# Our "Summer" So Far



## slowp (Jul 17, 2011)

Well, this kind of says how it has been. I did this during a dry minute.

[video=youtube_share;KA3fAHSTxlg]http://youtu.be/KA3fAHSTxlg[/video]


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## paccity (Jul 17, 2011)

ya, tis the norm. but it grows nice sticks . it's ben doing that all day.


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## Humptulips (Jul 17, 2011)

Well, It's not the norm. It used to be one could actually expect to see the sun occasionally in July.
As of the middle of June we had broke 95 inches of rain for the year. I haven't checked lately but I'm sure we are well beyond a 100" by now.
My strawberries are roting on the vine and my corn is three inches high. The brush is growing by leaps and bounds though, grass too.


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## paccity (Jul 17, 2011)

your right. your a little n & w of me . prob get socked in a little harder. we had a dry 4th now it's payback. and acording to the powers that be it's fire season allready. and we will prob have a hot dry fall.


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## slowp (Jul 17, 2011)

The slugs are thriving.


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## forestryworks (Jul 17, 2011)

Must be nice. I'm moving there when I graduate again


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## RandyMac (Jul 18, 2011)

We have a few damp days this week, today included. The rainfall figures came in for the 2010/11 rainfall year ending June 30th. They show 82 inches at the Crescent City Harbor station, 123% of normal. It seems the rain starts sooner, ends later. Average temps have been running 4-6 degrees cooler, it took longer for the sea temps to rise too. I want to move to Weott.


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## Joe46 (Jul 18, 2011)

Well that chart set me straight. I "thought' I was plain azz wet. But I now know I'm just extremely "moist":biggrin:


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## madhatte (Jul 18, 2011)

Noticed today on the way in to work that a bunch of (non-native) black locust trees planted in my neighborhood are beginning to turn yellow. It certainly isn't due to drought, so I can only guess that the trees have decided that it's Fall already.


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## Samlock (Jul 18, 2011)

_Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
_
- Sam Coleridge

Have you noticed that the water gets absorbed straight through your skin too? While you are working whole day in the rain, you don't need to drink a drop, yet you need piss all the time.


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## slowp (Jul 18, 2011)

Samlock said:


> _Water, water, every where,
> And all the boards did shrink;
> Water, water, every where,
> Nor any drop to drink.
> ...



Um, not really.

My upside down tomato plants are turning yellow and not looking so good. I think I shall plant more lettuce.


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## RandyMac (Jul 18, 2011)

This afternoon's weather, 60 degrees, pissin' down rain.


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## Joe46 (Jul 19, 2011)

Heard on KOMO TV that we've had 78 minutes of 80 degree temps so far this summer. That's it. That's for the Seattle area.


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## bigbadbob (Jul 19, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> This afternoon's weather, 60 degrees, pissin' down rain.


I think you have been sending that my way too!!!:hmm3grin2orange:


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## RandyMac (Jul 19, 2011)

We are off to Grants Pass on this misty day.


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## slowp (Jul 19, 2011)

I am off to Morton.  
It is a cloudy morning here. I need to see if they have lettuce seeds at the home center.


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## Samlock (Jul 19, 2011)

Managed to get myself a weather sticker. I'm learning.

You PNW people don't have to worry about sunburns or skin cancer or dehydration. Just remember to take your vitamin D and you'll be alright.


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## slowp (Jul 19, 2011)

Samlock said:


> Managed to get myself a weather sticker. I'm learning.
> 
> You PNW people don't have to worry about sunburns or skin cancer or dehydration. Just remember to take your vitamin D and you'll be alright.



Actually, I hear we do get a lot of skin cancer because we tend to run out in a hurry to be in the sun, without hats or sunscreen or whatever...I know I do. 

How do you do a weather sticker? I want one. Please.


