Tag: Video

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. . . out like a Lamb

We made a quick stop at Fort Rock to enjoy the sunrise, then continued our trek to Summer Lake

This week really seemed like spring had arrived to Central Oregon. March softened its edge as April took over  .  .  .  and not anytime too soon.

The arrival of spring requires at least one trip to Summer Lake (likely more) to check on what the Pacific Flyway has deposited on the briny marsh land.

Marsh Wren in repose

We caught lots of flashes of Osprey, Eagles and Hawks.

Hunting is always good (if you are a raptor) with spring fledglings popping about.

There was a squadron of Pelicans swimming in formation, a pair of Sandhill Cranes and flocks of White-fronted Geese.

American White Pelicans ruffling their feathers

The avocets were just starting to show up, however no Snowy Plover, yet.

Red-winged Blackbird singing his heart out

The reeds were full of Red-winged Blackbirds calling for mates and most of the swallow houses had occupants.

The season is on and we were treated to lots of activity.

Summer lake is such an easy trip and usually the valley has great photo ops.

We are planning a run further out to check on Abert Lake, as well as a trip through Klamath Marsh sometime later in the spring. Birding is a great excuse to do some traveling  .  .  .

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Snowdaze

It snowed like this all day

This week, as the first day of spring {3/20/25} rolled by on the calendar, media outlets carried stories about cherry blossoms, gardening tips, and spring break locations.

Meanwhile, Central Oregon got covered in two feet of fresh snowfall.

We’ve gotten used to snow in March, but this snow storm was one storm too many. The weather has been off and on all season. That, I guess shouldn’t come as a shock.

Unfortunately for us, we were clearing snow off our driveway on the first day of spring.

Day two and the sun breaks through

Oh, it was a beautiful sight  .  .  .  fir branches ladened with mounds of white and that muffling of sound a layer of snow brings to the world.

It didn’t get much below freezing, and in fact it melted pretty quickly.

Taking a moment between shovel fulls

There was a day, or two, of clogged roads, as we waited on snowplows to come through. Sharing sympathetic looks with our neighbors (who were also shoveling snow), it took us over an hour to clear our driveway.

In the end, we managed to get a few more home projects completed .

But still  .  .  .  this is MARCH!

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Pacific Flyway Visit

In the Pacific Flyway

Well, that was a False Spring.

For the past few days we greeted each morning with a thin blanket of snow. It’s gone by early afternoon, but still  .  .  .  when will we get a Spring?

Before the winterish weather settled in on us, we managed a trip to Summer Lake.

Expanse of sky above Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge

As migratory birds start to move, we make somewhat regular excursions to the Wildlife Refuge on the Northwestern edge of Summer Lake.

This week there were not a lot of birds to see, but a start to the spring migration through the Pacific Flyway was evident.

Red-winged Blackbirds were starting to claim nesting areas. We spotted a few banks of Trumpeter Swan and a pair of Sandhill Cranes.

Mostly, it was a good excuse to get out while the weather was nice.

There was some wind that cooled the 50 degree day, but not too much.

A bank of swans

We’ve marked the calendar to come back in three weeks which will likely be the height of migration.

We are also charting a trip to the Klamath Lake area as there are some spots there we’ve not checked out.

A chaotic take-off

The Pacific Flyway will be crowded in the coming months, so it’s the perfect time to do some birding  .  .  .  weather is the only question mark.

 

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Winter’s End . . . maybe

Run-off color in the stream

This week the weather warmed and our colds waned.

It looks a bit like spring outside. Most likely a late winter melt is underway. Could be a ‘false spring,’ but we’ll take what’s offered.

While winter was losing its grip, we continued homebased projects.

One of those was trying a simple oven baked pizza.

This Cast Iron Pan Pizza features a wall of cheese rimming the edge of the pie

Using a cast iron skillet to magnify the oven’s heat, this was a resounding success. America’s Test Kitchen recipes rarely fail.

There are still signs of winter in the canyon

By weeks end the day temperatures had moved into the low forties and we headed off to the river for a long awaited escape.

River levels were up  .  .  .  putting grass and willow banks under a few inches of water  .  .  .  plus the heavy flows brought turbidity.

Fishing wasn’t great, but the weather is supposed to stay clear and warmer so there is hope for next week’s trip.

Print Recipe

Cast Iron Pan Pizza

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 cup lukewarm water 105 to 110 degrees

Sauce

  • 1 cup tomato sauce

PIZZA

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese shredded (1 cup)
  • 7 oz Mozzarella cheese shredded 1 ¾ cup

Instructions

DOUGH

  • Mix flour, salt and yeast. Add warm water and mix until most of flour is moistened. Using hands knead dough in bowl for 1 minute until dough forms a sticky ball, about 1 minute.
  • Spray a 9 inch pie plate with oil spray. Transfer dough to prepared plate and press dough into a 7-8 inch disk.
  • Spray top of dough with vegetable oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
  • 2 hours before baking, remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.

PIZZA

  • Coat bottom of cast iron skillet and use your fingertips to flatten dough until it is 1/8 inch from edge of skillet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest until slightly puffy, about 1 1/2 hours.
  • 30 minutes before baking adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over top of dough, leaving 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese evenly over border. Press cheese into side of skillet forming 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wall. Evenly sprinkle cheese over sauce.
  • Bake until cheese at edge of skillet is well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Transfer skillet to stovetop. Let cool for 3 minutes. Check bottom of pizza crust. Place over medium high heat and cook until crust browned.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
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Winter Fishing

Keeping watch

Weather finally softened this week and we headed to the river to fish. Fishing doesn’t stop in winter it just takes a different form.

The Crooked River is a ‘tailwater”  .  .  .  that is, its flow is regulated by a dam. On a tailwater, levels can fluctuate dramatically, sometimes in a matter of hours.

This inconsistent flow is offset by more constant water temperatures. The mix is good for the aquatic insects, fish food, that cling to the rocky stream bottom.

In winter months a fish feeds mostly on small aquatic invertebrates, most of them less than a quarter inch long. For that reason one employs a different method casting to winter waters.

The Canyon walls can close off the sun by early afternoon. But on days where the wind is light a few hours of midday sun will temper the air over icy river water.

Tying winter fly patterns is simple but not easy because the materials are wrapped on very small hooks. To get these bits of thread, fur and wire down to the fish a tungsten bead adds some weight sitting just behind the hook’s eye.

Adornments of silver wire ribbed over purple, red or green thread and topped with a collar of dyed rabbit fur  .  .  .  midge patterns  .  .  .  .  are the choice for this day.

Casting to winter’s fates

But nothing I attached to the end of my line enticed any takes. Getting on the river and taking in it’s sun glazed surface was reward enough. There will be other days to ply the river with my handspun offerings and pretty soon winter will pass.