As 2020 quickly comes to an end, and we approach the six month mark of living on this land in rural Oregon, I realize I have not written a blog post update since we arrived here. If the first half of the year could be compared to stepping on the gas pedal, the second half was definitely hitting the brakes.
We went from traveling thousands of miles, being in different locations nearly every day, and not knowing where we would spend the night… to digging in the dirt, rarely getting in the car, talking long walks, and cooking almost all our meals— overnight. It was a radical shift, and a very welcome one.
We arrived in late July as the raspberries in the garden were fully ripe and the blueberries were just beginning. We learned the routines to take care of the animals, we weeded the garden, we floated on our tubes in the creek. We got to know the little town of Vernonia, frequenting the darling library, the fresh Mediterranean restaurant, and picked up supplies at the hardware store whenever needed. We knew the beautiful summer weather would end sooner than we liked, so we invited friends and family out for socially-distanced, outdoor visits. We installed a zip line, and a slack line, and enjoyed many meals on the picnic tables outside. We feasted on bounty from the garden — peas, cucumbers, salad greens, and peppers. We ate so many berries right off the bushes (both those in the garden, and those growing wild around the property), that very few made it inside for use in recipes and meals.
As fall started creeping closer, we enjoyed many projects around the farm with Larry, the owner and steward of the land: digging up the hills of potatoes, stacking firewood, trimming the goat’s hooves, and cookouts over the fire pit. September was a beautiful month, but also challenging to be outside for much of it, as wildfire smoke choked the air and made it dangerous to breathe.
The girls tackled a research project in the fall to learn all about this area – including where our water comes from, where the trash goes, what peoples were here before us, what animals and birds call this home, etc. The research took us into the Vernonia historical museum, deep into the stacks of the library, and watching locally-made videos of the catastrophic floods this area has endured.
We have loved being with all of the animals – both wild and domestic. The two donkeys, Rosie and Daisy, were let loose in the (fenced) yard a lot this summer, and we enjoyed seeing them wander around and come up and check out what we’re working on. The two dogs, Jai and Surya, loved having lots of company outside and jump around enthusiastically as we all head out on walks around the property. The two goats, Gunther and Mavis, happily eat our compost and enjoy playing “king of the log” with the kids — where they try to see who can push the other off the log. The two cats, Sukha and 007, are warming up to us, will let us pet them, and often leave half-eaten “presents” for us in the barn.
This summer, we watched the giant orange crayfish on the creek bottom, and kingfishers dart down the path of the water. This fall, we enjoyed over three months of salmon spawning in the creek. Some days we counted over 12 from one spot of the river. We took daily walks to watch them dig their nests, fight over females, and ultimately sink to the bottom or get washed ashore. We had the good fortune of spotting two river otters eating the salmon early in the season. Later in the fall, two bald eagles arrived and we see them almost daily, often from the large windows by the farm table or even from bed. We had a visit from a bat that somehow got indoors. Parker loved catching snakes and lizards. We’ve seen newts and salamanders, hummingbirds and dragonflies, and now lots of amazing mushrooms sprouting in the damp soil.
Our months have been punctuated with periods of quarantine so that we could visit indoors with family. Kendall’s parents helped us celebrate our birthdays and anniversary in September, and the kids got to stay with them for several extra days. We took one trip up to Seattle to visit Mark’s uncle Charlie, and we saw them both again around Christmas.
In November, the girls got a volunteer job with a company down the road called “Run! Day Camp for Dogs.” They go three days a week and help with whatever needs to be done: unloading the dogs from the vans they arrive from Portland, hiking with the dogs out in the forest, picking up poop, feeding dogs that are staying overnight, hosing off the muddy dogs at the end of the day and drying them off before putting them back in the vans to Portland. They love the time with the dogs, the other employees and owner, and having real responsibilities. We’ve enjoyed their rattling off breeds and stories each evening over dinner.
As the weather has turned rainy, we’ve switched from building fires in the fire pit, to the cozy wood stove which keeps the the living room extra toasty. We’ve been working on puzzles, learning new games, watching movies, and enjoying the long evenings.
The longer we are here, the more roots we feel like we are putting down into this property and town. We have been offering our energy, ideas, and labor to help Larry finish several projects including completing a bathroom in the barn for guests (hint, hint), building out the space above the yoga/dance studio, installing outdoor showers, filling the knot holes in the wood floors, smoothing out the Yoga Studio floor into a danceable surface, as well as lots of other odds and ends. The house and property seems to enjoy having all the attention and love and energy being put into it.
It is challenging to live on a property designed for retreats that desires to entertain people; when gathering in groups isn’t a good idea. We’re grateful for the visits we’ve been able to have outdoors this summer, grateful that Larry is in our “bubble” so we can share dinners and adventures with him, and we are looking forward to a time when it is safe to hug, dance, cook, sing, and laugh indoors and close together again. And hopefully all the work that we do on the property this winter, will make it even more enjoyable for people to gather again here next summer, or whenever it is safe to do so.
We count our blessings everyday for the ease and beauty in our lives, as we know that this has not been the experience for many during this pandemic. Our prayers are that everyone can find more connection, opportunity, and deep pleasure in 2021.
Amazing pics – what an epic year! I especially loved hearing about the girls volunteering with the dogs! That sounds like an amazing experience.
The land is blessed to have you, and you it. Your words and images really bring it alive. May it be a profound healing Winter into Springtime for you… with new sprouts of Love making their way to the light.
Big Virtual Hugs to you all!