Adventure 298: Rabbit Maneuver

We're back!!!

Author's note: I feel a little bit like a politician trying walk back an untenable position, but for the record, Judy and I didn't incriminate, insult, or blame each other in any way for the loss of the I-Pad. We simply did what we always do: work the problem and find the solution together. She said when she read the blog it sounded like we were taking bites out of each other's psyche. It was not my intention, and it was not the case. It does make me realize that Judy and I are really quite mindful of each other. It feels good.

But we did face another minor problem after we got back from our tour of Lisa Jane's farm stand. Lisa Jane is this farm lady who works her fourth generation farm in part by running an honor system store at the edge of her property. She's a lady who  believes in the goodness of people. I'd love to meet her. At any rate, we paid cash for a piece of home grown, grass fed top round, eighteen eggs, and two ears of corn. We had planned on that being our dinner last night. (Instead, we smashed a delicious burger we bought from a drive through near dusk in La Grande, OR). After buying our groceries from Liza Jane, we toured the town of Enterprise, OR, and then took the back way to Joseph. Simply fabulous country! Full of ranches, horses, cattle, barns of all sizes, colors, and states of repair, the whole valley has a wholesome feeling. Hay is stacked everywhere as is wood, each homestead readying for the winter. We stopped to walk the sacred grounds of the Nezperce Indians and paid our respects to the grave of Chief Joseph. The sacred grounds (Iwetemlaykin:i wee-TEMM-lye-kin), where the Nezperce used to camp in the summer months, feels much like the Shilo Battlefield in Corinth, MS. There is a quiet that isn't quite silent, a glow beyond sunlight, and a sense of history. The land feels as if it is resigned to the progress of man, but it also keeps memories locked away in its soil. After touring the sacred grounds, we drove back to Enterprise (again, the back way) to have a terrific lunch at the Terminal Gravity Brewing Company. Judy's beer looked quite good. I abstained in my effort to catch the skinnies. It was when we got back to the trailer that the excitement started. We had been having some intermittent problems with the furnace, but I thought I'd solved the problem (Amazingly wishful thinking, given with my limited skill set). We left the furnace on and so we expected the trailer to be nice and warm. Not so much. I called the dealer. It turns out an electrical switch buried behind the furnace failed. The fix requires pulling the unit. So we set to solving another problem. We decided, after talking with the dealer, that we'd drive home (6 hrs.) because the furnace fix will likely take two days. We figured we might as well sleep in our own bed rather that find a hotel in, say, Caldwell, Idaho. So we're home now. The trailer is at the shop and Judy went downtown to buy a new I-Pad. Stay tuned. We're on the road, at least in our heads, and just like rabbits, we'll be hopping away soon, once again to feel the sacred honor of traveling the earth. I feel fortunate to suffer just these first world inconveniences. It makes me realize that life is good, especially today. 

This farm stand is one of the reasons America is great: Keep the faith!

This stand is right at the edge of Hwy 82 outside of Enterprise in front of a farm that has been in the family for four generations. It's honor code shopping. There's fresh vegetables, U-pick herbs, frozen goat parts, frozen beef parts, apple cider, and fresh eggs. 

 We bought eighteen edible embryos.

Nestled in the canyon just outside Enterprise, this farm is one of the original farms settled after the white man chased off the Indians. The land adjusts; people, too.

 Selfie of the day: Hurricane Creek Campground, a place we found while exploring today.

 The pond at Iwetemlaykin Heritage site.

 Our ever present "gentleman's" game.

More thin gruel: Italian wedding soup and maybe the best Reuben I've ever had.

Throwback Wednesday: Here I'm enjoying a soak with Sawyer way back when. He's fourteen now. (And last night, I got the blessing of hopping in the tub to calm down a bit after our six hour drive home. Blessings really are everywhere I look.