William’s Visit

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Donna

William wanted to visit grampa this weekend.  I was at work yesterday so it was some time for the two of them.  William got to ride the Evel bike for the first time since it was renovated.

This was his first motorcycle.  Here are photos of him on it in March and July of 2019.  Unfortunately it was a little too powerful for him then, and he crashed in the brush.  He is a much better rider now.

 

William did help with the farm chores, feeding Jameson and collecting chicken eggs.

Wally made sure Piper’s quad seat was warm.

Today Tom’s kids, partners and Piper came over for a BBQ and riding.  Piper made this incredible artwork for me.

She rode her quad for the second time ever.  She was cautious at first but got quicker as the afternoon continued.

We went out back which was quite overgrown.  The grass is 8 feet tall.  Piper did well given it is her first time on her quad out back.  Here is William on the fence line with their dog Pips running behind him.

William ended up stuck in a ditch, and Tom had to pull him out.  Part of the issue is that he needs new tires on his quad which are going to be put on soon.

Here’s the view of the farm from there.  Sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself that I get to live here.

Jaylene was admiring the bees on our laurel blooms.  We planted this after we moved here.  It is the size of a tree now, and the bees love it this time of year.

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Baker Hot Springs

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Donna

I have been working a lot of days recently and will continue to through the month of June.  Partially this is because I have dropped working nights.  So this means I work more day shifts but also get to sleep in my bed every night. So I think it is worth it, but it means I am less available for farm work and more of the burden falls on Tom.  But it also means I drive home from work in the evenings rather than the mornings.  And for now I get to see the sunset over the Skagit River on the way home.

On the farm, the order of business is controlling the plant growth.  The field desperately needs mowing.  This is one swath that Tom took.

Here he is in the distance mowing with the tractor.

And here he is herding the sheep to their new pasture while still mowing.

Yesterday we took a little break from farming and went to the Baker Hot Springs.  Tom has long talked about these hot springs and has even gone there while I was at work.  So finally it was my chance to go.  Here is Mount Baker on the way.

And the gorgeous walk to the springs.

When we arrived, we had them all to ourselves.  Here is the upper end.

And the lower end.

The reflections of the old growth trees were really impressive.

We had them to ourselves for over an hour before other people started showing up.  We left after about 1.5 hours of soaking.  It was amazing.  We headed to Annie’s Pizza in Concrete to pick up an amazing dinner and headed home.

Back on the farm this morning, the turkey poults are really growing up.  I need to figure out what breeds they are.

I had my rheumatology follow up appointment this afternoon.  I am arthritis-free 3 months after stopping my last immunosuppressive medication!!!  This is after 6 years.  Now I just can’t get sick with another GI bug and start all over again.

Because of this appointment and my upcoming work schedule (and need to clean the house), dinner is pretty late tonight.  But really good with Skillet Chicken With Rhubarb.  Another farm meal that tastes really great.

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Motorcycles

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Donna

Today we went to the Art of the Motorcycle show in Lynden.  Tom is a member of the Washington Vintage Motorcyclists and helped organize the show and swap meet.  

Here are the three bikes he showed.

Tom’s bikes: 1976 Honda XL 70, 1979 Honda CT 70 and 1969 Honda Z 50

Tom’s bikes

As I have posted before, I have a lifelong involvement with motorcycles.  So always love checking them out.  The mid-1970’s Honda CB motorcycles hold a special place in my heart as I had and loved a CB 350-4 and still have and love my 550-4.

1972 Honda CB 750

1976 Honda CB 550

But there were lots of interesting and rare bikes to check out.

1948 James ML 90

1946 BSA C11

This is a bike out front that Tom was coveting.

Honda Trail 70

1965 Triumph

1964 Puch 250 Sears Allstate

1974 Honda TL 125 Trials bike

1971 Velocette Flat Tracker

1951 Vincent Rapide 998

1958 BSA Bantam D7

1968 Norton Atlas 750

1959 Matchless and 1958 Royal Enfield

1973 and 1974 Nortons

1972 Triumph Bonneville 650

William enjoyed talking with his grampa about motorcycles during the swap meet.

Ryeleigh joined me while my dad talk with his neighbor who was selling there too.

It was a great show with significant proceeds going to three pet shelters including the Skagit Humane Society.

Back on the farm, Jameson is growing.  He is still trying to get milk from his grandmother who is looking after him well.

The sheep are in the tall grassy pasture.

The fields really need to get mowed.

Finally, I finished two books.  Sheepish is a book that my dad bought for me for Christmas in 2011.  I finally read it and loved it.  Unfortunately she is no longer living on a farm, but it was nice to read about her adventures.  I can totally identify.

I also finished Silver Snarling Trumpet, a book written by Robert Hunter in his youth.  It is a fascinating description of his time with Jerry Garcia and others in the Bay Area in 1961.  It show the origins of their lifelong songwriting partnership.

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