Butte Lake

The girls left for Vegas today.  EDO is flying to Boston (from McCarren) in the morning.  Before they left we all went to the park:  Lassen Volcanic National Park.  I typically won't visit national parks because they are horribly crowded.  Fortunately, Lassen is a little off the beaten path, and not at all like, say, Zion (which has been banned from my life), so it was OK.

We started by paddling across Butte Lake, from the boat launch to the junction of Snag Lake Trail and Willow Lake Trail.  We left the canoe in the woods and hiked to Snag Lake and back.  (It turned out to be 6.5 miles round-trip.)  Then we loaded the canoe and paddled back down the lake.  All-in-all we were out for four or five hours and probably covered about ten miles.  A very nice day.

Lake of Grass

Earlier this week we went to Poison Lake with the canoe.  It had been open water all winter, but this week it was full of rushes.  We paddled out through bright green stalks and it felt like we were floating through a meadow.  A lake of grass.

Bluegrass

This was also the weekend of the Bluegrass Festival.  We weren't sure we could afford three tickets, but decided to try "locals night."  It was free to listen and you only need cash for the food and t-shirts.  As you might guess, VSO made a picnic and we wore our own shirts.  There were three bands and they each played for an hour.  Lots of guitar, banjo, mandolin, stand-up bass, and tight harmonies.  It was very nice.

Surprise

It was a spectacular day in Surprise Valley.  And we spent most of our time there.  I made envious pictures of derelict farm houses.  (If I could find someone to sell this one to me, I would buy it today.)  VSO painted half-abandoned barns.  And, best of all, the temperature never topped 75F.

Crater Lake

I think the famous one is in Oregon.  But, we have one in Lassen County, too.  Crater Lake.  (Actually, I think the one in Oregon might be a caldera, but I don't want to quibble.)  We went to the California crater today and EDO paddled me around it.  Twice.  Happy Father's Day.

How Do You Like Your Density?

In my business there is quite a lot of talk about density management.  There are a number of ways to measure it, but they all come down to how much material you're going to maintain on a given site.  Like most things that seem straight-forward, there is, in fact, no consensus on how much is enough.  For some, the stand above is just right, and for others, the one below is more like it.  As always, it depends on your objectives.  At my pay grade, I don't set the objectives, so you're going to have to tell me how you like your density.

Nature Strikes Back

Last week I posted about the flowers at 420 Grand.  The landscaping is mature and there are hundreds of big, beautiful blossoms.  But, yesterday afternoon I went out for a walk along Piute Creek and found the wildflowers giving us a run for our money.  Daisies, poppies, dogwoods.  Paintbrush, goldenrod, yarrow.  And, of course, the wild roses (woodsii, the same species we find in Utah).

The Flowers of 420 Grand

I don't know whether I mentioned it before, but 420 Grand came with mature landscaping.  Most of the other houses we've purchased were something of a clean slate, but 420 Grand came with hundreds of established plantings.  A clean slate can be nice, but growing shrubs and trees to provide shade and privacy can take a long time.  Here, we've already got most of what we need, including thousands of flowers.