Boatnik Parade

Downtown Grants Pass is all dressed up for the Memorial Day Week End. Today was the 53rd Annual Boatnik Parade and before that it was known as The Gladiola Festival Parade. It is put on by the Grants Pass Active Club and the purpose of the five day event is to support the local youth in the Rogue Valley. The money made from this event is returned to the children of Josephine County through 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Club, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Parks and Rec Department, High School Scholarships, and Athletic Clubs. The Boatnik Event lasts for five days and is considered the kick off to summer fun in the Rogue Valley. Here's to flags and flowers!

Grandmother's Flower Garden

It is Spring Break in Oregon and that means all of the public schools are closed for a week and many families take a vacation or visit relatives. Our break included a little visit downtown Grants Pass to the Antique Mall. This beautifully preserved quilt, called Grandmother's Flower Garden was displayed in the window of the store, along with a perfectly matching metal bed-frame. This pattern of quilt was very popular in the 1920's and 1930's and just in time to brighten up any home as the Great Depression settled in across the nation and the world. It is a very labor intensive pattern made mostly from scraps. Each hexagonal pattern is pieced and stitched almost completely by hand. What a beautiful quilt and inspiration. Of course we were truly window shopping, so the precious quilt is still on display in the store window!

Garden Pizza on the BBQ

Mmmmmm, we were craving pizza, but it has been too hot to turn on the oven in the ole farm house, so the next best thing is the BBQ. We have fresh peppers, zucchini, onion, and basil on the pizza and it all came from the garden. The sky is the limit for your own garden pizza. Now that's Italian!!

Going Public!

We took sausage and bacon samples on the road on Saturday, and headed over to Eagle Point. We set up a table, camp stove, and cast iron skillet and started offering samples of the best homegrown, pasture-raised, heritage pork that can be found! How is that for a mouth full of watering deliciousness! The folks in Eagle Point couldn't get enough and the bacon and sausage were tied for favorite.

We were also able to meet with area chefs who told us their favorite meat is PORK! They were thrilled with the quality, tenderness, and flavor of the pork roast we offered to them for their cooking demos.

It was a day full of puffy white clouds, big striped tents, friendly people, local produce, local wine, local cheese, and yes, you guessed it: Local Pork!

Pretty Little Hen

This little hen is an Americana Hen and she lays the prettiest pale blue eggs. She is busy all the time and has a distinct personality. She expects special favors like a few of her own personal little nibbles from the compost bucket and she seeks out places to cultivate that have been resting over the winter. This little hen is about one and a half years old and we expect her to keep laying eggs for a few years. She comes running to the sound of us calling "Chick, chick, chick, chick" and will slyly follow us around the yard.