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## RandyMac (Jul 19, 2011)

We left the coast early this morning in a heavy mist, light rain started at the tunnel. By the time we hit the Illinois Valley it was full on rain, that lasted to Wonder, Grants Pass was mostly dry. The drive home was nice, fluffy clouds, warm sun. We got a third of an inch overnight, my lawn is shin deep, it should be dry and brown by now. Looks like it is drying up for my workweek.

Castlerock is still green instead of bird poop grey.


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## mdavlee (Jul 19, 2011)

So far this summer hasn't been quite as hot as last summer. It's getting back into the upper 90s again. I would love to have summer time temps in the 70s for the most part. I wouldn't start sweating at 5:30 in the morning walking into work.:msp_thumbdn:


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## Gologit (Jul 20, 2011)

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 40.07°N and Longitude 121.56°W (Elev. 4822 ft)

Cooler than usual. Nice.


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## Samlock (Jul 20, 2011)

slowp said:


> How do you do a weather sticker? I want one. Please.


 
That's simple enough. Here's the link: Welcome to Weather Underground : Weather Underground

First step is to type your location in the search box and click "search". Now it should direct you to your local site. Up there, right below the time and date, there should be an option "Make this location a weather sticker". Click on it, and you'll have several different kinds of sticker styles. Choose the one you like by clicking it, then you'll have a looong piece of code. Don't worry about it, you don't have to have a clue, just copy and paste the piece of code on you signature.


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## slowp (Jul 20, 2011)

Thanks. It worked!


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## RandyMac (Jul 20, 2011)

YAY! We have a summer day!
Which on the coast means 55 degrees and fog to the ground.


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## madhatte (Jul 20, 2011)

We had fire yesterday... in the rain. Weird.


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## RandyMac (Jul 20, 2011)

During the drought of 1975/76 we fought fires until February, had a month and half break and went right back to it. We were on the road so much, we had to hit the Ione Regional Center twice for refits, including a new engine for the bus. It was a grand tour of Northern California.


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## madhatte (Jul 20, 2011)

"Traveling much in Concord", as it were.


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## slowp (Jul 20, 2011)

I am gardening, instead of going on a huckleberry scouting hike, because it looked and felt like rain and all the weather reports said we were in for a wet day. I am gardening, in the sun. The front flower bed has never looked so good. 

And yes, you can transplant wild daisies. I had read where transplanting daisies is not recommended. I think it was in Sunset. Well, they lied. 

I also planted more peas and lettuce. That way, I now predict we shall have Summer and the new planting will not do well. Thank you.


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## wyk (Jul 20, 2011)

Not a huge difference goin' from Oregon to Ireland, well except Oregon actually has a summer 

Here we have both kinds of weather - overcast and rain.

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zWH_HYZJfHY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## 2dogs (Jul 20, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> During the drought of 1975/76 we fought fires until February, had a month and half break and went right back to it. We were on the road so much, we had to hit the Ione Regional Center twice for refits, including a new engine for the bus. It was a grand tour of Northern California.


 
I remember those years quite well. I was in the cow chasing business during the summers which means water is all important. I remember one of our drilled wells was in a river bed and the water level dropped 26 feet and burned out the pump. We had to check every trough several times each day. The most beautiful girl in the world lived next door to us, she was a ranched raised gun toting, skirt wearing...wait what was I talking about...oh yeah anyway she left the water running one day and drained our 14,000 gallon drinking water tank. We were the last tank on the 30+ mile water line and got by with just a trickle that filled the tank constantly. After the most beautiful girl in the world let the tank run dry the only way to shower was to walk down to the tank and shower under a short piece of garden hose. We all lived uphill from the tank which was on big stilts. We only had a few psi during a good year. I think it took a couple of weeks to fill the tank during that dought. The cattle water was overflow from the drinking water tank into a 250,000 gallon open top tank. We almost drained that tank too. The place we lived was an old oil pumping station from 1906, there were 3 houses standing. I split my time between there, a 7,000 acre ranch 7 miles away and Santa Cruz. Life was perfect even during 1977 when we were in the ashfall from the Marble-Cone fire.


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## RandyMac (Jul 20, 2011)

I'm guessin' you kept tabs on that female.

