Howell Haus Eugene

It's Time to 'GO', as in, Sylvan Sport Go...

2011-09-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

After the Return to Forever concert with Zappa plays Zappa, Friday night... we're going to 'try' to sleep, but it won't be easy. Reason is, out in the carport is our new Sylvan Sport Go, just waiting to leave. When we get out of bed, which I assume will be early, we're going to load and roll out of Eugene, destination unknown.


Subaru Forester towing Sylvan Sport Go

Go'ing with us will be our FS bikes and offroad capable Pom-Cairn Terrier... more widely known as 'Bella Lilu Boo-ster Pirate Dog', or more affectionately 'Bella-Boo'. On a ride with Jannelle earlier this year, we met two couples on the MiddleFork trail who noticed Bella and said, 'there's that dog from YouTube' ! Hilarious...

Saturday night will be the inaugural set up and sleep arrangement. We also added a Kelty Binto Box system and kitchen table, as well as a Coleman Folding Table and Bench setup. We fully intend to be spending many more weekends at the trail and campground. As much as we love our ever-improving home, we love the outdoors even more.

The Go has a weight of 840 lbs and a tongue weight of just 70 lbs. Having already pulled it around town I can tell you, I barely notice it behind the car, in terms of weight and strain on the engine. I know it's there, and I can see and feel it - especially on bumps, but not the way I do when I've pulled a UHaul trailer behind her.

The Go is creating about an inch of sag, causing my headlights to point up on the car. But, that will all go away when I replace my worn MacPherson struts with a set of kSport Kontrol Pro - Coilover Struts. They're totally adjustable in height with tunable damping. These will also raise the spring rate and weight of my rear coil spring from the factory 157 lbs to 375 pounds. The fronts will be improved as well...

If you're interested in seeing and learning about the Sylvan Sport Go and live anywhere in OR, N. Cali and Southern WA, feel free to drop us a line, ask where our next destination is... we'll hook up, give you the nickel tour of it - and hopefully, get you sipping the Go'Green koolaid too. It is as it's marked - the 'coolest camper ever'...

Hope to see you out there, on your bikes, of course... JD & Kelley Howell, Eugene, OR and beautiful destinations, near and far...

Alice & Jason - getting married...

2010-09-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Toasting at Zenger Farms

This weekend, my wife Kelley and I are headed up to Portland for a block-style wedding celebration for our 'still new' and not well-known, but kindred spirit friends... Alice Lasher and Jason Busch. These two people are so fortunate to have each other and have such a deep interest in making the world a better place to live, let alone Portland. Hopefully, I'll have more to report back, but what I'd say here is that I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing the additional right-of-way gardens that they've introduced to their neighborhood. When we met them the first time at their 'getting updated, weatherized and beautified home', we were enamored with the types of work they'd done in their walkable neighborhood. It felt more beautiful, safe and friendly. Isn't that what we all wish for ?

Bella Lilu Boo'ster Pirate Dog

Following the wedding, it's SE beyond Estacada for a weekend of mountain biking, trout fishing in a reservoir, possibly some fly fishing in the river beyond, general debauchery, hair-hanging, campfires, smores (howell-style), dutch over dinners and sizzling bacon breakfasts... camping at the end of summer in Oregon, can't be beat !

And I almost forgot, our little buddy - Bella Lilu Boo'ster Pirate Dog is coming along for the wedding, trail rides, fishing and bacon... can't forget her !

Trail, Tent & Garden...

2010-05-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Spent the past couple weekends fervently amending soil, transplanting seedlings we'd germinated, adding a vertical train for the peas and beans, putting together one more cloche. It's now past our last frost date, the corn is rising, carrots, beets, beans, peas, spinach, kale, chard, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, all seem to be hanging in there. Lettuces are over-producing as we speak. Kelley's been successfully harvesting russian kale and bok choy for her smoothies for quite some time. Now, it's time to germinate again...

Spent a nice 3-day weekend at Belknap Springs, celebrating Kelley's 42nd birthday. Happy 42 honey, you earned every minute of time off used. Belknap was a better destination for us this time. In times past we have only been in their main lodge and walked briefly across the bridge above the McKenzie River. This time we explored their whole site, spent a good amount of time in both of their hot spring pools, and got to take advantage of their facilities while we cooked, camped, hiked and mountain biked, alongside the McKenzie River Trail (MRT). Plus, Bella Lilu Booster Pirate Dog was there in full-force, hitting the gas, using her outriggers and otherwise, tearing up the trail - with us...

