Bartlett Pear Harvest and the Cousins

7 a.m. and the sound of tractors and shouting in Spanish wakes me up. Luckily, the dirty martini at Brian's Pourhouse didn't do me in. And luckily, everything in Hood River shuts down around 11 p.m., so we weren't too much worse for the wear.

I fly out of bed with excitement to witness my first pear harvest, city girl style (someone else does the work while I watch). Lucky for us, we bought the place with a lease already in effect. Kind of takes the pressure off knowing what to do right away. The farmer is a big name in orcharding in the area, and runs his operation like a well oiled engine.

So I call Jesse on the phone and yell, get yourself and your cousins over here!!

Right about that time, the farmer's wife came around the corner in a big straw hat and a big smile and introduced herself. I love her already. She is so friendly, and I could have spent the entire day talking to her. In the short time she was at the house, she showed me a few things about my flower garden, and some tips on how to propagate the seeds. She also invited me to her flower garden that she started from nothing.

In the meantime, Samantha and I decided to do a little Stand Up Paddling. I was introduced to it about a year ago by a friend in Portland who is very involved in the sport, but hadn't had a chance to try it again.

We headed to the waterfront and rented boards for about an hour. Here we are:

What an insane workout. I was prepared for that jello leg feeling, but not entirely for the gusts of wind that wanted to take us out to the Columbia River. It is a popular wind surfing and kite boarding spot, so it makes sense that it would be a workout. According to the rental guy, mornings are best for stand up paddling (SUP). The wind will usually hit mid day, making it almost impossible.

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So Jesse, Matt, and Ben finally made it to the farm with the kids. It's funny - the guys are so well educated and refined, I felt like I was suddenly transported to St. Tropez or the south of France, not a pear orchard.

Met the new neighbor. We hit the Jackpot. Her house was the staging area for the pear collection, so when I stopped by to see how many tons of pear we harvested, she was standing outside with her child. How lucky am I to have a new neighbor with kids the same age as ours? I was in a hurry to get back because the paint removal guy was waiting, but not before I took a peek around her property. Oh, so lucky she is. And that machine shop. I like it too much.

Ed Bell & Sons is a paint removal company I have used in the past on a former home in Portland. I was concerned about peeling paint, sure that it was lead, and wanted to have it removed before the birth of our first child. Scott came in with his crew and removed all of the trim paint, which Jesse promptly sanded and stained. 

So when we noticed the failing paint in the farmhouse, I called Scott to see if he would be willing to come out to Hood River. This time, we would have him remove all the exterior paint and the interior paint upstairs. He'll be back for a test patch.

Here are some more pictures from the day.