The Wild Places Around Us...

Dallas With The Wellsville Mountains

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

This photo was taken from the road my mom lives on, about 100 yards south of her house.

The view is to the east and that's the Wellsville Mountains Wilderness in the background, home to deer, elk, moose, mountain lions, bobcats, and bighorn sheep. The Wellsvilles are also located in a major western flyway for raptors.

The Wellsville Mountains run north to south, between us and Logan, Utah. The two highest peaks are Box Elder Peak at 9,372', and Wellsville Cone at 9,356'. Depending upon the source of your information, the Wellsville Mountains are either the steepest mountain range in the U.S., or one of the steepest. Only 5 miles wide, they rise 5,000 feet from the valley floors surrounding them. There are only 17 miles of trail in the mountains and one of these days I'll be hiking them.

Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas Within Bicycling Distance

Area map courtesy of National Geographic Topo! Click to enlarge

The Everyday Beauty Of The Bear River Valley...

~Afternoon Sky~

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

Our View From The Dining Room This Morning
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

Each of our days here is enriched with the overwhelming beauty of the natural world.
Yesterday afternoon found us under the splendid sky pictured above while this morning a family of deer graced the orchard outside mom's dining room windows.

Our Home Away From Home Here In The Bear River Valley Of Utah

Mom's House In Farm Country

Click on any photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

Peggy, Dallas, and my shadow coming home from our first 5 mile morning walk in Utah.

We'll be spending at least the next 6 months here helping my 85 year old mother out around the place.

Peggy and mom, still in their jammies, in mom's kitchen this morning.


Peg & Dallas on a morning walk along a crossroad near our new digs. We are headed back to the road mom lives on, which runs perpendicular to this one, about 1/4 mile east (the direction Dallas is facing) where we'll turn right for another 1/2 mile to get home.


Another view of mom's big house which she fell in love with about 5 years ago on a trip from California to visit her sister. She put a deposit on it, sold her house in the San Fernando Valley, and moved out here, lock, stock, & barrel, at 80 years of age.


Looking northwest through part of mom's orchard with our chickens still in their traveling cage. They have since been moved into a large makeshift coop.



A horse named Horse, whom belongs to one my mother's friends, resides on a back corner of the property. The view is to the west.

Looking north across the back 1/2 acre of moms property I can envision a huge vegetable garden at this end with chickens and goats inhabiting the far end.

We've already made the small shelter in the distance into a makeshift coop for our chickens, which we brought with us. This area lies just behind the orchard and large raspberry patch.

Looking northwest from the middle of the orchard which has varieties of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots. Below are a few pictures of the fruit we are now harvesting.

This pear tree is just loaded!

This apple didn't bear heavily this year but the fruit is sweet, crisp, and delicious.


This apple tree is heavily laden and we're planning on baking some apple pies here in the next few days.

More apples.



Horse with our makeshift chicken coop in the background.

Looking northeast across a view of the Bear River just a few hundred yards south of my mom's place. This is one of the places we go on our morning walks now.

A view to the northeast from the orchard fence. My mom's property ends where the cornfield starts and the raspberry patch is just behind where I was standing when I took the picture.

A view to the southeast with part of mom's raspberry patch in the foreground.

The raspberries were in dire need of water as were parts of the orchard, all the trees need pruning and there's much weeding and outdoor cleanup to be done.

That's why we're here and hopefully we can get much of that done before it snows and the ground freezes., we've already made quite a bit of progress.

~POSTSCRIPT~

To our friends who are trying to e-mail us. I have to contact Charter.net and set things up differently before I can reply or send e-mail, and, at this point, we are no longer receiving e-mail either.

Innocent Dragonfly is Crucified on the Grille of a Jeep Cherokee!

Click on individual photos to enlarge
All photos © 2010 jim otterstrom

Sacrificed to a machine, the haunting corpse of a dragonfly hangs by its wings from the crossbar of a 1995 Jeep Cherokee grille on August 6th, 2010.

I was quite taken aback when I discovered this unfortunate victim of an automobile suspended from a plastic cross---it's fragile body perfectly preserved in graceful form---too reminiscent of familiar images of a more well-known crucifixion.

Most bugs splat unceremoniously into oblivion when they're hit by several thousand pounds of machinery speeding down a highway, leaving us not much to think about except cleaning up the mess, but somehow this magnificent little creature, even after death, has managed to tell us something about the beauty of its existence, and the tragedy of its passing.