Marble-Cone aka Ventana Complex, spent 10 days there, rugged ass terrain, burnt hot, burnt clean in places. I broke in new pair of boots there, came close to giving them the toss afterwards.
That drought mostly ended in the spring of '77, at least the north end of the state. In some repects, it's effects linger on, water conservation really kicked in during that time.


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## 2dogs (Jul 20, 2011)

Yeah the drought was much worse in '76 but even a good year there was only 16" of rain. Droughts heal slowly in that country. We had a crushing snowfall in January of 1974 that left a tremendous amount of down dead fuel. I was clearing lines for PG&E (Pacific Graft & Extorsion) 2 weeks after I got my first Chainsaw. I never thought about the fuel loading while crunching around in the snow clearing the transmission lines.

The most beautiful girl in the world moved to Southern California and attending college on a scholarship. She studied cosmetology. (I guess that makes her an 'ologist, ha). The derndest thing though... I can't remember her name. I wonder if she still has the necklace I gave her.


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## MNTAINGAL23 (Jul 21, 2011)

I didn't even bother to plant a garden this year. Last year the seeds rotted in the ground. My Rhubarb plant is going crazy with all the rain. It has grown from one plant to 3 big ones. The leaves are like 3 feet across.
The Raspberry bushes are full of berries, but hope to get sun to ripen them. Last year the bears around here went hungry because the blackberries rotted before they ripened. Never seen so many green berries in September. This weather sure makes sleeping at night comfortable.


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## Cedarkerf (Jul 24, 2011)

*Look its summer today*

Look what we can see Patty does this mean its summer for 2 or 3 days? I love the shirt Janis wearing


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## slowp (Jul 24, 2011)

Where are the vicious bears? I had to come into the house. My thermometer say 85 in the shade and the deerflies are out for revenge. Deerflies at home, whoda thunk it? 

Summer is here today!

Here's The Used Dog defying death on a cornice on Friday.





View attachment 191938


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## Cedarkerf (Aug 8, 2011)

*Kind of summer*

Went up to knap sack pass with JM yesterday snow started around 4500 feet then we got fogged in on way down the mountain was socked in.View attachment 193465
View attachment 193466
View attachment 193467
View attachment 193468
View attachment 193469


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## slowp (Aug 8, 2011)

Looks nice. I have to let my blood supply recover from camping in a mosquito patch, and then The Used Dog and I will go exploring again. 

It is a banner year for skeeters. Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. :msp_ohmy:


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## madhatte (Aug 8, 2011)

How odd: the wet unit burned good today, and the dry unit barely burned at all. Can't make heads nor tails of this stuff.


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## forestryworks (Aug 8, 2011)

Cedarkerf said:


>


 
That looks like a dream! Nice country and nice picture!

I like that shirt, too.


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## OregonSawyer (Aug 8, 2011)

Just to even things out....

It hasn't gotten above 65* here today. (At about 500 ft)


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## 2dogs (Aug 8, 2011)

slowp said:


> Looks nice. I have to let my blood supply recover from camping in a mosquito patch, and then The Used Dog and I will go exploring again.
> 
> It is a banner year for skeeters. Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. :msp_ohmy:


 
We are just starting the second week of the annual flood control project in the river channel and all anyone talks about is the bugs. I'm not exaggerating when I say there are zillions of bugs! The swallows are flying constantly right above our heads. They are beginning to look like bumble bees and I am expecting them to start dropping out of the sky because they are too fat to fly.

On the good side the temps are cooler than in years past. A kid who worked with us 5 years ago came by on his skateboard and said he thought it seemed cooler than the year he worked. It may just be the breeze that lingers all day long but I like it.


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## hammerlogging (Aug 8, 2011)

forestryworks said:


> That looks like a dream! Nice country and nice picture!
> 
> I like that shirt, too.



Incredible scenery no doubt! Beautiful.


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## slowp (Aug 8, 2011)

The fog is moving in. I like that.


