tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65402906117165415612024-03-13T20:16:39.074-07:00Snohomish Almosta RanchUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-83873967215855851662015-05-14T12:32:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.657-07:00Pack Goats First Multi-night Campout<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-7X45orZI/AAAAAAAAAcc/9wztXv4b0MM/s1600-h/KateGoatsSunshineValley_editedcompress.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233107311113317778" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-7X45orZI/AAAAAAAAAcc/9wztXv4b0MM/s320/KateGoatsSunshineValley_editedcompress.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-4VKynw4I/AAAAAAAAAcU/R3JBvrmk0Yk/s1600-h/AerialViewCampsite.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233103965841245058" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-4VKynw4I/AAAAAAAAAcU/R3JBvrmk0Yk/s320/AerialViewCampsite.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-2roVcYkI/AAAAAAAAAbs/QgbZIpo2soo/s1600-h/P1010716.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233102152705794626" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-2roVcYkI/AAAAAAAAAbs/QgbZIpo2soo/s320/P1010716.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z9w8MOEk0X8/SJ-2sV-YsqI/AAAAAAAAAcM/ALE3OcvlUI8/s1600-h/P1010716.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Not exactly wilderness survival, but it was a ten-day sleepover at a secluded place away from home. We packed everyone up and moved to a high-vista ridge we have nearby in the Black Hills. We could see the sun rise over Chicago and set over Portland (well, kinda like that). Unlimited views in every direction, including Bear Butte/Sturgis to the north and the night-sky lights of Rapid City to the south. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;">On three different days, we saw violent thunderst</span><span style="font-family: arial;">orms coming from 20 miles away, which provided lots of sky-fireworks and lots of time to prepare. On one night, we had 80-90mph winds and torrential rains at 2am. I joined the startled goats in a small protective enclosure until it passed. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">One morning we delayed going to work long enough for me to go up and take some aerial photo's of an adjacent campground run by a nice couple who let us take a hot shower each day. So I snapped one of the ridge where we were camping, too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the first time ever, we got our fill of rock hunting. She</span> also found lots of petrified wood and pure white crystaline rocks. The goats, however, had a special interest in those strange new rocks, which you can see </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C91vDGRlMS0"><span style="font-family: arial;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Interesting, that we, and the four goats, <em>and</em> Sherlock loved it there and agreed we all want to return. To stay and live. But that's another story, of solar proportions. Stay tuned.</span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-69939565361288374152015-05-10T18:22:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.640-07:00SNOHOMISH COUNTRY TROUT FISHING TRIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jcILnPwmCmw/VU__vNJwWPI/AAAAAAAAEZQ/3ePA6yNHrQ0/s1600/20150510_075247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jcILnPwmCmw/VU__vNJwWPI/AAAAAAAAEZQ/3ePA6yNHrQ0/s320/20150510_075247.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The family enjoyed a delightfully productive long weekend on a trout fishing expedition. All five families stayed in a private log lodge within walking distance of some great rainbows and browns. Weather was perfect with a </span>surreal fog-shrouded stream at daybreak and near-full moon glistening on the trickling rapids at nightfall. </span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Of course, though, fishing was not quite as favorable as implied by the photo below, from a nearby hatchery.</span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">We all enjoyed our traditional Saturday night feast of deep-fried and grill-baked trout, and too many side dishes and deserts to admit. Sunday morning we all took our matriarch, Grandma Donna, to the main lodge for Mother's Day dinner.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/high_lakes/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Trout fishing</a><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"> was stellar; but we can't wait until </span><a href="http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/whenwhere/month.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">salmon season</a><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"> returns so we can fish right from our back yard in "Snohomish Country".</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zzyNWFRFj7M/VVAA614E9lI/AAAAAAAAEZc/6jj_8sZ4pxo/s1600/20150510_111215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zzyNWFRFj7M/VVAA614E9lI/AAAAAAAAEZc/6jj_8sZ4pxo/s400/20150510_111215.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VB_N049JlgY/VVAFKxbkLII/AAAAAAAAEZs/Xf5rOiKXEUA/s1600/20150507_122710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VB_N049JlgY/VVAFKxbkLII/AAAAAAAAEZs/Xf5rOiKXEUA/s400/20150507_122710.jpg" width="302" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">However, things were not all a slam dunk. We did have some competition for the trout as shown at left (</span><span style="color: #073763;">wink</span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-26075674889477505912015-04-27T15:48:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.581-07:00TROUT UNLIMITED "KIDS' FISHING DAY" IN SNOHOMISH COUNTRY<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">We had a thrilling, fantastically successful Kids' Fishing Day this weekend in Monroe, Washington. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8hBpslibgw/VT6w15AU5kI/AAAAAAAAEUc/dzl5XluCuU4/s1600/man%2Band%2Bboy%2Bwith%2Bfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8hBpslibgw/VT6w15AU5kI/AAAAAAAAEUc/dzl5XluCuU4/s1600/man%2Band%2Bboy%2Bwith%2Bfish.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A proud kid and his buddy at the 2015 Monroe Kids' Fishing Day<br /> (Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</td></tr></tbody></table>With several sponsors, including Trout Unlimited, Monroe Lions Club and Hagen Grocery, there were lots of fish, plenty volunteer help, various snacks...and Kids' <i>Smiles </i>Unlimited. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">I spoke with one of the organizers who said he had personally counted the many dozens of over-three pound trout included in the special stocking. When I arrived there about 9:30 the place was already buzzing with hundreds of happy fisherkids and equally smiley adults...and only 15 of the whoppers had been weighed in so far.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNYRxsyqddA/VT6xvE0qxcI/AAAAAAAAEUk/yJHMR9rV2-Y/s1600/fishing%2Bcrowd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNYRxsyqddA/VT6xvE0qxcI/AAAAAAAAEUk/yJHMR9rV2-Y/s1600/fishing%2Bcrowd.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monroe WA 2015 Kids' Fishing Day<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> (Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Interesting that every single one of the hundreds of kids I saw, and nearly every one of their adult companions seemed so happy and laid back. Nothing like opening bell on weekends at some of the stocked "trout streams" I have visited in state parks elsewhere.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgJxCJLqqRY/VT64ly_lUsI/AAAAAAAAEU8/vKPm-rHsh7o/s1600/four%2Bproud%2Bkids%2Bwith%2Bfull%2Bstringer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgJxCJLqqRY/VT64ly_lUsI/AAAAAAAAEU8/vKPm-rHsh7o/s1600/four%2Bproud%2Bkids%2Bwith%2Bfull%2Bstringer.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four proud, successful anglers<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> (Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">The Monroe Lions Club and Trout Unlimited had set up to clean the fish for the kids and to weigh each fish.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Congratulations Trout Unlimited, Monroe Lions' Club, Hagens Grocery and the many other sponsors. A great day for kids craving a day of trout fishing in Snohomish country. But, next year I'm going to find a kid to go with me. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">PS: When you go next year don't be discouraged by the huge line waiting for their turn to get in. Some of those were, according to one organizer, coming back through for the 2nd or 3rd time after they caught their limit. Crowd coordination is stellar, allowing everyone a safe and relax.