Yes, it's just another bug, one of billions lost each day to the unintentional recklessness of human activity.

Yet, perhaps this tiny innocent member of earth's living community has also died for our sins, by our hands, so that we might once again be patiently reminded by Mother Nature of the destructiveness of our way of life.

How many messengers does Nature's Creation need to send us before we finally get the message?

We have already wiped out 98% of our old growth forests, 99% of our native prairies are gone, 80% of the rivers in China no longer support fish life, and 90% of the large fish in the worlds oceans are gone.

Earth is currently losing between 150 & 200 species every single day, and I can only wonder at the bountiful diversity that once graced this planet before our species came stumbling along into fossil fuels, industrialism, and the age of the infernal combustion machine, which may well render the planet uninhabitable for oxygen breathers.

I'm certainly not religious in any traditional sense of the word, but take another close-up look at this dragonfly, it has a message for us, and, it even looks as if it might have been praying when it died...

...praying, possibly, for the rest of us.

So, just in case, I'm keeping it in a box until Easter.

~

Photographed on a cloudy afternoon with a Canon SX10IS on a tripod; manual function, super macro setting, ISO 80, f/8.0, at 3 tenths of a second. Contrast & brightness slightly modified in Photoshop CS3. Some images cropped to show detail.

A Mother With Her Nine Ducklings At Sunrise

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

Last Friday, shortly after sunrise, Peggy, Dallas, and I came across this family of Mallard Ducks gliding along beside the footbridge at Stanfield Marsh.

The dim early morning light required me to use a fast & rather grainy ISO setting of 400 to capture this moment which I later softened with a light touch of watercolor effects in Photoshop.

The results are beautiful to my eye, portraying the scene with an artful interpretation beyond what the photograph captured.

THE WOLF MOON

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2010 jim otterstrom

The Wolf Moon, the largest, brightest moon of 2010, 14% bigger in diameter and 30% brighter than our lesser full moons (see why here).

The Wolf Moon was named by Native Americans for the wolves howling during cold winter nights. It is also known as The Old Moon, or the After Yule Moon.

The photo was taken from our deck last night at 9:19.

Canon S10IS---Hand held, full zoom (560mm), 1/500th second, f/5.7, ISO 80---cropped.

My Best Eagle Photograph, or...

...what I did yesterday Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

This magnificent American Bald Eagle is a resident of the Moonridge Animal Park here in Big Bear. The eagle has been injured, is blind in its right eye, and can no longer survive in the wild.

My original photo has the plywood ceiling of the eagle enclosure as a background. I replaced that background with the actual color of a Big Bear sky from one of my other photos because I couldn't bear to continually look at such a gorgeous creature in captivity. So, I set the eagle free, at least in the Spirit of a Photograph.

It took me more than 5 hours of working in Photoshop, pixel by pixel, to redefine the feathered edges of the bird to my satisfaction, a chilly afternoon well spent if you ask me.

The original photo was made on the same August day in 2007 as the Turkey Vulture photo below, these birds are next door neighbors. The sky color was taken from the Red-Tailed Hawk photo below the Turkey Vulture.

Anniversary...

...30 Years TodayClick on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Peg and I are celebrating our 30th Anniversary today.

And just how are we celebrating it?

By immersing ourselves in the common everyday beauty of our simple fragile lives, by taking an early morning walk with our beloved Dallas, and, by sharing a delicious home-cooked breakfast together out on the junk-shop patio before we get back to work painting the house and cleaning up the yard in preparation for winter...

To live a life of voluntary simplicity, "Simple in Means, but Rich in Ends", to borrow a phrase from the Deep Ecology movement, has been our goal for many years, and our commitment to that ideal strengthens with each passing day.

Extravagance and consumerism are not habits either of us find attractive, sustainable, or rewarding, but we did purchase a gift for ourselves which is in harmony with what we've accomplished thus far in our lifestyle changes.

Peggy has been researching Haybox Cooking and I've decided to build one for us in the very near future. So we bought ourselves a new Lodge cast iron 5 quart Dutch Oven (regularly $43.99, on sale for $26.99, with free shipping) which will be ideal for use with a Haybox.

Thirty Years...

...and you got Peggy a dutch oven???