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## RandyMac (Aug 8, 2011)

slowp said:


> The fog is moving in. I like that.


 
You want some of our's?

The "marine layer" aka drizzley ass fog has been worth an 1/8" in the gauge almost every day.
We do see some 60 watt sun in the afternoon about every third day.


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## paccity (Aug 8, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> You want some of our's?
> 
> The "marine layer" aka drizzley ass fog has been worth an 1/8" in the gauge almost every day.
> We do see some 60 watt sun in the afternoon about every third day.


 
sea fog.


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## RandyMac (Aug 9, 2011)

paccity said:


> sea fog.


 
If it was any thicker, I could catch snapper off my lawn.


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## Gologit (Aug 9, 2011)

It's been a mild summer on our side of the hill. Temps have stayed in the low 90s. Really, that's mild for here in August.


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## Gologit (Aug 9, 2011)

It's been a mild summer on our side of the hill. Temps have stayed in the low 90s. Really, that's mild for here in August. No big fires yet, either, and some of the creeks that are usually dry by now still have water.


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## Cedarkerf (Aug 9, 2011)

Im not sure if weve broke 80 degrees more than twice not sure if weve even done that. Sure makes for a pleasant summer especiely for sleeping.


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## slowp (Aug 9, 2011)

Haaarrrrrrrrrrrh. There be a good gale blowin' and bringin' the fog back in. If the dog don't bark and the phone don't ring, might be a good night to get some shuteye....Haaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrh. 

Saw some really cute pirate shoes this weekend. A little 14 month old girl had black shoes with the pirate skull on them. But they were girl pirates because the skulls had pink bows attached. Pirate fashions, who'da thunk it.


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## RandyMac (Aug 30, 2011)

Our turn for a howling gale, looks and feels like November, without the rain.


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## forestryworks (Aug 30, 2011)

My folks called earlier this afternoon... 95 days of above 100 degrees this year. New record.


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## slowp (Aug 30, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> Our turn for a howling gale, looks and feels like November, without the rain.



Will we see you on the weather channel? 

I am glad it cooled off. The bees are slow. I discovered a ground nest. I am waiting a bit and will have to take care of them. They are in the middle of a project area. 

Now, go to the store and buy bread, milk and bleach. I have no idea why, but that seems to be the thing to do. :smile2:


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## RandyMac (Aug 30, 2011)

Probably not, just a fairweather gale, sure roughed up the ocean. To the east and north, there are frost warnings, the Siskiyous and the upper Klamath Basin are going to have a chilly night.


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## paccity (Aug 30, 2011)

don't think it broke 70 today , cooller tomarow. nice to litely work in.


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## Humptulips (Aug 30, 2011)

Was at our annual Trappers Rendezvous this weekend at Omak. 97 degrees and when I got home 54 degrees so 43 degree differential east side to west side. A shock to the system that hot weather for me.


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## 2dogs (Aug 30, 2011)

Yesterday the 29th our fishwrapper reported 26 days of fog in August. I have no idea why they did not wait till the first or second of September to write the article. "Our" paper sucks. Anyway I was really grateful for how long the fog hung around each day. It outlasted our veg management project and is still showing up each night now that we are in a fuels reduction contract. We have another short contract next week. I will keep doing my fog dance.


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## teatersroad (Aug 30, 2011)

Humptulips said:


> Was at our annual Trappers Rendezvous this weekend at Omak. 97 degrees and when I got home 54 degrees so 43 degree differential east side to west side. A shock to the system that hot weather for me.


 
seems like a bigger difference than usual this year. Been hot here for awhile, lot's of fires burning in Central Oregon.


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## madhatte (Aug 31, 2011)

Tomorrow's supposed to be the last cool day here for a bit. Great. I just got the green light to go back to work, in a highly-limited capacity, and now I gotta miss out on a couple MORE weeks of haz pay and OT? I'll be scratching at my own eyes by Friday! 

