Full moon over Bull Run

This is a capture from the web cam!

Slip Sliding!

 

Our friend Holly Ocampo has started a children's party business, she bought a couple of of those inflatable jumpers, and a water slide. So Sunday, she tested the slide out with probably the most rambunctious, um, kids around.

Slip Sliding

Click for the slideshow, and check out the warning sign. I think they broke every rule within minutes...

Up the creek

 
A heron posed amid the cottonwood fluff on the water
 
and then he flew.

(click photos for close up Great Blue Heron view)

Fritzi has a swimming lesson

 
It was 104 today in the KRV. The river beckoned
 
April demonstrates
 
Wet dog!

My favorite photo

 
so far this trip.

It's the view coming into Kernville from the crest at Rocky Point. Click for giant version.

Fireworks!

The custom round these parts is that the 4th of July Fireworks are held on Saturday, no matter what the actual day of the holiday.
 
We went to a party at Dutch Flat, high above Lake Isabella.
 
It was the perfect spot to watch the fireworks over the lake. Thousands lined the shore of Isabella, but we had a birds eye view.

Fourth of July

The river is full of folks and the sky is full of smoke. The Piute fire has grown to 20-thousand acres. That smoke plume can be seen all the way to Nevada.

.

At the Pub

Josh sits in (the corner).
 
The band is called Out of the Blue.
 
They play every Friday night.
 
The Kern River Brewing Company occupies the building that was once the Just For Fun Club. From Cherry Cokes and a jukebox in the '70's, to beer and bluegrass in the 'aughts. Evolution!

Piute Fire

We're still in Las Vegas, but understand that the Kern River Valley has been cloaked in smoke from a couple of fires. Last night, our friend Tysun shot these incredible photographs of the Piute Fire. In the first shot, Lake Isabella is in the foreground, the town on the left is Mount Mesa and on the right is Isabella. Tysun's house is high in the hills of Woffard Heights, which shows in the second shot.

Ed Gordon, 1925-2008

Ed Gordon passed away in his sleep on the evening of June 23. It would have been Ed and Norma's 62nd anniversary.

Dog on white

Photo by Marty Kreloff

A Birthday Surprise

Our friend Marty Kreloff surprised Josh with this marvelous sketch of he and Fritzi.

Suddenly She's Bigger!

We've had Fritzi for four weeks on Saturday. And what a long four weeks it has been! Let's see:

1. Splitting the job of waking up at the crank of dawn every day. Oh, also, at least once in the middle of the night. (Calculate the dog's age in month plus one is the number of hours they can hold their tiny bladders.)
   
2. Every day is an exercise in making the house puppy-safe. We've resorted to the not particularly unpleasant practice of spending most of the day out on the patio. (Life can be rough.)
   
3. Second week in, Fritzi has a reaction to either her vaccination or to a dose of Amoxicillin, and spends most of Memorial Day weekend totally lethargic. We of course were quite worrried. Off the amoxicillin, and she's just fine by Tuesday. (There's a reason we don't have children).
4. The evening we get home, Fritzi is exploring the new house, and discovers a possible Tasty Treat on the balcony floor. Oops, it's a bee. Oops, she has a hyperallergic reaction, and her face and muzzle swell all up. Hello, Benedryl; hello Las Vegas Emergency Veterinarian, who are very very good and efficient and give her some more Benedryl and a bit of steroid. We were quite worried. (There's a reason we don't have children.)
5. Then four days later, Roberta sprains her ankle. Remember that part about splitting the job of waking up in the middle of the night? (There's a reason we don't have children.)
6. Doggie Oasis, a local doggy day-care place with a very good reputation, quite reasonably won't accept her until she's old enough to have he rabies shot. That's very understandable, but we'd been hoping for a way to get a break. (I need a nap.)

I fell down!

Last Sunday we went to one of our favorite events, "Best in Show", a fundraiser for the Animal Foundation, which supports the Lied Animal Shelter in Las Vegas, but as we were walking to our table an uneven riser caused me to fall, badly spraining my ankle.

Paramedics were called, and ultimately I was wheeled out the door in a wheelchair and swept off to the emergency room. Now I am hobbling around with a walking cast, and we had to miss Dance Camp.

Baby Horses!

On our way out of Kernville, we stopped at our friend Keith Pringle's place to see his trio of foals. Cute! (Blame Keith for Josh's ukulele fixation.)

Pringle's Place (click this photo for a slide show!)

Josh-n-Fritzi

Death Valley Views

Towne Pass.

As we prepare to head back to LV, here's a slide show
of some snaps across the Valley.

Death Valley Views

The Scene

Even though it was freezing cold, and the river had
dropped by half, the rafting folk made a constant parade


Most of the beach is back now


This silly young scrub jay entertained us with his antics.

Heroic Sky

 
The wild Memorial Day weather moved out on Monday. There was wind, rain and even snow at 6000ft. But this afternoon the sky was just plain beautiful. Click the photo for the giant version.

Fritzi's not feeling good

She's been listless and tired, perhaps from antibiotics
or maybe something else, so we sit and watch over
her. Hence all the sudden blogging...

Dave attempts surfing on the Kern

He brought his surfboard, wetsuit and a hank of rope, which he tied to the tree. He almost made it standing up...



On this particular day, the river was flowing at near it's peak of 3000 cfs.

King Snake!

And off he goes!

Our Raft Ride

Rick and friends showed up on our beach with his new oar boat and off we went down the river!

Our raft ride

Birthday gift

A lovely evening out, and a new glass bowl by our artist friend
Sara Teed

Weird May Weather

 
We had dinner at Ewings for Josh's birthday and watched the storm approach.

Puppy Firsts

Fritzie's first ear up.

A slideshow of other ridiculously cute firsts...

Puppy Firsts

Me on Antiques Roadshow

Yay! Check it out!

Fritzi's parents

Her father's pedigree













Her mother's pedigree

Meet Fritzi

She's a ten-week-old German Shepard puppy and a love. She came from the Grewe Training Center in Tehachapi.

Antiques Roadshow Reminder!

I will be on Antiques Roadshow on Monday, May 12 at 8pm.