Christmas at The Experiment

This is our second Christmas since The Experiment began. All of us want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 



Snow Day in December

It's been awhile since my last entry on the blog and I figured that a cold, snowy December day would be a good time to update things. We got about three inches of snow overnight, canceling school and adding a little extra winter look to The Experiment. The tree seems to be holding up well and two and a half years in, things are going pretty well.

While the tree hasn't grown much I am wondering if it might be getting a little too big for the barrel it's in. Maybe it's time for a change. I think that is something I'm definitely going to have to consider this Spring. 

After I took the pictures I knocked the snow off the branches and everything looked fine. I don't think the cold and snow will have a negative impacted on The Experiment, but I might move the tree  closer to the house for the rest of winter just to give it a little protection from the weather.

 

We are getting close the holidays, and all of us at The Experiment want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Don't forget the annual Poodle Tree Experiment caroling party on December 21st! We'll gather around the Tree, sing Christmas carols, and drink traditional holiday favorites. There might even be some Christmas cookie! If you'd like to reserve your spot for this holiday favorite, call the reservation office soon! It will fill up fast!



Summer Winding Down

Middle of August means just a couple of weeks left for summer. It's been a pretty quiet summer at The Experiment, although we did have some visitors this week!

Poodle Tree enthusiasts Bill and Julie Ferrari win the prize for traveling the farthest to enjoy The Experiment this summer. I think it would be safe to say they had never seen a tree quite like what we have here at The Experiment.

After a close-up look at the tree, we grilled some burgers and had a great time! A great way to enjoy the last days of vacation on a perfect summer night. 

 

SCHEDULE: Don't forget the Labor Day Weekend Celebration at The Experiment. And just three more Thursday mornings to take part in Breakfast at The Experiment. Eat a delicious breakfast, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, and watch the sun come up through the branches of our little tree. It doesn't get any better than that! Call ahead to reserve your spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Years and Counting

July marks the anniversary of The Experiment and since its been awhile since I posted, it's time to bring things up to date. It's been two years since we started The Experiment. I always knew his was a three to five year project, but things are starting to take shape and I am very pleased with the way it's going. Here's the update.

Back in May it was time for our yearly trim. We had a fairly warm, dry spring in Oregon and I'm not sure how that effected the tree's growth, but the candles were quite long. I trimmed them all back to about where I want the balls to form on the branch. That was May 27th, almost two month ago. 

So two months later, here's how they look. They are really starting to take shape. There are a few that are still pretty thin, and I'm not sure just yet what I'm going to do about that. There are also a few branches still to trim, and so that might be where the thin ones end up.

Here's how the tree looks on its two year anniversary! For a comparison, go back to the original post and look at the picture. Remember, three to five years, so we still have a ways to go!

 

Summer Events and Hours: Don't forget we will be having our Breakfast at The Experiment again during August. Thursday mornings at 7:00. Be sure to call ahead to reserve your spot! During the summer The Experiment is open seven days a week from noon to 7:00pm. We open early on Thursdays in August for breakfast. 



Easter at The Experiment

Spring is here and we celebrated Easter with the annual Experiment Egg Hunt! Kids of all ages enjoyed the day and got an early spring look at how The Experiment is coming along.

 Of course the Tree had to be apart of the festivities. We tried something a little different this year with the dye for our eggs and the colors turned out pretty good.

After the egg hunt we had a relaxing day, being outside and enjoying the great spring weather. It was a perfect Easter Sunday. 

 Spring is a busy time at The Experiment because when the weather warms up, the tree starts to grow. We've got some big decisions to make this spring about size and shape of the tree. The candles should start shooting out pretty soon, and so it won't be long before it's trimming time again!

 

REMINDER: Don't miss out on any of the special events planned this year at The Experiment. I will keep the schedule posted on the blog, so be sure to check back. If you would like to book The Experiment for a spring or summer event (wedding, reunion, birthday) let us know.

New Year's Resolutions

We are almost two months into the New Year but it's never too late to make some resolutions! There is alot going on here at The Experiment, and with spring looming and the pace of life quickening, we want to get this done before we get too busy. It's also been more than a year and a half since The Experiment began!

 

So here are New Year's Resolutions for The Experiment.

 

1.  More updates for the Blog. Unfortunatley, watching a tree grow is only slightly more exciting that watching paint dry. Which of course leads to the question, "how boring would it be to watch a painted tree?" I'm going to try and explore more of the science of trees this year and get a better understanding about the relationship between Mother Nature, science, and  good old fashion luck.

2.  Continue our refusal to use any Performance Enhancing Drugs or Growth Hormones at The Experiment. Our tree is 100% natural! In addition, Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds have been banned from ever visiting The Experiment. In fact, anyone with a head bigger than a size 8 1/2 will have to pass a drug test before then can enter.

3.  Make some serious decisions about shapping the tree. The toughest part of doing this is having to make the decisions about what branches stay, and what branches go. So this year I'm going to make a couple of choices in order to better shape the tree. This might not happen until mid-summer because I want to wait and see how things shape up after I clip the candles in a couple of months.  It's just tough to make those cuts, because you can't put branches back.

4   Have a GREAT summer in the backyard! The Experiment is only a small part of my backyard world. Right now, with all the grey and gloom of winter it doesn't seem possible, but I really look forward to spending time ourdoors reading and relaxing and working in the yard. Firing up the barbque and entertaining friends! Andas boring as it might be, watching my tree grow! Four months until Summer Vacation! Bring it on!! 

 

Since this is my Blog, I get to add my family photos. We had a great weekend early in February with all the kids in town. Naturally, everyone wanted to see how The Experiment was doing and get their picture taken with the tree.  

 

Family Photo - Me, Caitlin, Kris, Elizabeth, and David. I think this is the first time that my wife Kris has made  appearance on the blog. It's too bad we didn't have the tree when the kids were little and we could have taken photos every year of how tall they were compared to the tree.  

 

My son David and daughter-in-law Elizabeth were visiting from Las Vegas where they keep track of The Experiment through the blog. They were impressed by the way the tree is shaping up.

 

Daughter Caitlin and her boyfriend Les were also in town. It was Caitlin who helped me get The Experiment started two summers ago with a birthday gift certificate for the tree. Les has been a faithful follower of the blog and was anxious to get a first hand look at The Experiment. Both were impressed with how green and fragrant the tree is. 



Winter can be dreary in the northwest and a lonely time when you are stuck inside on a cold wet day. Just remember, everyday is one day closer to summer! It won't be long before the weather starts to warm, the flowers begin to bloom, and the candles start to shoot out and our tree is ready for another trim.

 

Visting Hours: Because of my duties coaching baseball, winter hours at The Experiment will be cut back to weekends from noon to 4 until further notice. Please call ahead to make sure we are open for visitors. And it is never to soon to plan your summer event or trip to The Experiment. Please call guest serivces to book your wedding, reunion, or birthday celebration.