Back Home in Kansas

After five weeks in Oregon, I'm back home in Kansas. I had heard the weather reports, but I didn't believe it would be this warm this early in the spring. The quince tree in the backyard is beginning to bloom. Wow! All across the eastern U.S. I hear that trees are leafing out a full three weeks ahead of average. By 'degree days' - a more accurate measurement used by orchardists to determine spray times - we are a full month ahead of schedule. Unbelievable!

Orders Ready to Ship

Nick is shown here with our first round of customer order scion wood. It is alphabetized to make sorting into the customer orders easier - though it is still a time consuming task. And this is only to fill the first wave of orders. By the end of the season we will have gathered, cut to size, labeled, and sorted well over 2000 individual scion sticks.

Locating Trees

Before going to the orchard, Nick locates trees on the customer orders with the trees' positions in the orchard. By combining orders it allows us to make fewer passes through the orchard. By far, the largest order of the season goes to Rick Godsil of Wagon Wheel Orchard in Gardner Kansas. He ordered well over 250 varieties.

Scion Collection

Rootstock Fields

Went to Treco with Nick Botner and Larry Radke to pick up this years order of rootstocks. What is seen here are the rootstock fields after harvest. The lighter brown material is sawdust. It is mounded up over a row of apple 'stumps'. In the spring, apple shoots will grow up from the stump. Because they grow threw the sawdust, the shoots root at the base. In late winter, the sawdust is removed from the rows of apple shoots. The shoots (with roots) are cut off making a stump once again. Over these apple stumps is mounded the sawdust and the process continues again. The rootstocks are important because this is what scion wood is grafted onto.

Oregon Flight

Flew to Oregon on Wednesday, 2/15. During the flight I was able to capture a picture of some of the magnificent mountains of our western states.

I'm a Goin' to Oregon

It's that time of year to gather fruit tree scion wood. My friend Nick Botner says this has been one of his busiest years to date for scion wood requests. So I'm off to Oregon to help him fill his orders.

Home Sweet Home

After a month of traveling, I'm back home in Kansas. What a great, wonderful, scary, crazy, exciting, educational, at times lonely, at times freakin awesome, exhausting but super cool trip it has been. I'm glad I went. And now I'm glad to be home.

Yea, Buddy, Vacuuming the Yard

Ok, let me explain. Yes, I am vacuuming the yard. But there's a reason. My aunt and uncle's house in Louisville, Kentucky, is home to one of the biggest American persimmon tree I've ever seen. It had a bumper crop of fruit. Uncle Greg and Aunt Linda don't collect the fruit so it makes a mess under the tree. I offered to rake up the fallen fruit as a thank you for letting me stay at their house. Well, while I was raking I saw all sorts of persimmon seeds nestled in the grass. I love persimmon trees and want to plant more of them - which means I need seeds. Picking them up by hand takes FOREVER! But a shop vac does it real quick. It looks funny, and everybody who drove by did a double take but hey, whatever works I say. A combination of vacuuming, winnowing (using the exhaust from the shop vac), and rinsing ended up with 8 pounds of clean persimmon seeds, which are now tucked away in the fridge awaiting spring.

Headed East Again

Greg and Linda, my aunt and uncle, invited me to Louisville. So I'm headed east.

The Gateway to the West

Had the good fortune to spend the weekend in St. Louis with the family. Saturday night was spent cheering on cousin Nicki. She is the Director of Basketball Operations for the Richmond Women's Basketball Team. They crushed the St. Louis Bilikens - which is a mascot none us could figure out. Anywho. It was a fun weekend. The Arch is always amazing to see.

From Columbia TN to St. Louis

After traveling through the rolling hills of north Alabama and Tennessee, I veered northwest determined to see the Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois. The Shawnee hills are a sliver of the ozark mountains cut off by the Mississippi River. Another interesting fact is that the hills are home to some of the most northerly occurring natural populations of bald cypress trees - a tree more emblematic of the deep south. It is a beautiful area. It is also, the home of Popeye the Sailor Man. In Chester Illinois you see all sorts of Popeye related artwork.

That night I drove into St. Louis. From all directions: north, south, east and west, various family members were getting together for the weekend. It was so good to see my parents, brother and Aunt Linda and Uncle Greg after nearly a month on the road.

Traveling North

After two wonderful fun days at Indian Pass, learning how to fish for Red Fish and throw a casting net, I packed up and headed north. It was a violent stormy day. I narrowly missed the worst of it. The silver lining on that cloud, was that the truck got a good washing. Eventually, I had to call it quits just south of Nashville, Tennessee. I was hungry and exhausted, it was dark and pouring rain. Enough travel for today.

Once Again at Indian Pass

After retrieving my truck from storage, Jim and I parted ways. It was an incredibly fun week. I am so glad Jim made it down. More than likely if it hadn't been for Jim, I would have decided to head home a week earlier. But now I found myself in Gainesville once more and with a mind to keep adventuring. I decided to visit with some of the ag school folks at the university. I stayed one day and then hit the road for my favorite campground, Indian Pass.

Back to Gainesville

After lunch at the Thai temple Jim and I headed back to Gainesville, FL.

