Bopcha Blog

Can anyone tell me why Bianca selects a dirt pile to rest on when there is nice, green grass nearby?

Random wood … we will move it to a landing to slowly rot away while providing habitat for small critters.

Some pieces are too long for the Ranger and the forest road.

Sid is standing where the wood will be stored. Rick is standing where tools and mowers will be stored.

We are hosting a tour on Friday. Sid mowed the path to make the walk a wee bit easier.

We think folks will enjoy seeing a large wood placement in Rock Creek.

Clean up continues.

The woodshed is in the midst of framing.

Sandra is back in Pennsylvania, but her hard work in the garden lives on!

Sid demonstrates the spikes he needs to stabilize Bopcha’s viewpoint.

The new chicks find comfort cuddling with one another.

Sid and Bill admire Rick’s work on the new woodshed.

See the cement? This structure will withstand the wind!

Bushwhacking led Bill to a lovely spot where there are lots of blooming dogwood trees.

Aha! A clump of Scotch broom!

If you look closely, you can see all the Scotch broom clump lying down on the ground, ruthlessly chopped down by Bill and Diana.

Sid has a fine work crew here! They arrived on the 19th and 20th and have been hitting it hard ever since.

Kay makes sure Rick and the woodshed stay on task.

Fruit tree blossoms against a magnificent oak tree.

River rock purchased to fill the ditch that should stop water from running across the cow lane.

Hopefully this will solve the problem.

Sid and Miss Tym love hauling dirt, rock … you name it.

Kay makes sure the Loop trail is clear.

Sandra begins the organization of the big garage.

Nina is hard at work.

Will…where is the rest of that motorcycle?

The apple tree and Kay

One of three new chickens Nina and Will brought. Jack, a black rooster, Claire and ??? the golden Polish hens.

Another obstruction just a wee bit further down the trail from yesterday’s efforts.

Diana had to take a quick trip back to have Sid put the chain back on the saw … guess we will avoid getting it stuck next time!

Obstruction cleared.

This one got manhandled off the road by Bill’s muscles.

Cleared.

Oh no!

Cleared.

More …

Gone!

The last of the firewood had been removed from the temporary woodshed in preparation for the construction of the new, permanent woodshed. We stacked it near the house for easy access.

Rick has started preparations for construction of the new woodshed.

The entrance to the woods on Rock Creek road is blocked.

This removal operation took two people, a chain saw, a hand saw, lots of patience, and a fair amount of brute force. Whew!

Road is cleared for passage … until you get to the next obstruction. We will do more tomorrow.

A beautiful spring day for the crew (Kathleen & Blaine from MRWC, Bill, forester Shane, and fish biologist Steve) to look at how the large wood placements on Griffith Creek were behaving in the wet season. The water gets distributed far and wide in big rain events, some of the water wends its way through a forested area.

Complexity and chaos makes for good fish habitat. This is actually Rock Creek by the fallen tree that tore up part of the forest road. A new tree has fallen just past the big one.

Big Betty layed a BIG egg

The plum tree is really full of blossoms this spring!

The big front porch is finished and safe for walking.

Unk’s daffodils are blooming as are the ones Tory has added.

Firewood supplies are pretty much depleted.

Sid added the french drain to the output of the existing drain.

Water seepage from our neighbor’s uphill is flowing … a few days of sun and it stops cold.

The Rock Creek trail is full of obstructions. Bill has to duck to get into the entrance point to the woods.

Shane the forester has marked several spots where culverts may solve some of the seepage and seasonal flows that love to pool on the trail.

Bluebells!

The tree that fell and tore a hole in the trail has caught lots of debris.

The pond that forms on Griffith Creek as it enters our property has four outflow points, one of which spreads into a wooded area, soaks into the ground and then flows down to the part of the Rock Creek trail where the fallen tree ripped a hole in the road – yes, the one I fell into.

Upon advice, we put a trench along the side of the area of the cow lane that flooded instead of putting a french drain under the road.

Rainbow promises

The persimmon tree to the far right is messy and dying. We took it down.

There will be a wonderful new tree taking its place. And no, Sid did not crush anything when he felled it!

Hoss and Torti lounge in front of the Annex fireplace.

The tiles are in place in the Annex bathroom.

This door will soon grace the joint entry to the Farmhouse and the Annex.

The breakfast nook in the Annex.

Rick is fixing the big porch off the Farmhouse living room. The old structural beams from the early 30s are still strong and will remain a part of the new porch.

The farm chickens stay busy all day.

From left to right: Snippy, Ruth, Grace and Betty.

Rainwater pooling in the cow lane

There is a drain under part of it.

Sid will install this french drain under the part of the cow lane where the water is pooling.

Bill and Diana are heading up the Loop trail to clear it of obstructions. Sid preps the chainsaw for the chore.

The two acre spot where we suffered so much blowdown has been replanted and the baby Doug-fir trees are thriving.

The seed we planted on the forest roads is doing well.