O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree!!!

We had good weather, good food, twenty-two people, seven dogs, and six vehicles on our Christmas Tree foray the day after Thanksgiving. Six trees were felled and hauled home for decorating (ours is still in the back yard!) for Christmas. Tis the season!

2010 Muzzleloader Elk Season

What an outstanding year we had for muzzleloader elk season! Opportunities abounded all week long. Not every day, but often enough to keep the excitement and anticipation level high. Everyone saw elk...everyone had a shot at a bull. Some operator errors led to weapon "mal-function" which allowed bull escapement. The weather was so much better for hunting than October general season. It started with old snow (several days old) that pretty much disappeared after a few days of mild temperatures and some rain, but was replaced starting Wednesday evening with fresh, new snow. If new snow had arrived a day or two earlier I am sure we would have brought home more meat. As it turns out an opening day 3x3 bull was the one tag filled.

Friday, November 26th marks the opening of Christmas Tree hunting season. We are looking forward to another fun family outing looking for that perfect evergreen specimen to fell by saw or axe, tag it, drag it, haul it, trim it, enjoy it!

Deer Hunting 2010

So far the season has been pretty slow, with just two bucks taken (Allen B. and Ernie P.) after 63 "hunter days" during the first 12 days. We had one day of freezing morning temps and two days of light rain. The second and third days after each "weather" event produced greater numbers of deer seen, but no parade of migrating bucks as might be expected.

Currently the General Elk Rifle season is in progress with only three or four hunters making the effort this year. With the number of elk seen during deer season you might expect some success this year. I guess after two years of pretty much seeing nothing, even seeing some elk this week could be considered success.

Muzzleloader elk season is still three plus weeks away, but as the nights are getting colder (at least in the high 30's in the valleys) anticipation builds in hopes of good hunting weather.

Here Kitty Kitty!

This note from our neighbors at A-2 from August 18th!

Dear Neighbors,

Wednesday evening, around 9:00pm, a cougar was sited at the outhouse of the Janz’s cabin by an adult family member who was going there. The person returned to get his flashlight, shinned it on the animal and it was a cougar, staring back. This is what I have been told, I believe it. And it is down right scary!

It has been reported to the Prospect Ranger Station, and the wildlife biologist said there is a trapper hired by them to find the cat. Apparently, this cat has not gone north. He likes our area.

If you see the cat, please call Cricket, the trapper in charge, at 541-326-5401. Cricket, has asked that we call him if we site the cat.

Thank you,Rachel Lee Hall A-2

A poem about the cabin

I am from Ramblers Roost.
I am from cupboards that don't close in the summer, that slam shut in the winter.
I am from chilling watermelons in the Rogue River and hauling buckets of water.
I am from sleeping in until Dad calls out "The French toast is ready!"
I am from crossword puzzles in the sun in the yard in a lawn chair.
I am from loving my family.

I remember the feeling of turning down the cabin road, entering a sanctuary, traveling over God's creation of a soft bed of pine needles.
I remember cross-country skiing, bike riding, hiking, driving...sleeping.
I remember playing Hand & Foot until the deck ran out, and then playing again.
I remember waiting for the last log to burn out, signaling time to go to bed.
I remember never being scared, like being at the cabin was like being in your own skin.

Every time, it is restoration for mind, body, soul & family.
One day my family will come here.

I wrote this poem about a year ago, lost it though, and have been looking for it since. In anticipation of our cabin trip in a few weeks I have searched a little harder, and I found it today! Living in the Portland area we don't get to the cabin as often as we would like. But we are so excited to take Levi this summer for his first time!! Last year when we went to the cabin Levi was with us, but only a few people knew about him at the time (I think I was like 10 weeks pregnant). I wrote this about 2 weeks after I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to share it with you.

Warm Days, Cool Nights of July

Terry and Lucy and I spent a couple of wonderfully relaxing nights at the cabin last week. We hiked to Sherwood Meadows, spent some time at Diamond Lake, I fished at the Gorge and caught three trout for our breakfast, we visited some friends that were camping at Farewell Bend, and just enjoyed the peace and quiet of our beloved Rambler's Roost.