</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IANkpiJUrfM/VT65X9r9Y6I/AAAAAAAAEVU/uDrrh8oM-F4/s1600/Two%2Bsuccessful%2Banglers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IANkpiJUrfM/VT65X9r9Y6I/AAAAAAAAEVU/uDrrh8oM-F4/s1600/Two%2Bsuccessful%2Banglers.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many fishing teams at 2015 <br />Monroe Kids' Fishing Day were not "fishermen"<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cujamowlOJc/VT66IcTpyTI/AAAAAAAAEVg/cQT1GZ1BUdg/s1600/waiting%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cujamowlOJc/VT66IcTpyTI/AAAAAAAAEVg/cQT1GZ1BUdg/s1600/waiting%2Bline.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspiring anglers waiting in line (on left) at<br />2015 Monroe Trout Unlimited Kids' Fishing Day.<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQh0cFcUzVg/VT65SgfSDVI/AAAAAAAAEVM/tld13oNDBJ8/s1600/three%2Bboys%2Bat%2Bfish%2Bweigh-in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SQh0cFcUzVg/VT65SgfSDVI/AAAAAAAAEVM/tld13oNDBJ8/s1600/three%2Bboys%2Bat%2Bfish%2Bweigh-in.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Whoaaaaa...lookit these!"<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aanit98f1VU/VT65ObhFzhI/AAAAAAAAEVE/5y8GLar5Ty0/s1600/two%2Bboys%2Bwatching%2Btheir%2Bfish%2Bget%2Bcleaned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aanit98f1VU/VT65ObhFzhI/AAAAAAAAEVE/5y8GLar5Ty0/s1600/two%2Bboys%2Bwatching%2Btheir%2Bfish%2Bget%2Bcleaned.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteers cleaned fish for any kid who wanted it<br /><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(Photo (C)2015 Snohomish Country Photography)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-69771370848286768582015-04-27T10:33:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.638-07:00Monday PostLee's post content was here. Here is a photo.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nc_ndNbCOM/VT5ytMjY4iI/AAAAAAAAEUE/XO8xz4Lg9rs/s1600/fishing%2Bcrowd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nc_ndNbCOM/VT5ytMjY4iI/AAAAAAAAEUE/XO8xz4Lg9rs/s1600/fishing%2Bcrowd.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing Derby Monroe</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And here is another photo.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mYKIVbT-_AM/VT5y0BlQR8I/AAAAAAAAEUM/fEM3f3QWNuY/s1600/waiting%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mYKIVbT-_AM/VT5y0BlQR8I/AAAAAAAAEUM/fEM3f3QWNuY/s1600/waiting%2Bline.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting Line for Fishing</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-91576805446747628212013-09-21T16:37:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.666-07:00ONE OF LEEZ BZ OBSERVED TAKING A RARE BREAK<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click on images to see them enlarged.</span></b></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjAEBnxb-Xo/Uj4rlWxOLnI/AAAAAAAACDk/7XLFOCsQmP8/s1600/Leez+Bz+drinking+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjAEBnxb-Xo/Uj4rlWxOLnI/AAAAAAAACDk/7XLFOCsQmP8/s400/Leez+Bz+drinking+water.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>One of Leez Bz stopped to sip from a water droplet.</b></span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>She is taking a very rare respite<br />from day-long marathon of foraging<br />for a few more morsels of nutrient in the fall forest foliage.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kiZHhj7pDDg/Uj4r8HCUG4I/AAAAAAAACDs/EfsqGx1UpXI/s1600/Leez+Bz+going+for+more+pollen+after+a+break.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kiZHhj7pDDg/Uj4r8HCUG4I/AAAAAAAACDs/EfsqGx1UpXI/s400/Leez+Bz+going+for+more+pollen+after+a+break.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Break time is over. <br />Time to return to the fields searching for<br />remaining bits of pollen in the fall forest.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-35681972649666064282013-09-21T16:20:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.596-07:00LEEZ BZ ENJOY ANNUAL FALL HOME INSPECTION<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fall Equinox tomorrow means it's time for the Ladies' annual pre-winter home inspection. </span><div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First step is just to sit quietly at the hive entry for a few minutes to observe patterns. Patterns of how many bees are coming and going to forage. How much pollen they are returning with. What color (plant type) is the pollen? How much, what kind of noise the colony is making. How many dead bees are strewn on the ground below the hive entrance, and whether it appears they may have died about the same time. Examine stain streaks on the exterior hive body walls for signs of nosema (which can involve diarrhea).</span></div><div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I'll place a stethoscope gently against the sides of the hive boxes to determine how tightly clustered they are, if at all, and if so, where. That will help guide which frames to remove, or not, for examination when I open the hive in a few minutes.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GsoWJ6l8kA/Uj4l71Why0I/AAAAAAAACCw/3HyjR-p_akk/s1600/Fall+Hive+Inspection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--GsoWJ6l8kA/Uj4l71Why0I/AAAAAAAACCw/3HyjR-p_akk/s320/Fall+Hive+Inspection.JPG" width="242" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Leez Bz<br />(two sidebar boxes are from unsuccessful colonies)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Opening the top of the hive to examine the "super" (the third, topmost box...the bees get to keep all the honey stores they put up for winter feeding, in the lower two boxes). The super is about 1/3 full, since I used it to replace the prior super a few weeks ago. If the colony looks healthy today I'll hope to harvest this honey soon. If not, I'll leave it for winter backup panty, then take it in the spring when forest flowers bloom with pollen to make new honey.</span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZlb1lZ36F0/Uj4mbjw49kI/AAAAAAAACC4/Gf04kvHh1QI/s1600/Hive+Inspection-Rear+View+130921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZlb1lZ36F0/Uj4mbjw49kI/AAAAAAAACC4/Gf04kvHh1QI/s320/Hive+Inspection-Rear+View+130921.JPG" width="258" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a close-up view of the super box. Not much action up here because it's early and crisply cool still this morning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XvivmxzTE_M/Uj4mkdyzyFI/AAAAAAAACDA/lNiG5t1EqXc/s1600/Hive+Inspection-Frames+130921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XvivmxzTE_M/Uj4mkdyzyFI/AAAAAAAACDA/lNiG5t1EqXc/s320/Hive+Inspection-Frames+130921.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I performed only a cursory examination in order not to keep the hive open too long. The Ladies seemed to be doing well, so no need to get them all upset with a detailed exploratory exam. I had prepared a 50/50 sugar/water mix, and cleaned this plastic hive-top feeder, ahead of time in case of deciding to install it. I decided to install it. Partly because the earlier entry-point observation revealed rather little pollen arriving on the bees' rear tibia (corbicula).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjYYFUOvFnY/Uj4mtjUSCjI/AAAAAAAACDI/NYCML1zBHlw/s1600/Hive-top+Feeder+-+Sugar+Water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjYYFUOvFnY/Uj4mtjUSCjI/AAAAAAAACDI/NYCML1zBHlw/s320/Hive-top+Feeder+-+Sugar+Water.JPG" width="230" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aluminum (water proof) roof installed, with rock to avoid wind blowing off the roof. Note the hive tools in lower left. (One of them thinks it used to be a roof repair pry bar).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0lldy3GX2Qg/Uj4m3YxaCVI/AAAAAAAACDQ/RhZDkh4QECU/s1600/Fall+Feeder+Installed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0lldy3GX2Qg/Uj4m3YxaCVI/AAAAAAAACDQ/RhZDkh4QECU/s320/Fall+Feeder+Installed.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Qw53tISED0/Uj4m-_L5HDI/AAAAAAAACDY/XR-ZTyKlkkg/s1600/Hive-top+Feeder+Installed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Qw53tISED0/Uj4m-_L5HDI/AAAAAAAACDY/XR-ZTyKlkkg/s320/Hive-top+Feeder+Installed.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well fed, plenty room to maneuver inside the hive, warm sun rays on a crisp fall day. What more could we do to comfort these incredibly hard working Ladies? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-32068575105383836412013-09-06T11:11:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.592-07:00GOOD SAMARITAN'S St. MARTIN RETIREMENT VILLAGE <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnuXIYp1yWM/UitJH1GRMhI/AAAAAAAABzc/qLmJacciUeI/s1600/overhead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnuXIYp1yWM/UitJH1GRMhI/AAAAAAAABzc/qLmJacciUeI/s400/overhead.JPG" height="220" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yuV95caLuoU/UitIKHlzf8I/AAAAAAAAByk/POaSEUaxtfo/s1600/eastview.