Friday, May 4, 2018

Bella Vista Workday

What a gorgeous week of weather!!  Elderberry and Potluck Farm (an adjacent intentional community) co-own a beautiful 12 acres of land we call Bella Vista (for the stunning view). It is about a 15 minute walk from Elderberry through beautiful, flower-filled woods (see the previous blog for our wildflower photos!)  The land was clear-cut before we bought it, so it has many large tree stumps.  In addition, it is basically a high-elevation rock outcropping (high for our area at least) .  These features make it difficult to keep the field mowed and maintain the lovely view.  So, year after year, we have worked at moving rocks, sawing stumps, and building cairns on rocks that we cannot move, so that we don't hit them when we mow with the bush hog.  Today we rented a stump grinder to help with getting rid of the stumps, and we also moved rocks, cleaned up woodpiles, and clipped a lot of blackberry brambles.  We made pretty good progress!

Maggie, Phil, Marj and Dick (and pooches Riley and Ellie) take a break

We have chairs that stay on the hill so that we can come up for a drink at sunset - they also provide a shady place to take a break from the stump and rock work!

Karolyn finds that the walk-behind bush hog makes a decent chair!

Phil with the monster stump grinder!

Karolyn with the walk-behind bush hog

Phil took out about a dozen stumps - no small task, and this equipment is a bear to handle!

Marj clipping away at brambles around the stumps


Maggie - also lopping at the brambles!

We make cairns to mark rocks that we cannot remove to ensure that we don't hit them when we mow


Taking a break in the shade!!!!


Mary and Phil

Lots of equipment!  Stump grinder, tractor and bush hog, and 4-wheeler named Zeke



Marj, Karolyn and Maggie gratefully accept a ride with Zeke rather than walking home after a few hours of hard work!

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Flowers and Streams

One of the treasures at Elderberry and Potluck Farm (adjacent community) are the 100+ acres of beautiful woods, streams and trails between our two communities.  Here is a sampling of Spring in our woods.

The wild azalea


Violets



We have miles of hiking trails

Little Creek  - feeds the Flat River

We have several places where streams flow over rocks,
creating that beautiful sound of rushing water

Bluets

Coral Honeysuckle

Lily-leaved twayblade... an orchid with a very weird name!


Wild ginger - we rarely see the flower


The lousewort - or a prettier name that Marj just told me - wood-betony.  Marj knows all the scientific names of the flowers also - she is the person to go hiking with in the spring!