Changing Seasons-our time at Eagle Tree Farm comes to an end

     As is often the case when you come to the end of a season or chapter in your life, I find myself full of seemingly conflicting feelings-sadness to leave what has become home, and excitement for what lies ahead; regret at the things we wanted to do or accomplish that remains undone, and joy at remembering the wonderful things we did experience here, all emotions interacting with the rest, creating a wonderful brew of nostalgia.

     So much can be said about this amazing place, the history of the area, fond memories created that we will cherish the rest of our lives, and yet as is always the case what remains the most worth saying centers around the individuals and relationships. Reflecting on our short 3 week time here, it is remarkable how quickly the seasons of life have changed! When we first arrived, Kaitie and Aiden were here, and we shared the space with them for the first week as they showed us the ropes. After they left, we had the whole downstairs to ourselves, ushering in a new season of settling in and creating 'home' as we said goodbye to our new friends.

Bailey and I watching the clouds in our backyard

As we were cloud gazing, we saw a rainbow suspended in the sky, drifting along with the clouds

     As we continued living life here, doing the Farmers Market on Fridays, connecting with people coming in and out of our paths, building trust with the animals we cared for, and deepening our relationship with our host Sherry, the land around us changed with us, as though it sensed our coming departure. We had perfect weather by anyone's standards until the this last Monday night, when it rained for the first time since we arrived. Since then, it has been colder, and everywhere we turn there are leaves that were the most vibrant green when we first arrived and are now golden gems falling onto the increasingly padded ground. The plants are pulling their leaves and flowers back, preparing for the long cold winter just around the corner, and the animals are found grazing more in the open getting in their last easy meals for several months. We are experiencing our first real fall, and it is just spectacular.

The colors of fall

We have seen increasing herds of deer similar to this along the side of the road enjoying the last of the fresh green grass

     The changing seasons has been reinforced by the change of duties at the farm the past week, as the 2 adult goats were sold to be bred to produce milk,  20 of the 26 chickens were sold to someone more equipped to care for them during the winter, and the 3 adult sheep, 2 baby sheep and 2 baby goats were relocated to Ann Armonn's ranch for the winter.

Saying goodbye to Io, left, and Calysto, right

Sweet, noisy Buckey

The adult sheep are going to Ann's farm where they will join hundreds of other farm animals for the winter

     We had the opportunity to say goodbye to many friends at our last Farmers Market on Friday-the wonderful German couple who sells fresh organic honey, Deborah the fudge lady, Eva Van Horn, the wife of the one of the best chefs in town, to name some. It was a bittersweet day, where we enjoyed delicious free baked potatoes donated by a booth to celebrate the ending of the Market season. To cap our time here, last night we went to a book launching of renowned Canadian photographer Chris Harris' latest book, 'Flyover', who lives here in 100 Mile House. It featured a slideshow of photos from the book, and gave a whole new perspective of the wild and immense beauty of the area. There have been enough hugs and exchanges of love to keep us all warm in the winter, or as Sherry says, "I keep people here as much as I can in the spring and summer, to fill the space with laughter and joy to keep me company during the lonely winter." We have met so many incredible people here, and have learned so much more than I had expected. The people of 100 Mile House that we have encountered are an educated, spunky, passionate about the 'First Nations' (Native Americans), local agriculture and nutritious food, but mostly a hugely dedicated, community centered group that have welcomed us into their homes, lives and hearts with open arms.

     A fitting quote that sums up the livelihoods and motivations of many of the people we have come to love here is something that the cattle rancher Ann said after I told her she was an inspiration to me. Seeming perhaps uncomfortable with the recognition, she replied, "Well I really I think I'm quite ordinary, you know. I just want to provide people with healthy, nutritious food, but I suppose not everyone wants to do that ."

Us helping out Ann Armonn at her farm

  We will continue enjoying Canada as we backpack through the Rockies starting tomorrow, and make our way down to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, but no matter where we go, 100 Mile House and the Eagle Tree Farm will always hold a dear place in our hearts as our first WWOOFing location and a time of joy, love and friends. 

This will all join us in our car as we shift into a season of road tripping and hit the road to Mt Robson Provincial Park for a backpacking trip tomorrow and slowly make our way back to California for a wedding!