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yuV95caLuoU/UitIKHlzf8I/AAAAAAAAByk/POaSEUaxtfo/s400/eastview.JPG" height="360" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QNyg35WI1jQ/UitIMkdbeUI/AAAAAAAABzU/9Q5ayuXzRZE/s1600/south+campus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QNyg35WI1jQ/UitIMkdbeUI/AAAAAAAABzU/9Q5ayuXzRZE/s400/south+campus.JPG" height="220" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bcQL2HAiiaY/UitIKKEku8I/AAAAAAAAByo/gbntPMGL6Gc/s1600/chapel+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bcQL2HAiiaY/UitIKKEku8I/AAAAAAAAByo/gbntPMGL6Gc/s400/chapel+sunset.JPG" height="220" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-89532384989932227922013-09-06T11:03:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.662-07:00SkyBison Memories<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The SkyBison has been a wonderful companion and </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">aerial photography platform for several years. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But technology evolves... </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good bye, SkyBison. You have filled my heart, lifted my life and </span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you have been the "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ZMDPf9hZw&feature=youtu.be&t=171s" target="_blank">wind beneath <i>my </i>wings</a>".</span></div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--3UxHeQ60Ak/UioXIeKSWXI/AAAAAAAABxo/dEakksP5jbI/s1600/Lee+Alley+Flying+the+SkyBison.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--3UxHeQ60Ak/UioXIeKSWXI/AAAAAAAABxo/dEakksP5jbI/s400/Lee+Alley+Flying+the+SkyBison.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">SkyBison taking Lee Alley up for a final sunset photography shoot <br />over Sturgis, Bear Butte and the Buffalo Chip Campground</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iicWvlNG9Ro/UioXJDqPYjI/AAAAAAAABx4/CocApIWniws/s1600/Belle+Airport.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iicWvlNG9Ro/UioXJDqPYjI/AAAAAAAABx4/CocApIWniws/s320/Belle+Airport.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">SkyBison's first day of flight, May 29, 2007</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">at the Belle Fourche Airport</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ja6fHt3t-D0/UioXIoPTfzI/AAAAAAAABx0/99HPiYy1zRk/s1600/Sturgis+Airport.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ja6fHt3t-D0/UioXIoPTfzI/AAAAAAAABx0/99HPiYy1zRk/s320/Sturgis+Airport.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">SkyBison moves into its new home</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">at the Sturgis Airport</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-00wOoBuO8qg/UioXH3KHpjI/AAAAAAAABxk/sLQL3vz2_ps/s1600/Lee+Alley+with+SkyBison.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-00wOoBuO8qg/UioXH3KHpjI/AAAAAAAABxk/sLQL3vz2_ps/s400/Lee+Alley+with+SkyBison.JPG" width="311" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lee Alley and the SkyBison resting after a flight.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bear Butte in the background</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-10561433144805859582013-07-31T10:08:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.556-07:00LEE'z B'z MAKE DONATION TO LEE'S "SENIORS REAL ESTATE" CLIENTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Five of my six honeybee colonies did not survive the winter. But one colony did moderately well. Not the banner harvest of 140 pounds from my first colony a few years ago. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, still, this one surviving colony survived the winter with about 40 pounds of honey to spare. We waited until late July to make sure the queen was providing them plenty of new baby bees, and that they were well on their way to plenty honey to survive on next winter. </span><br /><div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uozk775cnn0/Ufk9zk2_4lI/AAAAAAAABTc/-mZnNdlyNkE/s1600/Removing+Comb-Honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uozk775cnn0/Ufk9zk2_4lI/AAAAAAAABTc/-mZnNdlyNkE/s320/Removing+Comb-Honey.jpg" height="301" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So last weekend Lee'z B'z "volunteered" to donate their surplus inventory to my most deserving <a href="http://www.seniorfriendlyliving.com/" target="_blank">seniors real estate</a> clients. On top of that, last month I had confined a hive full of honey that a colony had abandoned in late spring after a great start (Colony Collapse Disorder?). So we also harvested those surplus frames.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like we'll get a couple dozen jars of <a href="http://www.over-the-hillsadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Leez%20Bz" target="_blank">Leez Bz</a> honey this year. And we'll will have a couple jars of honeycomb wax to make candles, lip balm, axle lubricant, ...</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hUKjVh7TCF4/UflNOZGxLaI/AAAAAAAABTs/4nYKbTUP1Ic/s1600/Removing+Comb+from+Frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hUKjVh7TCF4/UflNOZGxLaI/AAAAAAAABTs/4nYKbTUP1Ic/s320/Removing+Comb+from+Frame.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rkkNUsUlqqw/UflRvhE5miI/AAAAAAAABUA/TKtctghDFYQ/s1600/JarOdHoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rkkNUsUlqqw/UflRvhE5miI/AAAAAAAABUA/TKtctghDFYQ/s320/JarOdHoney.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-38421204801775582622013-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.601-07:00LEE'S URBAN GRAND DAUGHTER MEETS GRANDPA'S HOBBY FARM<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R96mphr4eHw/Ufg01KOIcpI/AAAAAAAABR0/VQnA95-t2A4/s1600/Collecting+Eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R96mphr4eHw/Ufg01KOIcpI/AAAAAAAABR0/VQnA95-t2A4/s400/Collecting+Eggs.jpg" height="400" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Collecting Eggs</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXIUXdbGn5c/Ufg1DhiyYlI/AAAAAAAABR8/aeisW_B80uQ/s1600/chickens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oXIUXdbGn5c/Ufg1DhiyYlI/AAAAAAAABR8/aeisW_B80uQ/s320/chickens.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Herrrrrre, <i>chick, chick, chick</i>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--W_dgBmbf_c/Ufg1izi1VQI/AAAAAAAABSU/57jN3W91_u4/s1600/geese+goats+grandkids+geezer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--W_dgBmbf_c/Ufg1izi1VQI/AAAAAAAABSU/57jN3W91_u4/s640/geese+goats+grandkids+geezer.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>4G Social Network</i>:<br /> <b>G</b>oose, <b>G</b>oat, <b>G</b>randkid, <b>G</b>randpa.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nll9v5OMuZ8/Ufg10ZCtWGI/AAAAAAAABSc/5WF7xnhDmQ0/s1600/feeding+pack+goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nll9v5OMuZ8/Ufg10ZCtWGI/AAAAAAAABSc/5WF7xnhDmQ0/s320/feeding+pack+goats.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Feeding Harney and Sylvan, the <a href="http://www.over-the-hillsadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20Hills%20Pack%20Goats" target="_blank">Pack Goats</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jXjwCwN5vc/Ufg1730Yt9I/AAAAAAAABSk/eIfQN3Nkcs4/s1600/how+to+kiss+a+goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jXjwCwN5vc/Ufg1730Yt9I/AAAAAAAABSk/eIfQN3Nkcs4/s320/how+to+kiss+a+goat.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Grandpa Teaching His Daughter's Daughter How to Kiss a Boy (Goat)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-encWT17LMU8/Ufg2DFirarI/AAAAAAAABSs/BIm_fuXvoOU/s1600/GrazingAtSundown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-encWT17LMU8/Ufg2DFirarI/AAAAAAAABSs/BIm_fuXvoOU/s400/GrazingAtSundown.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sylvan the Pack Goat Sharing His <a href="http://www.over-the-hillsadventures.blogspot.com/2011/07/late-july-forest-mozey.html" target="_blank">Spring Buffet</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-10020342658526688992013-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.554-07:00MOTHER GOOSE AND HUBBY ANNOUNCE THEIR NEW TRIPLETS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4Rr6MIJDuo/UfgyG4NHsCI/AAAAAAAABRY/3F6SDd4SET4/s1600/triplets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4Rr6MIJDuo/UfgyG4NHsCI/AAAAAAAABRY/3F6SDd4SET4/s320/triplets.jpg" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mr. Grey and Ms. Absolute Vodka<br />Announce the Arrival of Their Triplets:<br />Shot, Sip and Swig</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3aW2_AQW6eo/UfgyIO_jKAI/AAAAAAAABRo/6cFxWRLo0cE/s1600/Goslilngs+First+Bath+with+Mom+--+Dad+on+Guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3aW2_AQW6eo/UfgyIO_jKAI/AAAAAAAABRo/6cFxWRLo0cE/s320/Goslilngs+First+Bath+with+Mom+--+Dad+on+Guard.