Archive for the ‘play’ Category

Micro hop plucker/stripper Micro hop plucker/stripper

Monday, September 17th, 2018

The need You may have noticed that I am a bit obsessed with hops. Currently, I am running three small yards for our experimental hop breeding program. Hops are wonderful to grow, but can be a real pain to pick. Hand picking takes about 1 hour per plant – meanwhile, picking machines cost hundreds-of-thousands of […]

Masonry (tips and tricks) Masonry (tips and tricks)

Thursday, August 23rd, 2018

We just completed a modest basalt wall in our back yard. Over the course of the build, we learned many, many things. I wanted to take some quick notes for the next time we tackle a project like this. The rock Real basalt is a beautiful and extremely strong volcanic stone. It is also much, […]

Nesika after the burn Nesika after the burn

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

Spent the weekend in the off-limits area of the Columbia River burn. I was with other members of the Oregon Trails Club doing repairs and maintenance on the Nesika lodge site. Two of the three buildings were lost in the fire, but the main lodge amazingly remained undamaged. We spent most of the weekend clearing […]

Mt Hood 2018 Mt Hood 2018

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

In early march, my buddy and I decided to take a quick trip up hood. The conditions sounded optimal, but there was bad weather on the horizon. After waiting a few days for the thunderstorms to clear, we found ourselves signing in at the climbing register late one night. Cold temps kept the snow firm […]

Wild hops in the United States Wild hops in the United States

Wednesday, March 21st, 2018

As you may have noticed, I am a bit … obsessed … about hops. So, I was stoked when Michael contacted me in the comments about some seedling that his garden club students were growing: My students (high school garden club) collected seeds from the hills west of Pueblo, Colorado, and have been successful in germinating a few seeds. […]

2017 Solar Eclipse 2017 Solar Eclipse

Thursday, August 24th, 2017

The 2017 solar eclipse has come, and gone – but it left a strong impression. So much so, that I am already considering how to travel to the next one in the US: 2024. We viewed it from my brothers property just south of Philomath, OR. The hour leading up to totality was interesting enough, […]

'Summit' of Mt. Saint Helens ‘Summit’ of Mt. Saint Helens

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017

Last week, I climbed Mt. Hood. Today, we went up Mt. Saint Helens. Going up Sam snagged some last minute permits and we drove out to the Worm Flows parking lot. This is the winter route. It adds an extra few miles and 1000 extra feet of elevation, but is was well worth it. After […]

Summit of Mt. Hood Summit of Mt. Hood

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

I set off alone on Friday night toward Mt. Hood. Sam and I were hoping to climb on Thursday, but the weather did not cooperate. This was my first attempt to climb the mountain since June 2008. The ascent Timberline parking lot was filled with people – a strange sight in the middle of the […]

Hop Breeding, 2017 Hop Breeding, 2017

Wednesday, April 5th, 2017

You may want to start by reading: Growing hops from seed, Hop Breeding, Hop Results 2014… We started by germinating over 500 crosses. In 2016, this was culled down to 42 vigorous, female varieties that were grown side-by-side for comparison. After data collection and taste tests, we have limited the number further for 2017. Full […]

Hop Breeding, 2016 Results Hop Breeding, 2016 Results

Monday, August 29th, 2016

You may want to start by reading: Growing hops from seed, Hop Breeding, Hop Results 2014 We are starting to catalog the experimental hops growing at the Barber Hop Yard. This page will be updated as data rolls in. There are a total of 42 different crosses – culled down from the germination of over […]