   

Temple Grandin

A few nights ago, we watched an incredibly inspirational movie about the life of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who overcame A LOT to become one of the premier experts on humane animal treatment in places with cattle ranches and slaughterhouses.  Her autism gave her the unique ability to see life in immense visual detail, similar to the way cattle and other animals see the world.  As a result, she was able to explain what scares cattle and how to keep them calm, which both improves animal quality of life and efficiency for companies.

More amazing that her accomplishments was her facing a number of fears and intense criticism throughout her life.  Kindra and I were near tears at several points, and felt incredibly inspired afterwards.  It's worth checking out!

Wells Grey Provincal Park

Wow...almost a week gone by since our last entry.  Time is flying here, and we only have five days left....

Farmer's market last Friday was a blast.  Kindra made killer zucchini walnut bread that sold like crazy, and people seemed to think that my "authentic" Irish sodabread was worth investing in, too.  (The Irish couple (Kate and Aiden), who taught us the ropes of WWOOFing and how to make sodabread, left a week ago to pursue jobs in Calgary.)  We felt more at home with everyone at farmer's market; it really is more a place for local farmers to socialize and barter than for making an income.

Helmekcen Falls

Saturday mid-morning, we hit the road for a two hour drive to gorgeous Wells Grey Pronvincal Park, a wonderful wilderness saturated with huge waterfalls and untamed beauty.  The three waterfall stops we visited along the road were amazing, with monster sized Helmekcen Falls taking the cake.

With dusk approaching, Kindra and I backpacked into the wilderness, trying to find a campground five miles in on a trail through lush forest ground and thick rising trees.  Fall was all around us; yellow leaves splashed the ground, yet the weather was still pleasant.  Eventually, we reached a rich river on our right, and it followed us until we reached our destination: Murtle River campgrounds.  More of a bunch of flat earth beneath trees than a campsite, and with not a soul in site, we set up camp and soaked in the beauty around us.  What a gift.  It was the most romantic and calm place you could imagine.  The river babbled nearby.  The sunset colors glistened.  Our hearts swelled.

We slept in the open under the stars, laughing and enjoying our special find.  Backpacking is one of my absolute favorite things to do, by the way, simply because of moments like these.  We awoke to a fresh, clear day, and we slammed down a few granola bars and hiked deeper into the wilderness, in search of Majerus Falls.  After an hour's journey, the falls awaited us, more beautiful in my opinion than the others, in part because we had to find it.  And there were no tour buses at there, either.  Just Kindra and I.

Majerus Falls

Later that afternoon, we hiked out of the wilderness and headed back to Eagle Tree Farm.  Part of my heart longed to stay in the wild, to hike, climb and explore a little more.

This week is full of goodbyes, last minute projects, and some horseback riding.  I can't wait to travel on to a four day backpacking trip in Banff National Park!  What lies ahead...

Check out pics of Wells Grey at: https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/WellsGreyProvincalPark

Dawson Falls, on our drive into Wells Grey Park.

Barefoot Wednesday

Do you ever have those days that are simply amazing?  Like it just feels so right and good, and you end the day with such a light and satisfied heart?

Today was one of those days.  We woke up, quickly fed the chickens and watered the gardens.  Then, our big project: harvest the potatoes.

The gardens (there is an upper and a lower) both are stocked full of potato plants.  The plants can produce anywhere from one to eight potatoes, each buried at varied depths along the root.  Harvesting potatoes is like digging for buried treasure.  Your hands are covered in wet mud (well, so are your feet and pants for that matter), and you dig around in the soil after rooting the plant, and then: jackpot!  A large red potato reveals itself, like a piece of gold hidden away.  Sometime you'll even find three or four clustered together.

Kindra and I harvested barefoot.  Wet soil feels so soothing and refreshing between your toes, and I spent the day wandering barefoot, whether drying potatoes in the sun or chasing the chickens back into their pen.  I feel God made us barefoot creatures, connecting to His earth and living like a child running through the fields without a care or worry (what kid ever wants to wear shoes?). 

