Tiger's Camping trip.

With my current situation it is hard for me to go anywhere overnight. I can leave the Birds for at least one day of fasting, but leaving the Cat is a different situation. I need to make sure he gets his inhaler in the morning and the last thing at night. Yeah, I know, there are lots of cats, but this sucker is a bit different than the run of the mill puddy cat. Beside Karen would find a way to get even with me if I offed him. In fact the sucker has wormed his way into my affection not to mention impressed me with his adaptability.

Its pretty easy to get someone to drop what they need to do to come over and toss some quail to Jessie and Hope. Giving Tiger his inhaler treatment at 10 PM is a bit of a different story. So I have been exposing him to traveling. The Fifth Wheel is a no brainer. He thinks of it as his other home. He also doesn't mind riding in the truck. in fact he curls up and goes to sleep with the dogs. I noticed in the past that he would home on the fifth wheel, and was safe to let out to explore and whiz.

I took the fifth wheel in to get the heater fan replaced, slide awning also replaced, kitchen sink faucet also replaced and wheel bearings packed. Found out that it needed brakes as well. Then on the way home blew out a tire, but got lucky in that the rim wasn't ruined and there was no damage to the trailer itself.

My lady friend and I decided to take it on a test run, to Idlewild camp grounds on the way to her work site. Since I need four new tires, Burns was the place to get them and the campgrounds are just a few miles out of town. She would spend the night and then go on to her work at Silvies Resort the next morning.

After I arrived at the site I wanted,  I turned every one out of the truck and finished getting the trailer settled. Connie arrived in her rig, and we sat around a campfire and let the critters explore. I use shock collars on the dogs, but set it to "audible" in case I need to get their attention or to keep them from straying too far. Tiger really liked the woods, but stayed close to the rig and us.

Since it is so early in the year, we pretty well had the entire camp ground to ourselves. Tiger was quite responsible, and I didn't have to go looking for him at all. I got up about 5 AM while it was still dark and the dogs and I went out to water the shrubbery, Tiger went as well. I was a bit worried due to the Owls and possible Coyotes, but he did his business and came right back in without prompting.

It looks like I have a traveling partner.

Irony, the second time around :-/

I am sure that all of you are aware that Karen my wife for 53 years passed away in January. While I miss her very much, I also understand that she couldn't stay here any longer. So here I am rattling around in this house a bit like a rock in a tin can. I had great support from all my friends, and the special ones that I call "my little mothers". My phone rang every day and many times in those days from perceptive friends that knew that I needed to not forget that life actually does go on. To all of those, I thank and love you more than I can express. Its a bit difficult to decide whether to finish typing that sentence, or wipe my runny nose and dripping eyes. In any case, I am better with the time and the increasingly better spring days. I would like to share with you the quixotic reality of dating at 73.

The first thing that one sees in their friends eyes when the subject is raised is either, "Good for you", or a couple of blinks, and you know they are thinking "damn, that didn't take long". I even questioned my motives as well. I realized that I wanted the same easy relationship that Karen and I had. Not a replacement for Karen, but the same kind of relationship.

Well, bars and social opportunities being what they are when you live in an area that you only have two neighbors. One at 3 miles, the other at 25, can be a little slow. So its off to the dating sites. Match dot com was the obvious choice. Signed up for 6 months. It just might not be all that easy to find a woman that would like to move to a zip code that only gets mail three times a week.

I don't know if any of you elderly folk have ever successfully taken a selfie or not, but I found it to be a bit harder than I thought it would be. First you have to learn how to reduce all those wrinkles and frown lines, not to mention holding the damn phone straight, and all at the same time. Even if I could find someone to take it for me, I would be entirely too mortified to do so.

So I cobbled together what I felt would be a suitable representation of who I thought I was without making it sound too bad, but trying to put a bit of shine on it as well, and began waiting for all the offers to come rolling in. 

Next I put in a "search" for women 65 to 75 within 300 miles. 2400 pictures popped up. Most of them seemed to want to "go to the Super Bowl" or "Change someones life for the better." I decided that these were probably canned answers for those like me who were totally dumbfounded when asked to "describe yourself". What I did find that seemed to be a common theme, was that all these women had some sort of College degree. I am not sure that you will quite understand, but to me that information was a lot like the sound of a stick breaking behind you in totally dark woods at night. You must understand that in my time here on earth, those well educated, well meaning people have been the main obstacle to what I most wanted to do. Most of them seem to want to tell the rest of us, the unwashed, what to do and how to live. Then the rest of the prospects wanted to unfold their wings and see the world. Ain't happening!

