Author Archives: Mark

Until three days ago we were having an unusually dry winter, with many cool clear or foggy days instead of the usual rain.  Last weekend, the pattern shifted to cold, bringing snow (about 2-3″ all told) and ice to Corvallis.  … Continue reading →

Last year a group of us took off the weekend after finals for three days on the sunny eastern side of the Cascades, sleeping in yurts at Tumalo State Park and skiing/snowshoeing during the day.  We enjoyed it so much … Continue reading →

Despite having been up Marys Peak the previous evening, I convinced Liz it would be worthwhile to get up at 5 am and drive up out of the fog to catch the total lunar eclipse.  As it turned out, at … Continue reading →

On December 9, with the valley still in inversion fog, we drove up Marys Peak to watch the sunset and full moon rise.  In the valley it was about 33 degrees, while on the mountain it was 50 and perfectly … Continue reading →

I’m still getting caught up on posting… On December 3 I invited Kelly to get out of the valley fog and explore some new areas near the coast.  We headed first for Drift Creek Falls, famous for its 240′ long, … Continue reading →

Last summer while hiking near Bald Hill we found a rose bush covered in strange mossy growths.  I didn’t take a picture, but they looked like this: After some research, we learned that they were “mossy rose galls”, inhabited by … Continue reading →

I don’t have a complete photo record of the Thanksgiving weekend, as I’m waiting to get pictures on others’ cameras.  There are plenty of pics of the turkey slaughter, but as none of them are mine I’ll cut to the … Continue reading →

Peace Seeds, a local seed company, has an interesting selection of unusual root crops.  After enjoying oca (Oxalis tuberosa) last year, we bought some more and this year also planted some mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum). Oca is closely related to wood … Continue reading →

For as long as I’ve lived here there has been an ugly styrofoam boat in our backyard.  The story is that our landlords found a good deal on a boat trailer that happened to contain a decrepit boat, and they … Continue reading →

I’ve been planning a solar shower since July, but since then it has always been a second-priority project, and with the garden in full swing and plenty of summer events I didn’t have time to work on it until now.  … Continue reading →