I awoke 8 am. Clear and Sunny. Went to Omak to eat at Ourplace. Also had to buy a new propane tank. The old one was unsafe. Big fires in Southern Cal right nw. 11 dead......650 homes burnt. I mixed 4 bags of concrete to make some patio steps. Blue Jays and Chippiies making fast wor of the Corn we are putting out. Lot's of deer.....I had to shoo them away from the gate when we came in Saturday.

Our next trip is Oct 25th......leaving Saturday morn.......we may not be back till Winter so we will prepare the cabin for the long silent season....................... I will want to mix up the last of the concret before it goes bad. Taking Ron's truck this time.........Large Solar flares are hitting the Earth now. We may see some Borealus!

We decided to leave Sunday evening @ 5:45. One of the rare times Ron has not felt well. We did pour some concrete steps earlier in the day. We have only 4 bags of concrete left over! I want to use it before Winter set's, other wise we will be left with 4 large hard chunks of crete! Also installed the weather vane we got from my Sister Margi. Put it on the beam that sticks out over the new deck. News at 11.

Ron and I slept out on the deck last night. A little chilly but felt great. Sky was ultra clear except for the giant triangular craft that flew over. Saw lots of shooting stars,Mars is still big, Milky Way looked nice. Thousands of Trunpeter swans flew ovehead....day and night! This morning we woke and went to "The Utter Place" and had B-fast. Just put up the weather vain. Going to make some steps out of the left over concrete next. Temp is 60 clear skies. Eagles are flying over. Blue Jays are hanging out at the feeder. Hummer feeder fell apart in Ron's hands as he was loading it. Bought a new one at Lee Frank's.

Left Friday night Sept 19th after work. Arrived at the property 11 PM. Made good time. 19 miles per gallon on my Tundra. Very clear skies. The Milky Way was incredible. Comfortable temperatures. I slept well/Ron did not. This morning we got up around 8 AM and headed to Omak. Had B-fast at "Our Place"......very god food. Then went to Wal-mart. I got a new "hlolder" for my cell phone. Ron got a chair. Also purchased 2 steaks for later on in the evening (BBQ). Clear skies today also. Saw the smoke frm the Conconelly fire. Treied to drive up to it but were stoped by the Forest Pigs.

August 25th we packed up and hit the road 8 AM Monday. On this trip we saw a herd of turkeys, a Rabbit, Chipmunks,Squirrel,Eagle, Bats, Nighthawks......a small looking hawk (Goss hawk?). The new deck makes all the difference in the world. I tried to sleep out on it....but got ( Tu-Can) chewed big time by the mosquitos........when Fall hits I'll try it again. We also saw some shooting stars so it was all in all a great trip. Ron's truck rode well and sucked the gas down fast in doing so! Also decided to try the new "Brushless" carwash in Omak........$6 it came to. Kinda pricey. We stopped and had B-fast at "Our Place"........then hit the Starbucks in Wenatchee on the way back. Got home around 14:30 hours.........OUT

We had a big day today. Went to B-fast at "The Udder Place". Good food. Lot's of fire fighters in town. They brought in some prisoners (fire fighting ones) to eat just as we were leaving. We attempted to put up a railing around the deck.......but it proved too big a challenge. Instead we went to Wal-Mart and bought a plastic shed to store our tools and stuff. Also installed a new fold down computer table.

We had a nice drive over. I slept thru Blewitt pass. Took pictures with my camera Cell phone of Ron driving.....then sent them to my freind Jim's home comuter in Pacifica Calif. All done while moving down the road! Amazing technology. It is now getting dark and it is somewhat chilly outside. Night hawks are flying all around us. Crickets are loud. Mariners lost.

We hope to see Mars in the Southern sky. It is at it's closest point to Earth in 50,000 years. It will be our last chance to witness its splendor at this close distance . It is our Mother Planet. Where we came from. Also hope to see the Northern lights. We are at the height of the Solar flare cycle. A few years back we saw them. Should be a fun trip. Maybe I can talk Ron into going to the Kettle Falls Reggae festivus. NO CAMPFIRES the Captain says! It is dry and Hot in the Tonasket Valley.

