The Box Has Landed

The container ARRIVED!

Three men, one pickup, one flat bed, one crain, one container hauler 18 wheeler thingie and three hours later the box is sitting in it's spot!

First try, logical driving up the road but won't work with the curve of the road and the drive access, soo...

Second try, back up to the 'Y', trun around and back toward the driveway.

I call this threading the needle, he is backing that monster BETWEEN the gate posts! (I deliberately did not have them set in so that he could move them if need be,) but NOOOOO he is threading thru them!

And here it goes, back in the trees. He had about a foot to spare split either side.

And here we have 'Tilt'. He has made the wheels under the trailer move forward and then lifts up the front end and something sort of spits the thing off the back a few feet.

And here is the second end... splat!

Now it is Jerry's Turn!

Hook it up...

Pick it up...

Move it over...

Set the blocks...

Pick it up...

Set it on the blocks!

End number two underway...

And that's all there is to it!!!

Unexpected Gate Posts.

This morning early, I went up to the creek. I saw four deer cross the road on the way up, beautiful. I putzed around for a bit, finished my coffee and decided to drive up a ways toward Black Pine lake and study the trees and watch the sun come over the hills. Came up with a couple of nice photos.

On my way back down the forest service road, a truck came toward me and slowed and rolled down the driver side window. In Okanogan speak this is the sign for stopping and having a chat. I did.

Turns out this is another neighbor, this one Mike, told me that he had dropped off a couple of gate posts at my place.

I am much in favor of gate posts but I had never before in my life met Mike!!! I suspect the neighbor Ron sent him. I introduced myself, said thanks and went down to investigate.

Amazing...

A Wolf This Time!

A wolf! A real one!!!

Driving up to the Saskatoon Circle primitive skills gathering on Saturday morning I saw a wolf very near my property. It was along the left side of the road, going the same direction I was. As I neared it sped up, I slowed for a better look and then it crossed the road in front of me. I had a totally clear view of him. Definitely a wolf. A large, full, healthy looking wolf. It ran up the right bank of the road. I stopped to check out the tracks (having just spent two days taking tracking etc lessons) but found nothing clear enough to photograph. The bank soil showed his track but they had all caved in on themselves due to the light soil and the steep slope.

Yesterday one of the people from the class came by the property to see me with a friend of his who is involved with the local wolf reintroduction and studies. I took them to where I had seen the wolf and we had quite a discussion. Apparently the 'pack' that they have identified has a couple of wolves with GPS collars and that morning they were about 20 miles north of where I saw this one. They questioned me some as to my ability to identify a wolf. Totally reasonable questions and I believe that they are convinced that I did in fact see a wolf.

He was SO beautiful!!!

Consensus is it was a mature loan male, not part of the identified pack.

There continue to be fresh deer tracks on the property, almost every day. I have taken to brushing some areas where the clearing has been being done with a large evergreen branch making a 'track trap'. The soil is soft enough that it gets lots of markings easily. No cougar track yet but bear, deer, turkey, squirrel, coyote, and something small that may be a marmot or the like plus scads of birds.

These little tracks in the photo are about an inch across and are all over the place.

I am having so much fun it probably is illegal...