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 Trust me, it gets hot in that gear! |  Downtown Portland at night |  The new tractor is delivered! Wow! |
| After the stair climb we met up again before Steve headed back to Portland. Then Tim and Vic and I went to the Pike Street Brewing restaurant (see any theme here?) where we ate dinner, but drank no beer (surprise?). We were later joined by Greg from Mercer. He had been riding his horse that weekend and had just gotten my e-mail. It was good to see him as it had been quite a while since we last met. After catching up for an hour or so it was time to head out. I took Vic to the airport for his flight back to Spokane so he could be at work the next morning. On the way into SeaTac we got to see the ATC tower, already being pulled apart by cranes after being devastated by the earthquake. The first real damage we had seen. Makes ya realize how bad it could have been if the quake had happened closer to the surface. With Vic on his way, I headed to Portland. I had the week off and was going to Steve's to stay at his farm outside Portland. It's a beautiful area and it reminds me of home back in New England. So green! It was a shock to feel so warm and see cherry trees in full bloom. After sneaking in after midnight, I awoke the next morning to Steve making coffee. He had already been up and out on the farm since long before I awoke. Lucky for me it had rained quite a bit that weekend and the ground was too wet to do much on the farm. I got to ride around with Steve and see how some aspects of the farm operate. It's a year round 'truck farm' growing fresh vegetables and lots of rhubarb. I got a small taste of the reward Steve gets in working with the earth along with his extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. What an idyllic day, the sun was shining and hardly a cloud in the sky. Mt Hood stood watch in the distance, as if to monitor how the earth was tended. Steve told me of stories he was writing about how the Mountain would speak to those that could hear. Being a transplant here I am awed by his connection to the land and how his ancestors came to be there. |
 The fields starting to sprout |  Turnips await delivery |  The packing shed |
April 8th, 2001
| Another weekend up at High Mt. Ranch found buddy Juan visiting from California for the first time. All of the NW Posse enjoyed meeting Juan and we hope to make him the newest permanent member of the NW Posse. Good luck on your job search in the beautiful NorthWest, we'd enjoy having you closer! After a late friday, red-eye drive from Seattle, most of the Posse settled in to help Tim finish burning slash piles that we started last fall before the first snow. Although it has stayed chilly, all the snow is gone. And with Mikey’s and Chase’s motivation, we were able to get the project finished. Thanks to all that helped out, Tim appreciates all your efforts to keep things goin’! the weekend's guests included Bob from the Seattle area, Chris and Bob from Seattle, Andy and Vic, bud Juan from California's San Joaquin Valley, our host Tim and his boarder Mikey, Chase from northern California, best buddy Tom from Seattle, and stopping by from the Spokane area for Sunday night's dinner, Kevin and Dixie. |
 Andy, Juan and Vic |  Tim and Juan |  Tim tries to escape, silly boy.... |
| I was talking to a friend recently and he expressed some concern over people getting the wrong impression of 'who we are' by the name of this site. I guess some people could read the title and think 'Militant Government Haters?' or 'Vigilante Mob?'. But after giving it some thought I have decided to stay with the name. If they can't take the time to read the 'Who We Are' page and get some idea of what we are about, then maybe they have other social issues to work out... I like to say that this is 'Your' site but it is really 'Our' site. And what is it really? It's a way for me to tell you about the world happening around me. A way for other people to feel that they are not alone in their values and what they enjoy in life. I won't go way into the meaning of 'Posse' and 'the Cowboy Way', heck, I haven't ridden a 'horse' since a pony ride at the fair when I was a kid. But the values are the same. At 7 years the West has become my adopted home. I think the Old Values applied to this New Frontier of the Electronic Age is a good metaphor. Just remember it's all just 1's and 0's. What really matters still is the way we treat people and expect them to treat us. So this page will remain the NorthWest Posse, and if ya can't deal with the metaphors git the hell outta the kitchen. Come on people, lighten up! |
| I some times forget I even own a camera and have to be reminded to by Vic to use it. In the coming months you can expect a slew of pics from time soon to be spent out in the back country. I have enrolled in the Spokane Mountaineers' Mountain School. It consists of indoor classes on rock climbing, backpacking, glacier travel, and other mountaineering skills combined with weekends spent in the outdoors practicing these skills. I'm looking forward to spending time on both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Athabasca up in B.C. Also Tim is cooking up plans for a summer shindig at his place. It will be the weekend of July 20-22 and I will keep everyone posted on details as they are worked out. Right now we are thinking of limiting it to the first 100 that get money in once we have an amount figured out. It will be a camping event unless you supply your own RV. So far we have decided on the price covering breakfast on Saturday, dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Also live music by a famous country act to be announced. Other things to do in the area include floating on the Pend Orielle River (bring your inner tube and your inner child). |
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