Results from the Country Fair

The girls did very well at the country fair. Vanessa got lots of firsts. We were most proud of the eggs that won first prize. Those were the last of Luna's eggs before she was killed by the bear. The judges were told the story of why the eggs were so special by the fair organizers after they judged them. Heather won a best in show ribbon for her homemade model. It was her school ostrich project that she had made the month before. We will have to collect next years' school projects and enter them next time. The girls both won over twenty dollars. My two entries (pickled beans and chocolate zucchini loaf) earned ribbons too but no firsts. It was a lot of fun and I think a new summer tradition.

Jigs Charged By Bear

The girls wanted to go swimming in the pool at lunch today but I told them they had to wait because I was making lunch and I couldn't watch them. It was a good thing they were not out there. Jigs was barking at the patch of forest we have in the middle of the backyard. I knew there must of been a bear by the way he was acting. The next thing I knew, the bear was coming out at the bush and charged at the dog. The dog would not come even though I was calling him. He was in defender mode but so was the bear. The bear was huge with a brown face. I was really worried, we were going to lose the dog. Finally, Jigs listened, backed off and the bear turned back for the bush.
I phoned conservation and they explained that the bear did a defensive bluff. Nonetheless, it was pretty scary. They came in the afternoon and set up the bear trap. Within an hour of the trap arriving, we had a bear checking out the trap but it didn't go in. I don't believe it is the same bear that went after Jigs.  I told the conservation officer about it and showed him the pictures. He said that the bear was a big bear (4 year old) and that it must have been caught before because it sat there and just stared at the trap. He said once they are trapped, they don't go in them again. They tried to lure the bear with molasses and sardines. We don't really want to catch the bears but it is not safe for the girls to be outside. We think there is about six different bears around as they all have unique features but are obviously related. The dog must be out with the girls always. He's a good boy and will protect them. He always knows when they are around. Just have to keep Jigs out of the trap and not go into the bush after them.

Just chilling on the lawn in the back

Staring at the trap

Country Fair Entries

The girls and I decided to try something new this year. We decided to enter some art, crafts and food into the local country fair. Here are some of the entries that they had.

Themed Picture

Jellybean Jellyfish

We were Robbed!!!!!

The bears were back again!!! Looking for more chickens to feast on. They didn't find any since they were all relocated. However, they decided to feast on the garden. They ate Heather's prized entry of romaine lettuce that we were just about to harvest. They ate it right to the ground and chewed and stepped on a lot of the other plants. Two culprits this time and one was cinnamon colored.

Very Sad News

It is with great regret that we had to send our chickens to another home.
We had a bear discover our chicks earlier this month from the bunny hutch and they snatched one. We had to put them in the shed to keep them safe in the hutch. While we were in Oregon, Todd's parents had to deal with the aftermath of the coop being torn apart again. They had to plywood it up to repair it.
The chicks got too big for the bunny hutch and had to be introduced to the coop. We mixed them with the others and they were doing well.
Last night, the coop was literally turned upside down and Luna, our best layer, was killed. Todd had to right the coop and drag it towards the house. The girls had to collect the chickens and put them inside the house in the dog kennel. The bears were in the bush and I had to keep them at bay with a slingshot. It was pretty futile. It was too hot to shoot a bear banger in the forest and those didn't seem to scare them anymore anyway.
We phoned our friends that took Ginny the rooster and they agreed to take them temporarily until our neighbors across the street get electric fencing around their chicken coop. They have also  been having their chickens killed by the bears.
In order to keep the chickens we will have to build a much stronger coop and have electric fencing. Not in the budget at this time.
It is really sad but the chicks will have a good home across the street once they install the electric fence.

We also really appreciate Phil and Elaine's willingness to take the chickens for the time being. They are currently in their vacant duckling house and adjusting well. Thank you.

Jumping Show Day

Heather participated in her first jumping show today. She did two events: Trot Pole and Cross Poles. Her trot poles ere completed with Robin and her cross poles were completed with Casper. Heather had only ridden Casper one other time and never jumped with him. She had to ride him because Robin was a little too hyper a few moments before and her coach thought that she might fly off. She was a little scared but she completed the course. She ended up earning to second places at his event.

Heather with Robin

2nd for Trot Poles

Heather on Casper

2nd for Cross Poles

Heather learns to Jump with Robin

Heather learned to jump with Robin for the first time today. You could see the big smile on her face.

Yurting on The Oregon Coast

We had a great time at Fort Stevens in Oregon. We rented a yurt and we loved it. No tent assembly and there was heat. It was fine during the day but it got cool at night. We bought Vanessa a bike down there and the girls disappeared for a few days riding the miles of bike paths. Vanessa was reluctant to ride but I took her down to the beach so she would not be so scared to fall. It turns out that it was a lot more difficult to ride on the sand and after getting the hang of it, riding on the cement was a piece of cake in comparison. The State Park has great educational programs. The kids went to about three presentations. The last one was on rescue birds. We went down to Cannon Beach to check out the tidal pools again and on our way home stopped in at Long Beach, Washington. That was a neat little town too There was a really weird and unique store there.

Shipwreck at Fort Stevens

Hidden guns at Fort Stevens

Astoria Waterfront

Todd enjoyed some Oregon Craft Beer

Jake the Alligator-man

Shrunken Head

What it will look like in the end

World's Largest Frying Pan