Maintenance for Griffin Hill Farm

This article is intended for the use of Count Ferrari and those who might need to do work around his home.

It is intended to be a journal for home ownership.  Readers can skip this article unless they want to see how much one has to do to keep up appearances!

 Started January of 2012.

Roofing notes:
House:  1989 (new construction, Super Good Sense home from the PUD) with 30 year roofing
2019 Re roofed with compostition, 40 year with zinc treatment, extra thick ridge cap, $18,000

Barn:  Built 1984 with shakes, re-roofed with 40 year comp. in 2001

Carport/Shop:  Built in 1977 with steel, re-roofed in 2011 with sealing roll and three tab over new OSB sheeting.

Garage:  Built in 1992, re-roofed with 30 year comp. in 2012 ($7200, included plywood sheeting)

Big Pump House:  Original shake roof in 1977, re roofed in 2019 with comp and thick ridge cap

Little Pump House:  Original shake roof in 1978, re roofed in 2019 with comp and thick ridge cap.

Roof maintenance:

House:

April of 2018:  Had Jose come in with his high pressure air device to have all the roofs cleaned off and moss kill applied.  3 year warrantee.
May, 2018:  Installed "Gutter Stuff" in all gutters, from Walmart (least expensive source), Removed it from the house in 2019.  Have to clear out downspouts now.

Carport:
September, 2018:  Blew off the carport and shop roof with leaf blower.  Then used high pressure water to clean off moss in April of 2019.

August, 2021.  Used Stihl leaf blower to clear off the roof, no rain had been on it.

October, 2018:  Swept off the top of the Gutter Stuff.  Covered in needles.
2014:  Roof of carport blown off and Moss Kill sprinkled Jan 24

Barn:

Swept and blew it off in July 2021

Paint note:

Entire estate painted by Rick Tesarik in June of 2012 for $9800.

Water:
 In 1977 we had a dug well, 25' deep x 36" dia.  Not enough flow for everything in the fall.
Had a jet pump but took it out.  Need to work on foot valve and manual pump for emergency water.  To be used in the dug 3' dia., 25' deep well.

Second well, installed in 1979, 130' deep with standard 6" steel pipe.  Started with a 220v 1/2 hp submersible pump.  That was replaced in 2008 by Brown's Plumbing and Wells with a 3/4 hp, steel pipe replaced with PVC to pump.

Pressure tank:  2008 20 gallon failed in 2019, replaced with 44 gallon with interior bag instead of bladder which touched the outside wall.  Troy with Brown's Plumbing.

Pressure switch and Control box replaced in 2019.  Burned out due to bad tank.



Waste stream:

Septic System:

August 2025:  Septic system pumped for the first time since installation. in 1977.  It was NEEDED.All was good though.  No field plugging happened.

The two bits of flag stone mark the top of the 

two septic pump out risers.

It was recommended that another pumpout would be good in 2032.  The two of us just do not contribute

that much to the system.  Cost was $550~

July 2021, transfer station with horse trailer, 8 cans, $20
April, 2020:  The transfer station would not take recycle items.  Had to take in all to be dumped.
September 2019:  Took in 10 cans and only used 200 of the 360 minimum.  Plastic was compacted as well as I could make it.  Need another can.  Been getting the Brute plastic cans when on sale.  (expensive).
September, 2018, took in 10 cans and a bunch of other stuff.  Lori cleaning shop.... $40 (twice the usual price which is $20 for 300 lbs.)  Filled the horse trailer and some in the back of the Burb.
Had to toss out two galvanized cans with rotted bottoms and bought two new 44 gallon Brute plastic waste bins.
Note:  The plastic can no longer be taken in for recycle at Fiber International.  China will not take it.
August 2017 took in 8 cans to transfer station.
May 23, 2016 took 8 cans to transfer station
May 24, 2016 took in recycle plastic to Fiber International at Payne Field.
May 29, 2015:  Took 8 cans to transfer station
May 10, 2015  Took plastic to Payne Field location for recycle
May  12. 2015  Took aluminum, paper, and glass to transfer station recycle.

Feb 2nd, 2012:  Wastestream:  Went to transfer station using horse trailer and Burb.

March 14, 2013:  Wastestream:  Went to transfer station using H. trailer and Burb.

Compost taken out to composter.
Repaired extension cord.

March 21, 2014:  Wastestream.  Went to transfer station with H trailer, burb and 8 cans plus stuff.  $20 (they take Visa now)

Burnables:  Burn in front pasture 1-28-12 and whenever to present.
Plastic:  Take to Diversified Industries in Everett on 1-13-12 (not in business anymore since 2018)
Compost:  Taken out to composter (black plastic) on 1-20-12
Glass, cans, aluminum, paper taken to transfer station, no charge 1-18-17
Plastic:  Taken to Fiber International near Paine Field, no charge 1-20-17
Plastic:  No where to take it since Fiber International is now refusing to take it.

January:

Trench for Dish TV satellite cable.

Orchard:
Prune new growth off fruit trees in orchard.  1-01-12 through 1-30-12
Picked up trimmings and put in burn pile in front pasture.

2014:  Orchard is pruned, both apple and plum orchards.  Not much fruit from 2013, hardly worth the effort, maybe 20 apples, 0 cherries, 20 pears, 20 plums...

2017:  Pruned most of it in January.  Marginal return on fruit for 2016.  Similar numbers from 2013 but quite a few plums.  3 varieties and spaced apart to be consumed as they ripened.

10 x 12' tarp is about right.  Never let the
tree get higher than easy reach from
your ladder!  This is a 12' Orchard
ladder.

The King Apple tree is about 50% of my pruning each year!

Driveway Caseron application:  Jan. 28, 2014 with the 4% product only where growth was green in driveway. Casaron G4 applied just before a rain in 2025 January.  

.
2014:  Orchard  is vacuumed by lawn mower in the dry weather we are having!  Driest ever noted by us living here  in the winter.  Jan 15

Wind dropped forest products 2012: 

Picked up and put in pile in the front pasture.

There was a lot of limb droppage after this.

Snow removal:

12" on the patio required shoveling the sidewalks and paths to barn and garage from 1-15 through 1-22-12 this year.

Down to 10" after a night of compression

Gen set:

Ran for two days and had to buy fresh fuel.  Used less than a gallon an hour.
1/03/2014:  Ran for 10 minutes ( run every odd month for 10 min).  Normal maintenance.


