Palo Duro Canyon

On my way to New Mexico, i stopped at Palo Duro Canyon for the night and some hiking. It is the second largest canyon in the US. We all know what the first is. It was absolutely magnificent. A wonderful couple took my picture for me at Lighthouse Rock.

A mystery photo of some tracks in the canyon. I will have to wait until i get home to figure them out.

Christmas

I was lucky enough to be hosted by Jana in Texas for the Christmas holiday. There was a full house and the cutest set of three year old twins to make the holiday special. The second annual gingerbread house building contest was held Christmas day. My entry is the one on the far right. The winner was the cheery house second from the right. It was a wonderful change of pace from giving gifts.

On my way to Palo Duro Canyon, the monumental event of my odometer turning over 100,000 miles occurred! Yes, i was driving 70mph and taking picture of my odometer.

Texas

What a great state! Every one says, Hello and Y'all.
Jana was good enough to receive me early at her mom's home. We had some good eats...... but, that can't be helped if you are with Jana. We got to get our hands dirty and planted some pansies. It is hard to believe we were outside planting flowers in the ground in late December!

Went camping up at Mineral Wells State Park. Plenty of trails to explore and a lake with several side ponds. Last night, I was treated to a lovely moon, a nearby coyote serenade, a barred owl song and a light breeze rattling the dried oak leaves. This morning, my wake-up alarm was a deer snorting at me, a male cardinal having it out with his reflection in my truck's side-view mirrors, and beautiful, low fly-by from a turkey vulture. Went hiking and bushwhacking. Black and turkey vultures abound, flying low enough you can hear their wings whispering through the air. Well, the Black vultures make more of a flappied-flap through the air. Ate some white oak acorns and some prickly pear fruit. Only had 3 spins in me after devouring the first one, but the next one, i improved my technique and didn't get any! Raccoons must be plentiful here, because there were about as many raccoon tracks as people. Coyote scats was a close second. Lovely day.

My cameras batteries were dead, so sorry no picture this time.

Orchard Bees

How to be sure that all that you plant is sufficently pollenated is always a consern. Here in the groves of trees the Ochard (Mason) bees are encougaed to collect pollen and lay their eggs. 1/4 to 5/16 inch holes are drilled in wood and hung on posts or trees. The small bees are solitary and can not drill their own holes. Without the medaling of humans, they would use hollow reeds. After enough pollen is collected and the eggs laid, a plug is applied to seal the end of the chamber. Then the next spring they will hatch to start the process again.

My favorite tree in the orchard is the Paw Paw. Its name is just fun to say and the flower buds are a wonderful brown, fuzzy knob. To top it off, the fruit is delicious, a kind of mango, banana cross. Paw Paw are well worth the wait to grow them.

Passive Solar Greenhouse

There was more stacking of wood today and much reading.

In the afternoon, we went on a tour of the greenhouse which i have never seen one constructed like this before. It is passive solar and furnace heated. The fiber glass and ridged plastic side is oriented and pitched to optimize the winter sun. The north side of the structure is insulated and lined with 55 gallon barrel drums, stacked 3 high, painted black and filled with water (Inside the barrels is a rust inhibitor, oil on top of the water to keep air out and the opening on the top of the barrel is sealed to keep more air from entering. This is all done to keep the barrels from rusting out.) In the winter, the black barrels of water gain heat and release it slowly. In the summer, because the sun is so high in the sky, the barrels are not exposed to the suns rays. Now, the water acts as a coolant during the hot summer months. Inside the greenhouse are fig trees, citrus and a black mulberry which are all planted directly into the soil. Cuttings are taken from these to start new trees.

Above is a large hardy kiwi vine (female). There are so many unsual shrubs and trees here. Today, i got to taste guomi berry juice which reminded me of cranberries and autumn olives. For dessert, we had frozen paw paw. Excellent! I have got to figure out how to grow these.

People

This morning is a tour of the orchard. There are many, many variety of trees. It is kind of a permaculture mecca. The tour is cut short by insistent rain. Inside, we crack pecans and make cookies. People are always stopping by to chat. There seems to always be a steady trickle of them. In the afternoon is stacking firewood. It seems to be an on going theme of winter WOOFing. In the evening, i am chauffeur for Hector. We go to a fundraiser for a wonderful and highly energetic lady who is working with at-risk youth in Nashville. She and the young adults that she works with are truly inspirational.

Hidden Springs Nursery, TN

The odometer reads 98,098 as i pulled out of the drive in PA. A day and a little more, i arrive at Hidden Springs Nursery in TN. Here too, the soil is sandy as in Maine but the bedrock is limestone and no glaciers made it this far south. The nursery is nestled down in a maze of valleys cut by small creeks over time. The woods are diverse, tall and young. Temperatures are unseasonably cold (in the 20'sF) and there was a 6" snowfall just before i arrived. Much has melted away by this evening but the forecast is calling for freezing rain tonight.