Seasons
The next morning before we left we went down to the big barn to meet the animals. Bob and Jen, the owners, have a rule that as long as they own Pittston Farm it has to be a farm. Their son and daughter-in-law have a couple boys in 4-H and they have an assortment of animals they work with. This picture doesn’t do the barn justice. It is enormous. Down below to the left side is all open in the front area which then opens out into the large field. We went in the door to the right where the animals are this time of year.
This is Salt and Pepper, a pair of oxen. They don’t have to work too hard anymore. They are getting on in years.
This is Luther Gray, a horseman, with his team of horses, Chief and Doc. Luther brought the horses up to give sleigh rides for a few weeks. They hope it will catch on and he will keep the horses there longer. His helper, Mark is on the backside brushing the coats down, getting them ready for the afternoon rides, complete with bells, a beautiful sleigh and blankets. I wished we could have stayed for a ride. Luther was interesting to talk with. And it’s a small world in New England, as he knew of my brother, Jimmy Walker, who passed away in 2006. Horsemen.
There were a number of Boar goats in the barn, this is Cammy with her new kid, 20 below. The kid named 20 below because it was 23 below when she was born! She was so busy I never could get a picture of her standing still!
But we had to get going, we planned to ride 200 miles and be back to Millinocket by 5PM! We said our goodbyes at the barn and were on trail at 9AM.
Seasons
From Pittston Farm we rode 50 miles in less than two hours on some of the most magnificent trails; we cruised east around the top of Moosehead Lake to Northeast Carry and down to Kokadjo (phonetically Ko-Kay-Jo). Kokadjo has a great gathering place where you can gas up, eat and drink, buy some snacks, tourist stuff and the essentials for your snowmobile. We ate lunch there and it is so busy you will always eat with other people at your table. We met three young guys that gave us some good trail tips and a few laughs. They had gotten up at the crack of dawn, left Lincoln, ME and rode to Pittston Farm and were headed back to Lincoln by nightfall. They already had 175 miles on at 11AM! Oh to be young again. This is a barn at Kokadjo with the gas tank in the foreground. Signs of a farm long ago. The main building is a nice new building just to my right and all this sits on the shore of Roach Pond.
After we left Kokadjo, we headed south toward Greenville, ME and took a connector trail we’d been told about which would point us to the Northeast and eventually Millinocket. We were riding along and Jack and I got sandwiched between a group of 6 other riders and all of a sudden we arrived at what I thought was a horrific snowmobile accident. There were people everywhere and pieces of metal. But then we realized we were at the site of a B-52 crash in January of 1963. You can read the story below on the sign.
It was terribly sobering and sad. Pieces of plane everywhere, out here in the middle of nowhere. And imagine if the snow is 5-6 feet deep how really large this all is in the summer. What is most amazing is one wouldn’t be likely to find this site unless by snowmobile or 4-wheeler.
We left that site and stopped on trail for lunch. It was bit cold but the sun felt good and the view was magnificent. I think this is Horseshoe Pond but not exactly sure as there are tons of lakes in this area.
We continued on our way not having a very good idea of the time involved in getting back to Millinocket. Oh sure we had good maps, and legends for mileage but it still doesn’t add up when you ride it the first time in a new area. We came to an intersection where three hikers were talking with three snowmobilers. The hikers, 2 woman and a man, had gotten mixed up on their hike and were about 4 miles from the AMC hut where they were staying. The snowmobilers were going the opposite way and low on gas (little did we know we would be also). But Jack and I each took a woman and snowmobiled them back to their camp. They would then have the host return to pick up the man. It was 2PM and going to get cold. Of course the AMC camp didn’t allow snowmobilers but weren’t they happy for the ride! So good deed done we pressed on. We saw beautiful views, more deer, stopped to give synthetic oil to a group of snowmobilers who had run amuck. They recognized Jack’s coat from Kokadjo. It’s a coyote hunting coat for winter camouflage which Jack always wears on our trips. It’s amazing the people we have connected with that remember it. Wouldn’t you?!
On and on for miles and miles we rode. At 5:45PM we crossed the Abol River just before the gas pumps closed at the Abol store; Jack was on empty, close! A nice couple ran the store, neat place, a game check station plus supplies and tourist stuff. Behind the store was a herd of deer all feeding at a station they had set up for them.
We rode into Millinocket at 6:45PM, ready for a warm meal and reeelaxin’! It was a great trip and thanks for coming along!
Seasons
Saturday my friend Lee, above, offered to help repot orchids belonging to me and another friend, Maryann. Lee has a fabulous greenhouse attached to her house where we all met in the morning. It was 20 degrees outside when I arrived at her house at 10am. Inside between the wood heat and the solar energy in the greenhouse it was like a trip to Florida! I was in bare feet, rolled up jeans and a tee shirt within minutes! What follows is a loose but hopefully helpful, graphic account of the repotting process.
