Another full week with windy days
Synopsis, Sunday, June 10, Geology Zentner Field Trip
Rocks and sage in Central Washington, and more . . .
Stop 1 Saddle Mtns. North Steep Slope (Left) – Sentinel Gap (Right) where the Columbia River flows
(Click on links below each video’s title)
Video: Stop 1 Nick Zentner’s Ringold Formation Field Trip
Nick says
At #2, Smyrna Bench – Then at #3, hillside walk & invasive pea*
*Swainsonpea peaweed, Sphaerophysa salsula ; introduced here, apparently, from Australia
Video: Stop 2 Smyrna Bench, North-facing slope Saddle Mountain
Nick continues
Video: Stop 2, Seeing fossils from Dave Green’s collection
Fossil introduction at second stop
Video: David Green again at Stop 2
Fossils from long ago when this was like an African plain
Video: Stop 3 Lower Crab Creek Rd, at Scallop, Saddle Mountain
Nick again 
Bend Columbia R. Bluffs – Columns Ringold Formation Landslide Deposits
Video: Stop 4 White Bluffs Overlook
Nick at the last stop
I have a few others from my other camera to add when I get them processed, Angela Bennett took it down the hill when the battery went out on my one I had been using. For now, I’m stopping with the two on fossils, back at Stop 2. There is more fossil discussion to come later at Stop 4 with David Green, when I process those other videos.
And, as well, a good selection of stills from 3 cameras has to be organized by stop and uploaded. My computer crash has seriously altered the time for completing projects.
Monday, Jun 11
Sent music plans for count and attendance of KV F&F to two events this week. It’s going to be a wild week with summer traveling entering the picture.
I went in for my SAIL exercise class and worked the rest of the day on organization of my “new” computer.
Tuesday, Jun 12
I had my haircut at Celia’s around the long rural block at 12:30 p.m., but dance class was canceled with our teacher on a field trip class to Yellowstone National Park.
John went to town for his own blood draw, to check numbers at Bi-Mart, to Super 1, and to get gasoline in his truck for the weekend WTA trip. Unfortunately, the next day JR’s lowered their price to $3.25/gal. I filled mine up at the lower price.
I worked on transcribing videos and with reorganization on my Dell laptop. I spent a bunch of time tonight making space on this C drive and getting it ready to deliver Friday at 11:00 to Craig via Monica, so he can reinstate some software on my laptop, using my CWU affiliation. Originally, we were set up for tomorrow, but too much is happening on both our calendars.
Wednesday, Jun 13
Emerita meeting at Hearthstone, 9:00 to 10:30. We had a nice meeting with a good turnout, catching up on many stories of interest to everyone. Dee Eberhart (age 94 ?) was delivered by son Urban and picked up by daughter Cory. Both added to our discussions.
John and I drove separate cars. I had to leave for the Food Bank with music from Thursday’s group, because our regular leader was not available. First, however, from there I went by the hospital for a blood draw, for my INR. Then I went to SAIL exercise class, and on home.
Thurs, Jun 14 . . . . . Happy Flag Day !
John left for White Heron to bottle Roussanne, and carried along some of his candied Carpathian walnuts for the visiting afterwards. There is usually a bottle with crinkled label or otherwise something to be tasted.
I downloaded Adobe Acrobat reader software. My next major software replacement lost is the music preparation one I need for our use in providing music around Ellensburg. That is now been started, but it’s yet to be installed. I must have it ready before the month of July, when all our playlist offerings change.
Called in for music at Meadows: 11 people, with 9 chairs needed.
Last night I sent another request to Dell and Deepa in India about eliminating the charge. I had not heard back from the request 6 days ago. She responded today that they are processing my refund. Phew, what a nice relief. $129 loss would have been hard to take for nothing fixed. As it was, I only lost the 2 hours of frustration watching her try to fix the administrative rights on my account. I was no longer able to install and uninstall software, so the machine to be “fixed” had to totally be reset to what it was when new (including backup of all files).
Friday, Jun 15
John left at 5:30 a.m. for the WTA work party, Dorothy Lake (Stevens Pass road).
These images from the WTA trip arrived on Sunday, with John in them, and I’ll let him explain what we are seeing. 
When built, log steps have a topping (tread) of sandy material mounded so water runs off. A decade later that topping is gone and rocks poke through, and the boxes fill with water when it rains. The drains along the edge begin to fill and sometimes a culvert underneath clogs. These photos show before, during, and after maintenance.
Above right, John and Cornelia take a quick break to smile for the camera.