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Babies' First Bath with Momma...Dad Stands Guard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-36353878217770840412012-10-18T09:30:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.599-07:00BOMBER PRISM<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My father, born 1912, scrounged some of his most interesting gadgets from post-WWII "army surplus stores" (back when they truly had military surplus inventories). Dad was a very serious gadgeteer. He always had some kind of Mr.-Wizard tinker project in the works. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Around about 1979, when his grandson (my son) Paul was 4, Dad came to me with something he thought I may enjoy sharing with Paul. He said it was sold to him at an army surplus store, represented as part of the aiming system for a bomb sight from a WWII era <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/sfeature/tourindex.html">B-29 bomber</a>. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a high quality optical <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_%28optics%29">prism</a>. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So this week I will send this to my son, Paul, in case he may enjoy sharing it with his son, Nolan.</span></span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BwMX571_7k/UIAtpnCiRYI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/R8LTPIbxYhc/s1600/prism2+-+Copy+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BwMX571_7k/UIAtpnCiRYI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/R8LTPIbxYhc/s400/prism2+-+Copy+-+Copy.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7" High Prism</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdoUw5Mvtw0/UIAtzV4KsTI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/v4xumBuGKXQ/s1600/rainbow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdoUw5Mvtw0/UIAtzV4KsTI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/v4xumBuGKXQ/s400/rainbow2.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Roy G. Biv !</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">R</span>ed</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e69138;">o</span>range</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: yellow;">y</span>ellow </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">G</span>r<span style="font-size: large;">een</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">B</span>lue</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">i</span>ndigo</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #741b47;">v</span>iolet </span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-13869509949466350442012-10-02T16:52:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.565-07:00LET'S ALL CHIME IN !<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">An acquaintance had a birthday coming up. Her heart surgery, too. What a fine time to bring the calming, healing deep tones of giant, deep-throated wind chime, perched high on a hilltop overlooking our home in the forest. She said it sounds every bit like an old European cathedral's beckoning melody. I agree. Deeply ethereal, having the forest softly chiming a patient invitation to its top of the hill, to a place in the mind, a peace in the soul, to bring birthday happiness and medical mending. </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UaXgYQb5Pb8/UGn1WhU-qZI/AAAAAAAAAX0/JLZUBTLqkf8/s1600/1000.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UaXgYQb5Pb8/UGn1WhU-qZI/AAAAAAAAAX0/JLZUBTLqkf8/s320/1000.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Resonance Theory: The DNA of a chime</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RS-kT0GoDgQ/UGn1aXd77-I/AAAAAAAAAX8/FXKRQb9-zv0/s1600/1050.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RS-kT0GoDgQ/UGn1aXd77-I/AAAAAAAAAX8/FXKRQb9-zv0/s320/1050.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Top Plate: The brains of a chime...</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_BSRCKFZdWo/UGn1g5YiQ2I/AAAAAAAAAYE/Y67ghnTeelM/s1600/1075.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_BSRCKFZdWo/UGn1g5YiQ2I/AAAAAAAAAYE/Y67ghnTeelM/s320/1075.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">...and it's backbone.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHFkdWXolC8/UGn1mQ898KI/AAAAAAAAAYM/1KZGtM2xjoY/s1600/1100.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHFkdWXolC8/UGn1mQ898KI/AAAAAAAAAYM/1KZGtM2xjoY/s320/1100.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Cutting Tubes to Calculated Lengths:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />Loud noise, burning sparks, noxious gases.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P_fEyJt92OU/UGn1qzPpdDI/AAAAAAAAAYU/2iwWDCOV-yQ/s1600/1200.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P_fEyJt92OU/UGn1qzPpdDI/AAAAAAAAAYU/2iwWDCOV-yQ/s320/1200.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Meet the Choir!</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iujgphEpzrM" width="420"></iframe> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Click on</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><a href="http://youtu.be/iujgphEpzrM" target="_blank">THIS VIDEO</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">of Fine Tuning the Pipes with Frequency Analyzer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">The longest pipe, at about 8 feet, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">persists its fundamental for 6 minutes(!) at 1 foot away.</span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">That way, long after the nylon strike-plate (made from kitchen cutting board) taps the metal tube to generate the metallic vibration, the inner atmospheric resonance persists long after, thereby generating many tonal qualities in concert with the other tubes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vysPkSKS_88/UGn1wDqm0iI/AAAAAAAAAYc/9Mp8FnBp4mo/s1600/1250.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vysPkSKS_88/UGn1wDqm0iI/AAAAAAAAAYc/9Mp8FnBp4mo/s320/1250.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="235" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">B-flat, Second Octave: 116.1+/- Hz</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uo5ws4a2aJU/UGn11r6ouOI/AAAAAAAAAYk/a-KhCa68-tU/s1600/1300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uo5ws4a2aJU/UGn11r6ouOI/AAAAAAAAAYk/a-KhCa68-tU/s320/1300.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">The Choir, Resting. Ready for Hanging From a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />20-foot TeePee Frame of Chainlink Fence TopRails</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-do6vWDCj-80/UGn16tACzGI/AAAAAAAAAYs/eVoRaVPN4ZQ/s1600/1350.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-do6vWDCj-80/UGn16tACzGI/AAAAAAAAAYs/eVoRaVPN4ZQ/s320/1350.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">140 pounds and 12 feet</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4PB034za_w/UGn1_ts8ReI/AAAAAAAAAY0/2LF61iONiK4/s1600/1400.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V4PB034za_w/UGn1_ts8ReI/AAAAAAAAAY0/2LF61iONiK4/s320/1400.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Drum roll, please.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2H-n1F0WK1M/UIAgLnhOO9I/AAAAAAAAAI0/tXjwTknB5oo/s1600/cable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2H-n1F0WK1M/UIAgLnhOO9I/AAAAAAAAAI0/tXjwTknB5oo/s400/cable.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well here we go again. Microsoft and Google can't cooperate, even at the level of up-righting a single photo<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3qEEyq-Uu4/UGn2DRaJlOI/AAAAAAAAAY8/oML7duIXr8w/s1600/1450.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3qEEyq-Uu4/UGn2DRaJlOI/AAAAAAAAAY8/oML7duIXr8w/s320/1450.JPG" height="257" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">What the cat sees when looking up.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4MiOHM3Evk/UGn2IPyc43I/AAAAAAAAAZE/iHpryBsmo3E/s1600/1475.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4MiOHM3Evk/UGn2IPyc43I/AAAAAAAAAZE/iHpryBsmo3E/s320/1475.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="234" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Checking Out the New Animal at the Farm</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L--53zOuEvQ/UGn2Nqwb0aI/AAAAAAAAAZM/-n5sPXFkQs0/s1600/1500.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L--53zOuEvQ/UGn2Nqwb0aI/AAAAAAAAAZM/-n5sPXFkQs0/s320/1500.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">HA! We can scream louder than that!