(err, that is, scratching with my left hand, as the right one is still in a cast for the foreseeable future)


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## RandyMac (Aug 31, 2011)

Left hand? How sinister!


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## madhatte (Aug 31, 2011)

That was terrible. I wish I could un-read whatever necessary to make it so I didn't get that joke.

(got three guffaws, a chuckle, and an "oh god" outta that one)


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## dave k (Aug 31, 2011)

We have had a wet / cold unpredictable summer, it's only the end of Aug and all the broadleafs are turning their leafs which is about 5/6 early. On the radio couple of days ago there was a quip about hurricance Irene, it had been downgraded again to an " Irish summer " The front seat of my jeep looks like charity shop clothes bin, waterproof jackets, spare shirts, fleece's I'm looking forward to winter at least I know what to expect ! All that said it's a nice clear morning and I can see Mt Snowden across the sea in Wales a two and a half hour ferry trip away so maybe a good day in store. All of you have a good safe day.


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## Samlock (Sep 4, 2011)

Autumn is here! Lingonberry season, mushroom season and of course hunting season. Bear hunting started 20th of August - I think they've got 70 licences to kill on the area. I'm not a bear killer, never took a shot on one. I predict all I will do this autumn is a grouse or two, maybe a goose if ran into one. I'm just too tired to run around the woods with an rifle.

I had a good mate during the summer. I worked most of the summer within few square kilometers just 15-20 kilometers out of town. A bear left his marks everywhere. I noticed fresh tracks, messed up ant's nests and rotten logs he'd been rolling during the night, and sometimes I felt his eyes on my back. We got along really good. A fellow living in the area said he's a big boy over 500 pounds of weight: He saw the bear chasing a moose last spring. On 19th of August I saw the last track of him: A big pile of fresh berry crap he'd dropped on a road. After that, nothing. The bear hunters have walked their dogs in the area without any result, he's gone. The local fellow told me the big boy does that every year. As soon as the shooting starts, he'll run behind the border of Russia to hibernate and comes back the next spring.


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## teatersroad (Sep 8, 2011)

last week I was scraping my windshield in the a.m., feeling like fall. Now we're IFPL III, for I think the first time this year - and it's September. Kinda odd.


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## Gologit (Sep 8, 2011)

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 39.14°N and Longitude 121.05°W (Elev. 2194 ft)

This means a high probability of dry lightning for our area. Our summer so far has been relatively mild and we haven't had any bad fires in a couple of years....now comes the reckoning.

I've been off work this week but that's about to change.


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## madhatte (Sep 9, 2011)

Grrr. We've had several fires in the last few days, one on the margin of one of my sales, but my injury has kept me at radio's length from the action. Color me frustrated (and short on oats and haz pay).


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## Samlock (Sep 10, 2011)

Autumn has it's downs too. Yesterday I had to go to a doctor. The last visit was over 3 years ago when a whipper broke my ear... My throat began to swell and threatened to close down my air. Well, I took the fast drive from the bush to the emergency room. The medicine man examined me, the only thing was his vocabulary wasn't wide enough that he could understand I was telling him about the forests and what I do. He couldn't speak any other civil language either for being a Frenchie. OK, my French is all insults and other obscenities, but he knew his trade. He ran some tests and most of all he found a tiny biting mark of a "little flying animal" on my throat. It wasn't a wasp or a yellow jacket, that I would have noticed for sure. A shot of cortisone and antihistamine opened the wind pipe alright. And passed me out like a candle in the wind.

On my list of suspects this bug holds the number one:







We call it a "moose fly". They emerge late July-early August and keep flying until October. Their bites hasn't done me any harm before, but it's not unusual among the forest workers that after prolonged exposure one may get allergic to their bites - and I'm afraid that has happened to me now. I know some fellers who had to retire from the woods because of that.


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## RandyMac (Sep 10, 2011)

I have heard that same thing about prolonged exposure and have seen it in others. I was told on one of my ER visits (not insect related) that after years of getting away with multiple stings, that an allergic reaction could occur without warning. The same ER Doc believed that my fast metabolic rate converted venom rapidly, so I suffered little compared to others. I will admit to feeling a bit woozy once after soaking up more than 10 stings at one time.
The Scorpion in the shirt sleeve was another story, had to sit and think about that for awhile.


