One of Brad’s Projects
adminSince Brad has a little more time on his hands, he’s been rebuilding the horse trailer (we found 2 holes in the floor after our last camping trip!)
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
Bales
Brad scored big and found a good source for round bales in Molalla – now Chuckie is set for the winter. These bales are over 1300 pounds and Bob was just barely able to lift them!
Just Another Day in Colton
Danny, one of our volunteer firefighter friends, on his was out for Colton’s version of leisurely target shooting…with a fully automatic, belt-fed machine gun!
Nermal the Barn Cat
We’ve had some pretty warm weather lately and we’re all finding our own ways to cope!
The Fir Burned Down!
Around 11:30 Tuesday night our pagers toned out for a commercial fire. A commercial fire in Colton? Colton has very few commercial buildings…the elementary, middle & high schools, the market, the post office, the Cafe….and the Fir!
By the time we made it to the Elwood station to pick up Engine 123, The duty officer arrived on scene to confirm that flames were visible outside the building and, although it was open for business, the building had been evacuated. He requested additional tones for a second alarm fire. Brad and I were the first engine on scene, and we pulled around back to start attacking the source of the flames. An outside shelter area attached to the building was fully engulfed, along with the kitchen and an outdoor storage area. Brad got the engine pumping water and I was ready on the hose. More than 5 minutes later, our remaining apparatus from Colton arrived, along with crews from Molalla, Estacada and Clackamas.
By 2:30 am, the fire was out but the Fir was a complete loss. This was such a big event, we were the lead story with all the big city news crews!
DAILY NEWS UPDATE (From the Molalla Pioneer)
Colton bar and restaurant burns in Tuesday fire
A fire broke out at Stewarts’ Fir Valley Inn on Highway 211 in Colton late last night, causing at least $300,000 in damage.
Several patrons and a bartender were inside when the fire ignited, but all made it out safely, said Cassie Stewart, the daughter of the inn’s owners.
The inn has operated in Colton since the 1970s and was purchased by Jan and Laura Stewart in 2004. The Stewarts’ home is located on the same property as the inn, but was not damaged in the fire.
Colton Fire District arrived at the blaze around 11:30 last night and received assistance from Estacada, Clackamas and Molalla fire departments, Colton Fire Chief Gary Anderson said. In all, nearly 30 firefighters responded.
The fire appeared to originate near the kitchen’s refrigeration units, Anderson said, but the cause is still being investigated.
“(The fire) was in the back of the building, but it went up the wall and got into the attic,” Anderson said. “It just roared across that attic.”
Stewart said the inn’s bartender discovered the fire after feeling heat and going back to the kitchen to investigate. A customer attempted to control the flames with a fire extinguisher, but the blaze had grown too large to manage. Another customer ran to the house next door to awake the owners.
Cassie Stewart said there has been a constant flow of people stopping by to survey the damage today.
“People have been coming from all over who used to come here as kids because they can’t believe it,” Stewart said. “Fir Valley is pretty much a community building where everybody goes. It’s really tragic to see it because it’s pretty much a place you could go and everybody knows who you are. It’s like family there.”
The inn is scheduled to host a poker run this Saturday and Stewart said they hope to still hold the event on site. The building was insured and she said her parents hope to eventually rebuild.
And from TV reporters brave enough to venture out deep into the sticks:
Camping at Silver Falls
A few weeks ago we made reservations for a horse camping site…not knowing this weekend was going to be over 100 degrees! The campground didn’t have electricity so we decided to stay just one day. The campground is definitely horse friendly with lots of trails all accessible right from the camp sites! We went for one ride but didn’t want to push Brad’s ankle too much. We’ll definitely make reservations for a future trip!
Big Fire & A Trip to the ER!
Our pagers toned out at 4am this morning for a working fire! A car fire quickly turned into a structure fire when the home owner’s auto shop became engulfed. Brad and I responded on E123 from Elwood. On scene, Brad was preparing the engine to pump water and I was ready on the nozzle, when he tripped over a rock! He sucked it up and continued pumping throughout the rest of the morning but once we were done with the fire, we grabbed some breakfast and headed to the emergency room. Great news! He didn’t break it; just a bad sprain requiring an air splint for the next 2-4 weeks. Very exciting for our first ‘line of duty’ injury!
Tucker’s First Ride
We took Tucker on his first horseback ride today and he did great! We did about 2 1/2 – 3 miles from our house over to Lance & Rhonda’s place then back. We kept him on leash while on the road and then let him off once we were back in the woods on the trail. He did a great job of staying close to the horses but keeping out from under hoof. He’s going to make a great trail dog!
Cherry Pickin’
Who says you need a cherry picker to pick cherries? Not needed if you have a Bob! Well, and Brandi to help.
Tucker did his part too…by eating the ones that dropped.
Veggies are coming!
Although it seems to be a never ending battle with weeds, we’re finally starting to harvest some veggies!
And here are Brad’s giant pumpkins…they may not look like much now, but Brad has hopes of submitting an entry to the World Famous Canby Pumpkin Drop in October!
(picture coming soon!)