February:

1st, 2014:
Started in on my pogrom to delete the popweed on the estate.  I sprayed about 1/2 gallon of Roundup on it where ever I found the leaves.  It is starting to grow, even in the cold and dry weather we have been having.  One cannot allow it to pop off with all those spores!
2nd, 2014:
Changed the air filter in the furnace/heatpump unit.  Every 3 months in the winter seems good, 6 months in the summer.

4th: (2012)
Chainsawed downed limbs to get firewood rounds.  2 tanks worth. Harvested 5 tractor loads of limb rounds this season.

Dedicated 'fire space' next to pond.

6th:
Hawkeye and Waffle came by for a round of disc and then assisted in 5-6 tractor loads of brush to the fire.
Spread one 50lb bag of Ferrous Sulphate on orchard lawn.
7th:
Brought up huge tarp load of evergreen limbs and tore tarp due to too much weight on it as it slid along behind the tractor.  Equal to ~6 tractor loads.

Tractor pulling tarp with limbs after taking 2-3 loads off.

Feb 7 (2013)

Pruning the Orchard:

Pretty much planted between 1978 and 1989:

Fruit production:
September, 2018:  For some reason we finally got some apples and twice the number of pears and plums as usual.  No cherries.  The King Apple tree is doing very well this season (normally has been empty for the past 5? years) as did the Golden delicious (horse apples only and they come every year).

orchard report:  

Apples:  1 King apple (big tree, 44 years old, fruit about every 4 years), 1 Gravenstein (medium size, 38 years old, 3-8 apples a year), 1 yellow delicious (lots of fruit each year but all to horses as I think this is not a good apple, too soft)

Cherry:  Bing but I maybe get 3 cherries a year off of it.  Birds and squirrels get the rest, not that there has been much.  (40 years old and severely edited this year with a chainsaw)

Pear:  One Bartlett (42 years old, fruit each year and a good bit of it), Two D'anjou (one has been edited by a horse to a stalk mostly and the other produces pears each year)  Both are dwarf

Thunder plum:  (35 years old, purple leaves, some small fruit but not often.)

Sorensen Plum:  Two of them, (40 years old now) grafted from my parent's plum tree in Kirkland to a yellow plum stock, done by Lori's father.  The mother tree was taken out so these are the only survivors.  Good large plums (maybe 3 dozen each per year?)

Italian Plum:  One of them and finally giving out fruit (40 years old), maybe 3 dozen plums a year

Yellow Plum: Sucker that grew up near the grafted plum.  Now there are 2 of them and these plums are very good.  4 dozen a year each?

Walnut trees:  one Carpathian, one English walnut, and one Black walnut.  Maybe 6 fruit in the last 35 years....????

That is the extent of the orchard.   Mostly kept for resale value on the estate.

Lots of Bartlett pears for the horse, not too many D'an jou.

D'anju pear planted 1978, dwarf

Golden Delicious Apple Planted 1978, drawf

King Apple, planted 1978

D'anju Pear planted 1978, dwarf

Bartlett Pear, planted 1978

Queen Anne Cherry, from Butch Bowman, transplanted
to GH in 1983

Greenstein Apple, from John Papajani, planted in 1980

All the limbs cut off in 2013 waiting for a burn.

Flowering Thunder plum planted in 1982

Hedge Trimming ( this format Started 2015)
NEVER PLANT a laurel hedge!

2021:  Trimmed this stupid hedge 3xs after it got about 3" of growth.  Less to haul off.  One cart per session.

2022:  Pulled the stupid plants out with the tractor and burned them.  Glad to see them  go away!

August 14, 2020

Just disgusted with the damn hedge.  Doing it again.  Three cart loads of trimmings will indicate the growth.

May 12, 2020:  Small growth.  One cart load of trimmings.

September 27, 2018:

Trimmed hedge in about 4-5 hours.  Only 4 cart loads of leaves.  Two days worth of work and that drained me each day!  Only 3" tall on top with some sprouts going 12"

May 22, 2018

Trimming hedge and hating it.  About 12" tall on top.


May 18, 2016

Note:  Tarp to catch trimmings, cart to sweep most trimming into and used to stand on.
Done in one day this year in 4 hours complete with cleanup.  6 cart loads and tarp settings.

The new growth was about a foot high!

This trimming is being done July 5, 2015.  Longest

growth is about 12" on top of the hedge.  Too darn hot!

So far it is two days of morning cutting and then quit.

One more day should do it.

We could set an all time heat wave of 6 days over 90 today.

Last trimmed in October of 2014.

October 5, 2014
Pruned laurel hedge (40') It was only two garden way cart fulls of leaves.

June 9 2014: Pruning Laurel Hedge:

Pruning laurel hedge for the first time since November...  It took about 4.5 hours of toil in perfect dappled sun.  Let us hope this timing works for doing this deed only twice a year.  June 9 this yea

Laurel hedge looking good in Feb, 2013 from November
pruning.  A good time to do it.

Pruning the laurel hedge.  DO NOT plant laurel! Taken 2012

8th:  Pruning:
Started pruning laurel hedge (short growth at this point, so the thought is hit and less clean up).  Trimmer totaled for some unknown reason so halfway for now.

June 22nd (2012) Trimmed hedge behind back porch

Note:  Garden cart to capture leaves, with canvas tarp to make
clean UP easier.

Showing 20" B&D trimmer and the new growth since Feb.

Zephyr is wondering WTH?

Pruned the laurel hedge November 19, 2012.  This is when to knock it off.  Still good in March!

Fire wood:

2018 burn supply is in.  Maybe 6 cords in?  3 cords from a hemlock dropped in the front pasture by the power company for me.  (Drop and Leave, D/L on the tree).  The rest came from Devil's Mountain in the form of 3 trailer loads.

2015 Fire wood gathering:

One uses about 3-4 cords of firewood a year since 1989.

Cleaned off BBQ

Annual cleaning of BBQ

10th:  Wastestream:

Took a load of recycle to county recycle site.
Repaired fence where Zephyr knocked down a board.