Gators and Temple

On our way back north, Jim and I once again crossed the Everglades. To say this is gator country is an understatement. They are everywhere. Swimming here can easily be a life ending decision. Though like house cats, they seem to spend most of the day asleep. A day later we traveled to Tampa Bay and the Mustang Flea Market. I scored a handful of fishing rods for almost nothing. Later that day we headed to the Thai temple. It's an absolutely incredible haven in the middle of town. If you didn't have somebody tell you it was there, you'd drive right by it. The best part is the food they sell. It's wonderful. I had some sort of noodle and a curried pumpkin dish, all of it piled high for a mere 5 bucks.

A Tour of South Florida

Over the course of a few days, Jim and I traveled from Sarasota across the Everglades to Fort Lauderdale. South of Fort Lauderdale, and away from the coast is a wonderful patchwork of small farms. This is quite different from the tomato wastelands I had heard dominate lands to the west. It was an area of tiny and very diverse little nurseries and row crop fields. White folks here are in the minority. Towards lunch one day, we stopped at this beautiful road side stand - Placita Los Girasoles - and had some of the best tamales I've ever had. Later that day we made it to the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead Florida. This is an absolutely awesome place. Two green thumbs up. For someone accustomed to temperate fruits of the north, this place is a wonderful spectacle of bizarre, odd, taste treats from all over the tropical world. My favorite fruit to try was the canistel or egg fruit (not egg plant). The consistency of the fruit is like the yolk of a hard boiled egg, but that is an overly simplified description. It is exquisite really. Also, there is an old relic of a tractor unlike any I've ever seen before. Just what is was once used for I don't know. If anyone knows leave a comment.

I also, wish to report that we made it all the way to Key West. It takes much longer to get there than one would expect from looking at a map. Sadly, it has not kept hoards of people from descending on its beaches. Key West is a bustling little 'San Francisco' of the Gulf type of town. Charming in a way, but much too crowded for me. You couldn't walk the beach without tripping over sunbathers. It also has a feel that everyone there is in some state of drunkenness. Though I had a great time meeting local beach entrepreneur 'Coconut Larry', who sells coconuts he gathers each morning. A few quick cuts of the knife and a straw makes a great drink.

To South Florida

Wouldn't you know it. My buddy Jim Long from up in Blue Eye, Missouri, came through town. "Want to go to Fort Lauderdale," he says. "Yea, sure," says I. So quite unexpectedly, I'm heading south. Didn't need a second vehicle so I put my truck in storage. Locked up and secure we were off to Sarasota or more precisely Bradenton to visit with some of Jim's friends. South Florida is a world apart from the northern sections of the state. I couldn't help but take a picture of a small sailboat in the tranquil bay. And the next day we visited a wonderful little citrus orchard tucked into all that suburban sprawl that reaches from Tampa Bay south. If you ever find yourself in the area go visit Will Wetzler at 51st Street Grove in Bradenton.

Headed East to Gainesville

After a week in Indian Pass, I was feeling the urge to keep on adventuring. I wasn't real sure where to go, so I just started driving. Highway 98 took me through some of the most remote parts of Florida's Forgotten Coast. Eventually, I headed inland to the college town of Gainesville. This is where the University of Florida is based - an AG school. One of my favorite places on campus is the low key community gardens - a place of calm and quiet amid a bustling throng of students. Later that night I stayed at the Paramount Plaza Hotel. I got a screamin good deal on what is normally a luxury room. After spending a week camped on the ground, being eaten by no-see-ums and sand fleas, sleeping on a huge bed in an air conditioned room I couldn't help but feel like King Tut.

Camping at Indian Pass

Between Apalachicola and Port St. Joe on the Forgotten Coast of Florida is the community of Indian Pass. It's not a town so much but more of a neighborhood spread out along a single paved road running the length of a tiny peninsula separating the Gulf from Apalachicola Bay. At the end of that paved road is a campground. I found it quite by accident. There is little in the way of advertising done to attract new campers, and I like it that way. The pace is relaxed, the people are laid back. Nor is it the average snowbird getaway. Nobody here plays golf. What people do here is fish, or crab or gather oysters. So I decided to stay for a week to learn from these seasoned fisherman. I met some wonderful folks, like Ken from Canada, Larry and Marilyn from North Carolina, Ricky from Georgia and Donna, Bill and Jeff from Indiana. They all took me in and showed me how to set crab traps, fish from the beach, gather oysters from the bay, and how to throw a cast net. I loved my time here and plan to go back. Oh, and the picture below is of the camp lights that Ricky makes. They are affectionately called 'Georgia Chandeliers'. They work really well to light the night.

Made it to Florida

Our family left Florida thirteen years ago, and this is the first time I've been back. It's a beautiful day. The Pensacola coast is visible off to the right.

Mighty Mississippi

Westward view of two bridges across the Mississippi River from the banks in Vicksburg, MS.

Buffalo National River

This is the view of the river from the top of the bluffs in the Buffalo National River area of northern Arkansas.

Long Creek Herbs

After spending the first night in Osceola, MO I traveled down to the town of Blue Eye, MO. I then had the pleasure of spending the night in the home of Jim, Josh, and Barbara.

Heading To Apalachicola

To those who have followed this blog, this picture may look familiar. Almost two years ago, I was in this exact spot ready to head to Oregon. This time around I'm bound for Florida. The skies are clear and it's a beautiful day to start another adventure.