August 2007
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Ranch Trip : 08/03/2007 - 08/05/2007
I decided to take the kids to the ranch to spend some time with them this weekend (Nettie stayed home and had her own sort of break). We had a great time, but not so much luck with Buzz. On the way up, eight miles south of Show Low, the front passenger tire had a major (that is, it happened very quickly, without any sort of warning) blowout. I got reminded why people say they have trouble holding a car on the road when a (front) tire blows up. After unloading the trunk, I managed to get the doughnut on the car, and we limped into Show Low. At the tire store, I learned that the rim had hit the road with sufficient force to bend it. This would, I was about to find out, make Buzz shake violently after about 60mph. For the remainder of this trip, I was reminded of that old commercial from the Carter years - "Drive 55, stay alive". If that were not enough, on the way home, Buzz overheated somewhere south of Payson. We made it home, but I was driving with that engine on the edge the entire way. When we arrived home, the radiator was boiling! I really need to get a car that works one of these days!

In the past week and a half (before we arrived), the ranch had received about three inches of rain. This makes everything up there a big mess. Here are the kids, "becoming one with the mess". Specifically, the kids are in our flood plain, enjoying the clay-mud. The reason I was down here at all? Meg summoned me here with claims that she was "stuck". She managed to extract herself  by the time I arrived...

Poobie likes to take this stuff and make bowls out of it.

The kids voted, and elected to hike to Purcell Well. But we didn't make it you see. We got close, but the mighty Carrizo (that is, Carrizo Wash) was running. This stopped our hike short, but at least the kids got to get into the muck. By the way, a few miles from here, the road crosses this very wash. This means that the road is washed out again. Good thing there are two ways to get to my place!

Kids and muck, muck and kids. Take special note of the feet.

The mighty Carrizo.

The feet of Mooms.

The feet of Mooms, after I helped her extract one of her feet from the muck.

The kids stading in front of Salt Cedars (the big, green trees). Salt Cedars are an invasive species originally from the Mediterranian. They grow along creeks and washes in the area, and choke out other plants (and they make the soil salty).

We caught this toad. Cute toad. By the way, these things are awfully noisy at night (there must be a bazillion of them in our flood plain, judging by the chorus).

After out hike, I decided to drive to where the Mighty Carrizo crosses the road, to see how badly the road was washed out. This was a bad idea. This is a picture of a very stuck Buzz. Good thing for me, I have lots of friends in the area. I called one up right away, to come get me, but before he could even get to me, another friend had found me, and yanked me out (and provided me with a most deserved lecture about being such a green fool, to bring a car like this back here). I really should have brought my suburban, but gas is expensive...

This is a dactylotum variegatum. I like to think of it as a really pretty grasshopper.

This is a better picture of the cute little bug.


Right after getting home from the ranch trip (see pictures above -- the ones with the mud and muck), the kids were tired. I guess that the ranch gets them all pooped. Poor Button, couldn't even make it to bed.

The ranch has Mudge all tired out too. Poor Mudge.

Laurent made some great Banana bread.  It deserved some loving closeups.





Megan made some scones for breakfast one day.  

While Megan was making scones, Laurent was working on a mysterious project using leaves from the grapefruit tree, a needle and some thread. This turned out to be a leaf basket.

Megan's scones made for a very elegant breakfast.

Lovely scones.

The kids like to play "Harry Potter". Here is Mooms McGonagal.

I think they are yelling spells in latin or something.

This is Nettie's brand new purse.  It is huge.  Just like her old one.

The boy wanted a knife. I bought the boy a knife. The boy's knife.

The boy and his knife.

The Dread Pirate Roberts.

More loving closeups of fresh, hot banana bread.  Yummmm.

Nettie's new haircut (provided by Laurent, and herself).

Nettie had fun trying to take her own picture.

See Nettie pose.

Geneva took this one.

Laurent took this one.

Great hair.

On the way home from the ranch, the belt that drives my water pump snapped. Since the water tempurature sending unit is on top (stuck in the thermostat housing), and since no water gets up that high when the pump stops, there is no indication that anything is wrong. No indication, that is, until it is too late. I managed to get my head all cracked and warped. Here I am using my "crane" to life the head out of Buzz.

Cheching that the head is clear of all cables, etc, before hoisting it the rest of the way up.

Here it comes!

Me and my head.

More me and more head.

The inside of Buzz. Nice pistons, huh?

Right. We decided that it would be nice to have target frames (to hold paper shooting targets) up at the ranch. Sorta like the ones at Ben Avery, but not so fancy. Button and I are building said frames. Button was doing the drilling.

Here is the boy drilling a hole with a nice, big, power drill. Neat, huh?

Here we are with our completed frame. This will be buried in the ground, so it will be only about five feet high when installed in the wash (or at the pistol range -- we made two frames).

Button doing school.

Jacob up and decided he needed to blow a bowl full of bubbles.  So he squirted a bunch of dish soap in a bowl of water and started blowing.

Mudge sleeping. Aw shucks.

August 24 - 26
Jon and I took a trip up to the ranch to shoot pictures and bullets. We had a great time, and saw the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. Lots of pictures got taken, so here they are:

Jon is shooting the gun we call "General Sherman" (after the civil war hero). The General is a 30-06, and is fun to shoot, but it make your sholder sore.

See the neat new target stands? I just made these, and we hauled them up and stuck them in the dirt this weekend.

Nettie's pistol, which we call "Freddy Ruger".

Another good shot of the neat new target stands.

We climbed a large Mesa south of the ranch. This is a view from near the top. If you know what to look for, you can almost pick out our ranch...

Another view from up on the Mesa.

I think this is my brother, but I am not sure.

Pretty. The wash down there, by the way, is the Carrizo Wash.

We did visit the Petrified Forest, yes we did. Every time I am next to this log, I need to take a picture of it.

The wood grain is unusually visable in this hunk of etrified wood.

Badlands in the Petrified Forest.

I am disappointed in this picture. The colors of the different crystals that make up this petrified log are much brighter than in this lame picture. This log, by the way, is in the Crystal Forest.

Those petrified logs are everywhere out there.

This sign describes the Jasper Forest, and how it came to be.

This is the Jasper Forest.

Another view of the Jasper Forest.

This sign descibes drainage.

In this picture and the next, you can see what the sign (above) is talking about.



We stopped at Blue Mesa, and I am glad we did. I have never stopped here before. There is a trail that goes down into the badlands -- a great walk.

Here is the trail descending into the badlands.

A view from inside the badlands.

And here is a sign describing the badlands.

This photo was taken inside the Painted Desert. Unlike the Petrified Forest, here you can leave the trail and go whereever you like.

Another picture taken from inside the Painted Desert.

Halfway back up the trail (halfway up to the rim where the road is), in the Painted Desert.