12th:  Pruning
a. Pruned plum orchard for first time in 3 years.  Lots of scraggle.  5 trees, all smaller, two Sorensen plums, an Italian prune, and two yellow plums.  3 cart loads of limbs.
b. Sprayed Wet and Forget moss kill on North end of roof after replacing a bulb in the eve outside.  Sprayed front walk cement too.  Must monitor to see if it worked.
c.  Compost taken out to composter.
d.  Light Bulb replaced on eve end on north side of house.  Used 28' ladder for access.
13th:
Picked up new hedge trimmer.  B&D 20" electric corded.
14th:
Picked up 3 cartloads of hemlock/fir needles and cones from normal winter tree sluffing.  Raked UP by the Countess on the 13th.  She is good with a rake!

16th:  Spread out 250 lbs of Ferrous Sulphate, moss kill, on Pond Pasture by walk behind spreader.  UGH!
18th:  Finished pruning the hedge on the top and inside faces.  Clipped the electric cord with the new trimmer and need to add a new female end.
March:


UP graded the 10 hole disc golf signage by adding white translucent acrylic to the background. (2012)

3rd:  Pruned the 'Screw Tree' Holly tree in the turnaround.
5th:  Put out 6 bags of Ferrous Sulphate on the front pasture.  Not enough to cover.
8th:  Hauled two carts of firewood over to the porch.  Warm weather wanted!
9th:  Vacuumed UP the leaves, fir cones and little branches while it was dry out.  One pass = a full hopper in the Honda mower.

March 15, 2013:  Put out a jug of broadleaf spray on riding arena garden and other garden areas.

March 16, 2013:   Spread moss kill on swamp pasture and orchard.  (5 @ 50lb bags of Ferrous Sulphate from Wilbur Ellis $26 a bag.  Spread with red walkbehind broadcast spreader

March 17, 2013:  GHEDI fire but it didn't burn all the way.
18th  (2012) Burned a big pile slowly at the GHEDI.  The GHEDI was a success.  See other blog article for 2012 GHEDI.
24th  Put out Casaron on driveway
March 25, 2013:  Roof Maintenance:  Blew off carport roof..

March 25, 2014:  Harrowed back pasture 3xs, seeded with Horse Forage Max, harrowed again, rollered with lawn roller.

seed for pasture (2 bags for this job.  Just did it.)
$50/ bag

rented 18" dia x 48' roller

Harrow 4' x 7.5'

Just after rolling.  63F out and perfect weather for it.
2014

March 30-April 2, 2016

Spent the last few days being a farmer.  Holy shit....  Who knew driving a tractor for a solid 3 hours straight would beat you half to death?

Started with a round of broadleaf spray on the pastures and lawn with the tow-behind sprayer.  Then filled in holes with dirt on back pasture.

Harrowed with the 4' chain harrow, fertilized (820lbs), limed (4,000lbs), next seed the bald spots, then cover the seed with a bit of dirt layer, then roll it, then put out the sprinkler and watch it grow too fast for the beasts to eat so I will have to mow maybe???  At least it earns me some kitchen passes.

April:
(blog started in 2012)




Pumpkin planting:

2022 on:  using volunteers each year after putting the old pumpkins back under some horse topsoil.  20-40 pumpkins each year.

2021:  planted 4 sets of Jack o Lantern and one of pie pumpkin with lots of volunteers (20ish).  The volunteers are not real productive.  Tough year for pumpkins.  Maybe not enough water?

2020:  Planted 4 Jack O Lantern sets (12 Plants) and two sets of pie pumpkins.  One volunteer showed up on May 17.  Maybe more coming?

2018:  Planted 6 plant groups on pond edge in horse manure soil 4 years old or so.  Mistakenly got a bit of broadleaf spray on them so planted 6 more groupings.  They ALL grew well and produced about 19 pumpkins for the pumpkin carving dinner potluck held each October.

Tried a couple of pumpkin groups in the raised beds by the house.  Not too much production in this location.

2015:  Pumpkin starts were not forth coming this season with only 3/12 seeds sprouting. .  5 volunteers from giant pumpkins.

May of 2015:  Purchased are 'Jack o Lantern'.   Purchased 12 starts with 3 in each and these are all growing well.  MUCH better results with plant starts vs germination plants.

2014, April 6, planted pumpkin seeds in pots and kept them in the guest bath for germination.  Got 34 pumpkins of all sizes but only from the Giant seeds.

PUMPKIN GERMINATION (for 2015 and beyond)

Here are my recommended step by step instructions to maximize seed germination:

1. File the edges of the seed lightly with a nail file or a piece of sandpaper. File all edges except the pointed end. This  step allows moisture reach the seed easier. Most importantly, filing your seeds makes it easier for the leaves to emerge from the shell without damage. The shell of giant pumpkin seeds are very thick, and the leaves sometimes have difficulty splitting open the shell. To avoid pinched or damaged primary leaves, we recommend filing the edges of the seeds for all giant pumpkins. As a matter of fact, it will aid germination and seedling emergence for hard shelled pumpkin seeds, or other seeds.
2. Soak the seeds in warm (not hot) water for an hour or two. Some growers soak them for several hours.
3. Fill six inch peat pots with soil. Use a Seed Starter mix if you are new at growing pumpkins. Experienced growers often make their own starter mix, adding a number of other things. I add a little ash from the fireplace and some compost. Add the compost in the bottom inch or two of the pot, and make sure it is clean of insects.
4. Plant the seed in the pot, 1"-2" deep.
5. Place the seed on it's side, or with the pointed end down.
6. Water thoroughly.
7. Provide bottom warmth to the seeds. Experienced growers use a germination mat, which improves germination rates, and shortens the time to germination. Once the plant has sprouted, stop the bottom heat, as it can harm the roots.
8. Now the wait begins! In four to six days the seedling will emerge from the soil. Emerge is a misnomer. Healthy plants all but explode from the soil, growing at a fast pace even as a seedling.
9. Note that the total time may vary, but it is usually a week to ten days. If they have not sprouted after ten days, start a second planting.

TIP: Coating the seeds with a fungicide offers protection against mold and fungus growth.

Pasture Maintenance:

2021:  The Shredder took out the purple succulent this year, done in the spring.  
2020:  Switched to Shredder 2-4-D.  two rounds in the front pasture with average result.  The back pasture, having been eaten to nearly the ground got one application and it is working well.

2018:  Flattened mud hole back pasture after rains softened it up.  Threw out some seed and it took where the mud was soft and was re rolled over.

Sprayed Pasture Pro on all the front pastures.  Not particularly effective.  Tried MCPA with Class Act binder.  Good results

2017: Sprayed broadleaf spray (Pasture Pro) in front pasture, orchard, and lawn. March 2017.