Thursday morning brought A Affordable Royal Flush from town, a septic service that cleaned out the outhouse pit of ten plus years of "you know what", so we no longer have a "Full House"! This will gain us continued use of our pit for hopefully another good length of time (5-10 years), and perhaps reduce the unpleasant aromas by some degree. Also sharing in the Royal Flush presence was our neighbors at A-16 and B-17.

Thanks to those who took part in stacking the wood that was brought in this May! You all did a very good job and really got the job done quickly.

So continue to enjoy the old cabin through the summer. Don't forget the Pruitt Family Reunion coming up this weekend (July 24th). Bring your potluck lunch and enjoy remembering family and fun times.

Rambler's Roost on Facebook

A Facebook Group titled "Rambler's Roost" has been created as a more convenient way to share photos and stories related to the Cabin. It is a closed group with access available only to approved members of the group. So if you are on Facebook and would like to participate, send in your request and "Admin" approval will gain you access. If you are not on Facebook and would still like to share photos and stories, you can email them to ramblersroost@hotmail.com and we can post them here on the blog.

Wood! Wood! Wood!

Our spring wood cutting went well with five cords of fireplace wood cut, split, hauled and even some stacked in three days. A special thanks to Ernest and Jerad for falling the big timber, bucking into rounds and splitting, hauling and stacking. Others helping included Celia, Jeff, CJ, Julie, Tony, Pearl and her sister-in-law Cindy, and myself. The hydraulic splitter is an amazing tool that made it possible to get that much wood in just three days.

The pile is still high and deep and will need some stacking so whenever at the cabin for a weekend, bring some gloves and spend a little time moving that pile. This wood will cure for a year before we use it, but there is plenty from our 2007 efforts to get us through this next year.

Summer season is coming up fast and the cabin will get a lot of use this year again. Please let us know if there is anything that needs to be addressed, as in repairs or ideas for improvement.

See you at the cabin!

Time to Cut Wood!

The permit is secured, the roads are clear of snow. Time to come on up and cut wood for the cabin. Due to work schedules of those with the equipment and expertise to handle it, cutting will begin Thursday morning, May 13th. We'll be on the Buck Road just above the Six Trees near the junction. Between rolling buttons to the splitter, splitting, loading trailers and pick-ups, unloading at the cabin, and starting all over again, there is plenty for all to pitch in and help make short work of this project. Hope to see you there!

WOOD CUTTING RESCHEDULED

Due to an increased amount of spring snowfall, our woodcutting weekend planned for next weekend has been rescheduled for May 14-16. Access to our desired cutting area is hampered by snow accumulations of over one foot. Updates will be forthcoming as they develope.

What happened to the blog?

Wow, it has been too long since the last posting! So much has happened at the cabin since last spring and our floor improvement project. A long summer (2009) of cabin trips and fall hunting trips have since been stored in our personal memory banks.

Hunting season was not the best but certainly there was some success. Jerad and Aiden brought in the biggest buck. Ernie, Ernest and CJ also got their bucks. Anyone else? Lewis and I archery hunted for both deer and elk and have tags to use for wallpaper. Lewis saw some elk in eastern Oregon but I was skunked in western Oregon. Late deer season provided quite a number of deer observations, mostly at great distance, although I passed on a forked horn at 28 yards, hoping for one of those big rutting bucks. They were the ones at great distance!

Snow has been scarce at the cabin this winter. It comes and goes but never seems to build into any amount of sustainable base. We were able to drive in for Claire Jean Clark's first birthday celebration in January; actually I don't think there has been a time this winter that you couldn't drive into the cabin!

This spring's project is to cut some firewood to replenish our stack of combustible fiber to thermally enhance the interior environment of "ye olde shack" for the next couple of years. Our projected date for this project is April 16, 17, and 18 (Fri-Sun) pending approval of our Forest Service wood-cutting permit. If you are available and so inclined, come on up and join in the fun and labor of bringing in the wood. Ernest and Jerad will be our fallers and buckers. We'll need help in rolling the buttons to the splitter, splitting and loading into trucks and trailers, and off-loading back at the cabin. You can come up for the whole weekend or make it a day trip if you would like. Bring your own food and beverage. I don't really think that we could ever have too much help for a project like this.

If any of you have photos you would like to appear in the blog please email them to ramblersroost@hotmail.com and I will try to get them posted. Also, any personal stories regarding your trips to the cabin that you would want to share, please email those too.