Exactlioto Quasimoto, Peggy is the frugal one in our household, and I would've been in hot water had I gone out and squandered a wad of money on some lavish gift. Peggy is extremely down to earth and I really love that about her.

Remember, it was her idea to get rid of the car almost 13 years ago.

Thank goodness, because I wouldn't be the least bit interested in, or compatible with, a 'Material Girl'.

And tonight, after the day's work is finished, we'll be enjoying a nice hot bath together, a little massage, and then, who knows???

;~)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PEGGY SUE!!!

AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PRECIOUS YEARS YOU'VE SHARED WITH ME...

...another anniversary gift

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2009 jim otterstrom

Shortly before 7 A.M., during our walk this morning, three Great Blue Herons were congregating near the footbridge, two of them sitting on the railing. As we approached I was taking pictures and two of the giant birds flew off before I was close enough for a good shot. But this one here allowed me to get within 12 feet or so, staying there for a good long time while I snapped pictures and Peggy & Dallas looked on.

It's rare for a heron in the wild to allow a human to get this close, let alone two humans with a big black dog.

A gift indeed!!!

Chicken Thief Leaves A Calling Card???

Saturday Morning Excitement!

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

There's a very agile young black labrador who lives somewhere nearby and gets loose almost every morning for a little romp around the neighborhood. He comes down our street to chase the Cottontail Rabbits who live across the road and I've seen him effortlessly jump our next door neighbors 4 foot fence. I'm sure the only reason he hasn't come into our yard is that Dallas always challenges him at the gate.

I know he's been interested in our chickens for some time because I've caught him casing the joint and trying to figure out how to get closer to them. So, I only let the chickens out in the main yard when I'm here, with Dallas, to keep an eye on things.

Well, Saturday morning, I let the birds out about 7:30 and went back in the house for a few moments, to do something or other, when our friend Meredith called with some questions about caring for her young hens.

Mer, and her partner Deb, have acreage on the outskirts of civilization at the east end of the valley, and, at the very moment that I was suggesting they should be observant---for coyotes, bobcats, stray dogs, or any other critters which might jump their fence (not to mention hawks) while their hens are out free-ranging---I looked out my own front window to see the escape-artist labrador running up the street, toward our house, with our little red banty-rooster, Boris, in his mouth!

Dallas ran to the fence to confront him as I was coming out the door, but the obviously jubilant dog just ran on by at full speed.

Sure enough, I looked all around, and the hens were contentedly hunting and pecking about the yard, but there was no sign of Boris.

I was feeling very badly for the little rooster, who, as a sickly chick near death, had been nursed back to health with a shot of vodka, and I was also wondering how I was going to tell Jordanne, the young lady who raised Boris and gave him the vodka cure. I had promised her he would have a good life! I was wondering too, how the dog got in and out of our yard without Dallas noticing, and why I didn't hear any commotion.

Just then, the lab came running back down the street, but I couldn't see if he still had the rooster until he got right in front of the house, and no, he no longer had Boris in his jaws.

Then, after I came out from behind some trees, I saw the reddish pile of animal lying lifelessly in the road, dead-center of our property. I was heading out to pick up the remains of my deceased rooster when I looked down, and there was Boris, standing right in front of me, whole, healthy, and all full of himself.

I ran back to the house, to grab my other glasses, then returned to the scene of the crime where I found the above-pictured Halloween wolf-mask heaped in the road.

That show-off dog had found this awesome looking mask somewhere and was carrying it, snout first, in his mouth so all I could see was the fake red fur, which, from a distance, with my reading glasses on, looked to be the same size and color as little Boris.

Needless to say, Peggy and I both had a good long chuckle over our little tragedy turned comedy, the Resurrection Of Boris, and that rascal lab with his delightful wolf-mask, which is now in our possession. Peggy was especially giddy (actually in tears) because I'm always teasing her about not being able to see without her glasses.

But, the would-be chicken thief has left his calling card, and I've taken his blunt warning seriously.

The chickens will not be in the front yard unless I'm out there with them!

I must admit though, that I'm learning to admire this little black lab who so aptly communicated his desire for some fresh chicken.

The honesty in his cleverness (whether intentional or otherwise) has somewhat endeared the wayward dog to me, but I'll be watching him very closely, Jordanne.

I guess this was our belated Trick or Treat!

~PEACE~

Today's Sunrise Walk - A Short Photo Essay

Stanfield Marsh - 6:22 A.M.

