“Did anyone go Sunday? Impressions?”

I went both days, with a load of my fruit wood walking sticks. As predicted, the rains arrived! And apparently so did the bicyclists! The parking lot at the Washington County fair grounds was near totally consumed by cyclists using it as a staging area before hitting the road for most of the day. HOS members eventually trickled into our pavilion … from the equivalent of blocks away …but I’d suspect some potential attendees simply turned around and left after finding no where to park. Darn, so close to home (for me) yet so many problems with that location…

Seems the only time my sticks got any serious attention was when I wandered off to talk with long time friends, or tried to eat… but I wandered anyway! It was fun sitting next to the Correll Cider Press being raffled off. With one of my own, I was on hand to describe its capabilities. In fact, here’s Bob Correll and my press: That’s my old yellow Toyota pu in the background. Bob and I had corresponded by (US) mail for months before he ‘blended’ me that very press (I’d mailed him the print) with around 8 different hardwoods... What’s impressive is that a dozen years later his design is identical; guess it’s difficult to improve on perfection! Our Frankie sold tickets like the Energizer Bunny – both days, wore me out just listening!

I also got to listen (from outside the curtain) to several presentations, and yours was so good, Lon, I wouldn’t have guessed you were experiencing any technical difficulties... I did expect a lot more traffic than we had on Saturday, but then I rarely attend the AAFS so don’t have a lot to compare it with -- other than the Spring ‘Scion Exchange’ when it’s wall to wall! But this was a lot of fun; I was especially excited about the opportunity to taste the many hardy kiwis; far more than my last such event 5 or 6 years ago. The “Chang Bai Mountain” series was impressive! …I’m interested a CB Mt. 3 & 5… Fuzzy kiwi are quite a commitment… hardy are far less aggressive but equally productive, and far easier to eat!

It’s always a kick to check out Shaun Shepherd’s (our HOS VP) latest apple IDing paraphernalia; another dedicated HOSer. He’d been taking digital photos of unusual apples prior to the show and after cutting one in half to photograph its interior he couldn’t see wasting it – so he went home and cooked up “A hundred-apple sauce” and was giving tastes! …as exotic as I get is around seven or so, but only at the HOS AAFS could someone experience a hundred apples in one bite!

We’ve some characters… and I’m likely becoming one of them. I’d brought in a ‘rack full’ of my personally finished fruitwood walking sticks, with some amazing tales regarding several …like the one harvested last year from a seedling apple I’d grafted a Spitzenberg to. …it had its first good crop last year, and after spotting a massive black bear on our road one morning, a couple days later I found a major upright on this tree busted to the ground with all the apples gone and deep claw marks in the bark. It may have been the bear up my way about five years earlier… The limb broke at a cluster of aerial crown gall from the infected scion I’d used … now it’s a finished walking stick – break, gall and all!

Sunday was back to normal at the fair grounds and anyone showing up had a much easier time getting to us. Talked fruit every direction I turned, but what was very encouraging were the many young families in attendance. …I’d made the comment regarding an attitude I’ve noticed the last couple of years while grafting at the spring event. Whereas in the recent past I mainly envisioned newly retired folks, relaxed and mildly interested in the grafting process, the majority now are much younger, with an intensity and urgency yet unseen. I like it - reminds me of myself in the early days! Folks are taking fruit growing much more serious, far more than a hobby. And many I talked with have solid plans for the end product!

And what a good natured bunch! One energetic young man asked me if the vines and stems of the hardy kiwi (which I could never get far from) might root …and if we were doing anything with them..? I told him it’s an odd time of year to encourage that, and that the vines looked tapped out… but I suspected with care they could be propagated. He’s part of a horticulture class at PSU so wrapped up about 20 such labeled hardy kiwi stems and hauled them (by bike) into Portland -via MAX! …I suggested he post any questions ‘here’

I also had a good visit with the ‘Lowell’s Tools’ folks. …and I thought I’d done a lot of pruning… but it looks as if there’s life after pruning, if in sales of pruning equipment. It was great talking with someone who knows the trade; he taught me some tricks, turned me on to some great tools (as I took notes) and even gave me a lesson in steel! With around 8 hand pruners, 5 loppers and 6 pruning saws …not counting my extension clippers and chainsaws… it’s the part of the hardware department I head to first – and judge the quality of the outlet itself. But the Lowell’s had commercial equipment I’d never met! …felt so good I was ready to prune. He’d hold a practice stick above his head and I’d try to miss his finger with a sweet pair of 32 inch Hickok commercial loppers …or snip lengthwise into a practice shoot with an ARS V-8 hand pruner. Even found out who made the Taiwan ‘knock-off’ pruners I abuse – Zenport – he likes em too! …I wasted so much of their time - here’s a plug: http://www.lowellstools.com/

…and out the door after cleanup to a wee bit more of several members’ specialties, including Shaun’s… Exhausted, but not stupid, our little gathering went away quite pleased with ourselves. Good Show!