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## floyd (Sep 10, 2011)

Yup & we could all wake up dead tomorrow morning. If your body was stressed out multiple yellow jacket stings/bites could kill you.
.

I uncovered 2 little scorpions this spring. First I have seen "here" in 20 yr.


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## RandyMac (Sep 10, 2011)

Those little brown Scorps have quite a pop to them, noticable.


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## floyd (Sep 10, 2011)

I have learned some things in life can be adequately experienced by reading about it. Therefore I did not antanogize the one that lived.


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## RandyMac (Sep 10, 2011)

I have a permanent memory of that event, a Scorpion's venom contains neurotoxins and enzyme inhibitors, meaning it attacks the nerves and tissue. It took awhile to heal the wound, the nerves still react, Annie pinches me there and it smarts.
The little bastard went up my sleeve when I was digging out a bunch of crap, from under a blown down second growth Redwood. I had snagged an extra set of chokers to help out and get logs out of my way. When I stood up and yanked the choker tight, the son of a ##### jabbed me on the back of bicep. I pinched it in the cloth and wadded it up. I shook it and a quarter pound of misc debris out of my sleeve, it was 3 inches long, the choker setter was more upset than I was. Oh yeah, it felt like a red hot nail.


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## teatersroad (Sep 10, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> I have a permanent memory of that event, a Scorpion's venom contains neurotoxins and enzyme inhibitors, meaning it attacks the nerves and tissue. It took awhile to heal the wound, the nerves still react, Annie pinches me there and it smarts.
> The little bastard went up my sleeve when I was digging out a bunch of crap, from under a blown down second growth Redwood. I had snagged an extra set of chokers to help out and get logs out of my way. When I stood up and yanked the choker tight, the son of a ##### jabbed me on the back of bicep. I pinched it in the cloth and wadded it up. I shook it and a quarter pound of misc debris out of my sleeve, it was 3 inches long, the choker setter was more upset than I was. Oh yeah, it felt like a red hot nail.


 
We have those little brown buggers here too. Lived with an outhouse for a few years, I was in the habit of lifting the lid to check for biters before I sat down. Sure enough, lifted the seat once and there was a scorpion nesting between the seat and the poopdeck.


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## floyd (Sep 10, 2011)

I turned a large rock over thinking I would put it in a wall. It was cold enough they didn't move.

One got smashed when I turned the rock over.


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## slowp (Sep 11, 2011)

I have returned from spending a few days watching boats and ships sail by.

I am ready to go back. Our valley is smoky today. The wind must be bringing up the smoke from Oregon. When The Used Dog jumped out of the air conditioned pickup, he made a beeline for the house. The house is a bit cooler than outside. It has not been opened up at night though, so is warmer than it should be.

You Oregon People need to put out those Oregon fires...:msp_smile:

Guess I shouldn't say that. We camped at the fairgrounds. It was cheap with clean restrooms and showers. At the other end was a fire camp. It disbanded yesterday.


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## teatersroad (Sep 11, 2011)

yah got a big fire over on satus pass, might be some of your smoke (I was going to head up 97 this weekend, put it off as they seem to be closing the hwy at times). maybe more likely the dollar lake fire on he north slope of Hood


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## teatersroad (Sep 11, 2011)

Liked this photo, Satus Pass - near the Greek Orthodox monastary. Been by a hundred times, keep meaning to check out the Greek Bakery in the woods.

View attachment 198708


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## slowp (Sep 11, 2011)

Our area is in a Level 4 shutdown according to the IFPL page. 

_It's right here you see, on page 93, we gotta close you down._


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## Joe46 (Sep 12, 2011)

Wonder if that garb the "ladies" are wearing is flame retardent?


