The Lion and the ...lamb???

DO NOT BE DECEIVED...that is NOT a lamb. Wild Child, is more like it. We are seriously thinking of renaming her, "Ricochet".

Local economy

We tend to think of Tillamook County in terms of cheese. The dairy industry has always been the backbone of the local economy, along with timber and tourism. Over the past few decades, all three of those industries have undergone dramatic changes. Timber is a fraction of what it used to be, dairymen are hanging on by their toenails, and tourists (while welcome) sure have made summer travel a marathon just to get to the grocery store!




The fisheries, consisting of commercial deepsea fishing, sport fishing, and oyster plants on two of the county bays, are also having a hard time, for various different reasons. Climate change and pollution being just a couple.

An article in this week's local paper, the Headlight Herald, caught my eye.

"...reported that Tillamook County, while still feeling gthe recession, has fared better in its unemployment numbers than neighboring coastal counties. ...said food production has remained steady here, which has helped Tillamook weather the economic downturn compared to its neighbors, which rely more heavily on the tourism industry."

That got me thinking, just what WAS that food production? There are no big beef outfits here, selling to Bar-S etc., but we do have a lot of "backyard" beef, sheep, and poultry. I know of a couple of organic farms which do very well with beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, and wool. One thing Tillamook has always had is lush grass pastures and the climate to support year round grazing, along with multiple hay cuttings. Towards the end of the summer, much of the cutting goes into silage - the white "marshmallows" we see stacked at many farms.

Tillmook is infamous for the "Tillamook aroma"...yep, cow manure. It's spread on almost every piece of land flat enough to keep it from running into the rivers! But that "green gold" is part of the reason for the good grass, high milk production, and award winning cheeses.

I decided to do a photo journal of just a two mile stretch along Wilson River Loop Road. The above photos were part of the shoot. I wanted to get a better idea of just what that "food production" entailed, and had noticed several interesting crops over the summer. That manure spreading helps with those crops, too.

There has been a change over the past several years along this stretch of traditional Tillamook farms. "Truck farming", or vegetable farming, has taken a strong hold in the rich river bottom land. This particular farm has put in several long green houses this year, for raising tomatoes.

They also have field crops. I boldly followed this kid right through the gate and out to the crops. I wanted a good look at what they were doing out there.

Artichokes became a "cash cow" in the south country a number of years ago, and now have migrated to at least two large farms along this stretch.

I dare say, there are about a million 'chokes harvested from this field!

Some of the other crops were broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and beets. These are showing up not only in our local chain supermarkets (Safeway and Fred's), they are being shipped to the outside.

The old farmhouses have had facelifts, just as the barns and fields have had. Dairying is still strong in many of the old-time families here, but we see more diversity in the land use. As I drove along, stopping frequently for scoping out the fields (much to the disgust of the cars that came along), I saw fields of corn, which is mostly going to ethynol plants rather than feed, there were several sections of Christmas trees, and a large field of crocosmia that I had admired when it was in full radiantly red bloom.

There is a farm up the Kilchis River called Oregon Coast Floral which specializes in hydrangeas and cut flowers for florists - they are growing, literally, by leaps and bounds. Again, the climate and rich land comes into play for their success.

Another phenomena that has really come on strong this summer are the local community gardens. This one is Bay City is one of three in our small town! Every town has a community garden, it seems. As a Master Gardener, I get the news and happenings of these efforts first hand, and it has been encouraging to see so many folks put their hand to growing some of their own food even if they have never had a garden before.

While I haven't seen any figures on pounds of production or income, I can see why the article mentioned Tillamook's food production as a mainstay for our ecomomy.

We're not just about cows and logging trucks anymore.

And anyone with a shovel and fishing pole will never starve in Tillamook County!

One on one

For our last watercolor class, instructor Doreen rolled out a sheet of white paper, emptied her grocery bag of fruits and veggies, and sat back to watch the fun. The idea was to concentrate on a single item, learning shadow colors and form cast on the white paper, and mixing shadow colors using complementary colors from the fruit or veg.

It was fun to see everyone's studies on the easel at the end, because we all had distinctly different views of each subject, even if we happened to be painting the same pepper as our neighbor.

The hardest one? That dratted orange! Just take a good look at the next orange you eat - you'll see what I mean!

James Bond Oatmeal

"Shaken - not stirred."

The James Bond martini. Remember those movies?

Well, we have our own version. Mom has an aversion to oatmeal that has been stirred while being cooked. Comes from her childhood - ask her sometime. Something about glue. Anyway. She WILL NOT EAT IT if it has been stirred. Even one swish of the spoon.

So how the heck do you cook the oatmeal, then, you ask?

You pour the oats into the boiling water and SHAKE THE POT!!! The oats settle into the water, you slap the lid on, and let them them sit, off the heat, for a few minutes.

Molasses is also mandatory.

THEN you have PERFECT OATMEAL.

Shaken - not stirred.

We got the giggles this morning as I mentioned to her that she had James Bond Oatmeal, and explained the story. I still snort a time or two when I think of it...

Remember - it's the little things in life.

And smile!

Watermelon Salad?

I know, watermelon season is about over.


I've had an organic Hermiston melon lounging in the spare refridgerator for a couple of weeks, and finally decided it was time to use it. Savoring that last sweet taste of summer. So I brought it in to continue it's lounge, on the counter for a full day to warm up and release it's goodness. While we typically think of melons as served icy cold, that doesn't always do them justice. So here is a room-temp recipe as an experiment.