Gotta say, if it hadn't been for the cold, rainy conditions, I might not have enjoyed the hot springs quite so much... nor the coffee we made with our Aerobie Press. That's turned out to be a serious advantage over our previous camping-sized french press. The taste was pretty amazing for coffee that had been ground days ahead. And while sipping it in the pool, its flavor was enhanced that much more by the contrast of cold, drizzly rain and hot, soaking body. Great time, wish you could have been there with us...

Winter Garden 2009

2009-10-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

I can't express my dismay with our garden. The acorns were huge and plentiful this year, hence the squirrels have been working overtime, disturbing roots. Though that's only partially a problem, because most of the beds have netting over them to keep the deer at bay.

All the lettuces we've planted are still infant, though we did try starting them from seed this year. Typically I germinate, then transplant. Radishes are stalled. Kale, chard, spinach, all tiny. The only thing with any sense of growth is our cover crop area. Everything else is stunted.

We did mix in compost we purchased from Down to Earth. I figured it would help if the soil had some extra feeding. It doesn't like it helped at all. I think I'm going to contact a Master Gardener and seek a fix. At the present rate things are growing, we're not going to have much of a yield, which is a bummer.

This is when we eat the most greens annually, and I'm not going to be happy if I don't have a huge mess of kale, chard and spinach to stir fry throughout the winter - let alone the winter salads we enjoy so much.

Fall Planting 2009

2009-09-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, since we've added raised beds and made our backyard mostly edible, I don't miss worrying about the grass (which the chickens we added, eat, scratch and tear). We're working on a planting guide (excel spreadsheet), complete with planter outlines for both spring and fall of each growing year. The idea is to keep track of our brassicas and curcurbits so we reduce the soil organism issues that plague these veggies.

We had a decent, not banner, year of production. Our cukes were weird, got big like a squash and never really turned green... had powdery mildew, as did our squash. We did get several patty pan squash, nevertheless. Tomatoes, currant tomatoes, lettuces, cauliflower, kale, chard, spinach, peppers, herbs, potatoes, bush & pole beans, all did well - considering our lack of experience. I double stacked the corn in too small a plot and ended up with these less-than-niblet sized oddities that were thick with starch and kind of chewy - but our dog Bella (YouTube; Bella Lilu Booster Pirate Dog) seemed to like them.

We set up three of our twelve raised bed sections with a winter cover crop of peas, barley and crimson clover. We've planted several varieties of kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, leeks, beets, carrots, onions, radishes - in hopes we'll have a decent amount of food during the winter and into the spring. Our kale and chard always do well. We've had limited success with spinach. Very little success with cabbage - though there are three heads developing now from the eight we planted originally. Even without forming heads, our chickens loved the pocked, insect ridden leaves that grew instead.

We also have a hydroponic wall-mount system where we grow lettuces. It did well until I mistakenly added minerals with nutrients instead of the normal liquid food. My longterm intent is to replace the purchase liquid food source ($45 per gallon) with my own worm and veggie compost teas. Seems to make sense, but haven't seen where anyone's done it successfully.

Our eleven Garden Patch containers are getting set with winter veggies too. We're adding mostly chard, kale and lettuce, with some onions for insect protection, one or two completely filled with our winter garlic crop and some spinach of a new variety we haven't tried before. Hopefully, I'll remember to post pictures and keep things updated as they progress. Here are some pictures from our summer garden. Check out those beans... will never do a bamboo teepee again. In fact, next year we're going to build something to the effect of a grape arbor, giving them individual lines to grow up at an angle, equal to 8-10 feet in length... woohoo !

First Snow of Winter 2008 !

2008-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

We had a nice snowfall overnight between Sunday and Monday. Traffic was a snarl because it was below freezing temperatures, following rain and sleet. It created a lot of ice, which led to lots of traffic accidents. Bella and I headed out early for a sled ride in Tugman Park. Wish you all were here to enjoy it with us.

Jannelle and her boyfriend Andrew Mirr will be arriving Wednesday night, to come live with us. They're in for a surprise, as this is the first time I think Jannelle has seen a full blown snow at our home. And, the outlook is good for more between now and the weekend. In fact, we're thinking of having a holiday celebration with a group of friends, which is what happens when the weather is this good (or bad).

Watch the video with Bella and I. We were on our sled, on the street leading to Tugman Park. Made sense to ride down the hill, rather than walk on the slippery slope. We hit the hill 6-8 times at Tugman, and shared our sled with a bunch of different kids. It was great revisiting boyhood and feeling the cold air against my face, watching Bella's response to speed and the thrill of sleighing. She is the major outdoorsy dog. Couldn't have picked a better one.

