Wrigley Apple Farm in Eureka, California, USA

Near the house's garage and woodshed.

	This is Aunt Kris's rig.  The license plate says APLEMAN, inherited from my grandpa, who had it in his Ford Ranger.  I suppose it should would now be more accurate to say APLEGAL, but that may be read as 01Ca paralegal.01D
	Paint me.
	High voltage line, which heads to the Pacific Lumber Company's (Palco's) land next.
	Notice the wasp's nest at the top of the rafters.
	Under the woodshed is where the pickup is parked as well as two smaller tractors and their attachments.  The fertilizer spreader with the flat tire was bought by Noelle and I (though we didn't pay for it).  The tire just doesn't want to hold air for extended periods.  It stays pumped long enough to spread solid fertilizer.  To the left is the sprayer, which is used to apply folier fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides.
	Roses as seen from the garage
	In the garage are the chainsaws and compresser.
	This is an old cider press that belonged to the Kraus family.
	Cousin Mike's BMW, which he is slowly restoring.
	Near the far side of the garage.  Detritus of previous house remodelings still litter the property, but they are gradually being hauled to the dump.
	Here we see a corner of the woodshed from the near the garage.  That is an inverted bathtub in front, and to the left, my cousin KK's mother-in-law's old red fence, I believe.  The diagonal board is bracing the woodshed, which has acquired a lean in recent years.
	Heading down the hill from the house is this wastewater drainpipe.  Apple orchards are beyond.
	An old burn barrel.  The day-to-day trash is either burned or hauled to the dump.  I heard that burn barrels are illegal now because people were too often burning the wrong things in them, so perhaps this isn't used anymore.
	A water delivery truck.  Water has been delivered for a few years as a result of overlogging degrading the river water.  The Pacific Lumber Co. pays for it since the are responsible for fouling the river.
	Water for the house is stored in these 750 gallon plastic tanks, which were installed within the last 5 years.  Previously the water for the house was held in a single black plastic tank in the front yard, but it proved too small for my aunt's family, especially after the river water deteriorated.  Before that, it was held in a rustic wood tank near the driveway to the applehouse.  Before that, a tank was atop a stump shown later.
	The trimmings from removing the branches and trees that PG&E deemed to close to the high voltage lines.  Aunt Kris cut most of them.  The pile needs to be burned.
	These rounds will be split by a hydrolic wood splitter.  They are from the trees removed for PG&E.
	Here are the power lines and the area that has been cleared.
	This is a large redwood stump with English ivy growing over it.  My great grandma planted the ivy in effort to improve the appearance of the stump, which was probably the result of logging in the mid 1800s.  A few years ago some of the ivy branches were huge — 6 inches in diameter or more.  My cousing Mike hacked it back severely because its branches hung over the driveway, getting in the way.  Before my time, the water for the house was stored in atop this stump in a wooden tank.  The elevation provided water pressure.  A rusted iron pipe may still be seen heading upwards to the top.  To the right of the stump is the old tractor garage.

Near the old tractor garage.

	Heading down the road we see the old tractor trailer.  I remember my grandpa giving me and my cousins rides on it when I was a boy.
	Across the driveway near the tractor garage is the oil change ramp, which was built by my grandpa Wrigley, my dad, and a friend of my dad back around when he was in highschool.  Grandpa had the rather large old-growth timbers laying around; they are about 14" wide by 7" deep, I think.
	Looking back at the woodshed.
	The old tractor garage has a tank of gasoline and another of diesel and some rusted tools in the room to the right with the window.  It needs a new roof, as the current one doubles as a lawn.  There used to be a primative basketball hoop attached to the area below the eaves.
	The Case tractor rests inside the tractor garage.  It wasn't running very well, so my grandpa bought a smaller Kabota in the late 1980s.  This old tractor should have been stored with oil in the cylinders, but it wasn't, so the engine is probably a hunk of rust now, never to run again.
	To the right of the tractor garage is some junk.  There used to be a white picket fence here, decades ago, and a few boards of it still remain.  My great grandma grew daisies here.  The pines in the background were planted for sale as Christmas trees by my cousin Nathan in the late 1980s, I believe.
	Heading further down the gravel driveway, we see one of the few remaining chestnut trees above and to the right.  The driveway was lined with them decades ago, but a blight killed most of them.
	Slightly later down the drive to the left is another old stump.  Noticed the black areas?  That is where the someone unsucessfully tried to burn it away.

