Too Darn Hot (and dry)

The river is so low there is not enough water to run the hydroelectric plant. This water is being released to
the fish hatchery instead of going down the penstocks.

The vegetation in the Bull Run Basin is tinder dry, and there's lots of it due to last year's heavy rains.

Everything looks like fuel. This is going to be a long fire season

Cows with Guns

If you haven't seen this, you must. It takes time to load but is worth every second.

Cows With Guns

New Improved Webcam 2

Webcam 2 has been replaced with a new one with a much nicer pic. Enjoy!

Fourth of July Float

Yesterday we joined about 20 of our friends to float down the river on inner tubes. It was a combination birthday party/parade/beerfest. Here are some shots of the gang gathering at Riverside Park. One of the tubers brought along a waterproof camera and I hope to add images of the trip itself in the near future. Meantime: here's a slideshow.


(photos actually by Roberta)

The Bobcat

As I drove out this morning, I saw the big kitty crossing the neighbor's driveway and then the road in front of me.

This photo was taken on Siretta Street, a couple of miles away, but we figure it's the same creature because female bobcats have a range of some three-thousand acres. So now she's not just a bobcat, but The Bobcat.

Bat Nap

 
Earlier in the day we found a small Mexican brown bat snoozing as he hung from the rock work by the door.

Evening Wildlife

We opened the front door to this.


The deer stared at us for a long time


And Solar Squirrel watches all.

Some Highlights

We saw a grinding stone that the native women used to make acorn flour


This is an old fence marking the original Burlando Ranch. Yellowjacket is in the background.


The lovely shape of the branches surrounding the rock caught my eye. Then we saw something else...

A closer look

showed a rattler under the rock. Look closely at all the buttons on his tail... We're not sure if he was alive or not. I threw a rock his direction (from a very safe distance) and he didn't respond.

Morning Walk

 
The glade was full of color in the early morning sun.

 
Josh crosses the creek

 

The datura was in bloom all along the trail

The Twinkies

Perhaps Jackson just got tired of these folks hanging around his front gate.

 

"The Neighbor" is moving out

this according to todays Norm!

The Beatles/Love

Mike, Pat, Josh and Roberta go to the Mirage and see the Beatles show

 
 
 
 

Dance Camp!

 
 
 

For four days, we danced eight hours a day, doing everything from Samba to Rumba to Mambo to Waltz.

What we're doing this week

Dance Camp

Stella, by Marty Kreloff

My nephew Max

This is from Peter.

Last week we got a letter from Max's school, notifying us that we should attend the Albert Leonard Middle School Awards Ceremony, as Max was going to be recognized.

The first awards given were the national President Outstanding Scholarship Award, with a message from the President of the USA, read by Principal Evans, a certificate signed by Pres. G.W. Bush and Sec of Ed. Margaret Spelling,. This award goes to students who consistently make the honor roll and alos do well on the NCLB standardized tests. Max's name was called, and along with dozens of his classmates he proudly took to the stage to receive his award.

Next, the school's Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship awards were given to honor roll students. Again, Max is called to the stage.

The academic achievement awards follow. Max, surprised, receives the award for Ouststanding Achievement in Math, and when he is onstage being congratulated by his teachers, he says to his math teacher, "Hey, since almost all of the class is here tonight, how about postponing tomorrow's test?" The teacher say's she'll think about it.

A few awards go by, and Max's name is again called for the award in Latin. Onstage, while shaking hands, he asks the math teacher if she had thought about it, and she said she was still thinking. Max said, "OK, how about if I get called up to this stage one more time you postpone the test?" The teacher agreed to that deal.

And indeed, Max was called to the stage a fifth, and final, time, to receive the award for outstanding achievement in instrument music. This time, he didn't talk with the math teacher.

At the end of the night, after all recipients were acknowledged by the principal, the math teacher makes an annoucement: "Due to student requests, tomorrow's test shall be postponed."

The loudest cheers of the evening were heard, and everyone went home.

Blue Moon over the Kern

 
 
 

Brad and Josh enjoy the great outdoors

 

Big Kitty

In other predator news...I got Josh a large print of this bobcat photo. Our friend, news photographer Dan Ocampo heard the ruckus of ravens outside his house on Sirretta Street in Kernville. He came out to see what was happening and snapped the bobcat sauntering down the street.

 

Sightings on the road

This afternoon as I was heading to the flyfishing shop to try to schedule an adventure for tomorrow (no dice, Guy was out of town), I saw a coyote crossing our dirt road, Rio del Loma. This wasn't too surprising -- a lot of people have seen him recently. But as I looked to see where he was going, he flushed a roadrunner! I got to see a coyote and a roadrunner in one blink of an eye. I am SO happy.

I tried it too.

 

Before the fishing...

comes the fly tying.



The idea is to imitate one of the many bugs and things that a trout will eat.

Trouts!

I caught two trout yesterday -- my first! Fishfishfish. An 11-incher and a 9-incher.

As Brad said when he saw my fly-tying setup: "You are so fucked."

Josh gets a fishing lesson for his birthday

 

Catfish Suckers in Bull Run Creek

There are at least three of these guys scouring the bottom of our creek right now. Sometimes they leap straight up out of the water. Not quite like breaching whales, but still...

Addendum: Apparently these are Sacramento Suckers.

Fire season

Early fire season here in Kernville. This is already the second of the year; apparently, winds blew a tin piece off of a roof; the piece of tin hit a powerline, and set off the fire.

And then we danced...

Here we are in the middle of our tango routine. Yes, our tango routine.