definitely cooled off but today is supposed to be in the high 70's and warm next week...Yes!!!Hugs To All...OWAV:)

More from the garden...48º

Yesterday dawned a partly cloudy morning, temperature hovering around 70º, Herb worked out back straightening up and adding pallets to the wood pile as we have about 4 more cords of wood in the log deck that remain to be cut, hauled and stacked there...He was also close by to help me when I needed a bale of straw lifted into the garden and bags of alfalfa pellets and peat moss hauled around back from the storage shed (old garage)...I layered straw, pellets, peat moss and manure on the space now empty after digging the garlic...It awaits a good soaking rain...Later this fall another layering will be added in this space and it continues to decompose over the winter and will be the new bed for cabbage plants next spring...I side dressed the carrots, beets, beans, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes with alfalfa pellets (I use these as fertilizer) giving the plants a boost to finish out the summer...The potatoes are blooming so I searched for new potatoes that I could rob, not finding any I had to be satisfied with pulling beet greens with a few baby beets, along with Walla Walla sweet onions, lettuce and pea pods to go with chicken for our dinner...The most gourmet dinner in a restaurant can't compare to the dinner we had when I added Imnaha sliced cucumbers and squash from the fridge.

Late afternoon found us in Enterprise where Herb did some grocery shopping, then waited for me at the acupuncturist office...Needles sticking out of my body, mind in a semi dreaming state, the sounds of rain and then thunder brought my thoughts back to the garden and make me happy with the work we had accomplished in the morning to take advantage of a good rain storm...We had planned to go to the Thursday night music at the gazebo in Enterprise (probably canceled because of rain) but instead returned to our cozy home for the evening where fresh rhubarb sauce, still warm, was a good dessert...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Catching Up...65º/Rain

It rained through the night, neither of us heard it so we assume that the thunder and lightening was far away...Temperature will not rise much today with the predicted high at 73º, more rain in the forecast, then warming up again by the weekend.

Herb went to the log deck and came home with a nice load of wood to stack out back in our reserve wood pile...I worked most of the morning cleaning house and balancing the checkbook...Then left to join Pat so we could catch up on the news of the past two weeks...After a good visit I returned home, made a quick trip to Enterprise before fixing zucchini, chili and fresh sliced cucumbers for dinner...I love the simple meals of summer.

Late evening I heard sounds next door as our neighbor started hauling and stacking wood...I offered to help, which she gladly accepted and in less than two hours it was neatly stacked in the lean-to shed ready for winter...We had a good visit, I got some exercise and after a hot shower, was ready for a good nights sleep...So goes life on Barton Heights....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

A few photos...