Early March Family Birthdays

Havilah took us all on the Klickitat trail and a picnic for her 15th birthday.  She found a perfect knoll by the river for our lunch.

Boys are exploring on the far right.

Little magenta blossoms growing.

Seated on a mossy rock and looking over the mossy bank and pools.  An sleek black otter popped his head up several times, coming up the bank and decided we were too big a crowd to linger near.

Jed and Great-Grandma

Grass Widow

Columbia Desert Parsley

Gold Star

Marshal took the ADVENTURERS to the opposite bank and followed deer trails, crossed ravines, and scaled bluffs back to the vehicles.

I have to admit, their hike was much more thrilling and stunning in wild beauty than the gravel trail that I stayed on.  I was fretting over them besides, instead of enjoying the scenery from my side of the river.

Grandpa turned 72, surrounded by nearly half of his grands, last week too.

And Lydia and I made lemon curd meringue pie to celebrate.  A nostalgic pie that goes way back for Dad to childhood and his mom's perfected flaky shortening crust, sweet lemon, and fluffy meringue. 

Caravan

We completed our first big haul of farm and shop to our future home last week.

What a crew!  Dads and Cousin Greg came to help us and drive trucks and trailers.  We couldn't have done it without them.

Three trucks, three trailers, the van, and a pick up full of chickens and two sheep!

Cousin Greg turned a few heads with that load.  What a trooper he was, and he didn't even get stopped by a state trooper.  The traffic stood clear of him making it easy for Marshal to keep an eye on him.  Arrived in Trout Lake just past midnight.

Hatching Chicks

Last month, Gabe incubated his first eggs for 21 days, and we watched them all hatch.  We gave them all up to friends when they were over a week old, so as not to stress them with a move.

Gabe's hens producing beautiful eggs.

Lydia taking a photo of incubating eggs carefully selected by Gabe.  She helped turn them quickly each day.  Gabe was obsessed with the temperature (3-5 thermometers) and humidity registering on the hygrometer.  A real mother hen, he is.  His conscientiousness paid off though.

100% fertile - two Black Copper Marans pipped first, one Rhode Island Red, and two Olive Eggers - Black Copper Marans and Americauna cross.

Close up of the chick pipping.

Glimpse of the first BCM and the second hatching at 2AM.  Wow, can they make loud peeps before they are even hatched!

Birth

It is work to thrust off that strong shell.

Fluffing out under the heat lamp.

Rhode Island Red

Such babies those first 12-24 hours.

Marans

Rhody Red

This one decided to be "full term" 21 days, pipped about 12 hours after the others hatched, and zipped out of the shell quickly just hours later.

Olive Egger hatched the next day, but was a step above the rest in development from then on!

Five Chicks

Marans and Olive Eggers

Two and a half weeks later, this little Red is a favorite by the new caretakers, enjoying some March sunshine.

Gabe is anxious to hatch a big clutch soon in our new home from beauties like this.  He has negotiated a dozen of BCMs from a nearby islander too, when he secures a ferry ride before our final move.