We worked until mid day, finishing both gardens, and then had a lunch of delicious Mexican grub.  I made a quesadilla with broccoli from the garden (we had fresh kale infused backyard bowls for breakfast, a little taste of Santa Barbara cuisine).  The day was pleasant, cooler than Tuesday and with a soft breeze.  Nap attack came after lunch, and then I canoed carelessly around the lake, soaking in the peace of the trees and colors around me.

Twilight brought orange and yellow hues strewn across the sky.  We successfully got ALL four goats to walk with us through the woods, without too much prodding at all.  It has been a challenge building trust with both the adult and baby goats, but our time spent intentionally petting and being around them has really paid off.  Its like any relationship, trust building is paramount to going deeper.  Heck, if I was a goat, I would be terrified of walking into the woods with a stranger, too!

Kindra is now warming up leftover pasta, Sherry is off working on various projects upstairs, and I am sitting here in our downstairs suite, staring at our tulikivi (fancy fireplace) and breathing in the peace of the day.

What a great journey we are on.

Our Journey Sweetens

As I am writing to you, Kindra and I are sitting with Sherry and a local cattle rancher, Gus, in the upstairs of Eagle Tree Farm main house, talking about cuts of grass fed beef and the drastic changes to the food industry in the last eighty years.  Welcome to our farm life; moments like these are pretty typical.

Gus is one of my favorite people here in 100 Mile House.  Not only is he an absolute cattler to the core (working 12 hour days, and calls us while herding a lost cow through the wilderness), but he has a charming personality, and his diverse vocabulary (a combination of university level English and swear words) and captivating storytelling makes anything he is saying incredibly interesting.

Speaking of Gus, we have met many kind and unique people since our arrival.  There is a real since of community among neighbors (and I use the term liberally when you are dealing with 100+ acre properties), lacking the coldness of the city and instead packed full of interdependence.  As Kindra put it so well earlier, people actually assume an attitude of friendship when meeting someone new.  We feel so at home here.

Earlier today, we worked a half day at the local powerhouse organic farm CEEDS, which produces truckloads of delicious veggies.  We harvested and washed kale, leek, beets, and swiss chard while chatting with local farmers.  It is stinkin' hot up here!  I mean, I know its 'Cariboo Country,' but mid 70s in the day is pleasant, however a bit much for pulling plants the whole afternoon.  Seeking refreshment, Kindra and I walked to a huge lake near CEEDS, and canoed to our heart's content.  Needing a little cool down, I hopped in the lake, and then a moment later gave Kindra a needed push to join me.  We took turns diving off a woodplank platform into the icy lake, smiling and laughing.  This is WWOOFing at its finest.

It's hard to believe we have been here almost a week and a half.  Come October, we plan to head for Banff and other national parks; our time is half way over.  More to come!  Thanks for joining us in this journey.

More pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/EagleTreeFarm

Eagle Tree Farm!!

Eagle Tree Farm thus far is everything we had envisioned, and then some, eh?

     Our first few uncertain moments of being here after pulling in to Sherry's spacious driveway, 20 minutes from town, have turned out to be accurate indicators of what times together are like. We found Cally, the occasionally affectionate farm cat, and Bailey, the champagne, voluptuously thick coated, Wonder Dog, sitting together by the front door waiting for us. As soon as we came in, Bailey ran towards us, tail wagging to greet us, and Cally semi-interested, looked on from the comfort of her chair. Shortly thereafter, our amazing hostess Sherry came out to greet us herself, and as her bright blue, smiling eyes made us feel immediately at home, we knew felt deep down that we had come to a special place.

Cally and Bailey next to the pile of wood we would later chop, welcoming us to Eagle Tree Farm

      Sherry lives at her farm with just Bailey and Cally as housemates in the off seasons when she doesn't have WWOOFers helping her, and she is a remarkable woman. Hers is not an uncommon situation in this area, we have come to find-married at one point, and now running a spacious farm and home mostly on her own. In addition to her considerably large home, she tends to her 26 chickens, 2 young goats (Spirit and Buckey), 2 young sheep (Windy and Dandelion), 2 adult goats (Calysto and Io), and 3 adult sheep, and 2 vegetable and herb gardens-not to mention the several required projects that require tending to on a property this large (160 acres) that experiences such dramatic differences in climate throughout the year. That is one thing we have learned is a BIG source of interest and conversation here in 'The Cariboo' as they call it: the weather. It can reach -40 Farenheit for several weeks at a time, and can get up to 90 in the summertime. As so many people here have produce/herb crops or animals on their property, the weather is not just conversation pieces-it's a valuable and necessary exchange of experience and knowledge that may help each other have a more successful winter than last year. But, I digress-back to Eagle Tree Farm.

