Eclipse 2017, Day 6: John Day day 4

Sunday morning got started with Dog wandering the hillside slowly and meanderingly.  While Dad fired up the camping stove and made oatmeal and coffee, Dog found a bone in a thicket and tried to bury it.  Her best warthog impersonation roughed up her nose, but she didn't seem to mind.

Dog wandering around the extended campsite

As we took up our routine, traffic had picked up quite noticeably.  A few more Teslas had arrived, filling the charger.  We continued on to Brian's laundromat, a necessary stop after Dog's diaper failed in the night.  We got an early lunch and headed back up to the Canyon City park.  Child played for a bit before Lorin invited us over to his parent's place.

Neal and Linnea have crafted quite a home.  He dug out the hillside, she painted the walls, he made an outdoor kitchen, she decorated, but perhaps what got us most was how it was done almost entirely with found, reclaimed goods.  Dad was particularly interested in the water reclamation, a conversation Neal was happy to oblige.  Unbeknownst to us visitors, John Day is actually considered a desert, with an average 13" of rain a year.  With the forest all around, it was surprising, but did explain all the xeriscaping we had been wondering about.  For all the hospitality shown us, we figured the least we could do was offer rides in the Tesla.  Linnea was thrilled and Lorin even got behind the wheel.  While Dad conducted the drives, Dog found some 4-legged friends, Child continued to charm everyone (even got some jewelry out of it) and Mom got to talk Navy with Neal.

After eating at camp, Lorin invited us to his brother's for a party.  The Coleman boys and their friends are quite the musicians, doing Bowie, the Pixies and all manner of covers in between drum solos and originals.  We met a few more friendly folks and Child impressed Michaela with "David Bowie" in answer to the question "What's your favorite music?"  Child would later say "I told her David Bowie, but it's actually Heart."

Here's a bit of the live music.