</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nGIcmRY4zgY/UGn2SI1BuoI/AAAAAAAAAZU/LguxMORjcgs/s1600/1550.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nGIcmRY4zgY/UGn2SI1BuoI/AAAAAAAAAZU/LguxMORjcgs/s320/1550.JPG" height="226" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">To serenade the busy bees.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0V2Ab4ILmE/UGn2XcTVDBI/AAAAAAAAAZc/9m5ZA3I6XPc/s1600/1600.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0V2Ab4ILmE/UGn2XcTVDBI/AAAAAAAAAZc/9m5ZA3I6XPc/s320/1600.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></span></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Perched High On a Hilltop<br />Overlooking Our Home</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-76304832000377027092012-09-14T18:03:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.645-07:00Chicken Solarium / Lunarium Progress Report<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">I wanted the chickens out of my equipment shed. The chickens clearly hated the landscaping, judging by their fervent demolition work. So I killed 32 "birds" with one stone. Well, with one Chicken Solarium, anyway. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Still to come, a freeze-proof <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermosiphon" target="_blank">solar thermosiphon</a> to water them even in winter. Also a super bright switched interior flood light made from LED's salvaged from a damaged trailer tail light, and re-purposing an old solar photovoltaic panel scavenged from the ungrateful goats' barn. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">The interior night-lights in the photo's below are cannibalized from the innards of driveway clearance lights. Pretty simple solution when you have a transparent roof! The solar photo voltaic cell of each of the solar powered driveway lights points upward through the clear polycarbonate roof. The high intensity LED's point down, thinking they are lighting a driveway.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Also, fresh-air circulation system for this chicken house is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Air-Poultry-Houses-Open-Front-Healthier/dp/097217706X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347667391&sr=8-1&keywords=open+front+chicken+houses" target="_blank">based on a book I read about open-front chicken houses</a> published by a physician in 1924. Makes sense...chickens already have a feathered comforter, they will NOT get cold. But an enclosed chicken house will collect flies, bugs, lotsa nasties to get sick on. So I put large 4-ft wide door in each end of the 16-foot long house.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">So far, the chickens just love this place and they say they'll never go back.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vs6X4eVej7Q/UFPHQG3u-JI/AAAAAAAAB28/R0Vw0PDkJLA/s1600/1000+from+garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vs6X4eVej7Q/UFPHQG3u-JI/AAAAAAAAB28/R0Vw0PDkJLA/s400/1000+from+garden.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Chicken Solarium</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fDvdCO6b_Mc/UFPHRSGWNJI/AAAAAAAAB3E/dQsITaUS67w/s1600/1005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fDvdCO6b_Mc/UFPHRSGWNJI/AAAAAAAAB3E/dQsITaUS67w/s320/1005.jpg" height="320" width="260" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIm2omZUA3s/UFPHSUPc2XI/AAAAAAAAB3M/OEdy3BSeuqI/s1600/1010+northern+daytime+elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIm2omZUA3s/UFPHSUPc2XI/AAAAAAAAB3M/OEdy3BSeuqI/s320/1010+northern+daytime+elevation.JPG" height="299" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">See hatch doors for exterior egg collecting (on right side)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RUP8SKEwq4/UFPHTfZbWHI/AAAAAAAAB3U/FJpgmhL9wKg/s1600/1020+south+solar+exposure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RUP8SKEwq4/UFPHTfZbWHI/AAAAAAAAB3U/FJpgmhL9wKg/s320/1020+south+solar+exposure.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Southern Exposure Oriented to Solar Track for Our Lat/Long</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpbVNdZlc-A/UFPHUlbYO-I/AAAAAAAAB3c/e2u1az4ZWfk/s1600/1030+chkn+house+inside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpbVNdZlc-A/UFPHUlbYO-I/AAAAAAAAB3c/e2u1az4ZWfk/s400/1030+chkn+house+inside.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Work table height is optimized for sorting seed trays, also as scaffold for deploying trays on mezanine</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9AF7p5k4Cs/UFPHVT3iD7I/AAAAAAAAB3k/4CCFApBu8aY/s1600/1040+sorting+trays.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9AF7p5k4Cs/UFPHVT3iD7I/AAAAAAAAB3k/4CCFApBu8aY/s320/1040+sorting+trays.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Sorting Seed Trays</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">It was not easy, making the work table low enough for the work table down below, but high enough as a scaffold for working with seed trays at mezzanine level. And the roof trusses are designed so the horizontal cross braces just clear the gardener's head when she is standing on the scaffold. And the chickens drop their "drops" on hay strewn on the floor, just barely clearing the work table. Contrary to conventional floor design, the plywood floor boards are all easily lifted out for washing or replacement. And their is a gap in the floor perimeter so that we can spray the inner walls (to improve solar heating), and have the water just run down the wall and out the floor. Sure hope this thing works as well as I worked on planning it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GfaFEx8gF_o/UFPHWu6yN6I/AAAAAAAAB3s/IXQ3546FoBk/s1600/1050+watering+from+below.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GfaFEx8gF_o/UFPHWu6yN6I/AAAAAAAAB3s/IXQ3546FoBk/s320/1050+watering+from+below.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Deploying trays to mezanine for solar greenhouse effect</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a6TuubsG22s/UFPHXeGgxgI/AAAAAAAAB30/rmu8-wU9pY8/s1600/1060+watering.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsY8Ls6iqN4/UFPHYpC4tNI/AAAAAAAAB38/9sw3fNMxjx0/s1600/1065+watering+ext+vw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsY8Ls6iqN4/UFPHYpC4tNI/AAAAAAAAB38/9sw3fNMxjx0/s320/1065+watering+ext+vw.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Watering seed trays standing on work table</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fuzWzJPswxc/UFPHZRfqjMI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HL8kCr91bkc/s1600/1070+chkns+vw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fuzWzJPswxc/UFPHZRfqjMI/AAAAAAAAB4E/HL8kCr91bkc/s320/1070+chkns+vw.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Garden in foreground, hay barn, goat barn in distance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fRVGpL9ulI/UFPHamk3qiI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/NPdChxpreEg/s1600/1080+outside+egg+collection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fRVGpL9ulI/UFPHamk3qiI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/NPdChxpreEg/s320/1080+outside+egg+collection.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">For stealing eggs from outside</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otsZwigT9y4/UFPHbgLOedI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/TMMLpbNOPrM/s320/1090+chkn+ramp.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you could see The Ladies all coming down single file in the mornings, you'd know why it's called a "gang" plank. These girls are not to be reckoned with a feeding time.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--i4YkznoWxE/UFPHcvu2XZI/AAAAAAAAB4g/ZAGN3CIYKEY/s1600/1095+night+elevation.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--i4YkznoWxE/UFPHcvu2XZI/AAAAAAAAB4g/ZAGN3CIYKEY/s320/1095+night+elevation.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">This is the only image using 120v halogen photo flood.</span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Photo courtesy Eric Jacobs Photography. A professional photographer/chicken fancier.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kfp8sbZAj-M/UFPHdjK8b2I/AAAAAAAAB4o/EVydvqRYR90/s1600/1100+niteRoost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kfp8sbZAj-M/UFPHdjK8b2I/AAAAAAAAB4o/EVydvqRYR90/s320/1100+niteRoost.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Roosting by the light of driveway solar clearance lites</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q1tmplpcU0/UFPHeqSaReI/AAAAAAAAB4w/Y30bRSA6H6k/s1600/1110+hitelite1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q1tmplpcU0/UFPHeqSaReI/AAAAAAAAB4w/Y30bRSA6H6k/s320/1110+hitelite1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Fox's-eye view of an all night chicken buffet....not</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXcUutuvWVQ/UFPHfiLfKkI/AAAAAAAAB44/fwqvlR4iO4A/s1600/1120+nite+glow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXcUutuvWVQ/UFPHfiLfKkI/AAAAAAAAB44/fwqvlR4iO4A/s320/1120+nite+glow.