Proof

Proof that our cat and dog are best friends.

The Weekend, part two

Saturday evening paddle.
Monday: Our friend Kate joins us for a lazy river float down the Little Wolf River near Big Falls. We should have paid more attention to the word "falls"... Here is Zachary.
This tranquil bend is where Zachary believes he was hearing more than the wind in the trees...
Here is Kate shooting out the first set of rapids we encountered.
Another set of rapids. We thought these would be the last, but it was a testing ground for what was around another bend. The fact we weren't able to capture the final set of rapids was a testament to their speed and how unexpected they were. This river that was on average 150ft wide was funneled into a chute slide carved into rock about 20ft wide, that dropped about 15ft over of the course of the last set of rapids. Kate was a little better equipped in her 9.5 ft kayak, than in our flat bottom lake canoe. We almost tipped a few times, and got wet, but it was a blast! It was an unexpected surprise that ignited a desire for some more challenging paddling in the future.
Later that day, in wind averaging 18 mph, gusting to 30 mph, Zachary decided it was a great day to sail... This picture is of his second attempt. His first outing left him wet and his boat upside down. After I saw him turtle in the water, I jumped onto the paddleboat for assistance. By the time I got out there, he had the boat upright and was towing it back to the dock along the shoreline. He didn't want to end the day like that, so he put the old girl back together and went back out there. It was cut short after a block broke loose from the boom, causing another near capsizing. Fortunately, Zachary was able to drop the sail quickly and row back to shore. Don't worry, Zachary is not discouraged, there will be many more capsizings to come. :-)

The Weekend, part one

Crabapple trees and Lilacs in bloom.
One of the apple trees from the orchard.
Close-up of Lilac cluster.
Crabapple close-up, notice the honey bees.
One final pass before the last corn field was planted on Saturday. All the corn and soybeans are now in the ground. Within a few weeks, the 1st hay crop will be ready to harvest.

Tent Testing

We set up our new tent tonight in the yard. It was up for about up 5 minutes, until the mosquitoes came out to feast. We learned we can pack up a tent very quickly and efficiently.

Poor Design

So yesterday morning I was all set to leave for work on my bike. The weather was perfect, I just needed to put my shoes, backpack, and helmet on. I was struggling with my helmet, the inside tightener adjustment was not moving, then snap. I looked and a plastic piece inside had broke. Then I decided to use Zachary's helmet, when I found his, his was broke in the same place. So I ended up driving to the office instead as I usually do. We will have to go helmet shopping soon.

Are all bike helmets designed this way?

Cleaning and Planting

Well the past weekend was a productive one.
Our front garden and pond got some needed attention, removing old growth and leaves. Our lily pads made it through the winter in our pond.Our pond after spring cleaning.

Cropland was worked all weekend and we planted about 24 acres of field corn today. More planned for the week ahead.

We started planting our vegetable garden.Roma Tomato seedlings for the garden.
Garden Plot
Unfinished future site for lettuce and broccoli.

In the past week, we had four new additions to the milking herd. Their names are Romulus, Remus, Boca, and Rachel. More on our cow naming conventions at a later date... :-)

Current Blooms

The Tulips are blooming.
And so are these things... I am thinking they are some sort of Daffodil, but small sized. Cute, huh?

A time to grow

Spring has sprung on the farm, crop-wise. My Dad this week begun working the fields, preparing them for spring planting. It is a wet spring and it has slowed us down to getting on the fields. As some of you know, my parents still manage and own the crop land on the farm, and we purchase crops from my parents for feed for our livestock. We help them out with the crop work as well.

In the last couple days, Zachary and I took some time and got onto the water. We went to my parents’ house on the lake and went canoeing and sailing. Zachary got my Dad’s old sailboat working again and made three successful voyages so far. I skipped the maiden voyage and watched from shore, I didn’t want to risk going into the water as Zachary was remembering how to sail from his boyhood days. Luckily he stayed dry and coaxed me into the boat. Zachary sort of regrets selling the Hobie Cat catamaran we had two years ago and never actually sailed (it was a brief courtship, but that was too much boat for us), but we have some new pipe dreams, thanks to www.clcboats.com. Check out the Chesapeake and Shearwater Kayaks, and the Pocketship Sailboat. Those builds may fill our spare time (and workshop) in the winter for several winters to come...

Zachary's Maiden Voyage
Sunset Sail
Sunset Canoe

Welcome

We have arrived to the Internets! Zachary and I decided to start one of these because, #1 they are fun to look at, and #2 it will help us chronicle our adventures and projects better. We think this will be a great way to share with our family and friends what we are up to on the farm and keep in touch with everyone. Hopefully Zachary and I will be good about keeping this thing semi up to date and current.

Enjoy!