My Favorite Time of the Day

In the evening everything seems to quiet down and you hear the sprinklers going ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. The sound of summer, the sound of crops slowly maturing in the sun. All's well.

That's Ethan down there in the field changing a length of handline.

Moses Lake Farmers Market

You think this produce is fresh?

About Thyme

Last spring I planted some desert succulents - sedums, creeping thyme, etc - in front of the vineyard sign. They spread quickly and the colors this time of year are spectacular. I'm rooting for the purple thyme to take over, so I'll only water that this summer.

Connolly Park

This gem of a park is half a mile from Cayuse. It used to belong to the Air Force. The locals still call it "Airmens Beach." When the city acquired it, the feds made them agree they would maintain it nicely by spending a certain amount of money every year. So while other parks are wilting in the budget crisis, Moses Lake continues to pour money into improving Connolly Park.

The most recent improvments: New wading beaches, a nice new entry drive, and hydroseeding the hillside. Lush.

Cayuse Moses Lake Spring Sunset

Cayuse Wildflowers

Pablo Wields the Weed-Eater

Spring tasks include getting the irrigation system going, weeding, and planting some replacements for vines that did not survive the last two winters.

I planted a few Riesling vines this year just as an experiment. Want to see how they do compared to the Chardonnay and Cab Franc.

We haven't done any spraying in the vineyard this year, and I don't think we will. It's not that I'm big on all the "organic" stuff but I think the vines might do better without chemicals around. So we hand-weeded the plant wells, we'll keep the rows clean with hand and hoe, and weed-eater the aisles as usual.