Bella Lilu Boo-ster Pirate Dog - Take 1 - Cat-like Play

2008-11-06T16:18:00.001-08:00

Bella Lilu is making her video debut on You Tube, today. Nothing remarkable in the video considering the fact that she's ridden and run the entire MRT (Mackenzie River Trail) and similarly, the trail surrounding Waldo Lake (rugged, rocky, portions pretty steep and narrow). Nope, this is just her on a typical weekday, bored, laying around, begging for table scraps, and I envisioned what a cat-like play toy might be like for her so I grabbed a few rubber bands, one of her toys, and hung the combination from a dining chair. If you like barking, then you'll LOVE this video. Enjoy !

Summer beat...

2008-08-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't posted to this since last winter's snow storm. I'm amazed. Last weekend, we took Bella out for her first mountain bike ride. The pictures show her riding in a BOB Ibex trailer, behind my vintage C'Dale SuperV. We used her bed pillow inside a short Rubbermaid tub and kept the BOB bungie above her to add some stability. She sat loose inside the rig, never barking, whining, etc., in fact, every time I looked back at her she was eyes forward and had a smile on her face. What a trooper !

She's officially 1.5 years old now, and a really great companion. She warms our feet every night, and does a great job of listening and participating in family outings. I failed to mention that we were riding on the McKenzie River Trail system, and that she spent half her time running freely between Kelley and I, as we rode along the trail at 6-10 mph.

Bella demonstrates a real knack for climbing, trail running and really loves water. We couldn't have picked a better dog for our lifestyle, though there are still times and places that we can't take her, like the Providence Bridge Pedal ride in Portland, two weeks ago. We end up putting her with a dog kennel and that's been hit or miss. She always seems to be upset and disappointed that she's not going with us - but really lovable and excited when she gets back with us again.

Below is a pic of Kelley and I on our Bike Friday tikits at the start of this year's Bridge Pedal ride. The weather was nice and we managed to do the family ride as we'd signed up, expecting my oldest daughter Jannelle to ride along. But, a few weeks ahead of the ride, Jannelle lost her Grandpa in Las Vegas and had to return home early. She was really missing her boyfriend too.

This weekend, we're trying to get another group together to go riding out at Oakridge. Hopefully, we'll gather up and take some more great shots and vids. This will be our first ride in the Oakridge area, and we've heard lots of great things about the trails. This place is so beautiful for mountain biking, hiking and camping. In fact, the following weekend, Kelley and I are planning to take our mountain bikes, tent, bags and Bella, and head off down the trail in search of a place to camp, fish, hike and relax.

Hope to see you out there, on our bikes of course... JD & Kelley Howell, Eugene, OR.

Howell Haus Eugene

January 27th Snow Storm, Howell Haus Eugene

2008-01-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

We, being JD & Kelley Howell (you know, Howell Haus) couldn't have woken to a greater surprise than a winter snow storm that eventually dropped about 8" in our neighborhood, and who knows how much over the passes. It was heavenly. We took our Pom/Cairn terrier Bella for a walk to Tugman Park, where she obsessed over the snow, snowballs and anything wet or muddy. She is such an outdoorsy dog, which is much to our liking.

Kelley and I started the Master Cleanse detox program on our own yesterday. It ended up costing nearly $200 in organic Meyer's Lemons, organic Maple Syrup, organic Baltic Sea Salt (non-iodized nor processed), and organic Cayenne Pepper. Additionally, we picked up 'Smooth Move' organic, decaf tea as an aide to our cleansing. We planned to do this for ten days, but only managed seven. It did amount to some rested organs, cleaner internals, and lighter selves. We each dropped about ten pounds - and have kept it off.

Here are a few pictures from the snow storm we had that day. The first is three of us on our sidewalk, second is front of our home from street, third is our bamboo straining from snow, fourth is our transplanted Florida birdhouse, fifth is our Christmas Tree shaped Holly Tree next to our junior Douglas Fir.

Please stay in touch, drop us a line and remember you can always reach us by email: jd@howellhaus.com.

Picture Catch-up for my Girls !!!

2008-01-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

I realized after the first snow we had in Eugene that I needed to sit down and spend a bit of time constructing some photos for my girls to view while they're away. Missing them is only half the pain. It's also knowing how much they enjoy themselves when they're here, and the connection they have with the great outdoors... particularly when they allow themselves that experience !