Stage Two

Rad

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Movies Are Becoming Collages of Other Movies

So The Matrix, I Am Legend, and Blade 2 were all hanging out in the park.....

First Stage of Restoration

Yosh

Who wants to go see Thao and the Get Down Stay Down in Spokane on the 24th? New album's out, and here's the first video from it that I know of.

Hiking

We're heading down to the Seven Devils this afternoon for one last trip before the snows come. Weather's looking pretty bad, rain and under 50 degrees, but that's what Gore-Tex and goose down are for. Enjoy these pictures until we get back.

Stream That, Out on the Flo

The new Avett Brothers album, I and Love and You, is currently streaming for free on the NPR website. I've given it a single, distracted listening and my initial concerns remain; too tame, too ballad-y without the usual gripping lyrics and hooks that make their previous Gleam EPs soooo good. I'm definitely going to be listening to this a lot for the 7 days that it'll be up on NPR, and hopefully I'll discover the hidden gold.

Photo cred to Volker Neumann, who I found on flickr.

Mo' Building

Thanks to a flexible farm and cleaning schedule I've been able to take on a few extra projects this summer/fall. This here's the shop I'm lending a hand to just outside of Princeton, ID. We worked on the rafters most of the past few weeks, and last Thursday I cut and placed the blocking between trusses in order to connect each independent section of the roof together.

Something wild about building that I've been made more aware of recently is the strength of small things in large numbers. That roof is divided into five separate bays, each of which is only supported by what's under it with no side to side support. The blocking I'm putting in consists of an 8 inch piece of 2x8 secured by 4 nails. Looking at the thing you realize it's smaller than your dinner plate. But when you place 20 of them in good spots, it's all of a sudden bomb-proof. Neato.

Project Update

The Woodshed. Is there a better DIY project for the American male living the great Northwest? There can't be.

I'm trying to go super cheap with my materials but super classy with my style. Reading lots of homesteader's books on building has grown a certain fascination with wood-joining, so I did a bit of notching for my support braces. Greg Albrecht also introduced me to the wonderful world of building with timber poles cut yourself, which I used for the front braces. So far I've only spent money on the lag screws, washers, and 4 ten-foot 2x4s. Next step is the rafters, which I started cutting with birds-mouth notches today. We're hoping for 3 cords to fit in this bad boy. Exciiiiiiting.

Rainier, Round 2

So we're back and alive from our Mt. Rainier attempt. Once again blessed with (mostly) great weather, we had a great group push for the summit last week. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves for now, maybe a full post to come. But, you know...

Leapin'

New Avett Brothers

This is a shot from the Portland show we went to back in May, not taken by me. Credit goes to Jonathan Colman for the good eye. The REAL news is the free new single posted here at Spinner. I'm still a little unsure about the Butch Vig produced album that's due out soon, but hey, it's the Avett Brothers.

There is Beauty, Though Cliche, in the Mundane

It Lives

Interesting tidbit over at the (re-opened!) Cedar Room.

Weeds as Icebergs

This little guy is pretty typical for thistle. A little nub poking out of the dirt, and five times that underground. The barn is in the shot for scale.

So far summer squash, cucumbers, broccoli, pumpkins, sweet corn, sweet peas, and pole, goldrush, black turtle, and anasazi beans have started showing themselves. It still seems a little like magic, to just poke some hard little lumps into the ground and see (roughly) orderly little greenies pushing up.

Produce won't be ready for another month or so, but start looking for us around the beginning of July at the farmer's market selling "natural beef." It would've obtained the coveted Organic label, but there aren't any organic certified butcher shops around. Other than that, the cattle are all grass-fed on pasture that's been certified organic, so unless the butchers are injecting the beef with, I don't know, CFCs or something, you're basically getting organic beef.

Palouse Organics is the name, Frank Hill is the man behind it, and LaVon and Grace Wagler are heading up the operation. And I'm the gardener.

Feel Like You're in a Photo Rut?

Well just stick an inchworm onto some beer labels and tequila bar coasters! Walla!