Labor Day at The Experiment

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, and so it's time to start winding things down at The Experiment.

It's been busy summer! I didn't do all the pruning that I thought I might. But next year after the candles grow, I'll have a better idea of what needs to stay and what can go. We did get some good growth on the top and it is staring to look more like the poodle tree I imagined. We survived another bug infestation and the hottest, driest summer on record. We had plenty of guests and interested visitors. All in all it was a great summer! Stay tuned for more to come!

 

Fall Schedule: Now that school is back, visiting hours will be reduced to weekends only and special visits that are arranged in advance. We will be having some special events around fall holidays. Mark your calendars so you don't miss the Halloween Trick or Treat Dance! You need to make a reservation and it is expected to fill up fast! Costumes are required!

 



Four Years Later

This is the four year anniversary of The Experiment! I was always working on the idea that this was a five year project, and I think it's going pretty well. I still need to make some decisions about trimming branches to shape the tree, but I've been hesitant to do that because I don't want to make a mistake and cut a branch I might want back later.

The top of the tree is shaping up nicely. My concern is that some of the branches near the middle of the tree are a little sparse of needles, and I'm not sure how they are going to look; if they will fill out enough to really get the true "poodle" effect.

Anyway, we survived the bugs and the weather and four years in I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. Someone asked me recently if I was going to take the tree out of the pot and put it in the ground. That was never the plan, but I suppose I might have to someday. Right now, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy summer! Cheers!

 

Summer Hours: We will be starting Breakfast at The Experiment again in August. Every Thursday morning we will have breakfast and watch the sun come up through the branches of our tree. It's free but you do need to make a reservation to save your spot! 

Oh no... the bugs are back!

Just looking out the window today watching the rain and I thought the tree looks a little stressed. Some of the needles getting brown and falling off. I put on a raincoat and went out to check and found those pesky European Pine Sawfly larvae were back! Not as bad as when I caught them last year, but enough to certainly annoy me and do some damage to the tree. Luckily the rain stopped and I was able to get out the spray I used last summer to give them a shower. I know, I know. I shouldn't be using chemicals, bad for the environment.... blah.... blah.... blah. Normally I would agree, but these were desperate times and needed extreme measures. We can't afford to lose another year to those gross bugs. Before I sprayed I cut some of the branches off and tossed them, with all the caterpillars, into the chicken coop next door. Take that you stupid bugs. The one bad thing about this is now I have this weird itchy feeling like something is crawling on me.

Special Visitors to The Experiment!

We had some very special visitors this week to help brighten up what has been a gloomy year at The Experiment.

David, Liz, and the Boys were here for Spring Break! Hudson and Beckett were here last summer, and just like our tree, they are getting bigger! Even though they can't talk yet, you could tell they were impressed with the way The Experiment is progressing. David and Liz have seen The Experiment since the beginning and braved a rain shower to get a close look at our tree. This summer will be the four year anniversary of The Experiment and we are going to make some major decisions this spring. It's time to eliminate some branches and really start to let the tree take shape. I think I'm also going to have to consider taking the tree out of the planter and putting it in the ground. The half barrel it's in might be just a little to snug.

 

Spring Hours: Since we have officially started Spring and daylight savings time has kicked in, we will be expanding our hours. The Experiment is open for visitors noon to six Monday-Saturday and noon to four on Sunday. Plus don't forget to reserve a spot for our annual Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch. Call the office for reservations.

Sad Day at The Experiment

The Experiment lost a good friend today with the passing of staff dog Ripken.

Ripken was with The Experiment from Day One. He was an important part of The Experiment and helped make it as successful as it has been. When things got tough and decisions had to be made, he was always there with a wagging tail and a smile on his face. I will miss him more than I can say! It is sad to think that he won't be around to see how things turn out. We will raise a glass to Rip on his birthday this May. 

Veterans Day at The Experiment

It's been a while since my last post and I figured Veteran's Day was a good time to update. All of us at The Experiment want to thank our veterans for their service to our country, and all they have done to make this the greatest nation on earth!

A quick update on The Experiment. We seem to have come through the summer OK. No more problems with bugs! And it doesn't appear they did any lasting damage. 

The only issue might be that because of the infestation and not knowing what impact it might have on the tree, I wasn't able to make any major decisions about cutting or trimming over the summer. Those decisions will now have to wait until summer 2015, which will be four years in. My thought is that the way the tree is staring to fill out and poodle up, those cuts next summer will have a major impact on the way The Experiment looks and should be pretty dramatic! Now we just have to survive another Oregon winter!

 

It is time to start thinking about holiday events and parties. If you would like to reserve The Experiment for your Thanksgiving or Christmas bash, give us a call. But act soon because space is filling up fast!

 

We will also be having our annual Christmas Caroling at The Experiment night again this year. Saturday December 13th. Everyone is welcome! There is no charge and refreshments will be served! All you have to bring is your Christmas spirit and a loud singing voice!

Special Visitors at The Experiment!

We had some special visitors at The Experiment this weekend.

My grandsons Beckett and Hudson!

The boys were in town with their parents for their Aunt Caitlin's wedding party, and couldn't pass up the chance to take a look at The Experiment! It's hard to tell from this photo but they were very impressed! I was hoping they could stay around for Breakfast at The Experiment on Thursday, but they had to skedaddle home.

Don't forget, Breakfast at The Experiment every Thursday morning at 6am. Eat breakfast and watch the sun come up thru the branches of our little tree. Call ahead for reservations.