I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but these are my troll kids. Frequently my Alter Ego because each one is a piece of me. For most of my friends on Face Book you have seen them many times. For everybody else meet Pinx, Aqua, and Poppa T. I had decided to make a trip to Eugene Oregon for shopping…. My friend and I make several trips across the mountains every summer stocking up for winter. The plan was to hit the rose garden for the first time this summer… a bit late in the season but still nice. Then we would move on to our favorite farmstand and end the stay in Eugene with a few thrift stores before we blitzed home that evening. After we cross the Cascade Mountain pass, we usually stop at a small wayside a few miles outside of Springfield, a good place to stop stretch our legs and check out the McKenzie river.
Turning the trolls loose with 3 of their favorite pet lizards, we headed down the trail to the river. This area is rich in things to explore
We found a nice spot with a picnic table to rest while they checked the river shoreline.
But soon it was time to head back to the car and our next stop.
Back at the car we settled into our seats and headed to the Rose Garden. I left the kids napping in the shade while I went and photographed the rose garden. The garden was beautiful but most of the peak blooms were gone, and I was glad I didn’t have to corral the trolls through the flowerbeds. Our next stop was Thistledown Farm where we went for apples, corn, salsa, gourds and pumpkins. The Troll family was allowed to pick out their own pumpkins and gourds. The only rule was they had to be able to carry them…
Leaving the trolls in the car, making plans for their jack o lanterns, Sue and I checked out the thrift stores. I wasn’t about to allow these guys in the stores with all the Halloween displays. By the time we got back to the car they were all snoring soundly and it was a peaceful drive home. With maybe a few snickers, and chuckles coming from the back of the car. A good day was had by all
Flat Wild Fire threat and I have been Freaking out. We are NOT in the evacuation zones, not even in the get ready, But I know how fast things can change. One hot ember and the game changes …. When the Flat Fire started Thursday, I saw the smoke column and realized that it was around the old town of Geneva. Knowing that there have been many fires in that area I knew that the fire would be fast and hot burning through light fuels. By Friday it took off as I expected, but I did not expect it to triple in size. On the way home from Bend I thought what if this really does head to my area, I need a plan. It is about 20 +/- from my home and has to cross though some rough terrain farm fields and a highway. Then more canyon BLM areas. but it is that sneaky hot ember I worry about. The thing is I have 4 vehicles to move, and which vehicle are we not going to move if things go bad. So I came up with a plan, if we do end up in an evacuation level 1 get ready, we will take the vintage motorhome and move it to a safe spot in town. (If need be, we can live in it….) Then come back and start getting ready for the next level of evacuation….. Hoping and praying it doesn’t get that far. This morning, I noticed that the deck had a lot of fine white ash from the fire…it looked like we had had a light snow, but I knew better. Time to make sure that we could move the vintage motorhome if we did go into a level one… We haven’t started that motorhome since we parked it in the new shed and when I tried to start it NOTHING…. At the same time I was dismantling my sprinkler system and manually trying to get my flowerbeds watered, finding out why some of the areas in my flowerbeds were not getting watered. Trying to change out sprinkler heads and faucet connectors….and making sure that leaky hoses were getting water to the waterlines…. and I was moving little things that could be fire hazards if an ember were to land in it and trying to move bigger things like the older Subaru which also hadn’t been moved in about 4 months. The older Subaru also didn’t start… and trying to get an update on the fire which is now over 18,000 acres but the web sites are still saying 3,300. The evacuation levels have changed, and the fire is within 10 miles of my home. Again, a long way away, but… things are not going right and I can’t get current information. My housemate has gone to Redmond and picked up a newer battery for the RV and some 20 ft jumper cables, I am running around trimming flower seed heads because they are within 4 ft of the house…. pulling weeds that have outlived their usefulness as a green fire resistive plant. Doing the watering the best I can with a system that works for general watering but not so much fire protection. I need to get the humidity up around the house. I photographed around the house showing areas cleared of brush and weeds around the base of the house later in the afternoon….. I have done what I can and decided that I could photo the beautiful sunset. Because what the smoke gives us is beautiful sunsets.
So now I am calm I have done what I can and hope that the fire stays contained up north of us. It is still just over 18,000 acres and growing. Except… I got a call from a neighbor who briefly talked to the local Fire Chief. If things continue as they have the fire has the potential to move into the southern end of our fire district maybe bypassing our neighborhood but possibly moving into another neighborhood I had lived in for several years. I know that one hot ember is all it will take while the fire might move southwest the ember could float anywhere should the wind come up. A trip to Walmart and I came home with more garden hoses. That was yesterday the fire has is now nearly 22,000 acres and we are as ready as we can be. I have watered my place around the house and done my best to raise the humidity level, hopefully slowing the chance of a fire at my place. I have made sure my important papers are in a quick to grab fire safe, and the motorhome is ready to go at the level 1 get ready be aware, and I have prayed to Mother Nature to keep the fire in its current boundaries…. To be clear this is not my first fire here in Central Oregon, and even to myself it is funny to watch me freak out, but I do it anyway. When I came here in the early 90’s we had a fire just half a mile from the house we were building and then the big Aubry Hall fire hit that summer. When I moved here permanently, I joined the local Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. I have worked on many fires both brush and structure, and I know the game…. Still I Freak OUT
I have been working hard on refinishing a vintage cabinet that my grandmother had in her pantry for her summer harvest canning. It has been 2 months of painting, stripping paint, cussing, sanding and repainting, in the cooler mornings, before the day heats up or I had to go to my favorite class in the pool. I will save that story for another time when I can look at the photographs and not cringe with frustration. My vision for that cabinet was to store my growing collection of vases and vintage canning jars, that I like to use in my photographs. Yesterday the vases and jars went into the cabinet and I was free to think about photographing some of the flowers growing in my yard.