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

Five Minutes Later Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

And The Morning Glided Along...Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

...To Reveal Nature Be-Jeweled

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

And Dog's Running Free...

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom


Life Is Good!!!
Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

All this fun, on foot, and we were home by nine o'clock.

For The Contrary Goddess...

Buddha and the Mushroom Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

Fellow blogger, The Contrary Goddess, gave me a "tiny challenge" I couldn't resist.

"Name 100 species which live in your neighborhood", she asked.

Well, here's 117 native (or migratory) species which are residents or visitors to our own yard, and I've barely scratched the surface of the bird and insect visitors.

As I find the time I'll be adding the scientific names to the list below and will include links to various botanical websites for plant profiles.

Earth Home Garden Species

1. Common Yarrow

(Achillea millefolium)

2. Wild Onion

(Allium sp.)

3. Indian Hemp

(Apocynum cannabinum)

4. Rock-Cress

(Arabis pulchra)

5. Prickly Poppy

(Argemone munita)

6. Crimson Columbine

(Aquilegia formosa)

7. Narrow Leaf Milkweed

(Asclepias fascicularis)

8. Green Striped Mariposa Lily

(Calochortus invenustus)

9. Wild Morning-Glory
10. Indian Paintbrush
11. Ash Gray Paintbrush
12. Thistle
13. Miner’s Lettuce
14. Virgin’s Bower (Pipestem)
15. Wild Hyacinth (Blue Dicks)
16. Fireweed
17. California Fuschia
18. Stream Orchid
19. Fleabane
20. Yerba Santa
21. California Buckwheat
22. Pine Buckwheat
23. Sulfur Flower (Sulfur-Color Buckwheat)
24. Wright’s Buckwheat
25. Western Wallflower
26. California Poppy
27. Wild Geranium
28. Gilia
29. Rydberg’s Horkelia
30. Western Blue Iris (Blue Flag)
31. Granite Gilia (Prickly Phlox)
32. Mountain Aster
33. Humboldt Lily
34. Lemon Lily
35. Blue Flax
36. Brewer’s Lupine
37. Grape Soda Lupine
38. Dwarf Lupine
39. Giant Lupine
40. Tarweed
41. Pineapple Weed
42. Coyote Mint
43. Coyote Tobacco
44. California Evening Primrose
45. Anderson’s Penstemon
46. San Bernardino Beardtongue
47. Firecracker Penstemon
48. Bumble-Bee Penstemon
49. Scarlet Penstemon
50. Mountain Bugler
51. Showy Penstemon
52. Desert Blue Bells
53. Mountain Phacelia
54. Sticky Cinquefoil
55. Buttercup
56. Southern Goldenrod
57. Apricot Mallow
58. White Hedge Nettle
59. Stinging Nettle
60. Hedgehog Cactus
61. Beaver-Tail Cactus
62. Cane Cholla (Snake Cholla)
63. Prickly-Pear Cactus
64. Utah Service-Berry
65. Greenleaf Manzanita
66. Silver Wormwood
67. Great Basin Sage
68. Rubber Rabbitbrush
69. California Flannelbush
70. Fremont’s Bushmallow
71. Western Choke-Cherry
72. Antelope Bush
73. Sierra Currant
74. Rose Sage
75. Apricot Mallow
76. Snowberry
77. White Fir
78. Incense Cedar
79. Mountain Mahogany
80. Western Juniper
81. Jeffrey Pine
82. Singleleaf Pinyon Pine
83. Quaking Aspen
84. California Black Oak
85. Pygmy Nuthatch
86. White-Breasted Nuthatch
87. Mountain Chickadee
88. Western Bluebird
89. Steller’s Jay
90. Northern Flicker
91. White-Headed Woodpecker
92. Anna’s Hummingbird
93. Rufous Hummingbird
94. Western Tanager
95. Wilson’s Warbler
96. Yellow-Rumped Warbler
97. Mourning Dove
98. Acorn Woodpecker
99. Hairy Woodpecker
100. Violet-Green Swallow
101. American Robin
102. Black-Headed Grosbeak
103. Rufous-Sided Towhee
104. Band-Tailed Pigeon
105. Lesser Goldfinch
106. Dark-Eyed Junco
107. Cassin’s Finch
108. Mourning Cloak Butterfly
109. Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
110. Painted Lady Butterfly
111. California Sister Butterfly
112. Monarch Butterfly
113. Western Gray Squirrel
114. California Ground Squirrel
115. Merriam Chipmunk
116. Western Toad

117. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

Cozy Winter Coop...