Back Pasture reclamation 2017:

Harrow, plant seed, roll to flatten, fertilize.  Echo tractor assault on the old body again, same as 2016.  Harrow with chain harrow is 3 hours on tractor, rolling is 2+ hours with mower pulling the water filled 48" roller.


Seeding is pushing the broadcast spreader about, putting out $200 in seed (two 20 lb bags ~, put 5 lbs of shade grass seed by fence).  I put out one 50lb bag of fertilizer with the broadcast spreader.

This preparation took about 10 days to sprout the seed.  The horses will be off the pasture for over two months at least.  We tried keeping them on  this pasture for the winter and they chewed it up pretty well.

It has been very wet this season (2017), maybe the wettest October to March ever, so no big fertilizer spread yet.

2015: April:  Put out broadleaf spray (Pasture Pro) which did a good job on all but the Henbit plant.  Spread 750lbs of fertilizer as previously done.
Spread 1000lbs/acre (2,000 lbs total) of agricultural pelletized lime for the first time. WHAT a difference!  The moss is melting away!  Same spreader from Wilbur Ellis.  Did the pastures 4 and 5 with the Suburban pulling the spreader.  Then used the tractor for the front 3 pastures as the load was diminished.

2014, April 9, put out 15 gallons of broadleaf spray on pastures trying to eradicate the 'popweed' from the estate.
2014, April 14, put out 780 lbs of pasture fertilizer as pictured below.  All was dry and it went smoothly.  Picked up the spreader with fertilizer from Wilbur-Ellis outside of Burlington at a cost of $315.  Picked it up at 9:30, towed it home with the Suburban, spread it by 12:30, had to wait for the truck to get home from a horse lesson and then took the spreader back by 4:30 PM.

4th:   Put out a jug of Brash from Cenex for broadleaf on front pasture

17.5 hp Kubota and fertilizer spreader with it's own motor
for broadcasting the product.

10th:  Spread 1200 lbs of fertilizer using the Wilbur Ellis product and spreader.  Rented the spreader with the product fully in to start.  Hauled it home, hooked UP the tractor and towed it about the front and back pasture with a loop or two in the orchard.  (2012)

2013:  April 10 (?) Spread 750 lbs of fertilizer  from Wilbur Ellis  again with same spreader.  Easier to do as it was dry enough.  Can be done in the rain if needed, but it should be un muddy.

Pasture management:

Spread Ferrous Sulphate on lower back pasture.  5 bags @50lbs

2014:  Spread 750 lbs of 21-7-14 fertilizer from Wilbur Ellis again.  Same routine and it worked perfectly!

2015:  Spread same amount of fertilizer (same type) as 2014 (April 6, and 18).  Also spread 2 tons of granulated agricultural lime.  This fall it has been recommended to spread 500 lbs of lime/per acre and then spread a combo of lime and fertilizer in the spring.

2016:  Got out early on the land, due to dry conditions  See above at the end of March.

Also seeded the bare spots and leveled the holes, filling with my own topsoil composted from clippings and horse manure and sand.  Leveled, seeded, and rolled.  I harrowed first.  (good idea)

Automotive:
12th:  (2012) Traded in 2000 Lexus  LS 400 plus $9k for a 2001 S-500 Mercedes.  Nice car!

Sparky and Chyna approve but do not get to ride!
Name of the new car is the Uboat.

Automotive:

Bought my first new car ever, for me...  2023 Subaru Outback with all the toys.  

Replaced the 1999 Suburban with a new 2022 Ford F-150 (Sport Model)  Good truck!
Mercedes S-500  (2001 model) Purchased in 2012
Traded in 2000 LS 400 plus $9000

Infiniti G-35 Coupe, bought new in 2004 for $39k.  Great car.  Girl loves it!

Lexus: (Gone as of 2012)

Oil (synthetic) changed (148k), transmission solenoid replaced, headlight replaced (port), fog light replaced bulb (star) 1-15-12

Suburban: 

Chains purchased for skiing
2013: Brakes Tires,
2014:  Oil leak on valve covers and oil sender, door lock actuators, differential fluids changed, tune up with plugs and wires ($2500)

The Countess driving the tractor trying to get some grass
growing for her horses.

15th:  Used tractor to fill in holes in pasture, mostly the orchard and back pasture that have mole sink holes from the horses pushing the dirt down.  Used top soil from front pile of composted horse manure and shavings.
17th:  Seeded using Pasture Max grass seed.  Touched UP using Weed B Gone gallon sprayer on pop weed.  The seeding without dirt on top of it is wasted.  NOTE:  Add dirt over seed next time.

May:
(blog started in 2012)

VEGGIE GARDEN:

2025:  built the string structure for cucumbers.  Works well but don't try and train them until they are about 12" tall.

2021: tried sugar snap peas.  Need to be planted every two weeks or so.  Pole beans must not be let to go too long on the vine.

Planted 2 Early Girl tomato from Cenex, 4@ sweet 100s from Mark's I-5 garden store, 6 cukes, (bush type), spaghetti squash (3), one scarlet runner bean, two other bean.  Using Miracle Grow once a week.  All in by May 13.

2018:  Planted 6 tomato plants from Co-op and 6 pumpkin plants at Mother's Day.  Had to replant tomatoes down by pond due to overspray of MCPA which really took it out.  Minor overspray was tough on it.


The fertilizer did the trick.  Massive growth in the pastures for the grass and broadleaf.

2013:  Massive growth in pastures again.  Tow behind sprayer needed for chick weed and buttercup.

May 8. 2013:  Planted tomatoes under coldframe, and radishes and carrots and bush beans and snapdragons.

May 15:  Put out two jugs of Range Star broadleaf control.
16th:  Planted tomatoes from Cenex and Haggen in cold frame, started pumpkins in qt. starters, started carrots in south bed.

Showing the cold frame open, flipped back.

Showing the towers, drip system and the anti-weed cloth.

Cold frame down and working to keep plants warm.

May 20, 2012:  Brought in 45' Genie Lift to trim back branches for the riding arena upgrade.

The before shot of the limbs on edge of the arena

21st:  Mowed pasture 2 for tall grasses after mowing lawn.
May 24th:  Ran generator for 10 min.  Siphoned off fuel for Genie lift out of gen set.
May 22-30:  Cut limbs and hauled roughly 30 limb loads with the tractor and forks, each load as large as the tractor over to neighbor who wanted fire starter for his stump pile.  I even got a bonus of 1+ 'rick' of firewood limb cuts.

