Little Things

I have five kinds of lizards. Fence lizard is the smallest. No point in getting to know them as everybody else eats them. Side-blotched I've had lots of fun with over the years and even became friends with some of them. Who's Up, What's Up, and Little Up. They own the porches and the walls above them. Whip tailed lizards. All female, they clone themselves, they simulate the act but it's all cloning themselves. They are lightning quick and I've never been able to catch one. They have real sensitive bellies and they sit in the bushes until they feel movement in the ground and then dig the crickets up and eat them. Their only known predator is the Leopard lizard. Leopard's are yellow with black spots, red spots if they are pregnant. They show up rarely just to eat Whip-tails. I saw one catch one years ago and it slowly swallowed it. It took about an hour. They aren't too far apart in size. Collard lizard is the largest kind I have. They rarely visit the lodge. They are all kinds of colors and have a black collar around their neck. I saw a leopard snatch a side blotched today and take off. A side blotched that's been on the porch for a couple years. Jax took off after the leopard and it dropped the side-blotched who blew back to the porch and dive in a post hole.

There are four identifiable raccoons that stand out. Mother, who is just pure evil, you can see it in her eyes. Another had some hair missing on it's left butt cheek, thanks to a disagreement with Mother, one raccoon whos stands up a lot, and another that just has one eye, well it has two eyes but it can't see out of the left one and when you shine a headlamp on it there is no reflection from it's left eye. You throw it a hot dog and if it goes past one eye it can't see it and a different raccoon will get it. However the last few nights two of Mother's babies show up way early. They wander all over the place unaware there are rules about where they can go, but Jax is teaching them. They stayed all night last night and didn't leave until daylight as Jax and I were leaving to go hiking.

I've got some units that need cleaning and I don't want to do it. Also all the grills that survived are filthy. I called Sonya who worked here for awhile and she declined. I called Wands and haven't gotten a call back. I was in town and went to see Johnny across the street from Village Market and they said he retired a couple years ago and lives in an old folks home. I'm six or so years older than him. There are two more who said they would work here but I've fired both of them in previous years and I don't want to do it again. I guess it's me.

More Damage

Jax and I left to go hiking about 5:30 this morning. Kobae was sitting outside before the sun hits as we walked by his house. When we got up on top to the Hogan that Doug owns two of the out buildings were gone. Flattened and lying on the ground with outdoor furniture scattered about.

We leave Doug's and continue our hike. Looking across the river as I recall there use to be 12 tents, now there are five.

The River, The Beach

The river is about as low as I've ever seen it. It feels like 30% sandbars. The beach as big as I've ever seen it.

Damage Continues

Various roads around the property took wind damage and bushes/plants fell into the roads and blocked them. Jax and I get up early to tow strap them out of the embankments and tow them up on to upper land.

Storm From the Other Direction

This time the wind came from the west and took out much of the back and front porch.

Life

The rebuilt tree looks good. Thanks Dalton. The grills not so good.

You get up early enough and you get to see the sun as it hits the cliffs on the far side of the valley and works it's way across the river and towards the property.

Kobae

Kobae continues his daily assault on the bush he doesn't like. Over the years I think he's winning. Then he comes to the porch and assaults romaine, cucumbers, green peppers, and carrots to the tune of $125 or so a week.

We Mourn

The disc golf community lost two good friends this week. John Todhunter lost his long battle with cancer. Craig Myrick lost his battle with diabetes. They are both tremendously missed.

Dalton

Guests staying at the hogans came over to watch the feeding Thursday night. I showed Dalton what happened to my man created tree that was made so the birds can watch for the hawks. He looks at it and says. "You want me to re-build it for you? I have all my tools in the truck." So the next day before Dalton and his family check out he comes over and an hour later all the branches are back, the tree is upright and packed with birds.

Unbelievable. Thank you Dalton.

The Storm

I've shown you the damage the storm did right out front of the lodge.

Jax and I hiked the property expecting to see some of the disc golf baskets down but they were all up. However two of the turf tees had been relocated.

Got the grills turned back up but they have significant damage and will need a pretty good cleaning before even attempting to start them.

Got the branches cleaned up and taken to the gravel pit. Can't burn anything as there is a fire ban across most of the state.

In the evenings I use scissors to open the hot dog packages when feeding the critters. You can see where they were sitting on the counter when the storm hit.

It's Raining Somewhere

The river is red for the 4th day in a row so somewhere up river it's raining every day. Beach vegetation is doing well.

Base Camp Sign

Guests checking in miss the Base Camp sign to turn off. Jax and I go out to see why. It's because it isn't standing up anymore. It's very heavy. Not sure how I'm going to get that fixed.

I Will Remember This Day

I'm working in the office and Jax is sleeping on his bed on my desk. I've been looking out the window and a storm is coming. Happens all the time. No biggie. Then the wind picks up quickly. I'm thinking probably best to close the outside doors just in case. By the time I get from the office to the kitchen it's a desert sandstone blizzard. I get the back door closed but the wind is too strong to get the front door closed. I have to put all my weight against it and just barely get it closed. I come back in the office and see the watering jugs go flying by. The small desert willow is almost horizontal. A big branch on the large desert willow breaks and is gone. Kobae didn't come out to eat yesterday. I look across the driveway and see a raccoon run out of his house. Then I can't see his house anymore. I've never seen wind like this in the whole 20 years. It continues for nearly 45 minutes. Then the wind quits and it starts raining. Time to step outside and see the damage. It's considerable.

Two large branches are gone from the desert willow. Both grills are down with one of them being blown 20 feet from where it was sitting with the propane tank still attached. The man made tree is destroyed. The bird bath is in two pieces. The former stack of wood is just a pile of wood now as this storm finished it off.

In the two minutes it took me to get from the office to the kitchen to close doors the floor and counter covered in sand. You can see where my plate was on the counter and the wind blew the cover out of the office window and dirt came into the office. I had to take the AC out.

Lot of work to salvage the tree if at all. It began raining but didn't fase Kobae who came over to eat on the porch.Then, it was over.