Windy, Spirit and Buckey, L-R

The view of the farm from the chicken coop, with the 2 gardens, not shown, on the left

     We have been lucky enough to have a wonderful Irish couple here helping us with the transition of taking over their responsibilities, Katie and Aiden. We have shared the bottom portion of the house with them since our arrival on Monday, having our totally private bedroom and a bathroom we share with them, and will have the area to ourselves once they leave on Sunday. They have become friends and mentors to us city folk, as they show us how to chop wood, care for the animals, and learn which plants are actually intentional and which are weeds. We have shared dinner with them and Sherry every night thus far, a highlight time of the day, and we will be very sad to see them go. Dinner is a time we all get to share our stories and misadventures of the day over candlelight and delicious, carefully selected wine and a 3 course meal, and with the view overlooking the lake as the sun sets over the treeline it doesn't get much better.

Enjoying dinner with Sherry at the head of the table, Katie and Aiden to the right

As I could ramble aimlessly on and on about life here, I'll instead give a brief look at what our first week has been like, as it will likely contain many of the same elements in the remaining 2 or so weeks:

Monday, our arrival day-arrived late afternoon, met Sherry over delicious soup lunch, met Katie and Aiden over vegetable lasagne and salad dinner.

Tuesday-Sherry insisted that we take the first 24 hours completely off, just getting familiar with the farm and what we will be doing. Austin and I followed Katie around in the morning as she fed/watered the chickens and gathered their eggs (the eggs under their butts are SOO warm!!), prepared all the other goats open grazing areas and let them out of the barn for the day, weeded the gardens a little/got to know which plants were what, took all the goats for a walk and relaxed the remainder of the day finishing off with a Frozen Planet episode

Walking the goats with Katie around the lake on property

Wednesday- went through the animal morning routine with Katie, weeded the garden, and had a 'field trip' to a friend of Sherry's farm, Ann. Oooh, Ann-so much can be said about this incredible woman! She has a property over twice the size of Sherry's, which she also runs totally alone if no one is there to help. A main difference is that since Ann doesn't have as large of a home as Sherry, she can't bring WWOOFers to help since she wouldn't have a place to board them. A 63 yr old, born in Scotland raised at a boarding school in England woman, she too had a husband once, and is now happily caring for her MASSIVE herd of sheep, goats and a llama, her stallion horse, Shetland ponies, and several mares with her farm cat and 2 loyal dogs. We helped her erect a huge electric fence, then met up with several 'friends of a friend' at Littlehorse Lodge for dinner, where I have never felt more like a city girl in my entire life. The food was excellent and the company grand, and it was in those moments that for me, I truly realized that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Austin weeding

Thursday-tried to take the goats on a walk, which was wildly unsuccessful (we're in the process of building trust with them now), learned how to chop firewood which I greatly enjoy, took the canoe on the lake, made our signature Indian Curry for dinner with freshly picked potatoes from the garden, and prepared for Market Day in the late afternoon/evening by learning how to make Irish Soda Bread and kale chips.

View of the house and land from the opposite side of the lake in the canoe

Friday, today-opened and manned the booth at Farmer's Market for most of the day, 8-1 or so, and met lovely people from town. Had the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had in my life, and came home for a needed nap. Tried taking the baby goats on a walk by bribing them with food, more successful than previous but still not quite all the way, and took the adult goats on a walk with them fearfully bleating to the other animals and one another the whole time, but the bribery payed off with them and they followed us on our short trust building walk. We're now sitting in our cozy home as Sherry takes Katie and Aiden out for a last meal together before their departure early Sunday morning.