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## Samlock (Sep 13, 2011)

Samlock said:


> Autumn has it's downs too. Yesterday I had to go to a doctor. The last visit was over 3 years ago when a whipper broke my ear... My throat began to swell and threatened to close down my air. Well, I took the fast drive from the bush to the emergency room. The medicine man examined me, the only thing was his vocabulary wasn't wide enough that he could understand I was telling him about the forests and what I do. He couldn't speak any other civil language either for being a Frenchie. OK, my French is all insults and other obscenities, but he knew his trade. He ran some tests and most of all he found a tiny biting mark of a "little flying animal" on my throat. It wasn't a wasp or a yellow jacket, that I would have noticed for sure. A shot of cortisone and antihistamine opened the wind pipe alright. And passed me out like a candle in the wind.
> 
> On my list of suspects this bug holds the number one:
> 
> ...



Made some testing this today. I dropped a birch right on a wasp's underground nest. I didn't notice it though, it was kinda twilight, early morning and heavy rain. I went on limbing until I realized they're everywhere on me. Well, the doc assumed earlier I was hit by a wasp or a bee or something with a sting. And that nearly caused strangulation. I had enough stings I thought I'm about to find out really soon if he was right. Should I call someone? No, I decided to cut some timber while waiting.

It turned out to be a business as usual. No swelling or fainting or anything. I've never before been pleased of being hit. The little buggers made my day. Although two of them got my right ear and I still feel an electric shock when something touches it.

There was moose flies too. I suppose I got bit. You never know about the moose fly bites - you will feel the abscesses the day after.


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## floyd (Sep 15, 2011)

Dollar Fire N of Mt Hood was pushing smoke into the Gorge but it blew all last night.


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## RandyMac (Sep 22, 2011)

Now that Summer is just about over, we get a couple warm days, yep, just two days all Summer that went over 70.


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## Gologit (Sep 23, 2011)

RandyMac said:


> Now that Summer is just about over, we get a couple warm days, yep, just two days all Summer that went over 70.


 
Wanna trade weather for a few days? It's almost seventy outside right now. We've been on hoot-owl for so long that we're starting to get used to it...and that ain't good.


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## slowp (Sep 23, 2011)

I think I will pick a small, ripe tomato today. It will be the first one off my Topsy Turvy tomato setup. They grew no better--maybe worse, than if they had been grown right side up in the little dirt patch.


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## RandyMac (Sep 23, 2011)

Looks like rain on Sunday, yep, Summer is over.


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## teatersroad (Sep 25, 2011)

we went from 90+ to 70's in a few hours yesterday afternoon. kinda nice. crisp fall days on the way.


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## teatersroad (Sep 25, 2011)

Roma said:


> Sure is smoky around here tonight, makes for a cool sunset though...


 
Looks like a nice place, if you like that sort of thing. I doubt this is your smoke. I said here I felt like I had enough with fire, but couldn't help myself. I went out last week on an Rx. 2400 acres, Juniper with some Pine to protect and Mt. Mohag. Really steep, with timber above the unit. The day I was there we had to stop lighting at about 1:00 'cuz rh got down into single digits. Then the wind kicked up - 15mph+ gusts. Started spotting in the timber, maybe 200 acres worth. They were lucky to get away with that little (I distance myself from that - "wanna burn that hot? ok - uh go ahead") pics with fire in the distance - maybe 800' down and a half mile away. gps 44.2058n, 120.4503w if you want to GoogleEarth it.

Now I'm pretty sure I've had it with fire, barring a community effort to put one out.



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## madhatte (Sep 25, 2011)

How do you like working with that skidgeon? Seems like the tires would be its only weakness, and even then, only if it's out of water.


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## teatersroad (Sep 26, 2011)

madhatte said:


> How do you like working with that skidgeon? Seems like the tires would be its only weakness, and even then, only if it's out of water.


 
I'd like to work with it. It's a track skidgeon, and the feller on top has a monitor (_mounted nozzle, not computer screen_). Don't really know the specs on it.. butload of water. I've seen it around on other fires, belongs to a contractor in town.