We are off tomorrow for property! Deck railing trip this time. Also we will attempt to remove some dry vegetation from near the cabin and trailer. Weather looks good with just a small chance of a few showers. We certainly could use some rain over there!

I am working on a picture website. Hope to have a link installed with property photos soon.

We were so plum tuckered out from our Tucson/Tombstone tour that we decided to pass on the property trip. Ron went and had his canopy installed on his new truck instead. I ended up doing some work on my home bathroom makeover project. Next trip is August 22nd thru 25th. We plan on putting up a railing on the deck. Looks like the weather has been in the 100's this past month in Eastern WA. No fires will be allowed as the forest is tinder dry. I hope to be able to relax some this trip as well.

Bill and myself are leaving for Tucson tomorrow! We are meeting Don for a stay at Rancho Vitoso (Bills condo club). We are on a "Ghost" tour! When we get back on Wednesday we will have a nights rest and then it's on to property for some more fun.

Just got home from great trip! Deck is finished and looks very good! Lee's help was much appreciated.

Wow! We are almost finished with the deck! Lee got a little drunk and was yelling at me and Bill a bit. We deserved it although, could not even line up a scew correctly. Weather is perfect for work today. Temp in upper 60's and just a few showers.

Construction is going well. We have all four main vertical posts installed. Had to go to Omak to get a 3/8th inch socket. Went to the new Wal-Mart. It is huge! A super store with food section. State of the art facility. Chipmunks are making fast work of the corn cobs we are putting out. Looks like a whole family live near the cabin. Nighthawks ruled the airspace above our heads last night as we sat by the fire. Got onto the Internet and discovered they lay their egss on the ground! They make a loud sound when they come out of a dive. We thought it was a Bear when we 1st heard this noise. This bird is a great flyer. Almost Bat like in its motion. Today we will start the decking. Scattered rain has hampered our progress but we know it never lasts for too long so we just forge ahead.Rather cool also. Went to Whistlers for B-fast yesterday. Who knows where today. Did KFC last night . Ron and Lee were extremly disapointed. I had the chicken bowl with rice and beans. I liked it. Time to start work. Out.

I Bill....and Lee arrived in Tonasket mid day. Hung out at Lumber yard and figured out what we needed to get the deck construction started. It took longer than expected as they did not have the size post we wanted. We had to really think as to what to go with. Property is very green. It started raining as soon as we hit Tonasket. Little Chickadees have set p a nest in the cabin eves.........must have 5 babes! They get fed every 5 minutes. Ron arrived at 7 PM in his new truck.

Trip time is approaching fast! Time to build a deck like the Amish do! It will be a deck raising with Brother Bill and Brother Lee. Bill has decided to desert me on the trip over. He is getting an early start by going with Lee. It's me all alone in my new truck! Weather looks perfect for work. Maybe a few showers to keep it cool.

Ron's truck rides well. Should do well on our trips East to Tonasket. A heck of an improvment over his old jalopy.

I've just seen a pic of Ron's new truck. Woo Woooooooo! Going for a ride in it today. Ron turned 50 yesterday so I will buy him a steak dinner @ the Outback after the ride is over. He is looking into getting a fiberglass canopy. Should look nice!

I have a new truck! Nissan Frontier 4x4 crew cab. Ready to tackle next trip! Deck building here we go!

Actually next property trip is June 21st thru the 24th. With Lee's help we will have a new and beautiful deck! I am pumped for this! We will have a great place to sit and enjoy the views. I might even have a new truck by then to make the trip in!

Good to be back home again. I forgot I had the next day(today) off! Went to work only to turn around and head back home. The Next property trip will be Friday June 20th. Lee wants to go again. He is a demon when it come to building things. He is a regular 1 Man construction crew Tornado! We will work on getting the "Box" for the deck in place. May even have a shot at finishing the whole darn thing..........