Above right, shows a cleaned out drain, mostly the work of the Green Hat named Drew, seen in the left photo. There were two other groups of 3 or 4 folks doing other things, but we are not showing those.
I dropped off the laptop with passwords to Craig, via Geography and Monica at 10:35 a.m., and Craig came over to meet me while I was still there. We exchanged comments about what he needed that I had written down and packed with the computer. I also packed my external drive in case he needed it for any reason and my power cord. It had a full battery and it usually lasts for 5-6 hours.
I went to the Adult Activity Center (AAC) for a Fathers’ Day Celebration lunch with antique cars & trucks from the 30s for viewing before and afterwards in the parking lot.
I filmed this after lunch.
Video: A trip around the 1934 REO Victoria Royale 1934. Read the description on the description of the video, which is co-owned by sisters, Victoria Perkis & Sharon Frazzini (wife of John D. Frazzini, who died in 2000). They were well known by members off the Ellensburg community, because of their business, Frazzini’s Pizza across the street from my initial office in Lind Hall on CWU campus.
Your grandfather’s cars- this one of a kind!
If you look at the link above, you will see my sweet memories this showing evoked of my dad’s ’35 Ford I grew up with and drove from 1959 until the 1970s.
Here’s that part of the description:
This was particularly nostalgic to me and in honor of Father’s Day because my father had a ’34 Chevrolet he restored for my grandmother, and he raised me driving a ’35 Ford, showing me all the mechanics of it, teaching me how to drive it, and I was only 14 when he died. It was fixed up for me by my father’s friend, and I drove it from when I was 16 (1959) till the 1970s when we drove it to Idaho. In 1966, John and I drove it from Cincinnati to Toronto, Canada to a Geography conference, and stayed with old friends of my parents. In 1969, we drove it on our honeymoon to Stone Mountain, GA, and we drove it to Iowa. My dad had replaced the original engine with a Mercury, it had a greyhound bus horn, a white-sided continental tire on the tear-dropped rear, with the trunk behind the backseat, which pulled forward. Its battery was under the driver’s side door, and he added turning lights and seat belts so we could drive legally.
I was an only child and we used to travel to south GA to the beach with my mom and to visit my grandmother and relatives in Savannah, GA and the old home place, Guyton, GA. My old car had over 400,000 miles on it. It had mechanical brakes that worked (Dad replaced them with Bender brakes). However, it was a challenge in the Pennsylvania hills, especially the “Emlenton Grade” (16 miles west of Clarion), when I drove it with John to meet his family. It had a heater my dad added and a stick shift on the floor. Sweet memories.
Here’s another short Video of the most unusual car, 1934 REO Victoria Royale with an Interview by Patti, Grandmother of Jessi Broderius (AmeriCorps staff AAC), talking with one of one of the car owners, Victoria Perkis.
Jessi’s grandmother asks about REO Victoria Royale, only 2 made in 1934
Here is a link to all 69 still photos I made at the AAC_Father’s Day Car Show (and lunch) today inside and outside at the senior center in Ellensburg, WA.
Photos of the AAC Father’s Day Car Show with Friday Event
After picking up my computer laptop from school, it is working well again, so that I can use the software to create my part of the blog. The newest version 2016 gave me a steep learning curve from the old 2007 version I previously had for several years.
From there I went back home through Kittitas to visit the Kittitas Neighborhood Pantry to see if they had any jeans I could get (free clothing for the community & food bank) for taking to the work crew tomorrow that John is joining as Assistant Crew Leader. Last week someone showed up in shorts, which is not allowed for safety reasons. He would have been sent home, if there was none available extra in someone’s rig. After explaining the need and use, I received 6 pairs of different sizes for John to take to the crew leader LeeAnne. We learned the next day, that she had to loan out two pair because two people from the group showed up in shorts.
Saturday, Jun 16
John left in our Ford truck at 6:15 for Dingford Creek WTA work party up a poor 8-mile gravel and channeled road to the trail site. He will carpool a couple of people in his high clearance 4WD vehicle. We were scheduled to only have 3 instruments and a voice at Briarwood music today, but my late night plea brought in 4 more to join us. I’m so grateful. We had a great audience and good time. Eight folks played – Gerald, Charlie, Nancy, Dean, Rita, Tim, Roberta, and Evie.
They fed us a nice meal after we played music. We had homemade Swiss meatballs and little link sausages in a BBQ sauce. 3 or 4 different salads, and several desserts, plus orange juice.
