Week 26 - Oregon - June 23 - June 29, 2025

This week I spent a lot of time in the woods - digging up weeds and walking for endurance.  One of the Ponderosa Pines we planted years ago...on the edge of the canyon... was doing badly, and we needed to tie it up.  Tyler helped us and, hopefully, it will grow straight and tall.

The biggest event of the week is that Dad was able (with the help of Tyler) to get the old flue out of the chimney.  Days - even weeks - had preceded this day's victory.

The hole in the chimney in the basement.

The hole is full of sharp points of the elbow

Tyler and Dad checking out the hole

Ya gotta love vermiculite on the floor.

The HOOK tied on to a rope is finally placed on the flue and the rope goes up the chimney.  The two pull really hard on the rope.

Victory!!!

All that remains is to go to the chimney flue place and place on order for a replacement.

FRIDAY - I went to Silver Falls State Park to walk the Trail of Ten Falls. It is a five mile loop and I thought it'd be a good training hike, carrying my 22 pound pack.  It is a beautiful place, the falls beautiful, and there were a bizillion people.  Really, I think I prefer wilderness trails where you can enjoy a bit of solitude

The trails were all hard surface trails...like super packed earth with a layer of gravel.  If legs were stressed!  I prefer mountain soil even if there may be roots or snags on the trail.

I did i!!

SATURDAY 

We went to three cemeteries taking photos for Find A Grave.  I was really proud of Dad who didn't let an old unreadable tombstone hinder his efforts to find the proper grave site.

In one of the upstairs bedrooms I built some shelves (with blocks and boards) in the nook.  I now will be able to transfer many boxes of photos and FH information and move this work area up from the basement.

SUNDAY - on my daily walk I decided to dig up all of the thistles I could find on West Slope.

I saw my first snake of the summer - about as thick as a fat pencil.

The cats had a big night.