~YARDBIRDS~ Click on photo to enlarge -© 2008 jim otterstrom

Some of our hens and the recently rechristened Boris Major, a bantam Golden Lace Cochin Rooster, enjoy the chicken yard before the approaching storm hits.

This is predicted to be a major winter storm so I decided to clean out the coop yesterday, laying down fresh alfalfa litter, and refilling the nest boxes with wood chips.

I also consolidated our three stacks of firewood into two, covered them with tarps, cleaned out the raingutters and generally straightened up the yard.

HENSPECTION!Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

One of our Black Australorp hens carefully inspects the nest boxes after I freshened them up.

Everything Seems To Be In OrderClick on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

The Black Australorp is soon joined by a Light Brahma and a Barred Rock who all seem to approve of the housekeeping efforts.

Food (check), water (check), edible litter (check), comfy nests (check), perches intact (check), OK, let's go back outside while we can!

ME FIRST!!Click on photo to enlarge - © 2008 jim otterstrom

The storm was supposed to hit last night but it was still clear and relatively warm when Peggy & I took our walk at 7 this morning.

It's clouded up now though and getting quite cold so it shouldn't be long now. Let's hope we do get some substantial precipitation, whether rain, or snow.

The chickens are ready...

Dallas With Snowflakes...

...On The Porch This Very Morning

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Dallas, at 9:30 this morning, watching me from the porch with his chin resting on the lower railing.

Snow is falling lightly, Peggy is curled up on the couch downstairs reading Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine', there's a warm glow coming from the woodstove and John Fahey is playing guitar on 'Robinhood Radio'.

I'm upstairs enjoying the peaceful ambiance of home on a Saturday morning while I sit at the computer restoring some ancient family photos in Photoshop and finishing up the Acorn Class post which will be on the blog sometime today!

Now David Lindley and El Rayo X are coming through the old Sansui with 'Tiki Torches At Twilight'.

Our 30 year old Sansui 9090DB receiver, and matching 1977 Sansui 5000A speakers, seem right at home with the nearly 13,000 hand-picked tunes playing through them by way of that new-fangled i-Pod gizmo hooked up to the system.

POSTSCRIPT

The songs below were also heard on our own homegrown Robinhood Radio today as the minutes ticked sweetly away...

Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley

Hip-Hugger - Booker T & The MGs

Dragalevska Ruchenitsa - Traicho Sinapov

There's A Moon Out Tonight - The Capris

Run Pete Run - Jimmy Martin

Raunchy - Bill Justis

Two Hearts - Chris Isaak

That Growling Baby Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson

The Fool On The Hill - The Beatles

Ti-Pi-Tin - The Andrews Sisters

Prairie Lullabye - Jimmie Rodgers

Choo Choo Ch' Boogie - Asleep At The Wheel

Dancing In the Dark - Cannonball Adderly

Saucy Sailor - The Wailin' Jennys

Carry On - Crosby, Stills & Nash

C'est Un Mauvais Garcon - Baguette Quartette

Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley

Blue Motel Room - Joni Mitchell

Ain't Enough - Guthrie Kennard

This Masquerade - George Benson

The Devil's Great Grandson - Sons Of The Pioneers

No Ordinary Love - Sade

In The Rhythms - Nobuko Miyamoto

Swanee River - Oscar Aleman

He's Funny That Way - Billie Holiday

Walk Between Raindrops - Donald Fagen

Spadella - Spade Cooley

Can't Feel At Home - The Carter Family

Come See About Me - The Supremes

Coal Creek March - Pete Seeger

Rock Island Blues - Lewis Black

When You Come Back Down - Nickel Creek

It Had To Be You - Billie Holiday

Mademoiselle Will Decide - Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with Mark Knopfler

Khar-Shabi - T. Fazylova

I Betcha My Heart I Love You - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys

Abilene - Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men

That Nasty Swing - Cliff Carlisle

Rollin' & Tumblin' - Canned Heat

Working Class Hero - Beatle Jazz

People Are Strange - The Doors

Opus 57 - David Grisman

Truck Driver's Blues - Cliff Bruner & his Boys

And So It Goes - Graham Nash

Just Like Starting Over - John Lennon

Hobo's Lullaby - Arlo Guthrie

Disgusted - Lucinda Williams

Em Mi Viejo San Juan - Los Panchos & Noel Estrada

I Know That You Know - Lionel Hampton

Mistreated Blues - Jimmy Gordon

Cookie Man - The Jazz Crusaders

Blue Light Boogie - Taj Mahal

El Paso - Marty Robbins

My Uncle - The Flying Burrito Brothers

I'll Be Ready When The Great Day Comes - Teddy Bunn

Driftin' - Eric Clapton

Contemporary Blues - Barney Kessel

The Day You Came Along - Jimmy Rowles

Carmelita - Linda Ronstadt

Viavy Raoxy - Henry Kaiser & David Lindley

I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations

Beautiful Delilah - The Kinks

Cryin' Shame - Lyle Lovett

Lookin' For A Leader - Neil Young

Chains Of Love - J.J. Cale

Just Waitin' - Hank Williams

Ain't Got No Home - Clarence 'Frogman' Henry

Follow Me Home - Dire Straits

Take A Whiff On Me - Woody Guthrie

One World - Dire Straits

Las Cuatro Milpas (Four Little Cornfields) - Mariachi Coculense de Cirilo Marmolejo

Vaseline Machine Gun - Leo Kottke

4 on 6 - Lee Ritenour

Lucky Thirteen Blues - Brother Yusef

Keep It Clean - Charley Jordan

When The Sun Goes Down - Leroy Carr

Cold Blooded Murder #2 - Bumble Bee Slim

Nocturno - Andrés Segovia

The Roundup In The Spring - Martin Roberts

Slow Walk - Bill Doggett And His Combo

Blue Flame - Elvin Bishop

Almost Cut My Hair - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Man In The Long Black Coat - Bob Dylan

Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman

Can't Put A Bridle On That Mule This Morning - Julius Daniels

I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me - Hot Club Of Cowtown

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor? - Lonnie Donegan

Mosadi - The Crusaders

With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles

Don't Get So Down On Yourself - Chris Isaak

Wrong Man Blues - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

What'd I Say - Jerry Lee Lewis

Morning Train - John Prine

Muskadine Blues - Little Walter & Baby Face Leroy

Tralala - Mark Knopfler

Blue In Green - Miles Davis

Gotta Serve Somebody - Bob Dylan

Hattie & Janelle - Joe Craven & Rob Ickes

Love Is A Rose - Neil Young

Oh Carol - Chuck Berry

Creepin' In - Norah Jones

Dance Me To The End Of Love - Madeleine Peyroux

...and, there you have it.

Nearly an entire day of Robinhood Radio (at least what I remembered to write down) as presented by the iPod at Earth Home Garden while Jim caught up on computer stuff, and Peg finished her book.

Goodnight all, it is now 10:03 P.M.

Unlikely Bedfellows?

Fuzzy Couch Potatoes

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Dallas and Neo commandeered the couch on a rainy Friday.

It started raining yesterday morning sometime before 3 A.M. and continued until well past midnight last night. The rain fell moderate and steady all day long and we're having very light snow flurries this morning.

The moisture is very welcome indeed and we got something over 2 inches in a 24 hour period.

Whoa!

I just noticed it's December!!!

Just'a Walkin' The Dog

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

Dallas and I out for a walk at 8:23 in the morning.

Six Days In September --- Mountains, Music, & Merryment --- 34 Pictures, with links...

~Thursday~

September, 13th

MT. WHITNEY FISH HATCHERY Click on any photo to enlarge - all photos © 2007 jim otterstrom unless otherwise noted

Peggy and I went on vacation in September to the Eastern Sierras.

We rented a car---for the second time this year*---to visit friends in Independence, California.

Our friends, Brad & Amy, pictured below with their daughters, are wildlife biologists who live near this historic hatchery, built in 1917.

We arrived at their house shortly before noon and the girls immediately took off grocery shopping, so Brad & I had to entertain ourselves out in the back yard with beer, music, dogs, a few yarns, & the majestic Sierras as a backdrop.

:~)

*We rent a car between 2 & 4 times a year to visit friends, attend family gatherings, or just get away. We don't own one or use them in our daily lives.

~Friday~

Amy, Hannah, Claire, and Brad

Hatchery Pond

The hatchery pond is full of Rainbow Trout and sometimes Claire and Hannah get to feed the fish.