So I decided that perhaps I might be better off with a class of ladies that were a bit more down to earth. I joined Farmers Only. This one gave me a lot more responses, but I noticed a new theme running through this one. All of them were loaded down with pets and horses and most wanted Ranchers for husbands, which lead me to believe that they were living in fairy tale land as well. Most of those poor guys work till they die, as well as all day long. My answer of "I am not a rancher, but I know of a couple, I would be glad to introduce you" didn't seem to get much response. Then there are those who put a picture of their horse, truck, dog or like one, a prize bull. Discretion got the best of me so I wrote to her and told her that I thought the Bull was pretty handsome, but I was really looking for a heifer. She didn't bother to reply? Then there was the Militia type, that I finally had to wish her luck in finding some one who would fit her.

The next was a category that I still haven't figured out. The one thing that they all have in common is their birthday "sign". At first it was all Aeries, now we are on to Taurus. The first I decided was air heads that either thought I could easily be parted from my pittance of a retirement. Now it seems it is veering into the area of "Cow shit". Below is an example.

I have tried all the standard come on's that generally pulls in unsuspecting telemarketers, but nothing yet has come of it. Such as- "If you are looking for a 73 year old fart, here I am"! or "Baby you look good to me tonight"! I guess I am going to have to work on my delivery. All of these have just one "soft porn" picture, with the only statement of  "looking for a man from 30 to 99 years old." I'll keep trying I should be able to find a response that will get one to commit herself, sooner or later.

Perhaps the most amusing thing that happened to me was at Karen's enshrinement to the "Wall of Remembrance" in Boise. I had two friends from NW Oregon that Karen and I had helped sponsor in falconry and a friend from Burns that had also been sponsored by us. A lady friend that we had known since the 80's was also up from Ca. for the occasion. They had all gathered at the house prior to the ceremony, and we all traveled there from home.

After the ceremony there was a dinner with speakers from the falconry world. Each inductee's family had two tables for all their guests. I noticed an older lady sitting alone at a table, so I went over to invite her to sit with us. She was either late 60's or 70's, walking with a cane, and the biggest false eye lashes that I had ever saw. They sort of resembled the Black widows that like to nest on my hangar doors. After my initial shock, I kind of liked them. It was sort of easier to think of them as pets. Linda, from Ca, immediately perked up and I could see the devil within her eyes come awake. That is not to say that she was mean, just mischievous. So Linda asked her why she came to the function? She looked at me and said " I'm looking for a husband, and I want him to be a falconer". I smiled and looked at Pat and Joyce. Both of their eyes popped open as though someone had pinched them on the butt, and then just as quick the eyes narrowed. At that moment I realized that if I ever wanted to get laid, I had better leave those two at home.

Denio Nev. Basque festival

Morning Sunrise 

I took a trip to Denio, Nev. with a friend, to a Basque festival and fund raiser at the community center there. It was a chance to get out for a bit as well as to see some interesting country again.

Of course the eye candy was the animals found on the way as well as the scenery.

This one was sleeping by the side of the road.

Yawning at the interruption, I could tell right away that he was impressed.
He would probably measure about 13 inches, which seem to be what just about
any Antelope Buck sports for ornaments.

 An Eagles nest in the canyon at Trout Creek. How ever 

this appears to be a Red Tail rather than the original owner.

After the dinner, which consisted of tradition Basque food -  Lamb Stew, Choriso, (Spicy sausage) to Pinto Beans, that still had the "crackers" in them. ( much to my discomfort later in the evening. ) The dances began.  I was captivated by this little girl that was right out there with the rest of the ladies. Its nice to see tradition passed on to the younger generation. 

While my date was captivated by this little rapscallion, with a hat that was way too big for him. He was all over the place, having great fun. While the hat was big it seemed a part of him and could sure provide him with plenty of shade. No danger of skin cancer, not sure how he would fair in a normal desert wind.

