North Fork News

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Bass Lake Farmers Market ~ Wednesday Evenings

Booths at Bass Lake Farmers Market

This summer on Wednesday evenings through mid-September, there will be a farmers market happening at the Pines Village in Bass Lake. The booths are located in front of Good Ol' Daze. Admission is free for visitors.

We went to check it out one Wednesday evening in June and found just a handful of booths, but many visitors and a lot of fresh produce and flowers for sale. Everyone looked like they were having a great time.

Here are some scenes from the Bass Lake Farmers Market:

Lettuce and Greens for Sale

Organically Grown Flowers

Flowers from North Fork's "Three Springs Flower Garden"

Musical Entertainment

Crowd around the Vegetable Booth

Busy Shoppers ~ Lots of Fresh Veggies

Fresh Summer Squash & Peppers ~ cute young girl

Green Onions & Basil ~ fresh herbs piled high

Fresh Chard in many colors, Collards, Kale & Carrots

A nice and healthy way to spend an evening outdoors!

Friday, July 11, 2008

First Annual Stone Fruit Festival in Clovis

Stone Fruit Festival Orchard Setting

Comfortable Paths and Benches were available

Way back last month the day after the Summer Solstice, we attended the first annual Organic Stone Fruit Festival/Jubilee held in Clovis at the Mokichi Okada Association orchards. We learned of it by invitation and advertisement from Kern Family Farm, our own local organic farmers right here in North Fork. They were there running the children's activity booth.

Hansel Kern and Friends

Creating Pine Cone Bird Feeders at the Kids Booth

Finished Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Cute Bunnies, also at the Kids Booth

At the festival there were about a dozen local organic stone fruit farmers represented. Each had a table and tent canopy nestled amongst the orchard trees and along a nice walking path. Our modest entry fee of $5 allowed us to sample fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots and apricots) from each farm. Most farmers also had their fruit for sale at the big fruit stand in the front of the event.

Tasting Booths & Tasters

My favorite Sweet & Juicy Peaches

More Tasters Wait Their Turn

We tasted and sampled until we were almost completely full! We then each purchased a bag of organic fruit to take home. All the fruit was priced at $3/lb.

The Fruit Stand

Beautiful Apricots

There were delicious flaky pastries and sweet & tangy paletas (Mexican popsicles) for sale both made from the same organic fruit. The pastries were provided by La Boulangerie de France. The paletas were made by La Reina de Michoacan. We ate some of each even after filling up on all of that fresh fruit. The peach pastry and the plum paleta that I personally snarfed down, were magnificent!

Flaky, Juicy Peach Pastries ~Don't they look good?

Peach, Apricot, Nectarine and Plum Pastries

It was a fun and interesting event. I look forward to attending again next year.

© Copyright 2008 North Fork News

Monday, July 7, 2008

Our Western Wild Horses are in Danger

I read this CNN News Blurb this morning and that lead me to the Let 'em Run website and the video you see above by Lacy J. Dalton, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg.

The idea that our government would purposely kill healthy beautiful wild horses just to save pasture land for cattle is stupid and saddens me greatly. Our wild horses are part of our western pioneering heritage and belong wild and free on the land. I don't have money or the means to save the horses myself, so I am doing what I can to share their story with as many people as possible. If you can adopt a horse or help them in any way, please do it, and do it soon. Thank you from me and the horses.

© Copyright 2008 North Fork News

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Upcoming July Events

Logging Truck in Main Street Parade ~ 2007

July 4
Bass Lake Annual Fireworks Show, dusk at Bass Lake, Info: 642-3676

July 5
49th Annual Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree, Info: 877-2355, 877-7700

Pro-Am Contest, 11am, Recreation Center, $4 gate fee

Horseshoe Pitching Contest, 12 noon

Grand Parade down North Fork’s Main St, 5pm

BBQ at Town Hall, 6pm, $8 adults, $5 kids under 12

Woodchoppers Ball & Queen Coronation, Recreation Ctr, 8:30pm, $8 ea, $15 per couple

July 6
49th Annual Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree, Info: 877-2355, 877-7700

Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, NF Town Hall, 7-10:30am

Jamboree Main Logging Events, Recreation Ctr, 12 noon, Gates open 10am, tickets pre-sale $3, at the gate $6, kids under 12 Free

July 10
NF Chamber of Commerce Monthly Meeting, 7am, The Buckhorn Saloon, Main St, NF, Info:877-2410, 877-3088

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Did you feel it?

Earthquake Epicenter at "Tom's Place" near Mammoth Lakes, CA
Click on the photo to enlarge it & Click HERE to follow this map link

Did you feel the earthquake that shook North Fork this morning at about 7:45 am? It was a mild one, only magnitude 4.3 on the Richter scale, but still quite noticeable here in the Mountain Area. The epicenter was located at "Tom's Place" near Mammoth Lakes. The map above shows the regions (by zip code) that reported having felt the shaking.

I felt two distinct quick shakes and rattles in the quiet of my home here at about 3000 ft elevation. Each shake only lasted about 3 seconds. Not the long scary rolling kind of feeling that I had experienced so many times when living in Southern California or the Bay Area. Nothing fell off of my bookshelves. The lamps did not sway. The animals seemed unconcerned. Even so, I am reminded that Mother Nature is still very powerful and more than occasionally lets us know she is there.

More quake info can be found at THIS LINK.

© Copyright 2008 North Fork News

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

New Life In North Fork - Continued

The other day I heard the loudest commotion in front of my store. Two sparrows up in the redbud tree were chirping excitedly back and forth, obviously announcing something very special was happening.

Knowing how skiddish these tiny birds can be, I practically walked on my tip toes with my camera to check out what all the excitement was about.

As reported in previous postings, the returning sparrows had been building a nest just under the old shake overhang in front of my store. I have been looking daily to see if any new life was appearing, but for weeks it has been rather quiet.

But not today, Dad sparrow was obviously very proud, announcing to the world about the special new life that had just occurred.

Mom sparrow was settled in the safety of the red bud tree, she was excited to, and there was a non-stop excited dialog of chirping going on between the two parents.

As I quietly observed nature unfolding right in front of me, Dad sparrow would occasionally fly off, disappear for a few minutes, and then return with exotic bird yummies in his beak. Obviously, new sparrow babies had just hatched just hours ago, and were impatient and very hungry waiting for Dad.

And, if you look very closely in the nest under the old weather shake shingle, you can see a tiny smiling beak and two birdie eyes. I believe I saw at least three tiny brothers or sisters later.