Last year, 2019, was the year I was not at home. From December through April I was helping the Koral family at Wheatridge Farm in Hillsboro with taking care of the kids while Erdem was at the Police Academy in Salem. Devon was busy taking Emre to Tae Kwon Do, and Leyla to gymnastics and weekday outings.

Leyla and Emre at the Farm.

Leyla at basketball practice.

I was only able to Snowshoe Ranger twice.

However we were able to make time to take new backpacks out for a break-in hike in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness.

In April, Erdem graduated from the Academy and is now a Hillsboro Police Officer! We are so proud of him.

The month of May, George and I drove Devon back to Illinois to start work on the Kocher Estate. Driving at only 65 miles an hour got us on roads that showed us some beautiful parts of the country.
This work was clearing out a 5000+ home of 3 generations of German immigrants who built their farm life there.

Witty went with us on this trip and truly got comfortable with staying in motels.

Really, she is quite comfortable in Devon, and loves the adventure as much as I do.
 

I realized quite soon, (luckily) that Devon’s headlights did not work driving across the country. We had to stop early every night and make sure we got dinner and motel rooms before dark. Once we arrived in Illinois, I was able to order the new switch from Rover’s North and change the part myself!

Being in southeastern Illinois in spring is a delight!

At Home Acres Farm in Illinois, we were able to start the daunting work of clearing out the house and outbuildings. We spent two weeks there and filled two 20 cubic yard dumpsters.

Driving back to Oregon was wonderful as well. We had lots of weather along the way which made us change our plans on the fly and go through areas we otherwise might not. This is the Red Canyon along the Green River in Utah.
 

Once back at the Cabin on the Deschutes, it was nice to meet the new deer of the season.

When the spring storms come to the cabin, we sometimes get out of the trees and up to Wickiup Dam to watch them.

On June 24th, I took Leyla and Emre on a three week camping trip all along the coast of Oregon. In getting ready to take the grands,  I had some Rhino Racks put on Devon for the 3 paddle boards we would be carrying.

Then we had to pack the three of us to live out of Devon while we traveled Oregon.

Stand on Liquid  in Bend, helped me with a loner board to round out our set.(They had a Smokey board there that I really wanted!)

The deer will miss us, as we will them.

Emre helps make sure Grandmama does not fall while putting up the boards.

We eat well while on the road!

We find lunch spots with great views!

I had gotten the kids journals so they could write about the trip as we went. Our days were so busy, that often times we had to journal by the Luci Lights. Those are blow up LED lights and have solar collectors. They are very cool.

When we got to Grants Pass, we looked up my college friend, Marylou. They kids fell in love with her.  We ended up spending the night at her cute house, got our laundry done, and I was able to do a shake down repack of Devon. Emre told his parents, Marylou is old, but she is NICE!

After the Oregon Caves tour, the kids got their Jr. Ranger Badges. If Leyla looks a little dull, it turns out she had an ear infection. We took her to an Urgent Care in Medford, and medication perked her right back up!

Camping in the Redwoods was magical. Being surrounded by the giants, and subdued by the foliage was an amazing experience.

Mom and Dad (Erdem and Sierra) come to visit us in North Bend, Or. We were camped on the edge of the sand dunes and walked out the John Dellenback Dunes Trail.

We played on many beaches as we drove up the coast and explored tide pools.

On our last night, we got flooded out of our tent, and took a motel in Yachats, which was a wonderful stay right on the coast. We were able to dry out our tent and gear on the grass, and walk to the water.

I got back to the cabin in time for a few ranger hikes. One was a geology hike along Sparks Lake and the other a fisheries hike to Doris Lake.

Joelle and Bear were able to spend a few days at the cabin this summer too.

At the end of July, I needed to go back to Illinois to help George go through the 3 generation estate and get it ready for auction. One of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done, but we did enjoy our time on the farm. For me, it was interesting to get the feel of what it must have been like to live there before electricity and running water. Hearing George's stories, (he didn't have either until he was 11!) I loved hearing about the mythical "Dark Bend", the area where the farm was located. Outlaws would hide out in the swamps, and the law wouldn't go in to look for them. It's pretty tame now, and the swamps are drained.

The outside auction was fascinating for me to watch. I had never seen anything like it before. Hundreds of people came to see the wares of the successful farm family of the Kochers.

One of the most pleasurable times was coming down for coffee and looking out the huge kitchen windows over the farm fields. Sorting through a household contents is intensely personal. We gave all the communications and photos to Dan to archive. Dave went over all the farm documents. George and Mary got to see old toys, books and childhood momentos.

The storms in Illinois are amazing. We would stop work and take our chairs out to the road to watch them!

We met new friends while we stayed and worked in Illinois for two months. April, who lives on the Dead River, invited us to visit her cabin there. There is a lot of wildlife there amongst the fields. Her husband Louie found a bob cat and cubs just across the river once.

These are "surprise lilies" that pop up suddenly, and are a reminder of the past as they  were probably planted back in the early 1900's.

The hostas were planted by George's mother after the house was remolded in 1949. The farm was changing over from the plow horses to machinery.

It was a bittersweet time, to see three generations of immigrants hard work going out of the family. But now there is a new family to take over, and we are happy for them. The final auction of the house and grounds happened on Sept 7th with the new family inhabiting the farm.

Our friend April took some portrait photos of George and me around the farmstead. I will never forget my time there.

Anxious to get back to our cabin on the river, we drove a U Haul and the Prius back to Oregon in 4 days. We arrived home at last to find there had been a slow leak in the upstairs bathroom that caused a bit of damage, only to find out a week later that our insurance did not cover “slow leaks”.

In the week when I thought we were insured, I bought a ’64 Streamline travel trailer to live in while the floors were repaired. It is cute as a bug’s ear, so we will enjoy it for sure. But with no insurance we decided to do a long slow dry out over the winter.

The deer were glad to see George again.

Next was getting ready for the Farmington View Fall Festival sale where I make birdhouses out of the old siding from the original cabin. That wood is 70 years old, and I just could’t let it go.

Middle of November we brought the trailer home after renovating with safe gas, electrical, and water lines. Tom and London of Stratoglide took great care of her renovations! She tows like a dream.

We have power and water set up out at the "Camp" site on the north end of our property. She is set up for boondocking, and George and I plan to take her out this spring to explore Eastern Oregon.

The Farmington View sale of birdhouses and succulents.

Driving back to the cabin after the sale to a wonderful snow storm! We always carry a chainsaw with us in the truck.

December marked the end of the cancer study at OHSU! No ringing of the bell like in radiation, but still it is nice to know it is over, and we hope the study helps others.

There is nothing quite like winter at the cabin.

Now we start the planning for the upcoming year. Lots in store...Two Wilderness Volunteer Trips in California, a trip to Turkey with the Korals and Joelle, and I am the new newsletter editor for the Pacific Coast Rover Club! I hope to continue to be a volunteer ranger with Deschutes NF as well. The grass does not grow long under my boots!

Thanks for taking a look, and feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.