WATERMELON SALAD

Combine in a small bowl and allow to marinate for 10 minutes:

3/4 c. thinly sliced red onion

1 T. fresh lime juice

In large bowl, gently combine:

1 1/2 qts cubed watermelon

3/4 c. feta

2 T. olive oil

1/2 c. sliced black or kalamata olives

1 c. chopped fresh mint

Add the onion/lime, toss gently again. Let set for 10 - 15 minutes to allow flavors to marry. It may also be chilled if you prefer.

This is a surprising flavor combo. When my sister first read the recipe, her comment was, "GAG ME!" She was sure this was a loser.

Here's the deal. The saltiness of the olives and feta are the perfect foil to the sweet melon, and along with the mint, flavor notes are sparked that compels you going back for another bite and another bite - just one more - to evaluate and enjoy.

I personally found it delightful, a dish I will make again.

It's worth a search through the produce department for a lingering melon!


(The mound of hummus is a wonderful sprouted garbanzo recipe - I gave it a couple of grinds of mixed peppercorns just for fun. The cucs are from the garden, they are hanging in there, along with lettuce and kale!)

Afternoon delight...

A fall day garnished with sunshine means grab the camera and go for a walk! My brother Terry has a woodsy piece of property up the road a ways, that we all enjoy for quiet strolls and getting a dose of woods without driving the logging roads.

I took advantage of an hour of R&R all by myself. Mom reminded me about the bear sightings just as I went out the door. Thanks, mom.


I spend a lot of time when walking looking at the ground - my glitchy knee requests no sudden moves or unexpected holes. So I get acquainted with things like slugs, bugs, mushrooms and moss...a

The clover-like leaves are Oxalis, better known to us as kids as sourgrass. We loved nibbling the puckery leaves - I'm not sure why, now. Guess you have to be a kid...

Textures of the woodlands are almost overwhelming - eye overload at times! But so beautiful. The huge old spruce trees on this piece of land make you stand still and almost worship them.
This one measured probably three feet in diameter.

Blue sky and sunshine - looking up through the leaves 0f the maple trees - what lovely patterns.

The Vine maple is turning color now, some are brillliant. These leaves were a muted yellow, translucent with sun light.

This reminded me of a stained glass window.

Cascara sugunda. Also known as chittim. The bark was a money crop when we were young, sold to processors for medicinal extracts as a laxative. No longer harvested, the chemical companies came up with "better" stuff. These leaves were glowing with sun kissed greens.

One thing that is ubicquitous in northwest forests is moss. On the ground. On the trees. And if you stand still too long, maybe on YOU!

A refreshing, restful and rewarding interlude - fall is for slowing down after a busy summer. And that's just what I did!

Back to the Future

I don't recall when I drew my first squiggles and stick people. But I'm sure that as I gripped that fat crayon, a snapse clicked in my brain that has never faltered. I love art. I enjoy sketching, doodling, designing, calligraphy, collage, painting and just messing about with things "artistic".

There are seasons in our lifetime, where some things go on the back burner while others take precident. Eventually, as seasons always do, those backburner things cycle around again, and niche in as though never gone.

A few weeks ago I picked up where I left off quite a number of years ago, with painting. Specifically, watercolors. Not just as calligraphy background, which I've done more recently. This is the real deal, with sketching studies, doing value drawings, and all the bells and whistles that make my heart smile.

A local instructor offered a 4-session class right here in Bay City at the ArtSpace Gallery/Cafe'. The fee included all materials, and lunch from the cafe. How could I resist?! So every Friday from 11 to 3, 10 of us ranging from newbies to accomplished watercolorists get together and implore the muse to sit on our shoulders as we mix and discuss color, texture, paper quality, tools, and collectively groan at homework that stretches our abilities.

Each session begins with an hour of critique, discussing each piece of work turned in. We learn so much from each other during this time, led by our very talented instructor, Doreen Lindsted.
Critiquing is probably the most valuable part of any art instruction, where you get to see your work through other eyes, pick up tips, suggestions, and a "well done" for all efforts. Always done with love of the media, and interest in helping each other develop. A nice combination.

Lucky Barbara and husband Tom traveled with an instructor and group of artists to Provence, France last summer. Their work reflects the lovely light of the region. I covet the book (an artist's journal, actually) Barbara discovered just before they returned stateside, which dipicted many of the places they had actually painted. Each of us has a "style", and favorite subjects. Part of Doreen's job is to expand our horizons, step out of our comfort zone a bit. Try something new. Stretch our wings. Isn't that what a "class" is all about?

This is one of my favorite pieces hanging in the gallery, by Doreen. It is so "coasty"!

Our second assignment was to pick a photo from our collection, with a LOT of green, and do a study. I knew right away where to look - the Clear Creek photos of the previous post. Those were only a fraction of the photos, and the one I chose is not in the blog. I decided to go for a basic, not too complicated picture. This has a nice variety of green, yes? Here's the trick. We work with a limited palette. Five colors. One green. Windsor Green (or phathalo green), which has always been a challenge for me to handle. It's intense. And every green we mixed had to include it. Oh my. I may have overdone the green search...this began to look a bit daunting...

About 10 hours later (done over several days), here's the result of a lot of experimenting, mixing, and squinting. (note: the lighting was not the best, so the photos may look a bit greyed...I wish I had taken a shot of it in the white mat Doreen puts each painting in for the critique, sure makes 'em look sharp - especially from about 10 feet away!)

Just to get the full flavor of green, here are a number of detail photos:

This is one of my favorite parts of this painting. See that little patch of light under the stacked rocks? It's the little things in life...

Some things are like riding a bike...you never forget how, no matter how long it's been. I started this painting feeling like I needed training wheels. By the time I finished, I knew I could make it around the block. Still a ways to go, before I tackle a ride down the road. And I'll enjoy every minute of the trip!

All I have to do is keep the cat from packing off my paint brushes. She loves them. Especially the sable brush.