Tuesday Evening

Cliffhanger

Daughter Heather, four grand kids, friend Beth and more kids, and I hiked up Jackson Ladder and over to Cliff Hanger to watch a jeep convoy. I think there were 36 jeeps. Here's the first ten or so.

Monday Morning

Sunday: Sackmans & Holters

On Sunday I hiked up Jackson Ladder with the Sackmans and Holters to show them some petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints. I headed back to Base Camp but with a jeep convoy coming up Cliff Hanger I left them with the Go Pro and they saw this.

Groceries to Johnny

It's the Gusts

Didn't have time to drive Johnny's supplies over to Caveman Ranch but they have to be delivered so it's kayaking time with 25 mile an hour winds and gusts up to 35 miles per hour.

A Day in Pictures

Courtesy Tami

Kobae/Koko

As Koko and his dog food learned, anything at ground level belongs to Kobae.

Cairn

Monday Evening

Monday Morning

With the tournament ending Sunday to walk out Monday morning and still see this many people here I think is a testament to how much fun everyone had. It really went well.

Winter Wizards: Day Two

40 more holes of disc golf today. A round is taking between four and seven hours so most player are carrying water, or beer, and some carrying lunch with them.

Saturday Evening

Good Day for Kobae

In addition to making it difficult for the 100 plus people here for the disc golf tourney having to work around Kobae to use the restroom, Kobae also got to intimidate any dogs coming to the porch to try to drink out of the water bowl. In Kobae's world it doesn't get much better than this.

Winter Wizards: Day One

It's disc golf time and the Winter Wizards is all set. 22 baskets have been added so 40 holes. One round Saturday and one round Sunday. Yes, that is a golf cart, re-geared, and with off road tires. Yes, that is a motor home that made it here.

Shhh, Security Tortoise at Work

The Random Plan

My back is messed up from the Kobae eye incident the other day but it's time to put Kobae in the truck and head back to Moab for the disc golf tourney this weekend. It's Heather and I. So the plan is to have Kobae climb a ramp into the truck. Kobae however is not known for his cooperation on any sort of plan, even his own. To get Kobae to want to go up the ramp, we need to find motivation. So, I ask this random lady walking by to use her random dog as bait. It was working until the random dog had to get in the truck with the monster chasing it. Then the random dog went in the truck and out the other side, the camera battery went dead, Kobae changed direction on the ramp, and despite Heather and I both trying to push him up into the truck, he wouldn't go. Then phase two of the random plan went into action. Two random guys driving by saw us trying to push Kobae into the truck, stopped and helped, and perfection. Some people might call this luck but no way. It was all in the random plan. Thanks random lady, random dog, and random guys passing by.

San Diego: Day Four, Dogs

This is funniest because Kobae who's always at war with dogs never expected one to just lick his face.

San Diego: Day Four, Vet's Office

When we get to the Vet Kobae's eye looks fine but a bit red. The opinion is he got something in it, protected it with the third eyelid, and watered it to remove the obstacle, all natural. While I'm paying the bill and getting his eye drops Kobae re-arranges the furniture he's not happy with.

San Diego: Day Four, What A Day

Kobae and I are hiking around the neighborhood trying to get by the elementary school before it lets out and Kobae gets mobbed by a hundred kids. We take a left and start down hill towards the canyons. As Kobae and I are walking across the street I'm watching for traffic and reading my book and I'm on his left side protecting him from any oncoming traffic. I look down and in a matter of seconds his left eye swells all up and looks like it's about to pop out of his head. Then his third eyelid (white) comes down. He looks like he's undergoing makeup to be on the Walking Dead. He pulls his head in a couple times trying to clear his eye and then starts trying to poke at it with his left leg. I look at his other eye and it's fine but he's blind on one side. I guide him by the sidewalk and into the shade and then call Heather to get my truck and come help. She sends a friend, Beth, in the truck. Tears are rolling down Kobae's face and out of his eye and he's got a small pool of water under him. As I'm picking him up to put him in the truck I feel the tear down my back. I think I'm going to drop him but I gut out the pain and get a knee up to keep him from falling and finally get him in the backseat. Tears are rolling down my face but I don't feel like I'm crying. It's more like whatever was in Kobae's eye, when I bent down to pick him up and got close to his face, was in my eyes. I'm popping Ibuprophen all the way to the Vets office.

San Diego: Day Three, Dogs

San Diego: Day Three, Into the Jungle

San Diego: Day Two, All Quiet

It's over to visit Snappy and then touring the neighborhood where everyone with a dog avoids him. So far no broken sprinklers or solar lights. A few damaged but overall it's going well. Just waiting, I know it's coming.

San Diego: Day One, Snappy

In the 60's in Moab. Time to come to San Diego and pick up my hiking buddy. Opening the gate to the backyard Kobae is down the street to visit the only other tortoise in the area he is aware of. Last year Kobae wasn't a very gracious guest and this year I'm expecting no different. Kobae hangs out at the house for two hours trying to figure out a way to get in and see Snappy. Just as I think he's about to give up they come home and bring Snappy out and again Kobae isn't very nice to him. Then when they put him back in Kobae hangs out for three more hours trying to figure out how to get in. An unusual day. No dog chasing at all. There's always tomorrow.

Someone's Knocking at the Door

Breakfast at Tiffanys: Always Entertaining

The Front Porch

I'd always though that if I were ever to do a product endorsement it would be for Kit&Kaboodle the cat food I leave on the front porch every evening. For sure badgers, raccoons, skunks, Gray fox, and ringtails love it. Not the case with the ten or so other cat and dog foods I've tried. I have no idea if cats like it or not but hardly matters out here. Leaving the Go Pro on the porch this afternoon I was hoping to get a good look at the Gray fox with the broken leg but instead I've added to the list of those that like Kit&Kaboodle, Pinon jays, Rock squirrels, and Eurasian Collard Doves.

The Nightly Ritual

Three Legs

Two winters ago a Gray fox came to the porch beat up, limping, dazed, head down, missing most of one ear and part of the other. Two months of hot dogs, hamburgers, fish, and chicken One Ear made a remarkable recovery. I still see him occasionally around the property. For the last few days a Gray fox with an apparent broken rear leg has been visiting. I'm leaving the food bowel out during the day now, not just night. We'll see if we can get three legs healthy again.