Dead Man Farming

I took this picture a couple days before Halloween out in the Applegate Valley, a rural part of Jackson County. Some lady or gent had a sense of humor over the holiday and decided to display a bony citizen and his pumpkin on their farming vehicle. The tractor obviously is in need of an oil change.

Thanks to the passage of Measure 49 in the state-wide off-year elections here in Oregon on Tuesday , there is a good chance that areas like the Applegate Valley--named for a pioneer family that came out West in 1843--will remain rural for a longer time than big timber and real estate interests might want. Despite a big advertising blitz on television, voters decided by a 60-40 margain to rein in development. Measure 49 only allows for limited conversions of farm land for commerical and residential use. I think controlled development inside urban growth boundries is a good thing. The dude on the tractor, however, was non-commital.

And this house near downtown Ashland also had residents in the haunting spirit. The last time I saw spiders that big I had too much to drink in the subtropics.