Half way UP with this lift!

Cutting firewood lengths on the tree.

After the trimming and about 30 loads of tractor carried limbs taken next door for burning.

Tractor taking limbs to the fire on the turn around trimming.

June:
(blog started in 2012)

June 29,2019:

Added in walkway to hydrant serving pastures 1 and 2.

June 14, 2019:  House re roofed:

New roof on pump houses too.

1st:  Put all the 'stumps' that were good in the forest for trimming to length for the new riding arena surround.  Burned all the rotted ones at neighbor's.
Mowed pastures 4 and 5 on highest setting knocking down poop grass and broadleaf.
2nd:  Put out 2 jugs of broadleaf spray in pastures 0 and 1 along with touch up on lawn and garden.
Spread some more casaron in driveway.
Cut new stumps for riding arena.  Needed 44, ended UP with 47, 14" in length.
Compost:  Took out full bucket to composter.
5th-12th
Trimmed branches off entry and driveway using the 45' Genie Lift Boom.

6 tractor loads of limbs from entry corner, 3 from top of driveway, and 2 from turnaround.

Showing the open sky a bit more at the top of the driveway.

r.

June 19, 2014:  Pruned Screw Tree and got off two cart loads of trimmed holly leaves.

Looking South.  This holly tree topiary was started with Everett Alfred Sorensen and Count Ferrari in 2001?
Starting it was tough.  Doing the trimming each year is getting easier as it grows into shape.

Looking West

23rd:  Had garage re-roofed by Lester Roofing.  New plywood put on and the old Onduline roof retired.

26th:  Put out jug of round-up and a jug of Range Star on broadleaf in goat pasture and Pasture #1.

July 2012:

Rebuilt the riding arena to the tune of too much money.

Before the arena is stripped.  The cedar hogfuel is still there.

After the arena is done 

This project was HUGE!  It involved a former student of Count Ferrari.  Aaron Monty owns Ramo Construction and specializes in chip sealed private roads.  His wife is a horse trainer and he had done other outdoor arenas.  This project kept coming up with surprises but the end result is an all year outdoor arena that should be good for decades.

The project was initialized by stripping the hog fuel off and taking it to the neighbor, who wanted it for landscaping.  The base (3/8" minus compacted quarry gravel) was solid but the incorrect grade for the new footing which required a maximum slope of not more that 1.5% grade.  That required many trucks of new 3/8" gravel  (12 @ 18 tons comes to mind but I will check the numbers later).

That rock was graded using a laser leveler to the correct grade, compacted and then covered in sand to 1.75"  deep.  A rim around the small gravel and sand was established using 2" minus shot rock at least 18" thick to act as a dam to keep the under layment in place.

5 loads of sand, and one load of the 2" were distributed on the arena.

After grading and messing about for a week or so, the actual footing was distributed , then watered and harrowed using the special harrow purchased for the new footing.  I sure hope this works for 20 years.  I would hate to do it again.


Added gravel to the driveway and turnaround

Entry Road, 97th AVE NE:

Had 97th Ave NE chip sealed, summer of 2012, Cost $12,000, shared by all owners living on this road.  Cut the dust down totally.  No more grading of the road either!  Ramo Construction did the work.

July, 2020:

Varnish work:

2021:

Stripped and sanded the back door trim and removed the back door to the shop for a refinish.  Much better, 4 coats.

2020:

Totally stripped and refinished the exterior of the patio doors and trim over 9 days.  2 coats of Prothane, a lacquer based urethane finish, then 220 sanded, then two more  coats of finish.  Doors were removed and done in the shop, trim done in place.

 

Entry posts getting a couple of coats after being scratched with 220. This job was SO much easier than the patio doors!  One flat face to sand, tape off, and then get 2 coats of Prothane, then let sit for a night.  Then 220 handsanded and 2 more coats applied.  DONE.

The before picture:  Note the change in color about half way up the doors.  That is sun damage.



Here is a photo of the 'DURING' process.

August 2012:

Mowing the pastures where the horses do not eat.  Using the 38" Honda mower with out the bag.  It is barely wide enough but it does the job.

Pulled out the dead logs in the pasture by the driveway and burned them.  Leveled Pasture #1 with dirt from the recycled top soil and the left over sand from the arena project.

August 2020:

Preparing to pressure wash the carport roof.  August 2020:

First sweep the needles, cones, and sticks off.  1 hour

Pressure wash the moss bits off.  2 hours of noisy tedious washing, two tanks of fuel.

Apply Wet N Forget Moss deterrent. 1 hour

The before photo, after 8 months of neglect.

Gutter seal: August 2020

Used Proflex RV roof paint to reseal the aluminum gutters on the house.  This seems to be the best product I have found for this job.  Clean the area as best you can, Clean with a clean rag and then paint on this clear coat with some sort of fiber in it.  Very thick in application.  All the corners of the gutter need this or have all of it replaced with steel gutters that might rot out in 10 years.

September 2012:


Put 4% (the good stuff) Casaron out on the turn around and driveway.

Installed eyebolts to eve of garage for safety line for roof walking.

October 2012:

Blowing the needles off the roof of the garage and carport after the first big rain storm was needed.  Gutters on the garage were full.  The carport was completely covered.  Got in a dry day and blew them off.  The safety line makes the job very easy on the garage.

October 2013

Put Moss Kill on house roof.  Blew off carport and garage with leaf blower.

Disc Golf course with the 18 holes got signage for the GHIDN.



November 2012:

Vacuumed the leaves with a mow on November 1.
Pruned the Screw Tree for the November 3 GHIDN

Pruned off the bottom of the big cedar in the back pasture.
    This made a bunch of branches that need to be burned.

Spread a bit of Casaron in drive way. this was spot application with a can, just hitting the green bits.

Unplugged the downspout on the roof of the carport which was filled with needles.  November18



Cleaned off the fans on the ceiling of living room using 10' tripod ladder.  Nov 20.

November 2013:

Had to fix three fences and put two huge hemlocks in the wood bin.  Ended up with 1.5+ cords of wood.  Both trees were rotten on the inside and tough to split.

November 2, 2013

November 16, 2013

December 2013:

Infinity fully detailed by Waynes in Marysville.   $200  Nice job!