Claire & Hannah Pose
Among The Rocks Of 'Secret Valley'

On Friday, our first full day of Independence, Claire and Hannah wanted to take us on a hike to one of their favorite places, "Secret Valley".


On the trail to Secret Valley

Along the way to Secret Valley is an ancient dump containing priceless hidden treasures. Brad, Peg, and Claire head up the trail trying to catch up with Amy and Hannah, while Jim lags among the rusty old cans & broken bottles.

"Hold On Guys, I Could Use Some Of This Stuff!"

Peg & Jim's Treasure Trove

In just a few minutes we found and old whiskey bottle, two pieces of melted cobalt blue glass, the embossed bottom of a Sani-Clor bleach bottle, a piece of a fancy candy dish, and old perfume bottle stopper, a nicely rusted---pre pop-top---steel Lucky Lager beer can, and a metal California license plate tag from 1952, the year of Peggy's birth.

PRICELESS, I'm Tellin' Ya!!


~Entering Secret Valley~

As we entered Secret Valley, Gracie, the matriarch of our friend's three-dog pack, took a short cut, which led to my 'find of the day'.


The Remnants Of An Antique Electric Hotplate

photo by Amy

Thank you Gracie, for leading me to this great artifact I'll be adding to the collections of...

The Earth Home Botanical & Beer Gardens

~Last Outpost Museum~

& Temple Of The Lost Civilization.


WIDE OPEN SPACE

Peggy takes in the view, looking south, from the other side of Secret Valley.


And Yes, The Sky Really Was This Blue
Looking back at boulders we climbed over on the hike out of Secret Valley.


Dallas, Cooling Off In Oak Creek
Frolicking & quenching his thirst for quite some time in this cool rushing Sierra snow melt, Dallas was reluctant to come out of the water, after our long warm hike. I'm glad I wasn't wearing that coat!

After our morning hike we drove a few miles south to the

Manzanar National Historic Site

A World War II Japanese Internment Camp

Manzanar has been partially restored and is now under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Below is a description from the NPS website.

"The Manzanar Interpretive Center includes 8000 square feet of exhibits, a bookstore, and theaters which show the site's award winning 22-minute film, 'Remembering Manzanar'.

Extensive exhibits span a century of history, from 1885 to the present, with a focus on the World War II relocation and internment of Japanese Americans from the west coast.

Exhibits include a large scale model of Manzanar War Relocation Center crafted by former internees, historic photographs and audiovisual programs, and artifacts. A large graphic includes the names of over 10,000 Japanese Americans who spent all or part of World War II at Manzanar."

My camera batteries died on this heart-wrenching historical excursion so I have no pictures, but I'm adding several links below so you can read about the place.

http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/manzanar1/page10.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanar

http://www.nps.gov/manz/planyourvisit/interpretive-center.htm

http://www.manzanarcommittee.org/

~NEXT ON OUR AGENDA ~

MILLPOND MUSIC FESTIVAL

September 14th, 15th, & 16th, 2007

We all had tickets for the 3-day, Inyo Council For The Arts, Millpond Music Festival in Bishop, California.

Peggy & I came to Millpond in 2003 on our way home from The Strawberry Music Festival just outside of Yosemite, and we loved it here.

This is the first chance we've had to come back.

Here's an accurately descriptive blurb from their website.
“Millpond Music Festival brings an eclectic and fine collection of traditional and contemporary music to one of the most intimate festival surroundings imaginable. Crossing ethnic and cultural lines in a celebration of life in all its diversity, you can immerse yourself in an exotic mix of world music, surrounded by the stunning mountains at autumn's first blush.”

There were 18 acts performing over 3 days, beginnng at 6 P.M. Friday, and ending about 9 P.M. Sunday. So much is going on at the festival that I didn't get pictures of all the performers, but some of our favorites are pictured below.

Other perfromers we liked included:

IDLE HANDS BLUEGRASS BAND

WILL KIMBROUGH

INCENDIO

THE WEST AFRICAN HIGHLIFE BAND

JOE CRAVEN* & DJANGO LATINO

THE JOHN JORGENSON QUINTET

*Joe Craven is a wonderful wild man, just visit his website and put a smile on your face.