Blacksmith shop remains

	Further down the road and to the right is where the blacksmith building stood.  My great grandpa Wrigley was trained as a wheelright, but did some blacksmithing too.  The building finally collapsed around 1999.  It had initially been down the hill and was a home for early settlers.  I went inside it when I was younger and found some old junk, such as a pedal sewing machine, shelves, an anvil, and bottles.  To the left is a pile of bricks from the last house remodel.
	A decaying cabinet is and some windows and boards are all that remain.
	More junk around the blacksmith building site.
	Here again is the pile of bricks near the site of the blacksmith building.  We see another bathtub and a tank.

Near teepee of barn remains

	This is what remains of the barn.  It was razed by the fire department as a training exercise in the early 1980s, after my dad and uncle Paul removed the better lumber (in the 1970s).  It was built in the 1800s, and wasn't maintained well enough; it was falling apart because the roof leaked and some of the supports were warped or rotting, and the floor needed replacing.
	Here, slightly further down the drive and to the right, is where the old barn stood.  Dennis (a neighbor and contractor) keeps his Bobcat, truck, and other heavy equipment here in exchange for occasionally helping out.
	Looking where we came from, there is a pothole in along the side of the driveway.  My aunt put some old fence wire and a mailbox on it so people would avoid it.
	Looking to the left of the driveway, we see a tree growing from a stump.  Redwoods are one of the few conifers capable of growing from their roots.
	Deer are common because they like to eat apples and apple tree leaves.  This is another picture near the old barn site.
	The deer will sometimes let you walk up to them within a couple meters, but not close enough to paint graffiti on them.
	There goes Bambi.
	Even in broad daylight, it is dark under the redwoods.

Under the redwoods

	Heading further down the driveway, we reach an old snag to the right.  It is rather dark in the woods, so my digital camera needs more photons, which takes longer, which increases the blur as I hold the camera.  If I had a tripod, I could have avoided the blurring.
	Here is photo of the same spot, but looking down the driveway.
	Further down the driveway and to the right is a path to the old picnic grounds.
	Along the way on the left of the path is another old stump.  When younger, my cousin Nathan and I used to climb the stumps and build forts during the picnics.
	Here are the old picnic grounds under the redwoods.  My grandma decided it was too cold here in the early 1990s, so they were subsequently held near the applehouse or the house.
	My mom and aunt tell me they used to climb up 100 feet in trees like this when they were young and industructable.
	Here is another stump around the picnic area.  Red huckleberry bushes and sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) grown on it.  The centers of these stumps eventually hollow because the center wood is less rot-resistant and the water collects there.  The reason old growth redwood is rot-resistant is due to the density of the large outer rings, which are close together.  Inner rings are further apart, so they area between soaks up water like a sponge.  This is what Ralph Crouse tells me at least.
	Here is a patch of Oxalis (Redwood-Sorrel; Oxalis oregana) near the driveway.  They have red undersides and a tart taste.
	Oxalis is so adapted to shade that if hit by a rare shaft of light, the leaves fold up in minutes to avoid sunburn.
	Now we see the gate to the property.  Beyond the gate is Wrigley Road, which is named after my grandpa.  It heads to the Pacific Lumber Company's (Palco's) land to the right and on the left, to town.
	The gate from the road.
	This tree is near the gate.
	The sign is at a gate to Palco's property
	Here comes a logging truck headed for Palco.
	An old redwood snag

The neighbors

	After walking down the road a little ways, we reach the next-door-neighbor's house, inhabited by Norm and ???.  The log truckers call her the flower lady.  She sprays them with her hose if they are speeding.
	I think her philosophy is that enough flowers can compensate for any amount of weeds and crap in the yard.
	Her flowers look pretty nice at times.
	Across the road is the residence of Ralph and Nona Kraus.  Ralph is a retired science teacher, and old friend of the family.  We sometimes enjoy going out on his sailboat in Humboldt Bay.
	Ralph tends to about 40 organic apple trees and a vegetable garden.  He sometimes raises beef in his pastures.  Nona tends to the flowerbeds.