Zihuatanenjo in December 2011

This blog is complete.  As is our trip.  Enjoy as it suites you.


UP
Count Enrico


Why we go south:


Being a native of Seattle, one can recognize, after 60 years, the lack of sunshine during the winter months in the NW.   The cure is to go and find sun.  This has any number of benefits.  There is the obvious gain in vitamin D, the lack of stress in wardrobe selection (flipflops, swim suit and light shirt),
there is the entire natural beauty concept with flowering shrubbery and non-swaddled people to look at,  warm beaches and good food with beer that actually is refreshing because it is cold, sailing on water that is 80F instead of 50F, etc...

A bonus for us has been to get others to think we are always out of town during the holidays.  It may be a bit selfish to keep to ourselves but there it is.  We just do not do Xmas.  It only cost a bit more to get on a plane and soak up the sun than it does to do the entire Xmas regimen.

Where in the world is Zihua?:

We are about 150 miles north of Acapulco.

Playa La Ropa is the name of the beach just out of town.

Approximate location of Casa Iguana

The right dot is over our unit (of 6 total) at the Casa Iguana.  The left dot is the El Vira restaurant where we spend our time on the beach.  The white sand beach is about a mile or more in length.  The water is 80F or so.  NICE!

The Countess and the Count on vacation.
This would be a typical day at the beach.
Photo taken by Nuham our host.

How we got there:

The Countess and I used our companion fare (supposedly a $90 add on to buying one ticket but the total ramps to $250 after airport fees) on our Alaska Visa card to book this trip in Feb. of 2011.  It was cold then and gave us something to look forward to.  We had missed our sun in 2010 after big travels to England and around Vancouver Island.  (see other blog articles on this blog page).  I guess the Alaska Visa is as good as most.  I used miles to go to San Diego in November for a 'free' ride on Alaska

Enough about Visa!

History of our accommodations of previous visits:


The fact that the price of the air was right is the point.  Zihua (shortened from Zihuantenjo) is one of our favorite spots in Mexico.  This is our 4th visit here.  We have stayed at the (now) Villa Mexicana, Hotel Irma, Las Brisas del Mar and now at the B&B Casa Iguana (www.casa-iguana.com).  The Mexicana and the Casa Iguana are on La Ropa beach which is a mile long of white sand with 80F clear water lapping at it.  The other two are just outside of town right above the bay and both have their advantages.  Irma is cheap at $70 a night and Las Brisas is very nice but more, around $120 a night for a junior suite.  They are both in walking distance from town.  La Ropa hotels require a taxi or bus to town.

Travel woes:

The suffering we had to go through coming down here was pretty much limited to getting UP at 3:00 AM to catch a 7:00 AM flight out of Seatac.  After deicing the plane, we got into LAX on time, which gave us 30 minutes to get to our next plane, duty free gin purchase, and find a head.  We managed all three with 3 minutes to spare.  Our plane landed at the Zihua airport at 3:00 PM and we were out of customs (losing my peanuts, pistachios, and almonds to the customs) and in an airport taxi by 3:30.

NOTE:
The flight back was brutal.  We left Zihua at 4:35 PM and got to our house at 3:30 AM Zihua time.  3.5 hours to LAX, 3 hour layover, 2.5 hours to Seatac, 1.5 hours home... .OUCH, very fuzzy the following day.  There is a 2 hour difference between Zihua and Seattle, just like Chicago.

There are the usual time share dudes laying in wait just outside the exit and we hooked up with one but were easily able to shed him, being the Mexico veterans we are.  We weren't buying his shuck and massage offers.  The airport taxis are a monopoly that one just has to put up with.  $34 US one way which is fair but the fee for the return trip will be around $240p using the city taxis.

Arrival at the Casa Iguana is very understated with just a metal iguana on the exterior wall, doors closed to the street, but our host, Joel, meeting the cab, saying our flight, online, was saying it was delayed??

The very modest entrance.  Note the metal iguana.

Joel is a 55 year young Frenchman who has done well here in Zihua.  He has two successful businesses here (over at Xtapa) and this 6 unit B&B of which we are the only occupants at the moment.

Where we stayed:

A description of our suite:  (www.casa-iguana.com)  The bottom gate opens onto a small lawn and single car parking area.  From there is a path of stepping stones set in the lawn with a flowering hedge on the left and the units on the right as one ascends the gentle grade.  Our unit was the 4th from the street and very quiet and peaceful.

Looking at our lounge area from the path.

The outside roofed lounge area has a buffet area with a fridge, water dispenser, toaster, and coffee maker.  There are two comfy chairs, a sofa, overhead fan, lights, and a coffee table with lots of plants hanging and set about.

Looking down the path from outside our suite.

Through the door into the bedroom there is a large desk, bench seat, a corner shelf with TV (satellite and several stations with movies and shows in English).  Overhead is a fan, many overhead lights in paper balls (like the one we have in our dining room), an AC unit and windows on opposite sides with screens.  The bed is kingsize with side tables and lamps.  We had to get a light blanket out around 4 AM as it did chill just a bit and the sheet was not enough even though we were snuggled together.

King size bed on concrete platform.  Where the Count felt the
earthquake of 6.5 or so.

The bathroom is a long room with clothes storage on shelves with a room safe (issues so far but will solve) then a sink above the counter, a long toilet, and at the end a walk in shower.  Everything is tiled and VERY well finished.  This is well executed construction with lots of attention to the finish.


Sitting around here is all one could ask for in comfort.  There have already been comments from jealous friends about the lack of a pool.  Well, we say to that, there are no rowdy kids splashing in that nonexistent pool.  The beach is just a two minute walk and the water there is perfect for a dip.

I will be doing a complete bathroom pictorial soon as the masonry details here are very well executed and perfect for using.  (stay tuned)

Looking at menus

Bloop in the clouds, no green flash this time.

This was where we enjoyed our first sunset down here.  The possibility of a green flash exists as the sun is going down in the sea.   The first night there were clouds on the horizon but we will keep a close watch for the phenom.

Home from the beach we both required a nap, shower, and then a taxi ride to town.  I suspect this may become routine as walking to town is a matter of a couple of miles up a steep hill and then back down.  The road is very narrow with speeding buses, taxis, and locals.