Returned from a very good trip! With the help of Lee we laid the foundation for our new deck. Lee is returning with us June 21st thru June 24th to continue work on the deck. Also completed new critter feeder and some molding work. Ran into Roger Alumbaugh for the 1st time in several years and had a good chat.

4 footings have now been poured for the deck! We have stopped for the day and now taking showers. We have rigged up a system where we heat rainwater collected by our home made collection contraption. Water is heated by propane and a "Bear cooker" grill. Steaks cooked in the canmpfire are on the menu for tonight!

Raining this morning. Need it to stop so we can pour concrete. We can still dig the holes in the rain tho. It is cool today (63 degrees) and cool weather is what we need to do the hard labor part of this trip. Ron is going to build a chipmunk feeder today as well. The old one fell down.

Lake Omak is great. Huge fish.......clear water. I wonder why we stayed away. Nice sandy beach.

Went to Tonasket this AM. Had Breakfast. Bought 26 bags of concrete (80 lbs each) and 4 footings for a deck. Going to start building one tomorrow. It will be in the 80's today so we will wait till tomorrow to start digging holes. It is suposed to cool off. Instead we will go see Lake Omak. Lee wants to try fishing there. 1st time we will see it( the Lake). It is the largest Alkaline Lake in the State.

Here we are sitting outside at the picnic table and surfing the net............arrived 12 noon. Temperature in the mid 70's. Finished the molding inside the cabin. Went to Tonasket for Pizza . Very Good . Saw a Deer in the bush nearby.........did not even move when we approached. Looked like it was giving birth......so we stepped away.Very quiet up here.

Tonasket has it's 1st official website. Parts are still under construction.

We were going to take Ron's Truck. Not any more (see prev blog). Ron was able to down load some Steve Martin and Stan Kinneson Comedy so we shall have plenty to listen to on the trip over and back.

Looks like we'll have to take Bill's truck to Tonasket this weekend. Mine has sprung a coolant leak! Weather still looks great for the Memorial Day weekend. 70's to low 80's with a chance of a few showers. Lee will try his luck at Lake Omak and provide some grain fed, hormone free steaks!!

Excitment is building as we approach launch date. Leaving at the Break O' dawn Friday morning. Bill is taking a Margaret Cho comedy CD for entertainment on the trip over. Ron is going to see if he can download more comedy (he has DSL service and can do such things faster than I). He is also looking for any"Books on tape" that might interest us both. The trip is 4 1/2 hours and it is nice to have options.

Update on the weather forcast for Memorial day weekend....Possible showers and thunder boomers!!....40% chance......Still mild with temps near 70 degrees!....

Welcome Ron! Team Tonasket is now all on board and fully staffed for the adventure of a life time. We have a busy work schedule this trip. Finish the interior of the little Cabin. And start the construction of a deck. Friend Lee will also be joining us. Weather report is looking good..........possible 80 degree temp! Yahooooo!

I am here and signed in Billy!! Blog looks great and I am proud to be here! As Bill states, we are heading over to the wild Okanogan this Memorial day weekend of 2003. Stay tuned for some great stories from the land once made famous by the Okanogan County Earth Cookie!

Okanogan County - A short History of

It's always a good idea to keep up on the local News......we use "The Chronicle OnLine: your complete source of information for Okanogan County, Washington and surrounding areas" to keep up with the action.

Bill and Ron bought a 5.2 acre parcel of land near Carter Mountain Washington in 1993.......................9 miles South and West of the City of Tonasket. They have kept a written journal until now. Digital Cellular Service has arrived in the area and these 2 have decided to buy a used lap top to surf the net while visiting the property. So they might as well start "blogging" a journal. No power or water to rely on, they must use their wits to come up with solutions to problems they encounter in their attempts to tame the land. Stay tuned for the next trip on May 23rd to 26th 2003.