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdE7E8mL3Qg/UFPHgvzkMkI/AAAAAAAAB5A/lHNX-o8gr7k/s1600/1140+red+lite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdE7E8mL3Qg/UFPHgvzkMkI/AAAAAAAAB5A/lHNX-o8gr7k/s320/1140+red+lite.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Hush little babies. Just rest.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-urH7OXkA9ug/UFPHh7czgjI/AAAAAAAAB5I/pVAqzRPxWqg/s1600/1200Moonlit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-urH7OXkA9ug/UFPHh7czgjI/AAAAAAAAB5I/pVAqzRPxWqg/s400/1200Moonlit.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Sleeping chickies by the light of the moon. Does this make it a chicken <i>lunarium</i>?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-66187725473903851052012-07-09T12:40:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.628-07:00PAIGE, BILL AND JANE LAKE VISIT THE FARM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnonm4-ezxc/T_szgMyiz0I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/SNTsxheRhYg/s1600/Interspecies%2BAdventure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnonm4-ezxc/T_szgMyiz0I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/SNTsxheRhYg/s320/Interspecies%2BAdventure.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I just don't know, Grey Goose.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Never seen one of them before.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">It looks human, but goose-sized.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-rHNx07h7Y/T_s0THgPEII/AAAAAAAAB2g/RV03Y7I7wN8/s1600/opening+the+hive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-rHNx07h7Y/T_s0THgPEII/AAAAAAAAB2g/RV03Y7I7wN8/s320/opening+the+hive.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let's get out of here. Those humans are releasing the BEES !</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1AbJZTL5QkY/T_s0wKW8l8I/AAAAAAAAB2o/Ql33qRKLiiQ/s1600/initialInspection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1AbJZTL5QkY/T_s0wKW8l8I/AAAAAAAAB2o/Ql33qRKLiiQ/s320/initialInspection.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wow! How many bees you got, Lee?<br />One, two, three, four, ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmlbpQdj0GQ/T_s1BZJ7j2I/AAAAAAAAB2w/NpTH7YfLypI/s1600/checkingForEggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmlbpQdj0GQ/T_s1BZJ7j2I/AAAAAAAAB2w/NpTH7YfLypI/s320/checkingForEggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Which one? This one?<br />No, I think I counted her.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comDomino Pl, Piedmont, SD 57769, USA44.276671273775186 -103.397827148437544.095066273775188 -103.71368414843749 44.458276273775184 -103.08197014843751tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-81700639662649236932012-06-29T12:35:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.655-07:00OLD GOATS<object height="315" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nMwE7tNZSFE?version=3&hl=en_US"> </param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> </param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> </param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nMwE7tNZSFE?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-39647507903242198612012-05-30T06:46:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.603-07:00RAPTOR RAPTURE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fzKofqT_kI0/T8Ykacqr2UI/AAAAAAAAB2A/PQ-oS85qd-k/s1600/zclaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fzKofqT_kI0/T8Ykacqr2UI/AAAAAAAAB2A/PQ-oS85qd-k/s320/zclaws.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maggie Engler and John Halverson are members of our Black Hills honeybee club. Turns out they are also experts and keepers of another winged creature. They put on a very fine program for the members of the Minneluzahan Senior Center in Rapid City. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hmmm...owls prowl for critters at night. Cats do too. Must be pretty scary out there by moonlight.</span></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyZr2WGIQ_U/T8YkA9H2oFI/AAAAAAAAB1o/u6nOHz6lLsw/s1600/Copy+of+zJohnMaggieOwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyZr2WGIQ_U/T8YkA9H2oFI/AAAAAAAAB1o/u6nOHz6lLsw/s320/Copy+of+zJohnMaggieOwl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20um05Qp5RU/T8YkHvj7uRI/AAAAAAAAB1w/k52cHHnlYSs/s1600/zBigOwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20um05Qp5RU/T8YkHvj7uRI/AAAAAAAAB1w/k52cHHnlYSs/s320/zBigOwl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2QTMrpnwz40/T8YkSAjx8ZI/AAAAAAAAB14/agj1VSWJbfo/s1600/zJohnHawk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2QTMrpnwz40/T8YkSAjx8ZI/AAAAAAAAB14/agj1VSWJbfo/s320/zJohnHawk.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-68720168222583480232012-05-28T11:29:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.636-07:0050-YEAR OLD MEMORY BETTER THAN 1,000 PICTURES<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">Not <i>my </i>memory. Heck, I forgot what I ate for breakfast. </span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But I do recall, like it was yesterday, jumping with glee in 1963 when my college let me have their old IBM 1620 mainframe computer when it was replaced. I couldn't wait to truck it home to my garage and start surgically autopsying my new cadaver. I methodically removed every little screw, indicator light, contact switch, transformer. </span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> But most prized of all was the deepest inner soul of the beast. It's processing memory. It was called "core memory," named for the donut-shaped cores, made of graphite, like in pencil lead. During computations the cores would be magnetized North or South. (Or L/R, or U/D, or B/W, or yes, even the infamous 1's and 0's, all of which were untrue. Magnets are either N or S. All those other artificial dichotomies were just authors' imaginations and surrogate place-holders in our number system.) They stopped making core memory like this decades ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">For days I excavated slowly, carefully, making sure not to break any part. Just in case one might someday want to reassemble this into a revived digital Frankenstein corpse. Finally, I exposed the sarcophagus that contained the sacred core memory. Those little bits that had kept me awake so many nights as a graduate student trying to master the special new realm of computer language that it took to talk to them. They had been so perfectly obedient. Which was the problem. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">They always did exactly what I asked. And with only a beginner's grasp of their language I often asked things of them that neither they nor I wanted, or perhaps didn't even understand.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had tried so many hundreds of times to talk in their symbols, asking them to spit back things I already knew, like the trigonometric cosine of a 60-degree angle, or the volume of a cube. But the real bonding between me and these little cores had developed when we jointly shared the intractable goal of calculating a perfect square root of a prime number, or the exact area of a circle. That took special algorithms, a kind of game plan for me to coach this little team of fella's how they would have to work together among themselves to discover something I never had known (such as the square root of 173.69, to a precision of 7 decimal places). </span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometime, later in graduate school, I mastered their language. About seven of their languages, in fact. They were so ready to go to work for a knowing master. Not just an articulate master, but one who cared to reduce their work. I spent a master's degree trying to develop methods to make computers work easier, run faster. I developed some ideas for my computer algorithms to calculate ways to speed up other peoples' algorithms. Techniques that would allow a computer to arrive a conclusion sooner, with less work. Methods that would allow a computer to serve more people in less time. Or help the nascent space shuttle recalculate its glide path in time to land safely. