Robin's Nest

There has been a robin's nest in the vine maple in the center of the cabin driveway. While we were there at the end of June there were two babies and two adults that were quite active in both feeding and eating. Eric set up his camera and telephoto lens to capture some cool images of the little ones stretched out necks and open beaks, anxious to receive the food offerings from the adults. Perhaps by now these little ones have successfully "flown the coop" so to speak and are out on their own foraging for food.

Anyone going to the cabin this winter will need to take some table salt and coffee (can be whole bean because there is a grinder there) to replace what is now missing. Make sure when you leave to replenish what kindling and firewood you have used from what is already inside the cabin. You will have to turn the power on at the breaker panel, and then remember to turn it completely off when you leave, making sure the refrigerator and freezer doors are propped open. Do not leave any water in the buckets or kettles as it will just freeze and damage the containers. Also, do not leave any food or water in the refrigerator or freezer. If there is a build up of snow on the sleeping porch there is a snow shovel in the cabin for snow removal. The rain gutter on the front porch has been twisted and partially torn off because of sliding snow from the roof. We will just have to replace that next spring. Access to the river for water can be a trick but with care in how you dig out your steps can be done safely. Staying at the cabin during the winter presents various challenges but is very relaxing once you get your fires built and can kick back and relax in the quietness that comes with cushion of snow all around you.

Another Hunting Season Around the Corner

Okay, so it has been one day short of a year since the last posting here! Terrible!

But, hunting season is just around the corner, like two days from today, and I am getting excited! Watching the long range weather forecast for any indication of a storm in the near future and dreaming of how that storm can kick-off the blacktail migration through our favorite hunting spots. We shall see!

Remember you can post pictures on the Rambler's Roost Facebook page, and they don't have to be about hunting. Any special memories from your trips to Rambler's Roost that you would like to share are always a welcomed addition to our collection.

BUCK SEASON IS UPON US!

A very traditional date this year for the start of hunting season, October 1st! The weatherman is teasing us with forecasts ranging from mostly cloudy to chance of showers, to all-out rain! Which will it be? And will it be enough to move some deer around these thick, brushy woods? We shall see! In the meantime, we can always dream of the big one walking down the trail past our favorite spot to hunt, like this dandy that wandered through Sunshine on the 16th of September in the middle of a sunny afternoon! Now that's worth waiting for!

Privial Pursuits

Last year we had the privy pit "rejuvenated" by vacuum extraction of many years of use. This year, a new look!

A once in it's lifetime (so far) interior paint job by Jason and Pepper started the ball rolling, followed by replacement of the old vinyl floor coverings with slate tiles and cedar trimming. Not only does the privy look better, at certain times it actually does smell better!

Not quite recommended for liesurely reading of the Sears & Roebuck catalog, but certainly an improvement! Bon de terlit!

LEWIS & ANGALEE FRIEND

On Friday, April 29, 2011 Lewis and Angalee were joined in marriage on the banks of Union Creek amidst a snowy but sunny landscape! Congratulations!

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.

More pictures from the flooring project

The stoves are now in place and operational. Terry and Lucy and I spent Friday afternoon at the cabin repositioning the stoves, replacing some stove pipe and leveling the water bucket table. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon to sit in the yard and read a book or sweat over 24 gauge stove pipe that didn't want to cooperate! But, we got it done and then had time to take Lucy on a romp in the hunting woods.


Mel and Terry

You'll be floored by these improvements!

The last weekend in April brought Ernest, CJ, Lewis and myself to Rambler's Roost, the first to be able to drive into the cabin in 2009. There was still some snow on the road in and in the main yard, but nothing a little 4x4 effort couldn't overcome!

Our purpose in this early spring trip was to install a natural slate tile floor in the main kitchen area, replacing the carpet from in front of and under the cookstove with a safer material. So, the width of the kitchen and five feet from the end wall is now a beautiful natural slate tile floor, transitioned to the carpet by a strip of oak trim.

Fair warning for those that got comfortable with carpet in the kitchen...this floor is going to be cold on bare feet! But the danger of an ember falling from the wood cookstove is eliminated by the entire area being covered in slate. This will mean some additional care in cleaning too, but well worth it.

We arrived Friday evening and worked until 10:00 p.m., prepping the area by removing the carpet, stripping the old linoleum to bare wood underlayment, applying the backerboard and oak trim piece.

Saturday we got our layout, measured and cut tile to fit and laid in thin set mortar. While waiting for that to cure, we had plenty of time for general cabin cleaning, wood chopping and stacking, cleaning the electric stove top (that was about two hours of intensive scrubbing) and window cleaning.

Sunday morning we applied the grout, which required many buckets of fresh, clean water from the river. Lewis had gone home Saturday evening so the bucket duty fell to Ernest as CJ and I sponged the grout and cleaned the tile. Everything turned out as planned and looks great!

Ernest returned last weekend and put a couple of coats of sealer on the grout and tile before replacing the stoves. A small glitch in the cookstove pipe prevented completion of that project so Terry and I will go up Friday this week and finish that, along with cleaning the oven of the electric stove.

So all is in order for another busy season of cabin trips for our family. We have new neighbors upstream so be sure and introduce yourselves if you find them enjoying their new summer home.

Mel and Terry

T'was The Week Before Christmas....!

Ah, Christmas is coming! And although the weather man keeps predicting "gobs" of snow in the valley, it has only been falling in the mountains. So, unless you live in Portland, and you want a white Christmas, you might have to go to the cabin, where there is two feet of snow this week, and more on its way.

Terry and I took Lucy up to run around in the snow this past Saturday, had our lunch at the cabin and enjoyed the winter wonderland of Rambler's Roost.

Merry Christmas everyone! Mel and Terry