Near the house, heading down the hill on the driveway

	Daisies near where the driveway starts to head downhill.
	Front of the house viewed near the daisies.
	My grandma was a member of the Rose Society.  She had dozens of roses in front of the house at one time.  She grew old and lost interest and after the fence was removed the deer browsed on them.  The wire mesh cylinders were since added to keep the deer away, since the thorns aren't enough deterrent.  When the fence is rebuilt, they can be removed.
	Rose near where the driveway starts to head downhill.
	Driveway heading down the hill.  Off to the left there used to be a big old wood water tank for the house.  It leaked in later years, so grandpa periodically tossed some wood ashes in it, and they supposedly clogged the leaks.
	My mom says she used to call this roosterplant, but it it's more common name is Crocosmia.
	Foxglove (digitalis purpurea).  Poisonous, but useful for treating cardio problems.
	View to the left of the driveway heading down the hill.  The palm tree on the far left is from the 1939 World's Fair in San Francisco.
	Another view of the palm tree and house through the shrubs.  They barely grow around these parts.
	Here the driveway bifurcates to the river, heading left, and to the apple house, heading right.

On the driveway towards the river

	Behind this large black walnut tree is the north fork of Elk River.  The large redwood logs washed down during past floods.  They may be sawed into boards eventually.
	Moving forward towards the river and looking left, we are standing now on a former railroad grade.  The building houses the newly constructed water purification machinery, paid for by PalCo.
	The white vertical pipe provides a water faucet that can be used to fill the sprayer for the tractor.  The rusted tank has been there for decades.  I think it was once a water tank on a truck.
	Turning right, we see the former railroad grade heading into the distance in the opposite direction.

Near the river

	The blue tarp is covering a band saw mill, which belongs to a neighbor.
	Peeking under the tarp we see this.
	Under the walnut tree is the water testing station.  There are several of these along Elk River.  The old-growth log is several feet in diameter; it washed up here from one of the last floods.
	I think this is poison hemlock.
	This pump takes water from the river, which is the best source.
	There are graduated markers implanted in the river bank for gauging the water level during floods.
	It doesn't look like much now, but just wait a few hours after an inch of rain.
	The fig tree in early spring.
	The bee hive has been put inside my high security fence, since the area inside is not being used for a garden now.
	I used a machette to clear this path through the briars behind the fence so the old fence could be replaced.
	Figs on the fig tree.
	Near the fig tree looking back at the band mill.

Nearing the apple houses

	If we head towards the other branch of the driveway, we pass the old apple house.  This has been on the property for over 115 years, I believe.  Redwood sawdust was used for insulation.
	Turning 180 degrees and looking up the hill we see the solar panels and the house.
	The solar panels and the house at a different time of day.
	We are now moving towards the (new) apple house, standing in the parking area.
	Here is another view of the old apple house.  The roof is not well.
	T-bars that are only 8 feet long probably won't keep the deer out.  They need to be in the ground a couple feet, and the deer can jump 6 feet if they are motivated.
	Here we see the new apple house.
	The deer have taken over.
	This tractor trailer has since been rebuilt.
	My mom made this sign.  Grandpa was afraid an uncontrolled dog might bite someone or leave messes.

Inside the apple house

	The handwriting of my grandpa, Irving Wrigley, remains on the wall.  The apple boxes are used for holding the apples after they are picked and before they are sold.  Customers buy the apples right here and walk away with them in paper or plastic bags.   The door leads to the cooler.
	My weight data are few compared to my cousins Nathan and Ted King, seen later.  Don't ask me who Sarah Z is.
	On the interior walls of the applehouse are the heights of family and friends as they grew.
	This area to the right of the door has mostly the children of my Aunt Kris.   The door leads to the small office.
	Nathan and Teddy's weight data.
	It appears that pencil lasts longer and ink.
	My height records are sparce and faded.

In the orchards

	Red King apple trees, near the apple house.
	This maple tree died recently.  It will probably become fodder for the mill and fire.  The house is in back of the bushes.
	This is some of the hay that I moved from the hillside using a pitchfork and wheelbarrel.  My aunt cut it with her weed whip to reduce fire danger.  (I vote for replacing the grass with an evergreen plant that doesn't require so much maintenance.)
	The apple house as seen from the orchards.

In front of the deck, down in the orchards

	Blackberries and Himalaya vines are very common.
	My aunt Kris added the deck to the house when she remoddeled it in the late 1990s.
	Turning around 180 degrees, here is another orchard view.
	This is a disker, used to till the soil.  I used it once to prepare the ground for garden plot near the river when Grandpa was alive.
	Nearby are the remains of a bee hive.  The bears got into it and destroyed it.  Perhaps the electric fence around it wasn't on.
	I believe this is a type of sorrel.
	The bear don't waste time digesting fruit and berries; they just regurgitate the pulp after a few hours.
	Trees die and are cut up for burning.  Also prunings are piled up for the same fate.
	Moss shouldn't be so thick.  The tree is sick due to water-logged roots in the winter floods and inadequate nutrients.
	The orchard is dying in some areas.
	Deer scat.
	I like looking at the sky sometimes.  The cloud textures can be pleasant.