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">It was all born of necessity. For months I had been programming multivariate statistical models that solved near-singular eigenvalue problems. And I know that you know, those rascals take a long, long time to compute. I would hand the program to the computer one day, then go home for a bit of sleep. Maybe even take children Christine and Paul to the park to fly kites. Then come back to the computer lab the next night to see what sort of mathematical construct my team of memory cores had built for me (why were those early computer labs always in the...</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">basement</span><span style="font-size: large;">?)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">So I branched out, developing new mathematical algorithms whose sole purpose was to improve the statistical likelihood that they could glance over the grinding calculations of another algorithm in progress, then recommend a short cut to just leap right toward the answer. Like telling someone running around a maze to stick their head above the walls, see where the goal probably is, then just go there. Why calculate the entire path, when you can just finesse an algorithmic Gretzky? </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">And it worked. These memory cores were great little soldiers. We advanced some pretty crafty new strategies to accelerate iterative processes to turn near-singular eigenvector matrices upside down, (i.e., like guessing an entire song after hearing only the first few bars. Or putting a "<i>Hurry Up</i>!" button on the front of an old three-ton, water-cooled clunker of a mainframe computer.) They helped me get a master's thesis, and kept up the moneyflow to feed and clothe the kids.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Isn't it too bad, that today we hear people use the phrase "core dump" and they have no flinching what the heck they are referring to. How much grunting, grinding, grimacing and genius grandeur they are discounting. Or when someone says "core memory," how little do they get to appreciate that when one refers to a "core memory" it is referring to a phase of human developoment, a period of history, an journey of scientific discovery, an environment for raising kids, a transition to a new realm of mankind's peer-to-peer partnership with machine.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This morning I took this IBM 1620 Core Plane out of a special box I've kept it in for a very long time. Although delicate as teeny donuts of pencil lead, not a single fragile graphite core had been broken after decades of packing and unpacking in moves state to state. I was going to photograph it and put it on sale. But seeing it was more moving than photographs and portraits of the time. One doesn't have a relationship with photographs, although we sometimes do with the people in them. But with this core plane, I did have a relationship. This core plane had been a major participant in my family. It helped feed and clothe the kids, and it helped me develop beyond normal.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And it's still a member of our family.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next year, in 2013, it will be 50 years old. I can't just sell it. I will send it to my grand children so that 50 years from now they can show it to their own grandchildren and say, this was a member of your great, great, great grandparents' family. It helped buy our mom's (dad's) shoes when they were kids. It opened doors for scientific discovery by our grandfather, and it helped him confirm some mathematical algorithms he invented.</span></div><div style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maybe they'll frame it and put it on the wall next to my portrait. Maybe they'll understand this framed core-plane offers a deeper biographical portrait of me than 1,000 pictures.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPGYUY4-RJk/T8PDuccmaFI/AAAAAAAAB1M/hWPBltyj9OA/s1600/Copy+of+DSC01731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPGYUY4-RJk/T8PDuccmaFI/AAAAAAAAB1M/hWPBltyj9OA/s400/Copy+of+DSC01731.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4PNin7uue30/T8PEpKJZXxI/AAAAAAAAB1c/Ed3o3Vh9K9Y/s1600/crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4PNin7uue30/T8PEpKJZXxI/AAAAAAAAB1c/Ed3o3Vh9K9Y/s400/crop.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-14942848483805078792012-05-28T08:54:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.572-07:00PACK GOATS at the OAK-TREE SALAD BUFFET<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sylvan, Custer, Sturgis and Harney were hungry. Real hungry, after being confined to quarters for three days of rain. Well, not exactly "confined," mind you. Actually they're spoiled kids who just don't like to get their tootsies wet. And when Sturgis' pure black coat gets wet it looks like an overworked 1950's super-perm wave job (which the others tease him about).</span><br /><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So when the sun cleared, they were all about heading out for a serious chowdown at the ultimate springtime all-you-can-eat Black Hills Forest Oak-Tree Buffet. And since Harney the runt normally gets last-pickens at the trough in the barn, he especially appreciates the wide open every-where-you-look serving line. </span><br /><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x188WUckXlE/T8Ofg2t5lXI/AAAAAAAABzU/ozmOPSoM7ag/s1600/a-BuffetLine10+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x188WUckXlE/T8Ofg2t5lXI/AAAAAAAABzU/ozmOPSoM7ag/s320/a-BuffetLine10+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gboJYspYxXE/T8OfzBY5eZI/AAAAAAAABzc/CzkGgDx-5qg/s1600/a-Harney30+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gboJYspYxXE/T8OfzBY5eZI/AAAAAAAABzc/CzkGgDx-5qg/s320/a-Harney30+-+Copy.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wKZoDJP2uM0/T8OgVYQq8QI/AAAAAAAABz8/faBvuYL4Ey0/s1600/a-harney50+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wKZoDJP2uM0/T8OgVYQq8QI/AAAAAAAABz8/faBvuYL4Ey0/s320/a-harney50+-+Copy.JPG" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qqR8Yt1J2sE/T8OgG5Tx8zI/AAAAAAAABz0/73OI95VfuGA/s1600/a-Harney1-Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qqR8Yt1J2sE/T8OgG5Tx8zI/AAAAAAAABz0/73OI95VfuGA/s320/a-Harney1-Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-42089897790635360482012-05-14T05:22:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.608-07:00GOATS GET A READ ON SEATTLE FAMILY<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Christine's family sent a picture book to us in the Black Hills so we could read about family in Seattle. Every evening at bed time the goats ask Lee to read to them.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P59PGiTb_oQ/T7D4ihKVhnI/AAAAAAAABxc/kAw2drhJvMQ/s1600/leereadingbook4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P59PGiTb_oQ/T7D4ihKVhnI/AAAAAAAABxc/kAw2drhJvMQ/s400/leereadingbook4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Sometimes the goats read to each other. Custer politely asked his very nice brother, Sturgis, "Hey Sturgis. Would you please read it to us again?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cbjgU6yHOok/T7D5CWol6GI/AAAAAAAABxk/ibNgsFNyP0w/s1600/SturgisReadingToCuster4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cbjgU6yHOok/T7D5CWol6GI/AAAAAAAABxk/ibNgsFNyP0w/s400/SturgisReadingToCuster4.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-45415695323868988862012-05-13T14:27:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.610-07:00SENIOR EXPLORERS CHECK OUT CATHEDRAL ROCKS<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">On May 12, 2012 the Black Hills Explorers were back in action. This time visiting the cathedral-like spires of the Custer State Park near Mt. Rushmore and Sylvan Lake. It was a beautiful day, an inspiring geologic environment, and a very rewarding outdoor exercise.</span><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our hike was made even more enjoyable by the exercise-savvy duo of JoAnn and John Sterner, co-directors of the new canyon lake health and fitness center in Rapid City. At the trailhead both JoAnn and John led our eager crew in a 5-minute pre-hike flexibility workout. Most of us agreed during the hike and upon returning from the strenuous trek expressed the opinion that the pre-hike warmup certainly did improve the overall experience (and ourselves!).</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2gnS6B3He0/T7AmWLKcO1I/AAAAAAAABvQ/Jw167fXWDko/s1600/a10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2gnS6B3He0/T7AmWLKcO1I/AAAAAAAABvQ/Jw167fXWDko/s400/a10.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l6-6b2iJZnc/T7AnvR5DFHI/AAAAAAAABwY/HPvtFRFeRaA/s1600/b20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l6-6b2iJZnc/T7AnvR5DFHI/AAAAAAAABwY/HPvtFRFeRaA/s320/b20.JPG" height="277" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4OvGmRvsnSw/T7An_8I29nI/AAAAAAAABwo/TZ1gX54cxNY/s1600/d40.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4OvGmRvsnSw/T7An_8I29nI/AAAAAAAABwo/TZ1gX54cxNY/s320/d40.