Recycling

People in Waterville seem to be very resourceful. When we moved up here, the first project on my to-do list was the removal of an old wire fence which surrounded our yard. I couldn't wait to get rid of it, but once it was down, we were faced with a dilemma. What were we going to do with all of the metal posts and gnarled wire? Not a day later, a neighbor came by, asking if we still had the old fence, and if she could have it. Of course we gladly agreed and she took it all away, finding a use for it in her own yard!

We didn't think we'd ever get rid of an old heater fuel tank which was attached to the back of our garage, but another neighbor inquired about it, saying that he could really use it and, to our delight, he took it off our hands! He later arranged to have a bunch of old scrap metal, left by former tenants, hauled away for recycling and he found a use for a "worthless" pile of scrap wood and wooden fencing that had also been graciously gifted to us by the previous tenants.

We were told that people often ask around before disposing of things because you never know who might be able to use it. I'm learning that up here one man's junk truly is another man's treasure.

Road Hazards

People often express concern that I have to travel on "that horrible, windy road in the winter." I'll admit, it caused a genuine apprehension in me when we were considering moving to Waterville, but, you know, it really isn't that bad. The road crews do an excellent job of keeping the roadway clear. In fact, Pine Canyon, the road that is most feared by those who don't regularly navigate it, is usually better maintained than Highway 97 below!

My greatest Pine Canyon anxiety, until recently, was not actually the snow and ice, but rather the frequently falling rocks. We learned, very quickly, that we needed to be on high alert during and after a rainshower and when snow was melting. It is really scary to come around a corner and find that a large rock has plopped itself in the middle of your lane of travel. It is even more intensely frightening to be nearly assaulted by a St. Bernard-sized boulder falling directly from the cliffs above! (I hope my grandma isn't reading this one.) I remember seeing the huge rock detach and fall in slow motion as I swerved toward the shoulder. It smashed into the lane beside me, showering my vehicle with gravelly debris. Thankfully, conditions have improved since the rock slope stabilization project in 2009. I honestly didn't think it would make a big difference, but we rarely see rocks on the roadway now.

Now all we really have to be worried about is crazy, late-to-work drivers!

Hear them ring?

It is ten minutes to five and I am eagerly awaiting the top of the hour. I haven't heard the church bells in weeks and I'm hoping that it is just because I haven't been paying attention. They've always faithfully pealed on the hour, every hour between 8:00am and 8:00pm. I asked Adam yesterday if he had heard them recently and he admitted, puzzled, that he wasn't sure. It's funny to me that we can grow so accustomed to something that it can completely elude our notice.

I'm fairly certain they aren't real bells. I'm not sure how they could be, considering they can play a full diatonic scale and the bell tower at the Catholic church seems barely big enough to house a single bell. Real or not, though, I think the bells add to the homey, quaintness of Waterville. It is the perfect effect when you're out tending a garden or enjoying a warm, summer evening on the porch. I love to analyze to the overtones as the longer songs ring out. If you listen close and really zero in, you can hear that the overtones sound a little louder than the melody. It actually makes the song sound kind of strange.

Sadly, 5:00 has come and passed and I still don't know if the bells have rung! Just as the hour changed, a massive Dodge Ram drove by, drowning out all but its own sound. I poked my head out of the window in hopes that I could hear beyond the sharp diesel clatter, but to no avail. Maybe I'll be able to hear them tomorrow as I spend some time outside, packing up my soaker hoses for the winter.

Old Pine Canyon

I love to learn about local history. I'm fascinated by abandoned homesteads, historical buildings and old roads. Since moving to Waterville, I've heard quite a few stories about the old Pine Canyon road. People say that it was so steep and treacherous that the old Model Ts had to navigate it backward. Apparently, the cars had more traction when running in reverse, but the most important reason for backward driving was the fact that the gravity feed gas tank was situated behind the engine. If the driver were to go forward up the steep grade, the gas tank would tilt below the engine and the car would stall! That's a bad situation when there's nowhere to turn around!

There are more stories that tell of car races, snow storms and a catastrophic flood; stories which fueled my already overactive curiosity. I became determined to find out where the original road was. I could see parts of it deep in the floor of the canyon as we drove up the hill but I wasn't sure if it was still accessible from the top. Adam and I decided to begin our search on a mystery road, one that I had been curious about for quite some time, and to my excitement, it turned out to be the old highway! We drove until we reached a roadblock and then continued down the hill on foot. It was fun to imagine, as we hiked, the tiny old cars puttering around the hairpin turns, yet it was somewhat sad to see a little piece of history eroding away. We made our way down to where the old road meets the new and upon losing the trail, headed back for home. Now, in order to appease my nearly-satisfied curiosity, I need to figure out how to access the lower portion of the road.