I have been reading a couple of books by a floral designer named Ariella Chezar, she suggested walking in nature and collecting for your flower arrangements. I have frequently done that with some of the dried barley heads, poppy seed pods and gnarly sticks from the local juniper trees. But I never thought of using the greenery with the juniper berries. As I went on my morning wandering in the yard, I noticed some plants that had heart shaped seeds. I usually pull those plants because they are weeds but, working on the cabinet meant that somethings got to grow. My win. So my photo Challenge was to take a Roseville vase I bought last fall in a thrift store combine the juniper clippings, the seed heads, with some of the oriental and tiger lilies that have been blooming. The first photograph was the result of that challenge. I like it. But is that it ??? Well No… I had also collected yarrow, bee balm, daises and I had been photographing for a little over 3 hours with all of the different flowers and various containers. The challenge was saved for last and when I got the shot I envisioned, I then started adding the other flowers to the mix. I really don’t know how Mylo the fluffy cow, got into the photo
I celebrate the birthday of our Great Nation. It is a bittersweet celebration. My family has lived in this country since the 1600s, and I hope will live here many generations more. In my family search I found that members of my family fought in the Revolutionary war… I also found that some of the members of my family worked on the declaration and the writing of the constitution.
But now these documents are under fire by people who do not respect our history. A person who wants to be King, whose parents were not born in the United States but came here from Germany for a better life. People who believe that only White people should live in this country and all others should be deported. People who bought their way into positions of power. A congress that is so corrupt that they have sold their souls to the devil to win what they want at the detriment of the people they were elected to represent. A South African billionaire who came to this country on a student visa, never went to school here but stayed, bought his citizenship and bought a presidential election.
Through it all, this nation will survive…It will be because of the people of this Great Nation. It will be the families who have lived in this country longer than my family. It will be the families that have emigrated to this nation and have legally become citizens of this country. It will be because of people born in this country as first-generation citizens. It will be because of those people who have come to this nation and worked hard hoping to seek citizenship one day.
It will be because of these documents our forefathers wrote and voted on. It is because of the many people who fought to update those documents when our country changed, and injustice became intolerable. It is because our forefathers fought to keep this nation free. We have the right to Vote. We have the right to Free Speach. We have the right to justice in our legal system. We the People of these United States need to take a stand and remove those in office who seek to destroy our Nation for their profit and power. We need to let our voices be heard with the mighty pen and paper on Election Day. We need to resist peacefully and let our voices be heard. We need to make the United States of America, Great Again. Deanne Dement
Both of these collages were made for a photo challenge that I have participated in the last 4+ years. These were the end of the 52 week challenge for the years 2023 and 2024.
It all started with this shot of a troll with pink hair that soon became known in the challenge as Pinx. It wasn’t long before my avatar in the challenge included Pinx.
Then I added a brother named Aqua and their dad known as Poppa T. Then several toy dinosaurs that the troll family call Lizards.
So now… Every trip to the thrift store or estate sale, I look at things that I can add to my troll family collection. Meet Mylo the Fluffy Cow
Another of my thrift store finds… he is a bit chipped and too heavy to carry around on the trail but he sure added another level of fun in my photographs
After I was done having fun, I took the flowers and photographed them in a couple of vintage vases.
The old deck has a new lease on life…. Here is hoping that it gets another 45- 50 years, like the old one did.
It is definitely germy approved, and I plan on giving it the use it deserves…. I see morning coffee….
looking out over the mountain view, watching the hummingbirds access the honeysuckle flowers.
Enjoying looking over my back yard. Waiting and watching for the thunderstorms that come up from the south.
Sitting on the wide steps enjoying the morning shade while listening to the chickadees
and maybe a little nap or two
But first I need to get the curtains back up on the southwest end, because the temp on the deck right now is 100 degrees. Then I will concentrate on getting a few other items back on the new old deck. No rush because I am enjoying it as it is right now…
Good Morning Deck…. I know you are not finished but I so want to enjoy your morning sunlight.
Until this week I didn’t realize how much I really enjoyed your morning peace. I know you are not finished, there is much more work to be done.
But… There is just something so special about being able to step out the door with a cup of coffee. To be able to enjoy the mountain view
and the view of your yard
Watching one of the local Doe’s casually walk by munching on the neighbors yard. Listening to the morning birds, watching the lizards running along the rocks, planning what project needs to be started. Practicing your calm mindfulness… Until….
The German Shepherds decide you need to be supervised….
Good Bye old deck you have served me well for the last 28 years. Though I know you were built in the 70’s and are far older than I have lived here, the amount of joy you have given me over the years knows no bounds.
I sit here on these boards for one last time I reflect on endless summer days spent sitting on the deck, enjoying the shade provided by the roof. Looking over my shoulder to the view of North Sister mountain.
and looking forward over the yard and the neighbors yards
Making endless plans on what I want my gardens to look like.
Enjoying a morning cup of coffee on the steps. Reading a good book. Working on hand stitching Christmas presents for my family. Sleeping on the deck on hot summer nights, even hauling my old TV onto the deck to watch DVDs. Setting up a photo studio, for that perfect light, dreaming about the perfect photo. And one summer recuperating from a broken wrist, working on my physical therapy in the morning coolness. Winters filled with firewood, so I didn’t have to go out to the wood pile every time I wanted to start the woodstove. You have served me well. But Now….
It is time for an upgrade. New support posts and new deck flooring, and maybe new paint on the wall…. Something in a clean white for bringing in the sunlight
Looking forward to many more Summers with the new you
Deanne Dements Photography 