Noble Pig

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Progress

Remember when I told you the burn piles on our land were big?  Well here’s proof.  Even describing them as gigantic is an understatement. 

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in Oregon.  The kids went crazy climbing the hills of the recently cleared land.  I told them they needed to start picking up the sticks.  They laughed.

Of course Willie was working away while we messed around.  His workload here is endless.

However, there is just something about photographing boys with heavy equipment..  It seems so completely natural.

This little hooligan should not have been sitting up here.  Soon after I told him to smile and look this way, I told him to get off and not get up there again.  He was confused.  Sorry bud, it’s all about the Kodak moment.

We were able to explore areas of the property we had never been to before since parts of the land have now been cleared and made passable.

The kids loved it.  In fact as you can see, it made them a little crazy.


Here is a rare, rare sighting of the Wild Boar.  Yes, he does exist.

Since we only keep an apartment in Oregon, we don’t have a hose.  So things like….mud….are a bit of a problem.

Please explain to me how this happens.  The shoes are waterproof which means the kids are pretty much rolling-sinking in the mud.  Save me from the laundry I know is in my near future.

But the kids don’t care.  They just wanted to sit in the dozers.

Overall, I love photographing the machinery.  For me it signifies progress of a long awaited goal.


And the sunset through the arm of an excavator never looked better.

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Comments

  1. Hey Cathy, are you really going to burn those piles? That’s not very environmentally-minded. Can they not be left to as a habitat for wildlife, and then rot down? Here’s a website I subscribe to, you might have heard of it…lots of great hints and tips – check it out.Ideal Bite [email protected]. Love and light

    Reply

  2. That looks like it’ll burn for hours. I used to love having a bonfire at my grannys house when I was a kid. The challenge would be not to take matches from the house but get the vaguely smouldering pile of ash at the end of the garden going again.

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  5. Boy does this post bring back memories. We did have a burn pile that was as high as our house, and the kids climbed on it, played around it, and had a blast. That it was unsightly did not enter into their minds. The big piles were fun! And I can see the hooligans think so too. And heavy equipment ! Wow…what a fantastic time for you all! I’m jealous.

    Reply

  11. I love that picture of your son’s sock. I used to have the same problem with my daughter, only with snow in the winter. Her socks would get soaked and I couldn’t understand how when she was wearing snow pants that were tucked into snow boots. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

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  15. Awww, Mom, why do we have to pick up sticks when there’s so much exploring to do?
    Honestly, I’m with the boys. Gotta explore!
    I know each time you go back, you get a little more excited.
    Me, too! Can’t wait for next time.

    Reply

  19. when you said laundry it brought me back to the time this past summer when you had a GIANT picture of you laundry. do you remember that? I do, as it made my heart skip a beat LOL
    And letting your kids run around like that in the fresh air is soooooo good for them…kids these days don’t get enough of that nature-stuff.

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  20. Wow – progress is certainly being made on your land! Nice. The burn piles will make for one heck of a weenie roast!

    The mud looks like a load of fun for the kiddos and a load of annoyance for you! Good luck with the laundry!

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  21. Gosh Cathy, Have you heard of those Snapfish books? I hope so… wouldn’t that be the cutest gift for your boys this holiday season! I can just see all these beautiful pictures you have in a storybook put together for them! It would be so worth it! Then they could look at it over and over! snapfish.com I think.

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  22. Burn, baby, Burn! Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. This is a rare time in a little boy’s life, when he can spend quality time with heavy machinery, and bonfires to boot. Have fun! And buy brown socks; you’ll have fewer headaches!

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  23. Great pictures! Our 2-year-old is sitting next to me and nearly came out of his skin when he saw the big machines! What IS it about (any aged) boys and machines?!

    Congratulations on the progress!

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  25. Those burn piles aren’t just big – they are small mountains !!! Yikes !

    Glad you are making progress. It’s fun to see the results of all your hard work, isn’t it ?

    Little boys simply ATTRACT mud. Doesn’t matter how waterproof the boots are !

    Reply

  30. Fun,fun, fun! I dare not show these pictures to my boy. Lord only knows how quickly he’d find his way to Oregon to play with your boys.
    Laundry is such a small thing, just buy new clothes.

    Reply

  34. This is such fun to see. I’m not sure I realized that the vineyard was going to be in Oregon. I just printed a whole bunch of pictures off the internet of Oregon b/c my husband wants to go camping there when he gets back from his deployment in May. I never realized how beautiful Oregon is. Your children are so adorable, and yes, they look so natural with those big machines!

    Reply

  36. Step by Step. Closer & Closer. I’ll bet you’re really starting to get excited now. Well, I know I am.

    And yes, big machinery & boys just seem to go together like peas & carrots.

    Love the crisp pictures but I don’t envy you the piles of laundry.

    Reply

  37. All boys like dirt. It’s genetic.

    About the artifical Christmas trees, my husband and I argued for a YEAR about getting one. We didn’t have a tree our first year because of this. I was pro-real, he was pro-fake. I ended up bending b/c we found out he has terrible allgergies due to mold and mildew and shouldn’t have plants in the house(loud grumble here.) It’s really rather nice. I miss the smell and hunting one down, but you can get a nice one for aroun $100 and they’re so easy to put up and down. They do shed though at first, just like the real ones.

    Reply

  41. It so looks like it is fun to be a boy in your home! I am so excited for you, can’t wait to see more of your project. I too missed you would be in Oregon, I thought you were in California. Glad you know where you will be.
    You can’t be into the earth, having a vineyard and buying a fake tree. I say you must have the real deal!

    Reply

  47. Seriously, I see a stunning coffee table book emerging…”From Clearing to Cabernet: The Noble Pig Family Story”

    What great images…you WILL be offering the fruits of your labor via an online wine shop, yes?

    Reply

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