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## madhatte (Sep 26, 2011)

Hrmm, tracks. Bummer. I understand that one of the bonuses of a rubber-tired skidder is access to places where soil compaction is not desirable, but, of course, all bets are off a lot of time during WUI situations. A tracked skidgeon, though, could handle steeper slopes and generally worse conditions, so it's a trade-off. I've seen monitors on a few Type 4 rigs; seems like a good way to move a lot of water during pump-and-roll operations. Of course, we're ghetto -- we just pull hard hose from the booster reel to the driver's window and hang a Forester nozzle off it, then drive counter-clockwise around the unit with one hand on the hose and one hand on the wheel. Not as much water as a high-flow pump attached to the appropriate nozzle, but good mobility and solo operation.


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## teatersroad (Sep 26, 2011)

madhatte said:


> Hrmm, tracks. Bummer. I understand that one of the bonuses of a rubber-tired skidder is access to places where soil compaction is not desirable, but, of course, all bets are off a lot of time during WUI situations. A tracked skidgeon, though, could handle steeper slopes and generally worse conditions, so it's a trade-off. I've seen monitors on a few Type 4 rigs; seems like a good way to move a lot of water during pump-and-roll operations. Of course, we're ghetto -- we just pull hard hose from the booster reel to the driver's window and hang a Forester nozzle off it, then drive counter-clockwise around the unit with one hand on the hose and one hand on the wheel. Not as much water as a high-flow pump attached to the appropriate nozzle, but good mobility and solo operation.


 
familiar with the above. I sure like the lightweight booster hose, though I can't speak for it's service life. The soft-tracked skidgeon seems pretty agile, we put it up where most the action may be then follow along with Type 4's.


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## madhatte (Sep 26, 2011)

We get a better bang for the buck with Type 6 rigs -- they'll go anywhere -- and we have a single Type 5, which is sort of the worst of both worlds because with 600 gallons on a 1 1/2 ton chassis, it's not got the capacity or the flow to act as a tender, and it's too long, wide, and heavy to follow the Type 6 rigs everywhere. Type 4 rigs move a lot of water at the expense of mobility. They're really at the mercy of water availability. 

Soft hose gets beat up or burned up pretty easily but the hard hose is usually good for a couple of seasons. Once it starts blistering, it can be cut back some and the appliances re-fitted, but by then it's just a matter of buying time.


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## teatersroad (Sep 27, 2011)

madhatte said:


> We get a better bang for the buck with Type 6 rigs -- they'll go anywhere -- and we have a single Type 5, which is sort of the worst of both worlds because with 600 gallons on a 1 1/2 ton chassis, it's not got the capacity or the flow to act as a tender, and it's too long, wide, and heavy to follow the Type 6 rigs everywhere. Type 4 rigs move a lot of water at the expense of mobility. They're really at the mercy of water availability.
> 
> Soft hose gets beat up or burned up pretty easily but the hard hose is usually good for a couple of seasons. Once it starts blistering, it can be cut back some and the appliances re-fitted, but by then it's just a matter of buying time.


 
did I say type 4's? I meant type 6's. The 4's usually sit around doing tender duty or otherwise waiting to be useful. I stay out of the thick of it, for the most part. The role with my job is mostly monitoring burn prep and fire effects. I'll be on ignitions or initial attack if or when the need is there.


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## madhatte (Sep 27, 2011)

I seem to always draw the straw that has me running a holding crew. I've bossed a few burns, too. I hardly ever get to light any more. I do get to dodge some mop-up duty, though!


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## teatersroad (Sep 27, 2011)

madhatte said:


> I seem to always draw the straw that has me running a holding crew. I've bossed a few burns, too. I hardly ever get to light any more. I do get to dodge some mop-up duty, though!


 
I rode with the holding boss on this fire, a role he did not relish either. Resources spread pretty thin - in crazy conditions. Fire's been maybe 5-15% of my job for the last ten years. More than enough.


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