Ice Storm December 2016

Starting on Thursday December 8, this was the scene on Friday morning. 

Ice continued to build up as the temperature stayed just below freezing through Friday.  Of course, we lost power on Thursday afternoon through evening, and again Friday night through Sunday at 1:30am.  We even lost power to our telephone landline Friday night through Saturday.  And it is not possible to go online and see a map of where the power outage is (as the Portland General Electric phone message suggests) because when we have no electric power here, we have no cell phone service and no internet connection (just venting a bit).

Saturday morning the sun came out and the temperature began to rise.  Lots of broken branches and ice chunks crashing to the ground.

 A Great Blue Heron visited the neighbor's field.

 And Deagan got a chance to stretch his legs as the ice started to melt. 

 Close up of the ice-encrusted grass.

Sun starts to set on Saturday -

Geothermal Heat Exchange in the Gorge

Geothermal heating/cooling starts with a long loop of flexible pipe filled with coolant that is buried:

underground horizontally, what we did

or underground vertically, like a well

or underwater, if you have a big enough pond or lake

The flexible pipe is filled with a coolant that absorbs heat from the ground (or the water of the pond).  A compressor in your home concentrates the heat which is distributed as warm air through duct work (like a traditional furnace).  In hot weather, you can collect heat from the house and put it into the earth to cool your house.  Sky Heating & Air Conditioning of Portland, Hood River, and The Dalles installed our system.  For more information see www.skyheating.com 

The trench for our ground loop

When the trench was excavated for our ground loop, topsoil was placed to one side of the trench and subsoil to the other, so that the topsoil could be easily put back on top where it belongs.  You can see the darker color of the topsoil piled up on the left side of the picture below (and the soil horizons on the right side of the trench):

The piping was laid in the trench

The piping in the foreground leads into the house and was installed with a special machine that bores a small tunnel underground, under the house, leading to where the compressor and pump are installed in the little room that used to hold our old oil furnace.

Our new high-tech thermostat :)

Down Deverell Road

November 1, 2015

We got some sunbreaks this afternoon
along with some much needed rain.

Deverell Road runs between Loudon Road and Larch Mountain Road in Corbett, Oregon.

Spring is Here!

After a mild, dry,  but windy winter, Spring has arrived in the Columbia River Gorge.  I found these Grass Widows at Mayer State Park near The Dalles on January 31, 2015.  (I wrote the haiku)

And on February 2, a Red-Winged Blackbird showed up at the feeder, singing his signature territorial display song.  We have lived in the Gorge since 1997, and every year a single male Red-Winged Blackbird has shown up in February (it can't be the same guy for so many years in a row), announcing his presence loudly.  Females do not show up for several weeks, but he sings just the same.

I am ready for this year's challenge from the Friends of the Columbia Gorge -

 - 35 and Gorgeous

This year, the challenge is varied, featuring activities as well as hikes.   Activities include supporting local Gorge businesses, participating in a stewardship work party, finding wildflowers, and more.  Love it!  The Challenge officially starts March 15 - stay tuned for more!

That Big Gorge - April 2014

Again we traveled to Arizona

We saw giant insects that invaded Scottsdale, and glass sculptures

 

by Chihuly that invaded the Desert Botanical Garden

 and the view from Sedona

And, finally, the Grand Canyon 

 From the South Rim

Smelt Run on the Sandy River - March 22, 2104

Eager smelt dippers on the Sandy River - Troutdale, Oregon

Smelt return to the Sandy River this month!  A limited season provided an opportunity to dip Columbia River smelt (Thaleichthys pacificus) returning to spawn in the Sandy River.  Smelt are anadromous - they live most of their life in the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn.  Smelt are an oily fish and are the source of oolichan grease that was a valuable commodity for many Northwest native peoples.  Potlatch ceremonies of the tribes living on the Northwest coast of what is now Alaska and Canada included large quantities of the oolichan grease.  The grease was used in ways similar to butter, and was eaten, given away, and burned during the potlatch ceremony.

See link below for recipes:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Smelt.htm

Two ski poles make an extension for a net

Smelt numbers are in decline, and over the last 30 year few runs have been large enough to draw people to the banks.  The season was severely limited this year, and the State Police used their sirens and loudspeakers at noon to announce the end of the season.

Histories and Mysteries of the Columbia River Gorge

Friends of the Columbia River Gorge announce this years hiking challenge:
20 places to visit of historical or geological interest

Including such places as Celilo Falls fishing village, ice age flood remnants, fish wheels, and Lyle convict road (I hadn't heard about that place - there is always more to learn).  If you become a member of the Friends, you are eligible for prizes if you complete the challenge, which of course I plan to do.

 Here is one of our winter visitors, a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds - Calypte anna - who arrived in the middle of October and will leave before the middle of March (based on what has occurred the previous two winters).    I was busy during the recent stormy cold weather keeping the hummingbird food defrosted (it freezes below 28 degrees F.) In the summer we have  nesting Rufous Hummingbirds - Selasphorus rufus - that arrive in March and leave at the beginning of October.

 The history of ice storms in the Columbia River Gorge continues with the most recent storm on
March 1, 2014 - surely the latest in the calendar year that I have experienced. 

 Ice built up overnight and through much of the day on March1, coating everything.

Late in the afternoon it began to melt

 But there were casualties among the trees - these willows were rooted in very wet soil and the weight of the ice on the branches pulled them down.