I was surprised and pleased at the community spirit and friendliness of all the people there. They had an auction that consisted of every thing from Loaves of bread, One of which went for $600.00 to toys for kids. They made sure that every kid in the room of about 200 people got a gift. I am not sure how much money they raised, but it was substantial. In the picture above you can see the edge of one of the loaves of bread. They appeared to have been baked in a dutch oven and somewhere in the 5 pound range.

It was a fun day and even a curmudgeon like me had a great time. I am constantly amazed at the people that inhabit this world of sand and Sage and how centered they are to the things that actually count in life. While enjoying a Milk Shake at Fields, we talked to a student surveying Short Eared Owls in that area. At the dinner, a rancher that owned enough land to be mind boggling, as well as a young girl of about 12 with a Duck. The people of the Denio area seemed to welcome every one, no matter where they came from, or who they were. What a great day!

Birch Creek

Yesterday was "road trip day." The phenomenon of "High Desert Spring" was upon us yesterday so I took a new friend to see some of the sights of this area. She had seen Jordan Craters, which is on the same road, but had never gone down into Birch Creek itself.

https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/BirchCreekHistoricRanch.pdf

On the top of the plateau it is fairly unremarkable if you discount the 25 miles of unbroken Lava and grassland. However when you drop over the edge of the hill it changes dramatically. As you get deeper into the canyon the bones of the earth come into view. While some of them hint at the stark beauty of Leslie Gulch, it is not nearly as breath taking.

https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Leslie%20Gulch.pdf

Still it surprised my friend, as she had no idea that anything like it even existed.

We didn't see all that much of the wildlife of the area, other than a surprising herd of Deer that wanted to be somewhere else.

I was surprised to see them bunched up like that on top of the hill. We stopped to ID them and they began to file quickly down the hill in a single line. I followed slowly behind them until they came to the road. I should mention that the mere presence of Deer in that location was in itself a real surprise. I expected Antelope, which would have been normal. Deer generally do not inhabit the open grasslands of the Owyhee region.

They were lead by an older Doe, and followed in a fashion that surprised me. Deer, in my experience, do not follow so closely one another. It was as though she was leading them away from danger, but I could see no reason for their behavior, no danger following them. It was obvious that we were not considered anything other than a distraction.  They were intent on changing their zipcode. You can the the beginnings of a set of antlers growing on one of the Deer towards the back.

There were quite a large and surprising number of people down there, some sight seeing on quads, the rest were either the intrepid rafters that infest this area in the winter/spring, or the support crews there to pick them up. Knowing the vagaries of the weather here in April, I have nothing but admiration for these people that just spent almost a week floating down the Owyhee. Thank you, I think I will just throw another log on the fire, get another cup of coffee and write about it.

Once we got to the bottom, I let the dogs out of the car and let them run off some of their energy. Josie was all over, and of course in the river and the lovely black sticky nasty looking mud at the edges. When we got home I began to try to remove some of the stickers that they picked up while there. It required scissors and quite a lot of effort as well as pain to free them of their Burdock burrs from their  fur.

 Here are some of the photos that I took:

 I believe this to be a Mourning Cloak butterfly. It is as close as I can come to what I found in a book of Butter flies.

Peregrine fund Rondezvous

https://www.facebook.com/archivesoffalconry

April 7th was the P Funds Rendezvous wherein Karen was enshrined on the Wall of Remembrance and the Book of Remembrance. They are reserved for Falconers who have made a significant contribution to the sport of Falconry. It was a surprising turn of events to me, since I had not thought that anyone was paying attention to us or our contribution. In fact it did not feel as though it was anything special, it was just what Falconers do. However the Oregon club only took two weeks to raise the $1000. for her plaque.

In a lot of ways it was difficult and heart wrenching at the same time. Of course every one was supporting and I had a crew of the usual suspects there to support me. Ron and Joyce Richter, Pat Brewster and an old cherished friend Linda Arms from our earlier time in Klamath Falls.

The P Fund had a Bag Piper from the local Fire Department there for the ceremony outside. I tried to get a video of that, but I am not smart enough to deal with my Smart Phone, so that will have to come later, if at all.

The world keeps turning, spring is coming!

I've had some inquiries as to how I am doing, so I guess its time to catch up a bit.

Its all a bit strange, but at the same time part of me is standing off to the side watching and marveling at how all this is unfolding, and the process of adaptation to a life without one of the main characters that was in it.