On entering the roundabout at the town entrance, Jose, our first taxi driver in his Crown Victoria (one of the largest cars in the town and rare) noted there was a parade to the Virgin Mary.  We tried to get around it but ended up following in the wake of the marching crowd and police escort.  Jose had spent 5 years in Olympia but was not able to keep work so came back here to drive a taxi.  Now with the cruise boats not coming so much (down from 100 visits a year to 10, his words) his tour business is very slow.  One can rent him and his car for $50 US an hour or $120 US a day.  The cost of ride to town is $3.50 US so that beats waiting for the bus.

Note the Xmas stuff on the roof at Any's Tamale and Sopa

We went out to dinner on day one to Any's which we had eaten in during previous visits.  Maybe a it was a different name but it was the same decor and tables.  We both ordered Tortilla Soup, Sopa de Tortilla, and were served the best tortilla soup we had ever had!  The cost was $205 pesos (10 pesos= 1 dollar mostly).  Lori noted one other gringo couple but speculated they were full time residents, there are many.

What to do while here:

Sitting on the beach, reading books, going shopping, eating at multiple restaurants, sailing Hobie cats from the beach, going out to nightclubs, taking starlit walks on the beach, riding the bus, sleep, and generally relax.

All in all, not much more than simple relaxing.

 One of the best things one can do in Zihua is find Jimi Mamou playing his blues at a club.  Be advised, many places will say he is playing just to get you in.   Check out a bit of riff he has on Youtube.  Link to:  Jimi Mamou gets started on the blues.   This is WAY too short but one gets the idea.  Jimi is now 73 and very fit and fine, still living down here and playing in various clubs occasionally.

There are other activities which we eschew:  Booze cruises, para sailing, banana riding, discos, condo touring, etc...

Been there done that or decided it is a never to be activity.

The Countess taking a promenade on the beach.  This was a Sunday and the most crowded we had seen so far. (Dec 11)
The crowds, such as they are, really show up on the day we leave, Dec 20.

We might do an eco tour, where they take us to the bush somewhere and put us in kayaks and paddle around some lagoon with alligators???

Activities we actually did this trip:

Massage:  2xs for both of us at Elvira's with Maria and Sabrina.  $250p for an hour of deep full body massage.  VERY high marks!  One can barely stand up after the session!

Hobie sailing 2xs with Xavier and Ramon's boats next to Elvira's.  $300p / hour  Light winds most days.  No hull flying wind ever.

These Hobies are in good condition and very fun.  Easy to drive.  High marks for fun.  The water is like bath water.

Dining Options and Opinions:

Since dining out is one of the common activities practiced by all travelers here I thought a bit with bullet points would help those who scan blogs.

$  Anetelia's located in 'Posole Alley':  You will not see many gringos here but the food is local and very good.   The ambiance is supplied by going local.  We had tostadas, posole (white, chicken), steak tacos, and quesidillas.  We will always go back there.  Less than $100p each meal for 2.  Beer is only $15p each.  Cheapest I have seen them in a restaurant.

$$ Tamales Y Atoles Any's located on Calle Edjito:  The BEST tortilla soup!  We went back twice for it.  Lots of inflatable Xmas stuff inside and out.  $200-210 for each meal including drinks.

$$$  Paty's Miramar located on La Ropa, next to Villa Mexicana:  Very good and romantic.  Nice lights in the palm trees with the water 30 feet away over the white sand.  We ordered too much food.  The shrimp cocktail could be a meal by itself so we took one home.  We couldn't eat what ever we ordered (too much fuzz upstairs) but it was good.  $390p and good.

$$   El Viras on La Ropa, located right next to Paty's.  This is where we have spent each day on their lounge chairs under umbrellas, ordering an item or two plus drinks.  To die for are the Sopes which are like little tostados with a thick tortilla base.  The strawberry dacquri without sugar (sans dulce) is an amazing slurpee.  I am having at least one a day.  Mmmmmmm!  The Countess likes the lemonada, chips and pico de gaio.  Our bill daily is between $180 and $350p.  Nuham and Rebe are the two main waiters who take care of us.  They are very good at getting it just right.  The only reason we have not eaten dinner there is for us to sample other place's fare.

$$$  Tres Hermanos, located down town on a walking street:  Very marginal, would not go back.

$$$$ Agave, located upstairs across from Amfibios surf shop on one of the main drags away from the water.  Tied for the best food I have had down here!  A new place, and very empty, we hope they can make it.  The spinach salad was amazing no matter which city you might be in.   The mexican steak I had was peppery and GOOD.   The chicken fajitas were way too much for one.  Consider splitting one with each having a good salad.  $485 plus tip for two with food and drinks.

$$$$  Chuletos, hard to find for us. (We looked 3xs)  If you are looking at the water from the downtown basket ball court, turn right and go most of the way toward the public pier.  It is on a corner on the right with darkened signs.  A small place but the food was SUPER.  We split a house salad, a good idea.  I had the thickest pork chop with brown gravy and mushrooms with little potatoes and other veggies.  Lori had the fish with some cajun spice.  It was WAY too much food again.  $485 plus tip for food and wine.



Monday (day 4):

A bit of stomach issue in the AM but we are going shopping for the day.  We both took the bus for $10p each which is 1/10th price of a taxi.  Not a very long wait and just as quick.

Low head room in the Mercado.

Lori shopped while the Count watched.  The Mercado for the locals is FULL of stuff.  The Countess even bought a bag to maybe put loot in.  The local shop keepers really showed her the stuff over and over.

Two shop girls that were sure the Count needed something.

I merely watched and when asked if I wanted anything I merely replied I am watching 'mi espousa compranda' which I was told means watching my wife shop.  The men understood immediately and the girls just kept showing me stuff.

We had lunch in the Mercado for $108p that was wonderful.

Most food is about what you would pay in the Seattle area.  For example, a bag of Cheetos and a 6 pack of Victoria beer was $92p ~ $9.20 US

The bus cost is $5p each.

Our table at the edge of the Mercado.  Not crowded and good food.

Sunsets are free!

Count Ferrari is watching for the green flash!  So far with two good sunsets observed, this with a bit of haze and another with no haze, there was only a 'bloop' as the sun dipped below the horizon.  The green flash occurs in these conditions and many $$ are made in Key West because of it.

Tuesday (day 5):

It was a day at the beach and then tried to take the bus in but we were talked into sharing a taxi for the same money into town.  There was some shopping, looking at stuff and seeing what was available.  Talked with some people in town we saw at the beach.

