Applegate Valley Oregon

We Live in a Zoo… A One Post Break from the Bike Tour

/ Curt Mekemson / 47 Comments
A long blacktail deer looks in a window in the Applegate Valley.

The deer often look in our windows, checking out the strange two-legged creatures who live in a cage. Or maybe they are looking for apples.

We’ve been working hard on the bike trek— me writing and you reading. It’s time for a one post quicky, one long on cute photos and short on words.

I  sometimes think that Peggy and I live in a zoo, but we are the ones in the cage (house) while the animals run around free. When we returned in June from our ten-week revisit of my 10,000 mile bike trip, a herd of deer had encamped around our house. They had taken over. There was even one sleeping on the doorstep to our sunroom!  Who needs a dog?

This young buck has decided we are part of his family and comes around everyday for a while in between grazing.

Little Buck has decided we are part of his family and comes around everyday in between grazing. Here he is resting on the door mat of our sunroom. A giraffe sculpture is off to the left.

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while know that Peggy and I live on five acres of land in southern Oregon. The Applegate River runs through the front of our property while a million acres of national forest land are out the backdoor. It’s no surprise that a number of wild animals and birds consider our property part of their territory. Foxes, coyotes, raccoons, bears, deer, and skunks wander through our yard at will. There have even been cougars and wolves spotted in the area. Bigfoot is rumored to hang out in the Red Butte Mountains you can see from our deck (grin).

The Red Butte Mountains as see from our deck, front room and sunroom. They are 10 miles away in Northern California. Don't they look like an ideal home for Big Foot.

The Red Butte Mountains as seen from our deck, front room and sunroom. They are 10 miles away in Northern California. Doesn’t this look like an ideal home for Big Foot?

Except for the skunk who wants to live under our house and the bear who is known to go a few rounds with our garbage can on occasion, they are all welcome. The skunk was particularly irksome when it got excited as the toilet flushed and decided to spray under the house. Then there was the time he got in a territorial battle with a raccoon in our back yard and let go. (I caught that one on my night camera.)

The bear earned a barrel of demerits when he tackled my heavy Weber Grill and tipped it over on our back porch. Our daughter, Tasha, was visiting at the time and sleeping in the bedroom next to the porch. “CURTIS!!!” she screamed. Did you hear her? I’m surprised she has been back. And we still haven’t convinced her to let the grandkids sleep outside.

The deer (along with a variety of birds including wild turkeys) are the most obvious day-time visitors. They camp out in the shade, receive regular lectures from Peggy about not eating her flowers, and try to wheedle apples out of us. Here are some shots we’ve taken in the last few weeks. Enjoy. I’ll be back with the bike trip in my next blog.

The moms have started bring their kids by to introduce them.It is one of our favorite times of the year.

The moms have started bringing their kids by to introduce them.It is one of our favorite times of the year.

It almost seems like this doe is doing a curtsy. "Let me present my two babies."

It almost seems like this doe is doing a curtsy. “Let me present my two babies.”

The fawns are so tiny at first.

The fawns are so tiny at first.

This tyke has a long ways to go to grow into its legs.

This tyke has a long ways to go to grow into its legs.

"Who are these two legged creatures, Mom? I bet I can out run them."

“What are these two-legged creatures, Mom? I bet I can out run them.”

Mom has to work hard to get enough food to feed her babies, especially when she has twins. Here she is working a white oak in front of our house. Peggy has worked had to find deer resistant plants. The deer are welcome to the oak leaves.

Mom has to work hard to get enough food to feed her babies, especially when she has twins. Here she is munching on white oak leaves in front of our house. Peggy struggles to find deer resistant plants. The deer is welcome to the leaves.

Five bucks hang out on our property. These include Big Buck seen here, a bigger buck, a forked horn, a spike and Little Buck.

Five bucks hang out on our property. These include Big Buck seen here, a bigger buck, a forked horn, a spike and Little Buck.

He really is handsome, and seems to know it.

He really is handsome, and seems to know it.

His antlers are still growing and in velvet. By September the antlers will lose their velvet and Big Buck will be ready of his lady love, or, as he prefers, lady loves.

This forked horn’s antlers are still growing and in velvet. By September the antlers will lose their velvet and this fellow will be ready to pursue his lady-love, or, as he prefers, lady loves. The action around our place gets pretty hilarious.

Little Buck is too small to get in on the action. It isn't that he won't have it in mind, but the bigger bucks, which is just about everyone, will chase him away. Here he seems to be commenting on the fact.

Little Buck is too small to get in on the action. It isn’t that he won’t want to, but the bigger bucks will chase him away. Here he seems to be commenting on the unfairness of it all.

My last photo for the day. Little Buck looks cute in hopes of earning an apple.

My last photo for the day. Little Buck looks cute in hopes of earning an apple.

 

When Being Goofy Isn’t Enough

/ Curt Mekemson / 5 Comments

Goofy

OK, I am a little strange. I admit it. But Goofy… no way. I confess, however, I’ve had a long affinity for the floppy eared, big-footed fellow. Yuk Yuk.

It all started when my mother told me that a cousin of hers, Vance ‘Pinto’ Colvig, was the original voice of Goofy.

I had never heard of Pinto so I looked him up. Sure enough, he was the voice of Goofy. In fact Walt Disney was so taken with the voice that he gave Goofy a starring role as one of Mickey’s best buddies.

I was willing to let the connection slide after that. I did trot Goofy out on an occasion, however. In the competitive world of dating, it’s valuable to have a famous relative, even if he’s a cartoon. More than one woman was impressed with my shirttail link, including my wife Peggy.

I never used “I am related to Goofy,” as a conversation starter, though. It was more like a third or fourth date thing.

When Peggy and I recently moved to the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon, I decided to do more research on Pinto. He’s a native son of the area and grew up in the historic town of Jacksonville, which is where Peggy and I go to play.

Turns out Pinto’s big brother, Donald Colvig, married my mother’s aunt, Star Marshall. I guess that made my mother a second cousin, once removed and makes me… nothing. But I am still going to claim Goofy. And there’s more:

I learned that Pinto was also the creator of Bozo the Clown! Now I have a choice. I can either claim I’m related to Goofy or claim I’m related to Bozo. I am not sure what that buys me but it might make an interesting epitaph.

A painting of Bozo

Pinto was a very talented man who spent his life making people laugh. Here are some of his other accomplishments. He was:

  •      The voice of Pluto, Mickey’s dog.
  •      The voice of the anal pig who built the brick house in the Three Little Pigs.
  •      The voice of Grumpy and Sleepy in the original version of Snow White.
  •      The co-composer of ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.’
  •      The voice of one of the three Munchkins who sang the Lollipop song in Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.
  •      The voice for Popeye’s nemesis Bluto who was always hustling Olive Oyl.

In this early photo, Walt Disney listens in on a song. Pinto is on the right, playing the Clarinet.

It’s quite a legacy. Pinto also had a nationally syndicated comic strip and was co-owner of an animation studio. Interestingly to me, Pinto was also one of the first people to urge that warning labels be put on cigarettes. ( I spent three decades doing battle with Big Tobacco.)

Goofy and Bone share a moment.