Lee recommends potting orchids in sphagnum moss. It holds moisture nicely but also is very light and airy. With most of the common orchids repotting should take place every year and no more than two. I was guilty of a three year stretch with my three orchids and it showed. Keeping orchids in fresh potting material is essential to their health. Below is a bag of the sphagnum moss
and some soaking before it is used for repotting.
The first orchid we repotted is a cymbidium shown below, ready to remove from the pot. It had just bloomed but the blooms fell off rather quickly and although there is good new growth, it needs repotting. The potting material was heavy and dense.
Have a jar of bleach and water nearby with some sticks to use for the cleaning process. For each orchid to be repotted, dip the stick in the bleach/water to sterilize before using.
Lay the orchid on a work surface and with the sterilized stick carefully pick away all the planting medium from the roots of the plant. Do this until all the medium is removed. Throw the old medium away; do not reuse it.
Once the roots are free and clear you can then check the bulbs. If they are hard they are still healthy. Quite often you will see new growth. The roots which dangle below should be firm. Any that are soft and brown should be cut off. Any that are broken should be cut above the break.
Here you can see healthy new growth.
Lee found this wonderful pair of gardening scissors in Home Depot, perfect for this type of intricate work.
After the orchid has been cleaned and the roots clipped as needed, soak the roots in a sink or pan of water for a few minutes.
Clean your pot completely before repotting the orchid. Make sure to use a pot less than 2″ larger than the last one. Using a pot too large for the root structure will result in the potting medium to hold excess moisture which will cause the root’s health to suffer. Fill the pot half way with the moistened moss. Then add the orchid to the pot and hold it upright as you add the moss around the plant, using the stick to work it in and around. Do not pack the moss tightly, just enough to support the roots and plant. This picture shows the pot being filled but it needs moss to come up about an inch below the top of the pot.
Below is an example of scale on an orchid. They are little brown bumps. Take the plant over the trash can and scrape off these scales, being careful to get each one. After they are removed wipe all the leaves with rubbing alcohol which inhibits the scales to come back. Be sure to get at all the affected areas. Once a week, retreat with alcohol until the signs of scale are gone. At the first sight, this is the best method of treatment.
Here are my three orchids, back home after the journey. Left to right are a Phalaenopsis; Paphiopedilum or Lady Slipper Orchid; Cattleya. They are in a south facing window which only gets 2-4 hours of sun per day (when it’s sunny!). After repotting don’t feed or re-water for a month. The orchids have gone through a bit of a shock and need to readjust. Once you see new growth emerging comence with feeding and watering. Feed orchid specific food at the rate of “weakly/weekly”. It is better to give a weaker feed solution weekly. Also mark your plant label stick with the repotting date so you won’t forget when it is time to repot next year. For more information on orchids click here
http://www.orchidweb.org/
Seasons
This afternoon we snomobiled the trails from the farm to Keene to have a bite to eat at Chili’s and then come home, about 50 miles round trip. We knew the riding wouldn’t be the best, despite all the snow we just got, but it was a fun ride anyway. The ride started out warm, in the 30’s, some sun. We snomobiled over hill and dale, crossing multiple and difficult water bars with some great spurts of open fields and railroad beds. Actually half the trip to Keene is on former railroad beds and as we neared the city there were more and more people using the trails; walking, cross country skiing, even running. We rode by a young fellow walking with a rifle slung over his shoulder headed up a hill. Perhaps rabbit hunting or maybe going to target shoot. We rode by these ice climbers on the rail bed.
We had a bite to eat and drink at Chili’s and then headed home about 4PM. The cold front pushed in and wow did the snow fly! It was wild. We stopping in town in the field overlooking the CT River as we had on the way to Keene. The moon was rising,the snow whipped across the field, the wind was howling. Loved every minute of it. We arrived back at the farm at 6ish. All in all a great afternoon!
This is Salt and Pepper, a pair of oxen. They don’t have to work too hard anymore. They are getting on in years.
This is Luther Gray, a horseman, with his team of horses, Chief and Doc. Luther brought the horses up to give sleigh rides for a few weeks. They hope it will catch on and he will keep the horses there longer. His helper, Mark is on the backside brushing the coats down, getting them ready for the afternoon rides, complete with bells, a beautiful sleigh and blankets. I wished we could have stayed for a ride. Luther was interesting to talk with. And it’s a small world in New England, as he knew of my brother, Jimmy Walker, who passed away in 2006. Horsemen.
There were a number of Boar goats in the barn, this is Cammy with her new kid, 20 below. The kid named 20 below because it was 23 below when she was born! She was so busy I never could get a picture of her standing still!
But we had to get going, we planned to ride 200 miles and be back to Millinocket by 5PM! We said our goodbyes at the barn and were on trail at 9AM.
