Spring at Klamath River

March 28. George setting squirrel trap.

He ties it with a long cord to tree to keep raccoons from carrying it away....baited with peanut butter and dog food. We suspect bears like that combo too. The trap has really gotten bent up and broken into - more than a few times.

April 7. Snowing








April 15. B-i-n-g-0
at the Community Hall.

















April 17. Turkey Shoot.



Neighbors at breakfast.


Setting up the running deer for the shoot.

There are no turkeys at the Turkey Shoot - other than the participants......





Shooter.






Future Shooter







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luv/joB

Snowing on the Klamath River

Snowing on Highway 96, February 24, 2011.












Winter finally came to the Klamath River on February 24. We have had cold weather, and DID get snow in early December.... but not till now have we had snow that has stuck.

On our way home from Yreka February 24 - Thursday. The snow was coming down fast and furious.


When we got home, my windflower wasn't spinning and my herb garden was under snow.



Friday morning when we awoke, my windflower COULDN'T spin, and the herbs were really under snow.







Even the roadrunner wasn't flying.







We headed into town around 9:30 to the "No Monument" Rally at the Forest Service, and stopped by the Ranch on the way.

















Our "No Monument" signs (back to back - for traffic coming and going).





The Ollmann's "No Monument" sign.







The mountains and riverside were breathtaking with the snow clinging to every leaf and evergreen needle on every tree.















The "No Monument" Rally went well. We had a great turnout! Wally Herger, our congressman was there and talked about HR817, a bill before the congress to amend the Antiquities Act... stating that monument designations will no longer be at the discretion of the president, but that these proclamations will be "subject to the approval by an Act of Congress."

Many states are endorsing this bill. Let us pray that it passes.

If the Siskiyou Daily News prints the photos and the Rally, I will share the story.

more later................
luv/jo

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Siskiyou Daily News - Story about George's book

This article was published in the Siskiyou Daily News January 13, 2011.


George Bensons's book details life in the fast lane

Courtesy George Benson

George Benson sits at the wheel of the Oliver Johnson/GMB (Benson) Offy Midget Race Car at San Jose Speedway, eventual winner of the annual February 100 lap USAC National Championship Midget Race, 1969. Benson, who has just released “The Racing Years,” a memoir about his days on the oval, was inducted into the Motor Sports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2009.

Klamath River —

A downriver resident with a “racy” past has written a book about his life in the fast lane.
George Benson’s book, “The Racing Years,” is a 472-page memoir of the life and times of the 1966 Pacific Coast Midget Racecar champion and the remarkable men he associated with, a press release stated.
“(The book) covers Motorcycle, Hardtop, Midget, Sprint Car, Championship Dirt Car and Indy Car racing from 1952 to 1987. It features 157 photos.”
Benson recounts his adventures during the period and shares his thoughts about motor racing and racecar design. He details race results and the complete owner history of the GMB Midget racecars he built, and he presents narrative of the exceptional men he raced with.
Autographed soft cover versions are available for $39 plus $4.50 for shipping and handling (for soft cover books mailed within the USA).
Autographed serial-numbered hard cover versions are $69 plus $4.50 shipping and handling, again for books mailed within the USA. Payment should be made by U.S. Postal money order; include mailing address and send to:
George Benson
16700 State Hwy. 96
Klamath River, CA 96050
Benson can be contacted by phone at (530) 465-2029 or by e-mail at george@georgebenson.us.

We are very please as they requested the info after seeing the story - here - on this very blog. We have already received requests from folks who read the story. Big deal for George. Big deal for Klamath River. We don't often get such notoriety down here on the River.

Thank you Siskiyou Daily News.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

/joB

The Book is Out - George Benson, The Racing Years

George's racing book is here. Hours of research, phone calls, writing and rewriting, input and edits from many, endless proofreading, and it is born at last.

We have been shipping soft covered books, and the hard copies will be here toward the end of next week. Those seem to be taking longer to print.

Here's the scoop....................

Just Released!