We ate in Antelia's in Posole Alley for the grand total of $75p.  Lori had Tostadas, and the Count had steak tacos.  Drinks were the fruit punch made on site.

After dinner, we waited at the bus stop at 8:35PM and were told by a kind soul that the bus stopped running at 8:30 PM.  We took a taxi out of necessity.  The cost didn't break us at $35p.  Back at our B&B where we continue to be the only inhabitants (except the owner, Joel, who is only home at night) we got out our cards and played Skipbo.  Lori trounced me 2:1 that night.

Wednesday (day 6):

Out of bed at the crack of 9:00 AM.  Breakfast of toast, tea, cornflakes with dried cut strawberries mixed with yogurt and fresh banana is a great way to get started.  It is always waiting for us to fix in our little fridge on our covered patio with the nice overhead fan blowing cooling wafts of wind over us.

We made our appearance at El Vira's beach restaurant a bit after noon.  This is our no rush schedule.  The waiters there know who we are now and just make a space for us with umbrella and lounge chairs.  We have become part of the scene.

Casual dress and following the shade with the lounge chairs is the usual.  Here the Countess is getting her dose of vitamin D.

There is a couple (older by a bit) who run the beach each day.  They shamed me into doing the same.  I was gasping for air before I got to the end of the beach!  Running in sand with bare feet really used the calves to the point of tight!!!  The water flowing up to 6" deep was a wet splash too.  On the way back the strategy was to stay in 1" or less water and the wave patterns allowed me to slow and nearly stop on several occasions to get back my breath.  I did the entire distance and felt I earned a full lunch!


Activity Note:

After lounging for a bit each of us took a massage from Maria ($250p + tip).  There is a massage area right next to the bar.  OMG!  She had strong hands and really made an impact on our bodies.  It was tough to walk after her tender touch.  It was decided we should do that again prior to leaving.

You can barely see a white massage tent thing on the left side of
this photo.  This is our hangout.  Buy a few drinks and snacks
and one becomes a part of the family.

The Count had a club sandwich with great french fries and the Countess had some tostada look alikes that had a puffy soft corn chip bottom that were excellent.  We terminated our beach stay with a swim. The Count swam around a mooring buoy twice in a row.  A new record for him for this trip.

Back to the B&B for showers, cocktail hour, nuts, and a nap.  Later, as we waited by the bus stop at 7:05 PM we were told by a taxi that the bus stopped running at 7:00 PM.  Oh well, what are you to do? We took his cab and asked about once in town and verified his claim.  A weird thing, I asked the driver how many taxis were in town and he replied 663.  All the local cabs have large numbers on them and we didn't see any number over that so maybe it is correct.  I do know they are predatory in trying to get passengers.  Always a horn or 'taxi?' from any passing empty cab when you are gringos.

Bug spray at the farmicia was a good find, cookies and chips at a mini 'costco' was also a hit.  We had dinner at Tamales Y Any again and had the best tortilla soup ever again.

Tortilla soup at Y Any's.  The best!

Thursday (day 7?)  (It must be Thursday if my vitamin container says so...)

Activity Note:

We got to the beach at 11:30 for a fairly early arrival.  The wind was as strong as it has been, say 5-7k with lulls.  It was time to take out a Hobie 16 in the bath water.  Armed with PFDs and a bottle of water we sailed out of the bay into the Pacific enjoying the upwind sail.  Turning around it got hot and seemingly slow but we did make it back to the beach after sailing the bay and reaching back and forth a bit, maybe getting to 6-7k of boat speed.  It was good fun and reasonable at $300p an hour.

The rest of the day was spent reading in the shade on the sand, having lunch, and walking the beach.

The empty beach is typical until Dec. 21 or so when 'high season' kicks in as do the crowds.

Peat and Repeat....  The days just go by.  Met a 67 year aged dude who had been doing this since Oct 30.  He is seriously relaxed!  Also met an 88 year young fellow, also walking the beach, who was certain that being negative shortens one's life.  There may be something in that.

We are nearing one of the toughest things we have to do down here.... Decide what to have for dinner.  It definitely means going out to dinner as the potato chips and gin over ice were our cocktail hour.  We already napped after going to the beach and then taking showers.  Grueling... (oh) NOT!

Something Different:

Here is a short video that shows two of our friends staying at Zihua in Feb of 2012 at the hotel right next to our beach restaurant.  Kudos to Dennis and Nola for getting a video together.
Video of Zihua in vacation mode.

Drivel and more written drivel... There is a certain repetition of fun in the sun here.

Could be Count Ferrari and his dance friends?

Dinner location was captured on a recommendation by the shop keeper who sold Lori a pretty square of material to be used as a wrap for the beach.  Lori also did a great job of negotiation when buying her Aztec dog in a very nice art shop, getting the price from $485 to $410p in active offers and reoffers.  We found some way cool 'Day of the Dead' statues, called Catrinas, in yet another art shop.  Will have to get one of these fashion show stylizers.  Very detailed and pricey.

These girls in red were $900p and about 16" tall.  A bit delicate
for us to transport at that price.  Note the black tails.

Anyway, we ate at Agave and were told it was not expensive but it was 2xs the price of most our meals at $485p.  It was the best food of the trip but we are not great at spending money for food so don't do it often but do enjoy it when we find a good place.  Great salads and too much food.  It was fun looking down on the street from the 2nd floor balcony.  We were the first diners of the evening at 8:00 PM and another couple came in after us but that was it, most likely for this restaurant for the night.  Slim pickins and very slow.










When we get back to our home away from home:

Chanel with the red collar and Gigi (mother of C) without a collar
and a happy dog petting Countess, after a tough night of dining out.

Friday (day 8):

MOS...  (More Of the Same).  We got to beach at noon and had some sun, cold drinks, and a couple of walks along with a swim.  Back to the room for a shower and nap at 4:30 PM.

The weather never changes.  We did get another couple move into the B&B.  We shall see how that goes as we are used to having the entire thing to ourselves.  They took the upstairs suite which is the nicest with the most space.  We looked at it and decided our room was cooler with a greener (albeit smaller) view.

Saturday:  A cruise ship came and we stayed at the beach rather than face the crowds of the Silver Sea. Not a real huge one but enough to keep us on La Ropa.







Bathroom details:

A long thin corridor done in tile and decorative rocks.  Very well executed.

Floor detail