~Saturday~

Ashley Broder & Jamie Laval

"Traditional Scottish, Irish, Bretagne and bluegrass music with innovative hints of classical refinement and ethnic music from around the world."
(read more at Ashley's website)

For us, this extremely talented Celtic duo was one of the highlights of Millpond this year.
We bought their great CD, Zephyr in the Confetti Factory, and Ashley Broder even posted my photo of them on her website.

TAARKA

David Tiller and Enion Pelter-Tiller, of TAARKA, create energetic magic with their "seismic gypsy hypno-jazz" on Saturday, following Ashley & Jamie, with another crowd-pleasing performance.

Saturday Night Jam At Nina's Camp

Nina (in lavender at the right), a friend of Brad & Amy's, plays her mandolin during a sweet little jam at her Millpond campsite on Saturday night. Some very good players dropped by to sit in.
At the left of the table in the background, you can see Peggy with Claire on her lap.

More players at Nina's Jam

Another view of Nina's jam, from the opposite side of camp, catches Brad playing some of his fancy guitar licks, just before the guy in the center, playing mandolin, started belting out some great vocals---and a fine yodeler he is too!


The Horse Flies

Rich Stearns, Judy Hyman, & Jeff Claus, of The Horse Flies

Composite photo by jim otterstrom

"A band that's earned a buzz ... The Horse Flies churn out swirling, addictive songs, blending tradition with invention." -- Rolling Stone

Peggy and I came to Millpond to dance, and The Horse Flies really delivered the groove with their driving, primal---almost trance-inducing---techno-bluegrass mind-bending rhythmic jams.

HAVING THIS MUCH FUN CAN'T POSSIBLY BE LEGAL!!!

From 9 P.M. til after midnight we danced non-stop, which took us into the wee hours of Sunday, September 16th, our 28th Wedding Anniversary, and what a fantastic way to celebrate it!


Fellow Revelers Dancing To The Horse Flies

As you can see, everyone was having a helluva good time!

That's Nina again, on the left.

She hiked for 4 days, alone, out of Sequoia National Park to attend Millpond, and then hiked 4 more days back in again.

~Sunday~

The Waybacks with Joe CravenThe closing act on Sunday night, still our Anniversary, was The Waybacks, a hot band of musical prodigies with dizzying chops. Another group that had everybody on their feet!

A Happy Blurry Peggy In Dance Mode
Just Before Sundown As The Waybacks Get Started
What can I say, it's hard to focus the camera when you're dancing.
That's Claire 'dancing' with Brad on the right.

What Is She Doing With That Guy?

~Love Is Blind~

Peg & Jim In Front Of The Waybacks
~photo by a thoughtful girl in the audience~

~MONDAY~

more adventures in nature On the way to Mount Whitney Road, and a day of hiking at the edge of the Golden Trout and John Muir Wilderness areas, Claire shows me and Dallas a cave that would be perfect for us to live in.
Good Find Claire! I'm Ready To Move In...
I think I even have a door to fit it!


A Little Farther Up The Road
We saw this beat up old Desert Tortoise on the shoulder, heading for the highway, so Amy very carefully moved it across the road so it wouldn't get run over.


WHERE WE WERE HEADEDThis sign was the end of the line for Dallas, he's not allowed in Wilderness areas.

Along the Way...
Peg & Claire on a log bridge


Hannah dropping pebbles in a pool...


Brad exploring nooks & crannies...


~Coming Back Down, After The Hike~
Looking Northeast toward Lone Pine...
...and no, we're not in an airplane!



WE'RE ON THIS ROAD!!!
An adventure in itself...

...but then came

~THE ALABAMA HILLS~

One of the most breathtaking places I've ever seen.
I''ll be coming back to this spot with my camera, for maybe a week, just to explore & take pictures!
I love this photo, it's the new backgound on my computer screen.
And it's just how it came from the camera, no color enhancement.


The end of a long day...
...back at Brad & Amy's place

~Tuesday~

On The Way Home

A stop at Fossil Falls





~and then~


Back Home, Tuesday Afternoon, September 18th???

The sky was full of water-dropping helicopters...

...because

photo by Jonny-the Computer Doctor

This is what had been going on in Big Bear while we were lost in bliss in the Eastern Sierra.
The town of Fawnskin, on the north shore, was still evacuated, but no homes were lost, and the fire was pretty much contained by that time.
Glad we missed it!
Sometimes Ignorance Is Bliss!