George Benson

The Racing Years

The book is a 472-page memoir of the life and times of the 1966 Pacific Coast Midget Racecar Champion and the remarkable men he associated with. It covers Motorcycle, Hardtop, Midget, Sprint Car, Championship Dirt Car, and Indy Car racing from 1952 to 1987. It features 157 Photos. George Benson recounts his adventures during the period and shares his thoughts about motor racing and racecar design. He details race results and the complete owner history of the GMB Midget racecars he built, and he presents narrative of the exceptional men he raced with.

Autographed Soft Cover Version $39.00. Please add $4.50 for Shipping and Handling for Soft Cover books mailed within the USA.

Autographed Serial Numbered Hard Cover Version $69.00. Please add $4.50 for Shipping and Handling for Hard Cover books mailed within the USA.

Please remit US Postal Money Order and your Mailing Address to:

George Benson
16700 State Hwy 96
Klamath River, CA 96050
530-465-2029

Garden at the RV Park - Veggies or No Veggies? That is the Question

Garden was planted in early June.
(double click photos to enlarge)
Photos on left taken 7/7..... Same area today 8/5






We got lots of foliage. 5 Squash so far.

The pumpkin plant - Look how much it's grown - NO fruit yet. Will we be carving in October?















........... and only green tomatoes on the vines.





We got some seeds started in May, planted garden in early June - AFTER the frost - it was a late one this year.

We are getting hungry for tomatoes, maybe in the next week or so....

More later.
/joB
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Cedar Tree Planting on the Ranch - June

In June, we planted cedar trees.


These cedar plugs were given to us by a neighbor. We borrowed the pots from another neighbor. There were 40 of these little babies.


George planted 15 along the driveway - in front of the pole barn.


...and 12 along the curve around the big rock.


Post Hole digger loaned by yet another neighbor. A lot of community input in this project. But the sweat and grunts were all George's.




Our local nursery man, Terry, recommended White Clover as a ground cover. He claims the deer will come for that and leave the vegetable garden alone... we'll have to see how that goes....


Here is a young cedar, the clover just taking hold, and our original irrigation system, which has gone thru a few iterations since Day One.






The trees have been named and measured and they just keep growing. They seem to like the heat.





George planted another 7 cedars on the drive up to our house.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
/joB

April and May 2010

It's been a long time since I blogged! I thought maybe a month. ....think it's been longer than that.

Since the last post, we had an Easter (decorate your bonnet) Red Hat party,

I helped judge a 4-H art show at the Fairgrounds, Jenni and Michael's trip to London was stymied by the Volcano, Branch got back into Costco - full time, Yea!, found a new company from who to buy our house,

attended National Red Hat Day, got a bad cold, went to Shasta City for a "non profit" gathering for the Klamath River Community Hall of which I am a member of the board.


The only work on the property in April was George transplanting Cedar seedlings.



During this chore he discovered a water line - close to the surface. A little repair work followed that discovery.










Most of April we had rain, drying, and rain again. Ed was never able to get any work done - the whole month.

And that was April....had a lot of 32 degree mornings.

May 3: Rick the trucker, who will bring our house came to check things out. He told us where to straighten the driveway, and which trees/limbs/branches to cut.


He marked them with his spray paint..








Ed worked 11 days in May.

George bought a chain saw, which has passed field trials. Many more limbs and branches cut since that purchase.










This is the driveway before....,.

and after a little grading. It's like a super highway now.









These are some BIG rocks that were uncovered in this process.








The best part of May: I went to see our kids... mother's day treat. It was a short over-the-weekend trip, and it was great. Spent my first 2 nights at Jenni & Michae'ls... on the new futon.
Went to a special "guest chef" dinner in the Mission and Impressionist Show at the deYoung.

I spent the next 2 night at Stan & Betty's. Shanna is almost out of school - her junior year.

Got to see Branch at work. He took me to lunch and we shopped and spent some good time together.

Finished the month with a Memorial Day motor cylce extravaganza at the Klamath River Golf Course... which was a bust. They planned for 350 bikers and only 70 to 100 showed up. WE, the brilliant Klamath River Community Hall, thought selling ice cream and cookies would be a great money maker. HOWEVER, our idea may have been a bigger fizzle than the low turnout. Selling ice cream to beer drinkers ??? So it's back to the drawing board for next year's biker event. It was fun tho, just watching the people, their get ups, and their tattoos.

All that rain has made for some beeeutiful wild flowers.














/joB

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