I met a fellow there who brought me some Jeans which I tried on, and took 3 pairs, two pants and the other a denim Bermuda shorts item. They belonged to his wife who has heart problems worse than mine – I was supposed to meet her in town at the AAC yesterday, but she was too tired to come.
Sunday, Jun 17
We slept in and then John spent a bunch of time cutting a large Cottonwood tree that fell across our neighbor’s electric fence and allowed cattle to roam. He cut many pieces such that they can be moved out of the way, and the fence put back. The last cut was through the 40 inch trunk about 15 feet from the roots that has tipped out of the ground.
After some downtime, he took a flat tire off the Crosstrek and put on the temporary spare. The flat does have a piece of something metal through the tread, but all the tires (original equipment 35,000 miles ago) are likely to get replaced with something better.
I continued working on processing pictures and videos from the past week.
The June solstice of 2018 will happen on Thursday, June 21, at 3:06:38 a.m. on the Naneum Fan, or 6:07 a.m. ET. In a few weeks our daylight hours will begin to noticeably shorten and the onions, waiting for this trigger, will “bulb.”
In the USA – time to celebrate summer
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan
Locations: left: Mt. Rainier from the footbridge across the Nisqually River.
Across the Nisqually River for the hike in to the work site. Note the crew is not carrying tools. They were cached after Friday’s work, then brought out after Sunday’s trip.
Splitting Cedar rails for “Check Steps” for placement across the trail. Orange hat in the right photo is Aaron, of the National Park trail crew. Green hat is a WTA volunteer. Left photo – driving steel wedges into the end of the log. In the right photo both are using cant hooks (aka Peavey) 
Left photo is an early photo with a test-placement of a step. See photo below for that with John (orange shirt) and a volunteer. Terry looks on. Over many years, the tree roots became uncovered and boots and water cut deep into the soil on the left side. On the right, the finished set of steps (7 total) are placed and filled with small rocks (first) and soil.
A project requires planning and coordination. That’s the Blue Hat’s responsibility. In the photo below, our Blue Hat (Hannah) works with Terry (note straight rake handle and level) to determine the placement of the 2nd check-step.
There is a wet area where water seeps up into the trail from the surrounding forest. Years ago a drain was dug across the trail and a slanting log laid across – seen in the foreground, partly covered with muck. That filled in with forest litter, wet soil, and small stones.
This now graces our kitchen window over the sink.
It shows some wear, came without chairs, but did come with an insertable piece. John wants to know why those are called a “leaf.”
Baby birds of some species
Above map, by Manastash Mapping, of Ringold Formation field trip 6-10-18. Handouts made possible by Ellensburg Chapter members of the Ice Age Floods Institute. 
This is from the color handouts of the field trip notes, which are on line (see link below). The Hanford site is across the Columbia River (west). We learned on the field trip, this is created by Google Maps (not Google Earth), and requesting 3D. We have not tried that yet. Has a lot of promise, as can be seen in the handout below. Take a peek at it. You’ll need it to help interpret the videos taken at each stop which will be reviewed in next week’s blog. 
Mountains of plastic waste have recently become a resource. There is opportunity, think $$$ (okay, $), in converting mixed plastics into diesel, gasoline and industrial chemicals. Heating plastic in a no-air reactor can yield 16 million gallons of useful products from 100,000 tons of waste available cheaply or at no cost.
I went to the wet (west) side of the Cascade Crest today to work on the Denny Creek Trail. The trail is a favorite of folks with young children because, when the water is not real high, wet rocks make for a big playground. The photo of summertime is at the “slide” several hundred yards up-trail from where we worked.
Photo shows her 3 trophies (cheeseboards) and each came with 2 wine glasses with an etched Brittany head.
We both went out to see the flag blow in 44 mph gusts. It’s still fluttering. The flag kit came with 3 small screws to attach the pole receptacle to a wall. It needed a much more substantial method. Two by sixes and large lax screws, plus braces, are in place – for now.
Washington Tractor’s sales rep (Janie) with John. The handle bar attachment is in travel mode, lowered and swiveled down. Note the size of the unit by comparing to the back of the pickup bed. His next chore will be to create a way to carry it on the luggage rack on top of his Crosstrek for the trip to Spokane or elsewhere.
Once home, here is the end of the unit and the right shows John attaching the handle to a carrying harness.
As a guest lecturer for the local chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, we enjoyed Lydia Staisch’s presentation on the Ringold Formation, Sedimentology & Provenance: Implications for the ancestral Columbia & Snake Rivers.