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KMKh1pBXkjM/T7AoKsYtj8I/AAAAAAAABww/huBkb9ILJYU/s1600/d45.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KMKh1pBXkjM/T7AoKsYtj8I/AAAAAAAABww/huBkb9ILJYU/s320/d45.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SMSGhcRtfw/T7AoRIxGIEI/AAAAAAAABw4/ngPsv4hW85k/s1600/e50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4SMSGhcRtfw/T7AoRIxGIEI/AAAAAAAABw4/ngPsv4hW85k/s320/e50.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H1jrLVZH4U8/T7AoW_MfhWI/AAAAAAAABxI/DYuxvxI3x7c/s1600/e60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H1jrLVZH4U8/T7AoW_MfhWI/AAAAAAAABxI/DYuxvxI3x7c/s320/e60.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68BgBgBgpJc/T7Aod8wX3BI/AAAAAAAABxQ/grOhSHuGS_c/s1600/f70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-68BgBgBgpJc/T7Aod8wX3BI/AAAAAAAABxQ/grOhSHuGS_c/s320/f70.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-66731945959886451822012-05-10T12:44:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.631-07:00GOOSE SPOOF STOPS CUSTER BLUSTER<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Custer the goat is the smartest, baddest of the herd, and also the all around "Barn Yard Bully." Like any bully, he rules by sheer intimidation. And, now and then, by real cunning and brute strength. </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then he met our fearless white mother goose. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No species I know of is more skillful at just pure bluffing down other beasts, as a goose. It's all squawk and talk. It works sometimes. And as usual the easiest one to bully is another bully. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's a standoff so far as mother goose tells Custer he cannot use the gangplank to get off Muscle Bench...until Momma says so. </span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But goose soon learned a basic goat-rule..."Speak softly and carry a big horn."</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH8__sumlOU/T6waJyX_i-I/AAAAAAAABvE/prKZM4SYYbU/s1600/DSC01598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH8__sumlOU/T6waJyX_i-I/AAAAAAAABvE/prKZM4SYYbU/s400/DSC01598.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two Bullies on A Plank</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-65353054336145150702012-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.623-07:00FOXY FOREST ANIMALS<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QDNrPD8gVCk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-68286305915105574562012-04-22T14:11:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.633-07:00SPRINGTIME PACK-GOAT MOZEY<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The Boyz" have been waiting since last fall to once again taste the lush green grass and fresh baby pine cones of the Black Hills forest. We took and entire Saturday afternoon, trying to go slow enough to nibble something from every square foot in our path. What a wonderful day to celebrate life in the best place on Earth. (Hope you enjoy the nifty little rompalong video below. Just click on it. Or, click on any photo to enlarge it.)</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWo_sa2JEE4/T5Rxy51IR2I/AAAAAAAABsY/dCeigsePkMU/s1600/a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWo_sa2JEE4/T5Rxy51IR2I/AAAAAAAABsY/dCeigsePkMU/s400/a.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Our back yard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaTijUHeVOI/T5RxzaNtM0I/AAAAAAAABsg/DZ97IGn6TH0/s1600/b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaTijUHeVOI/T5RxzaNtM0I/AAAAAAAABsg/DZ97IGn6TH0/s320/b.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIsCrF9ytf4/T5Rx0Lzsv9I/AAAAAAAABso/qBL8Y4Ad5BI/s1600/c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIsCrF9ytf4/T5Rx0Lzsv9I/AAAAAAAABso/qBL8Y4Ad5BI/s320/c.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gotta reach that itch....ooooohhhhh</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wULcDkPQHcw/T5Rx0sbhoPI/AAAAAAAABsw/yNdRJFz2uDc/s1600/d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wULcDkPQHcw/T5Rx0sbhoPI/AAAAAAAABsw/yNdRJFz2uDc/s320/d.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10y6GsBPg3Q/T5Rx1Cder8I/AAAAAAAABs4/vXKHLDHtEIk/s1600/e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-10y6GsBPg3Q/T5Rx1Cder8I/AAAAAAAABs4/vXKHLDHtEIk/s400/e.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NP1AE1f0alQ/T5Rx17UFYwI/AAAAAAAABtA/4hEE9VOYNRk/s1600/f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NP1AE1f0alQ/T5Rx17UFYwI/AAAAAAAABtA/4hEE9VOYNRk/s400/f.JPG" height="400" width="296" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nYeN5tqhKtg/T5Rx2aoLIOI/AAAAAAAABtI/6OZCFruL_5M/s1600/g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nYeN5tqhKtg/T5Rx2aoLIOI/AAAAAAAABtI/6OZCFruL_5M/s320/g.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Hey, Lee. You gettin' a shot of this?"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="414" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S7Eao17ZNnY" width="525"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540290611716541561.post-14337367848520570022012-04-12T08:02:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:27:08.568-07:00AN ABSOLUTE GREY AREA<div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, Grey gets a big goose-egg score on his first s*x education lab test. We went to check in on the white goose's </span><span class="st" style="font-size: large;">ellipsoidal progeny production</span><span style="font-size: large;">, which, we had discovered, were well hidden deep under the hay in the nest. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">But I get ahead of myself.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the past year Grey Goose has been sparking his Lovely, the white-feathered Ms. Absolute. Grey took her out on late-night dates at the goat zoo.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jIom43KI1m8/T4bklsZaSpI/AAAAAAAABr4/NXUPKj412AE/s1600/2011-12-25_22-13-41_117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jIom43KI1m8/T4bklsZaSpI/AAAAAAAABr4/NXUPKj412AE/s320/2011-12-25_22-13-41_117.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He even took his dear lady to the spa, and tended to her every wish.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwWdnhzueyQ/T4bk9z3quGI/AAAAAAAABsA/Md0v7o2bJ1Y/s1600/2012-01-21_08-55-12_656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwWdnhzueyQ/T4bk9z3quGI/AAAAAAAABsA/Md0v7o2bJ1Y/s320/2012-01-21_08-55-12_656.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The two of them patrolled and prowled every inch of the farm, ending each day together in silent intimacy as they preened in preparation for a night of bedding together.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3c8j8V-3FiY" width="480"></iframe></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We all knew where this was headed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Then she began roosting on a perfect mound of <i>empty </i>nest she had carved in the hay on the bedroom floor of their goose house. It went on for weeks, with no apparent eggs. Then one day we discovered that, unlike chickens, geese apparently hide their eggs under 6" of hay, way down. And, boy, were those things big!</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FCb5XbFmaQ/T4brgIRQUUI/AAAAAAAABsI/xbmp9iAM24s/s1600/DSC01501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FCb5XbFmaQ/T4brgIRQUUI/AAAAAAAABsI/xbmp9iAM24s/s320/DSC01501.JPG" height="253" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So then, we waited. And waited. Just sat down and patiently awaited the soft pecking from inside an egg.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2g-LK3qdDY/T4br4JF5nKI/AAAAAAAABsQ/nqrsbiYa-HQ/s1600/2012-03-31_18-50-13_331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2g-LK3qdDY/T4br4JF5nKI/AAAAAAAABsQ/nqrsbiYa-HQ/s320/2012-03-31_18-50-13_331.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then yesterday we candle tested an egg. Bad news. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">In-fertile.</span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, why? He did everything right. She played her part right down the DNA mainline. </span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But, did <i>he</i>? I remembered a video I had taken of them during an amorous moment last winter, and hadn't really thought about it. Then it hit me. Maybe he <i>didn't </i>do everything right. Maybe he needs a big brother to take him aside. What do you think? Click on this video below. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gRWUsMMBNZU" width="480"></iframe></div><span id="goog_222567837"></span><span id="goog_222567838"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com