One of the discoveries that was revealed to me was " what do you say to someone who has had their life turned upside down". It has always been an area of severe discomfort to me to have to try to say something meaningful to someone who has lost their loved one. You feel so inadequate that I have on occasion avoided the situation entirely. Now having been on the pointed end of the stick, I was very aware of that discomfort in my friends in their effort to say something to me that would somehow make things better. Well of course there is nothing that anyone could possibly say that could ever bridge that gap. I was surprised was that my main emotion was to feel sorry for them and to want to alleviate that pain for them. So let me see if I can put to words what gave me the most comfort.

 All that is needed, is to say - "I am sorry for your loss". What meant the most to me was the love that those who knew her seemed to have for her. She touched far more lives than I ever thought. The thought that the ones who knew her were saddened by the fact that they  would never talk to her again, was very touching, and it was strangely just the right thing to say that gave me pride in how she had lived her life, and I felt gratitude for their friendship and regard for her. 

As I was preparing my breakfast this morning the Sun was beginning to make its presence known on the Eastern horizon. I stepped outside to wait for the shot to develop to its maximum beauty, I listened to the world wakening to another wonderful spring day. All the birds were sending their greeting to the new Sun. Doves were cooing, Mallards were squabbling down in the creek. Sand hill Cranes were ratcheting their calls to the new day. Geese were lifting off the water of the reservoir to begin the mornings feeding of Dave's pastures. Quail were advancing on my lawn, calling and talking to each other. The Coyotes were having their morning singalong. The world still turns, with or without us.

I made a trip to Klamath this last week. It was of course too short, I didn't get to visit all the people that I hold in regard, just too many and too little time. I went for several reasons, taxes, resupply of Quail for Hawk food, and to scatter some of Karen's ashes on our old pet graveyard at the house where we lived for 38 years. Our pets lives are so short compared to ours, so there were many dogs, cats and two horses that are interred there. Karen was quite attached to the stately Ponderosa Pines as well, so I thought that since she had loved the area so much that it was fitting to place part of her there where the wind soughing through the Pine could be heard.

I began looking for something to put some of her ashes in, rather than the ziplocks that first came to mind. I went to her side of the bed to look on her night stand to see if there was anything there that would work. I noticed a small tin can with a nice screw on lid that seemed to be the right size. I unscrewed the lid and there was her "gambling money", so I knew at that moment that I had found the perfect receptacle for her. Its very fitting as we leave parts of our lives scattered every where we go.

As for me, I am not finished with the world as yet. I will look for someone to share the remainder of my life. Karen was my world for 54 years. I shall never forget that or her, but that is gone now. Its time to try to find a reason to live, and if possible a new love.


 

March 6, Karen's Birthday

I bought my plane on Karen's birthday in 1997. I was 54 and right in the middle of "Manopause". This isn't the one where you get the night sweats, no its much worse. This is the one when a man realizes that nothing works anymore, you are well past the best you could ever be, and the general time of life when a man either gets a girl friend, and eventually a divorce or they start molesting kids. Neither had any draw for me. I started thinking about what I would regret the most when I was sitting in my rocker at the old welders home, drooling down my chin and flashing the nurses.

There were only two regrets that I could think of, since I had done just about every thing else that I wanted. One was to learn to fly, the other entailed an act best kept secret involving Sofia Loren. Flying seemed the most likely to succeed.

So I began to look around and found just what I needed, A Kolb Firestar II. I assure you it was a coincidence of the utmost surprise to find that I had bought it on Karen's birthday, but all in all I considered it a fair trade, since she neither had to bail me out of jail or share me with a mistress.

I haven't flown since early October of last year, and the weather has been so shitty that flying was out of the question. Today, her birthday, however was cool but with no wind. First time in almost two months. As you can imagine I have been rattling around this place like a rock in a tin can, with lots of time and nothing much I am interested in doing.

I was out in the shop repairing the shroud on a carpet cleaner, when I decided to burn some of the boxes that I have been accumulating. I opened the hangar doors and was surprised to see that it was still nice. So I pulled the plane out thinking that I would just fire it up and get it warmed up a bit. One thing lead to another and the first thing you know I was getting dressed to fly.

I did a bunch of touch and goes until I was sure that the engine was going to keep running and I got a bit better, so I went over to the ranch and eventually landed in front of their house. Listen closely to Elsie when she comes to the plane.

https://vimeo.com/258896917    There is no password required for this one.