Our booth at Farmers Market. We had kale, kale chips, Irish Soda Bread, Amoretti cookies, eggs and cinnamon rolls

Some of the goodies being sold at our booth

     In all of our spare moments, the peace and joy of the place are slowly seeping into us as we breathe in the Cariboo. Sherry is very insistent that we only work 5 hours a day, which we occasionally ignore to continue helping with needed chores, and we are finding the natural pace of our hearts is adjusting to the slower rhythm of this farm life. Words like 'harvest, tractor, animal feed, and frost warning' are finding their way into our vocabulary and out of just the country songs I first heard them in. The doors of her home are always open to the calling neighbor, and we are greatly enjoying the unhurried nature of the visitors here. I can feel my heart expanding in the expanse of land here, and my hands are joyfully responding to the physical work I am asking them to do.

The view from the back door of our lower portion of the house, where we are staying

     Well, I can hear the baby goats bleating like crazy since it's about time to put them away, so it's time for this lengthy post to end, then for leftover Indian. Until next time, as our Irish friends say frequently, 'Cheers!'

A Few Pics of Our New Home

Rainy Vancouver

So we have finally arrived in at our farm near 100 Mile House, British Columbia, more on that later, but now I want to share about our journey from Portland to Canada.

Our stay in Portland was absolutely amazing.  Loving family, fuzzy kitties, and some good R&R.  Honestly, it was hard to say goodbye, and Kindra and I exchanged sad looks as we packed our car (it is way too full of crap we don't need) and hit the road for a five hour drive to Vancouver.  I dunno if you have been to Vancouver, but in my opinion it is ok, but not nearly as cool as Victoria.  We stopped at a free Chinese garden in a run down part of town, skipped over to a closed Cathedral, and then drove through the HUUUGE Stanley Park (beautiful and scenic, though lacking in free parking).  And then, as the rain clouds loomed and growled, we drove an hour north to Alice Lake Provincal Park, for one of the worst nights of sleep of our trip.

Now, don't get me wrong, Alice Park was gorgeous; our tent site was in a mossy forest next to a picturesque lake.  But.....it was raining.  And a bit cold.  We cooked organic canned lentil soup in the rain (picture Kindra holding an umbrella over a camp stove while I struggle with the burner and stir the soup).  We ate dinner in the car, smiling and laughing about how we were definitely getting a portion of our trip vision fulfilled: the unpredictable and uncomfortable.  Post grub, we set up our pop-up "waterproof" 1.5 person tent and crawled in to get warm.  Rain pattering on the roof, I hit somewhat of a breakdown, and realized that as adventurous as I think I am, being wet, cold and without a comfy bed was very difficult for me.  I felt homeless, lost without a base to call home, stuck in no man's land between a life in Santa Barbara with familiar places and our future temporary home at a farm!  Kindra comforted me through my tears, and I felt God speaking to my heart of the home I have with Him, a place that does not change no matter where I live or who I have as friends.  Release came in this, as I realized my identity did not need to come from the physical home I had.  Ready to call it a night, I fell asleep for a little while Kindra battled the increasing condensation dripping on our faces.  By the middle of the night, our sleeping bags were wet, our clothes laying on the edges of the tent were soaked, and we were just trying to squeeze in a few Zzzzs.

Fortunately, morning came and the rain disappeared.  We managed to pile our soaking wet clothes and gear in the car and hit the road for our unknown farm adventure ahead.  Kindra drove the five hours there, passing uber slow motor homes on hairpin turn roads :)  We soaked in the beauty of the Canadian landscape, and pondered what our farm experience would be like.  What would Sherry be like?  Would we fit in to farm life?  Would we look like silly city folk with our soaked tent and clothes?

Link to our album of trip part of the trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/EagleTreeFarmCanada?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Portlandia

....or rather, Portland!  (Portlandia is an absolutely hilarious show about Portland's quirks; the show's subtitle is 'the dream of the 90's is alive in Portland,' which is totally true)

We have been staying with my (Austin) dad's sister and family here.  They have a lovely home with a huuugge backyard and three fuzzy kitties.

