Makah Indian Reservation, Washington State

This post is by my husband, Dwight, who recently spent a few days on the Makah Indian Reservation in the Northwest most tip of the contiguous United States, along with his two daughters, Leigh and Katie. All are in the selfie below:

The three of us went on this trip to spend time together and to experience the spectacular Northwestern coastal scenery, the Makah people in Neah Bay, and their amazing Makah Museum.  The museum houses over 55,000 artifacts excavated from Ozette, a whaling village of six longhouses that was covered by a landslide over 500 years ago.  While only a small fraction of these artifacts are on display, they show what pre white man Makah life was like over the cycle of the seasons.  They had sophisticated technology for netting salmon, whaling at sea, making art, boxes, boats, and homes out of cedar, and weaving clothing from the long hair of their dogs!  The museum entrance tells you their lives were centered in fishing:

The deep sea going whaling vessels they hollowed from cedar trees are stunningly beautiful:

In the museum you walk through a reconstructed longhouse built with boards split from cedar and see how the ancient people made many of the objects used in their daily life.  An intimate experience that made you want to go out on the beaches where they lived.  

So we walked out to the tip of Cape Flattery, the most northwestern point in the contiguous United States, through the incredibly dense rain forest that is nurtured by over 150 inches of rain each year.  Here there is no beach, but caves in the cliffs

and sea stacks off shore.

There were many birds, a bald eagle, an osprey, and lots of oystercatchers.

There were puffins too, but too far away for our binoculars.

The next day we hiked out to Shi Shi Beach, a more typical home for the ancient Makah with typically variable weather and wonderful fog effects.  To get to the beach you climb down a very steep 150 foot cliff assisted by ropes.

Whoo, we made it!  Though the beach is 2 1/2 miles long we could only see part of it due to the fog.  But where we came down to the beach was worth the trip:

The Bullman Beach Inn where we stayed along the Strait of Juan de Fuca overlooking the mountains of British Columbia had a wonderful beach as well and much more sunshine which we enjoyed on our final day in Neah Bay.  And a great sunset!

Traditional wood carving lives on in the Makah Nation and takes nontraditional forms as well:

Another opportunity to 

Bee Swarm, Biodynamics and More

BEE SWARM
One morning past an unfamiliar object emerged on one of the lower Black Oak branches the deer had mostly denuded of leaves in the field South of MuRefuge's property line. The object grew during the day until my curiosity was pricked enough to venture over the fence to investigate . . . a bee swarm! By evening the swarm was large enough for the bottom most bees to be resting upon the earth. 

How delightful to have such an enormous cluster of honey bees visiting. Once, years ago, another swarm showed up here. The morning after their arrival, while working outside I heard a very loud buzzing as the swarm departed en masse. Since the mornings of late have been overcast with little sun shining until midday, this latest swarm, as the bees warmed, flew away in bunches rather than all at once.

BIODYNAMICS

Recently Sonoma Land Trust offered a tour of the Summerfield Waldorf School's 15 acre biodynamic farm. Since I order biodynamic seeds from Turtle Tree Seeds where each type of seed's source is identified, I was interested in visiting this local farm from whom I get seeds. We have often walked our dogs along the Willowside Creek thus passing the entrance to this school and farm. We had no idea just how fantastic the area was. The tour was simply awesome, the farmer who led the tour knowledgeable and clearly connected to the land. He introduced us to the rat terrier who has decimated their previously abundant  number of rats. This dog was friendly and well trained to preform the job of his genes.

The conservation easement includes biodynamic adherement, so every thing on the farm must come from the farm itself, ie., seeds, soil amendments and the like. Biodynamic farming is based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. The Rudolf Steiner College, located in a suburb of Sacramento offers a year long series of day long classes on biodynamics.

As the farmer was showing us the large containers for making tea, ie., soil amendments: compost tea, nettles tea and comfrey tea, an idea formed. As those of you who have visited MuRefuge know, there is a huge expanse of comfrey growing. Several days after the tour the second fresh cutting of comfrey was deposited in large barrels, filled with water, the lid replaced, and now the magic of tea is in process. The comfrey growing at MuRefuge has lovely purple flowers rather than yellow depicted in "how to make comfrey manure tea."

Another piece of biodynamics is gathering seeds from the plants grown on land designated as biodynamic. We who are all in support of seed saving resonate with "Lately, there has been a very worrisome trend of corporations patenting traditional open-pollinated varieties, in order to take them out of the public domain," a quote from John Jeavons' Bountiful Gardens Summertime newsletter, "Now there is finally a framework to keep vegetable genetics available for seed saving and traditional breeding.  It is called the Open Source Seed Initiative." Most all of the starts here at MuRefuge result from the abundance of seeds produced right here. What a relief to know there is now finally an organized movement to keep seed saving possible for all of us.

HOODED ORIOLE

While we lived on Cunningham Road, about three miles due North "as the crow flies" of  MuRefuge, Bullock's orioles visited the hummingbird feeder hung on the clothesline post each Summer. Moving South to the Hessel Area a rare oriole has been sighted. This Spring however a few more visited. A new orange oriole feeder was bought and hung. Oriole youngsters, sometimes six at a time, vied for purchase on the feeder. These orioles are not Bullock's, rather Hooded Orioles, smaller and slender with a more pronounced long, curved bill. Sibley says, "Males are paler yellowish, and females are drabber overall, without the orange tones of Eastern birds." Hooded Orioles used to be located primarily in the Southwest, but with the plethora of palms being used in landscaping Northward plus the warming climate, they are now found nesting right here in Northern California during the Spring and Summer. 

Great news: just this early morning a brightly colored male Hooded Oriole appeared at the feeder. His coloring has faded a bit from his breeding presentation but quite beautiful nontheless.

Maybe the Queen Palms planted by our neighbors

are attracting the Hooded Orioles to our neighborhood?
Perhaps, since these orioles prefer to build their loose nests in palm trees.

ZUCCHINI

All of us who have planted zucchini in our gardens are now rewarded with an abundance of luscious fruit.

Heirloom Italian zucchini freshly harvested at MuRefuge.

Here's a delish recipe using fresh basil and zucchini:

CREAMY BASIL ZUCCHINI SOUP serving 4 with a prep. time of about 45 minutes.

• 1 T. organic virgin olive oil
• 1 large organic yellow onion, chopped
• 2 pounds organic fresh zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 C. organic chicken bone broth
• 1 C. organic basil loosely packed plus more for garnish
• 2 T. organic Greek yogurt
• 1 shake of Peron pepper flakes
• sea salt

Heat olive oll in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until translucent.
Add zucchini and cook another 2 minutes; add bone broth and basil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree with hand blender. Add Greek yogurt and pepper flakes. Season with salt to taste. Divide into four bowls and garnish each with a little additional Greek yogurt and few fresh basil leaves. Enjoy.


RED FLOWERING BUCKWHEAT

The crossquarter day, known as Lughnasadh or Lammas in the Celtic calendar, ushered in Fall on August 1, so as we embrace the changing of seasons, may each of us enjoy a grand