The railroad grade

	I have wandered back to the railroad grade.  It was part of the Elk River Mill & Lumber Co.'s railroad.  Steam locamotives hauled supplies to the Falk lumber camp when my mom was a lass.
	Evidence of previous burn piles.
	The soil is mostly clay and rocks.  A boring butterfly is near the bottom of this picture.
	"Caw Caw," says the crow.
	I'm not sure why the plastic lattice is positioned here.  The makings of a new fence may be seen in the inserted T-bars.
	Here is the back of the old apple house with an old picnic table nearby.
	I'm not sure what these are called, but I think of them as mini-daisies.
	Apple boxes are rotting in the old apple house, near a refridgerator.
	I put in this fence, which is between the river and the railroad grade, with some help from my cousin Matt.  It surrounded a garden, which grew a few tomatoes a little else.  I planted beans, zucchini, peas, garlic, potatos, etc.  I added to the garden 38 wheel barrels of dirt from the river bank, to which my cousin Mike referred as "black gold."  Given that everything I planted quickly withered and died, I think the dirt was overhyped.  In the background, my aunt is removing vines from the fence.

The water treatment building

	Here we have a close look at the water purificaiton building.  My aunt wanted her own siding rather than the stuff they were going to use, but she hasn't got around to it yet.
	To the right are three 750 gallon tanks for holding agricultural water.
	Inside the building is a rather complicated system of pipes, solenoids, switches, and filters.

Around the house

	I made these planter boxes to grow things unmolested by the deer.  Here they are still under construction, with the wire mesh not yet attached.  Unfortunately I later discovered that using lumber treated with arsnic is not suitable for growing vegetables, according to some people.  So I've planted some flowers.
	Here they are finished.
	Cosmos.  These are growing from some free seeds that were shipped with the last seeds I bought from American Meadows (as a Christmas present for my aunt).
	Peas that didn't grow very well.
	This trampoline belongs to someone else, but it has been in the yard for a few years.  It is rotting and will be discarded before long.
	Here is a picnic table that was constructed a few years ago by my dad and the neighbor Ralph Crouse.
	The orchards from the deck.
	Another view from the deck.
	In the background we see a pressure tank and a water tank.  Grandpa Wrigley installed the plastic water tank after the wooden one on the other side of the driveway stopped holding water.  I remember helping him prepare the ground and spreading gravel for it.
	The wasabi growing container.  The wasabi died due to too much heat, I belive, and the plants growing inside are only weeds.
	The newer shingles cover where a door used to be.  The last remodel turned it to a wall.
	Here are three tomato plants that I planted in the spring of 2004.
	Cousin Mike's blooming lavender.
	California poppies.
	The applehouse as seen from on the hill near the house.
	Blooming on its left is a Cecil Bruner climbing rose that was relocated decades ago.
	This is under the deck.  The rectangular hole leads under the house, into John Malcovich's head.  Before Grandpa died we went under the house to make sure the last earthquakes hadn't moved the house off the concrete stands.  It hadn't.
	This is the DirecPC dish, which is used for a broadband connection.  It's latency is terrible.

In the house

	My dad bought the chair in which he is sitting so he would have a comfortable seat while he worked in Eureka.
	Cousin Matt's bedroom.  He has decorated/vandalized the walls with flourescent chalk, which has an interesting effect at night.  It is difficult to photograph, but if you look at the far wall you can just make out some of it.
	Matt likes electronics and music.
	This is the view from Matt's window.
	Matt's sunglasses.
	The old French Range.  It was initially in a big Eureka Victorian house that my great grandma Ivora Carter lived in.  (That beautiful house became a UC Humboldt women's sorority and was then bulldozed for the freeway.)  It is believed to have been moved to her new house in Eureka, and then moved to the old house on the farm, the first house on the property.  Finally, it was moved here, to the new house around 1953.
	View of the dining room and living room from the kitchen.
	Upstairs in what was initially my aunt Karin's bedroom we see my Aunt Kris's old dolls that she purchased recently on eBay.  There are probably at least a couple hundred dolls around the house.
	She says she wants to repair them later.