 

Besides lots of sleeping in and recharging from our 14 hour drive day San Francisco to Portland, we have also had plenty of time to catch up with with family.  My cousin Julie still lives at home, and getting to see her has been a major blast to the past.  Julie and I recounted memories of sleeping out on the trampoline under the Oregon sky, an epic trip to Washington DC as kids, and many adventurous family reunions.  The time in Portland has been so recharging and enjoyable, to the point that Kindra and I decided to stay a few extra days :)

Today is Friday, and it is Kindra's 25th birthday!!!  (A quarter century, right?  I am looking into retirement homes for her, any suggestions? :)  We hit the road for a hiking adventure in the Columbia Gorge, one of Portland's great beauties.  First stop, the Oneonta Gorge, where a 0.3 mile hike along a creek and through chest deep water in a canyon led to a gorgeous eighty or so foot waterfall with a swimming hole to boot.  Of course, Kindra and I did the hike barefoot, and paid for it with painful steps along the way.  But the waterfall was more than worth it, and we swam in the frigid water by the falls to our heart's content.  The highlights included swimming under the waterfall and climbing behind it, and Kindra scaling a rock wall nearby with a rewarding ten foot jump.  Sooooo fun.  We then hiked/jogged along a trail at Multnomah Falls, and came back into town for a sushi dinner with a giant 'Samari Boat' of food and cake afterwards for Kindra :)  Tomorrow we will stay in Portland, and then head to Vancouver Sunday and spend the night camping in the mountains nearby. Monday leads us to 100 Mile House British Columbia, where our stay with Sherry at Eagle Tree Farm begins!

A great stop on the way to Portland was Crater Lake.  Breathtaking.

Here's a link to more pictures from our SF and Portland trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/RoadTripSFAndPortlandia

San Francisco

     We drove from my dad’s house in Calabasas to stay with friends from college who also lived in Turkey, the Harman’s. On our way up we made a quick stop to see some extended relatives, Dick and Penny Walters, in Shell Beach, quickly followed by a lunch date with Austin's grandpa Bill and aunt Cori in SLO. After evening #1 of Turkey reminiscing and remembering (if you happen to be in Izmir, you may want to stay away from karisik sandwiches for a day or 2 unless you have a pretty strong stomach), we were ready to explore the city the next morning.

Our brief visit with Dick and Penny Walters in Shell Beach

     It turned out to be a visit full of different people, which was great fun. We met up with Austin’s brother Gavin at a hole in the wall pizza place first, which was great. A beloved friend, old college roommate and bridesmaid from my wedding, Alyssa, and her boyfriend Thulfaqar came up from San Jose to spend the afternoon with us, and we had an absolute blast! We just walked around Golden Gate Park, but little did we know that Golden Gate Park is: a) massive, apparently apx 3 miles b) inspiringly beautiful and c) super duper random. Between open air concert areas, museums, Japenese Gardens, Botanical Gardens, mini yacht clubs, waterfalls and a bison range-yes, a bison range-we could have easily spent the entire day there just walking around and being surprised at every turn with what random, awesome thing was there. The 2 or so hours we ended up being there was still totally worth it though, especially since none of us had ever been there before.

Catching up with Austin's brother Gavin

Alyssa and I by one of the random waterfalls in Golden Gate Park

 

The Park crew outside the entrance to the Japanese Gardens, which was sadly not free admission-aka not for the McRobbie's

Seriously, bison!!!

     We finished the SF leg with a delicious dinner at the Harman’s, and a college friend Liz joined us. With deep conversations about what’s going on in our lives, what God is teaching us, and Austin and I monologuing for perhaps too long about how excited we are for this trip, it was a perfect ending to our SF adventures. The whole day affirmed what we already knew, that no matter where you are, or what you’re doing, doing it with friends makes it that much more satisfying and rich, and it potently reminded me that people are so valuable and worth every moment of investment. 

The lovely couple we stayed with, the Harman's, although Liz was taking the picture so wasn't in this one

      Despite getting off to a 1 1/2 hr delay leaving the city-thankfully Austin asked where our electronics bag was, I wouldn’t have noticed it was gone until we reached Portland instead of us just heading back to the apartment after about 20 minutes-we had a great visit. So overall, SF proved to be as stereotypical as you could hope, with ridiculous parking difficulties and restrictions, random shouting people and crazy traffic; but also with wonderful unexpected surprises like genuinely helpful and kind local strangers helping us avoid parking tickets, and the diamond in the rough Golden Gate Park. We left wonderful refreshed, ready for all Portland has to offer.

Here's a link to more pictures of our time in San Francisco: https://picasaweb.google.com/117860913937238604610/RoadTripSFAndPortlandia