Coyote Bluff - this morning!


Listen close to the sound on this video -- during the first few seconds you'll hear coyotes yipping.

Mid-Sept Catch UP

I haven't posted anything for a couple of weeks..............but don't think that "noth'ens" been going on. The harvest moon has grown fat and the sun continues to warm our days.

I have spent a lot of time working up the data that we collected over the summer on the Middle Fork John Day River. I'll be heading out that way one more time next week to close up the field season before classes at the University of Oregon start back up on the 28th of September.

Beyond boring data organizing and field work report writing ........ a few notable occasions have come and gone.

Steve's mom Sue had her birthday. She and Brenda (Steve's sister) came to Eugene for the day and we enjoyed each others company with what developed into a tastee fantastic "food" theme. Restaurants and the amazing Eugene Farmer's Market provided us with beautiful looking and tasting food all day.

Also Brenda, me and Sue all got our birthday shoes for the year...........Keen style. What a pleasure to spend the day with such great folks.




And Steve had his girls with him all day.



Then came Esther's 50th Birthday at the Hill.


Becky L. and her crew put the theme together into a lovely fabulous & fifty event of well deserved praise and gratitude and....... yes ...... more good food.... for the fabulous birthday girl.


In the mix of it all was the annual Eugene Celebration where the city closes its downtown streets to traffic for three days and opens them to music, parades, booths, entertainers, etc.
I had the opportunity to fire dance on the streets Friday and Saturday nights of the E-Bration with a group called EarthDescendance. What a treat that was!

Fluvial Geomorphology

What's NOT sexy about fluvial geomorphology??????

(daily garb -- of course)

US!!!!!!!!! We're BURRRRRRRRLY!!!!!!

teeee hee teeeee heeee ahhhaahhhhaahhah!

Just returned from our last stint of field work out in the Middle Fork John Day. Besides some major equipment failure, we had a nice trip. Due to the Total Station survey equipment shutting down on us we only surveyed about 2/3 of the area we had planned and we had to do it with an auto-level. This is a much cruder instrument but we got what we got!

Worked with a great fellow (John Ward) from the Idaho office of the US Bureau of Reclamation for a couple of days. Our project was to get detailed survey data from the constructed log structures on the upper reach of the Middle Fork that they put in this summer for enhanced fish habitat.

I have been washing the high lands dirt of the Middle Fork John Day off of the equipment and myself for the last couple of days. Trying to catch up on the world that I slipped away from early in the summer. Counted up -- I spent about 50 nights under the stars this summer thus far. Feels a bit strange to be sleeping/eating/working/playing inside.....but it feels good to be home with Steve.


Huge thanks and kudos to Jessica and Stephanie (members of the MFJD field crew this summer) for pushing a few 12 hour days so that I could make it home for an old dear friend's going away party.



















My friend for the past 22 years, Scott Frietas, is moving to Hawaii in a couple of weeks for his dream job -- brew master on Maui. The rest of his amazingly wonderful family will join him later in the winter. The sense of community amongst the friends and family that gathered for Scotty out at the Oregon Country Fair site filled my soul. I laughed a lot and fire danced with new/old friends. It was magical. It was good. Thanks Scotty!!!