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.

Welcome to Summer!

June 21st marks the Summer Solstice and we like to celebrate here are The Experiment.

We seem to have survived the bug scare of last month and now can look forward to some warmer (hot?) weather and lots of sunshine. I've held off making any major decisions about trimming branches because I want to see how the needles will fill in on the branches that got eaten pretty badly by the saw-fly larvae. It looks like a lot of the needles are coming back and the damage won't be as bad as I feared.

Summer hours go into effect July 1 with The Experiment open for visitors from noon to five daily.  

We will also be holding our Breakfast at The Experiment events again starting in July. 7:00 am every Thursday you can come and enjoy breakfast and watch the sun come up through the branches of our tree! It's the perfect way to get the day started. We'll provide breakfast and coffee, you just need to call ahead and reserve your spot!

 

Special Event: We will be joining with the National Wildlife Federation to celebrate the Great American Backyard Campout, Saturday June 28th. If you would like to join The Experiment under the stars, let us know. We'll save a spot for you around the campfire!

Attack of the European Pine Sawfly Larvae!

Went out today to clip the candles on my tree. I had noticed that some of the needles were getting a little brown, but I thought that was just because of the ice storm over the winter. Boy was I wrong! On closer inspection I found that many of the branches were covered with creepy, crawly, caterpillar looking things!

Yikes! They were everywhere and I had to act fast. A little internet search found they were the larvae of the European Pine Sawfly. The sawfly lays it's eggs inside the needles of the tree and when they hatch the larvae eat the needles. Trees are seldom killed by the feeding of this insect during a single season but mortality can occur following two to three consecutive years of heavy defoliation. Plus it's just really GROSS!!

Usually, I like to be as environmentally friendly as possible but I figured this was do-or-die time at The Experiment and so I went to the garden store for some serious chemicals. Funny story, when I got there I told the guy, "I have a tree covered in worms", and he said, "...so are you." I had gotten several of the little buggers on my sweatshirt and didn't realize it. Back home, I loaded up the sprayer and gave the tree a good shower. According to my research, I'm probably going to have to hit it again in about a month. I also had to cut some branches that were covered in larvae. I did that before the spray and took them over to my neighbors chickens for a snack. At least they were happy. Hopefully this won't completely ruin The Experiment. The larvae only got to about one-quarter of the branches on the tree, so with a little creative trimming I think it's still going to work. We are coming up on year three of The Experiment, and no one said this was going to be an easy project.

 

Easter at the Experiment and Spring is Here!

After a long cold winter it looks like spring has finally sprung! The weather is getting warmer and it seems like the tree survived 'old man winter OK.

A sure sign of spring is the candles are starting to grow. Give them another month or so and then it will be trimming time. 

I was a little worried about the cold and ice storms leaving some serious damage, and there are a few branches that are a little brown. That might just make it a little easier when I have to make decisions this summer about trimming branches.  

We are heading into the third summer of The Experiment, and I think we are right on schedule. I have to remember this is a five year project!

 

With the weather getting warmer, The Experiment is already taking reservations for summer events. If you have a party, reunion, or celebration of any kind, call us!

Surviving the Storm and Beyond

This has been a crazy winter in the Willamette Valley with two snow storms and an ice storm that nearly shut down the city. But our tree seems to have survived without a scratch.

There were trees and branches down all over town after the ice storm last weekend, but no damage at The Experiment.  

I was afraid we might lose a lot of needles from the end of the branches after they were frozen solid, but no problem. Hopefully we have survived the worst that winter has to offer and Spring will be here soon. Mother Nature can work her magic, the candles will start to grow, and before you know it we will be ready for another trim! 

 

By the way, I have added another tree to The Experiment, a Monkey Puzzle Tree, (Araucaria araucana) 

  It's the national tree of Chile. A hardy evergreen, native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. In the mountains they can grown 100 feet high and live up to 1000 years!  

The trees feature very sharp triangle shaped leaves. After 30 of 40 years they produce edible seeds, so that is something to look forward to! Right now I have the tree in a pot, but eventually I'm going to have to figure out a better plan. Stop by The Experiment and see how both our trees are doing! 

 

All this work with The Experiment has gotten me thinking a lot about trees.

I was wondering if there is a way to tell the age of a tree without having to cut it down and count the rings. I know there are ways to drill into the tree and take a core sample, but how about a ball park figure of the age by just measuring it at the base? I thought it would be a great project for my history class to find a tree in their neighborhood, figure out how old it is, and then research he history of what that tree has lived through. Anybody have any suggestions?

Snow and Ice Create Havoc at The Experiment

Two days of snow and then freezing rain are causing some concerns at The Experiment.

Almost a foot of snow on Friday followed by freezing rain Saturday morning covered the tree is snow and ice.

 Branches were sagging and needles were frozen solid. It was actually quite pretty, but I was afraid the weight of the ice might break a branch, so I tried to knock some of the ice off. All that did was knock off the needles, so I guess I'll just have to wait and hope things warm up a bit, and let Mother Nature save the day! 

This is a big year for The Experiment. This summer will be our third anniversary, and time for some major decisions about trimming branches. Lets hope we get through this storm without any of those decisions being made for us. 

 

Winter Hours: Because of the inclement weather, we have had to reduce visiting hours at The Experiment. Through the rest of winter we are open 3-5 Tuesday-Friday and noon to 4 on weekends. Be sure to call ahead to schedule your visit because we are sometimes closed for private parties and weddings. 

 

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.

Merry Christmas!

Winter can get pretty damp and dreary around the Northwest, but our little tree is holding up well. We hope that you are too.  All of us at The Experiment want to wish everyone a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!

September's Special Visitor

It's been awhile since I updated the blog, and I don't want to forget to report on a special visitor to The Experiment in September.

Captain David Fox of the United States Air Force was in town to make a formal inspection. Captain Fox is with the Air Force Legal Office, and while the reasons for his visit were top secret, speculation centered on several topics. Many at The Experiment think the Air Force might be thinking about  developing their own Poodle Trees to be used for military purposes, and they want to use The Experiment as a basis for their start-up.Those of us at The Experiment want it to be known we do not want our research into Poodle Tree science to be used for anythiing other than goodness and kindness and making the World a better place.There was also speculation that the Air Force was concerned The Experiment might disrupt air space. That rumor was quickly forgotten when Captain Fox saw the tree was only six feet tall.

Captain David Fox was impressed by the needles on the tree. While he could not comment on the nature or reasons for his visit, Captain Fox did say it was the finest Poodle Tree he had ever seen, and that the Air Force was interested in learning more about the project. We all hope Captain Fox comes back for another visit soon.

 

 

Don't forget the Holidays are coming up, and The Poodle Tree Experiment has plenty of gifts that would be just perfect for that special someone on your list. We also have gift certificates if you just can't make a decision for those hard to please friends. You can also purchase Holiday Cards to share the season, and The Experiment with your friends and family! It's also not to soon to book your holiday parties at The Experiment. Call Guest Services for more information and prices!