We picked a few ounces of garden strawberries today, Friday, June 1st. Now we are going to put them on a Key Lime pie.
An Orca was freed from fishing gear on Thursday by marine mammal rescue. Onlookers claim the whale took off and starting breaching and doing tail slaps.
Toter (background) with Beth in blue jacket and hat. Brusher in foreground. What we’ve ordered. Middle photo: Blue hat here is Holly demoing drill. Colleagues stand at right angle to worker and help keep a vertical hole. Right: Full view of Stihl FS 240 brusher.
Closer view of Toter at work, carrying 3 large posts.
Image on the flag of our Pineapple-Lemon Cake
They all hatched for the 3 preschoolers. A windy day and they didn’t want to leave, but liked the lemon sugars, and the rose. 
Mallory & Josh with Baby Daphne <> John, Mary Anne, Lillian, and <> Elaine with part of the crowd behind. 
Mallory Triplett- Graduate student, Nancy, Caleb Valko, undergraduate
Purple Lilac foreground, background Crabapple. Right image – Flowering Crabapple, has very small fruit, not a mess. 
Oregon Grape (yellow, foreground) with Lilac blooming and Carpathian Walnut in progress of leafing. Right: Mountain Ash near our front door
I went to play music and then went to the dentist, for a 4:00 p.m. appointment for my teeth cleaning. 
Top of Porcelain Doll – Bottom – Full Standing View 
Left photo by Fred Newschwander ~ 20 years ago. This is what it looked like when we arrived in 1989. Now the wood is more weathered; the right photo was taken 5-27-18 by Nancy Hultquist. The location is south of Thomas Road west of Naneum Road, on the left, before the first curve. 
Beaverslide Full of Hay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beaverslide Stacker Empty
{Photo by Ed Moore, hiker.}
On the left, John (orange) is up-slope talking with hiker Ed Moore. Niki, lower right, is near another log piece. In front of her is a shovel. The old tree broke above the shovel handle and landed in the trail between Niki and John. The right photo shows damage to the steps; also shown in the first photo near John’s feet.
Sunday, May 27 
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano continues to cause trouble, but the good news it has not (yet) blown the island apart.
Meet Czar – our 4th feral to send through the system for spay/neuter. He showed up in the winter, and I notified Nancy at VCC that we’d be needing to borrow a trap. We first thought he was female and started calling him Sally. He would run in the other direction for the first couple months. He would come in and eat but not stay around if we tried to talk to him through the window. Eventually we realized he was a male, so changed his name to Salazar. Now he is simply, Czar. He tamed himself, coming in mornings and evenings for food, and sleeping around the premises. He loves being petted and is a companion cat with the others following John around doing chores. He rolls in the gravel drive, meowing loudly, to be petted. He allows us to pick him up and carry him 50’. He now has taken to spending days on the veranda of the cable table in our front yard, where we also feed the birds above and the quail come in the fence and eat off the ground. The cats (surprisingly) are ignoring the birds. He follows the shade around, and is there to say goodbye when we leave and hello when we return, or come to the ledge by the front door of our house, when he is hungry. We were able to pick him up and place him in a crate loaned to us by VCC. Nancy and Noella accepted him for their recent trip to Lynnwood, with a bunch of other cats in their car. They had him for a few days before their trip, last Sunday, and for overnight until we picked him up in the morning. We and he so much appreciated the care. Now you see his clipped left ear and he got all his shots and a dose of tapeworm medicine. We now have protected the unspayed females in the neighborhood. Please everyone, consider doing likewise. Nancy will come trap cats for you if you cannot. They are providing a wonderful service which we all need to support. Thanks again. 
Donation of Gazelle (I bought at a yard sale decades ago for $5) – They sell new for > $120.
Wednesday, May 16 
My plate with salad I brought; students left, AAC members right and end; then right, showing my bellbottoms, on outfit Katrina (AAC Director) asked me to wear to the Senior Prom, and she took the photograph. She likes that “suit.” 
Lady in white, Corrine, student helper with Ernestine (I know from other places in town, who had her Prom Night 2018 Prop facing the wrong direction and was saying whoops! Middle photo: Carol in her Elvis T-shirt kisses him; Nancy w/Anne in her Chocolate Kisses T-shirt from the Hershey, PA tour, which is no longer as neat as when John and I took it a 1/3 century ago, and got to walk across metal stairs and walkways right over the vats of chocolate and to be down and see up close the kisses dropping and coming off the conveyor belt.
King Peter & Queen Judith; Joanne; Connie; Joe with Poker Chip award. 
