COLD !!!

Your Right!  I'll be the first one complaining when it hits 110,

but I'm tired of  40, 50, and 60 degrees and the "WIND"

My hair looks like I haven't brushed it in a month.

"All I want to do is put in my garden"

and be warm.

That's my whining for the day.

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day Tribute, Amazing Grace Bagpipes

http://youtu.be/7FWIJYY6NeA

"So Lucky To Be An American" by Baxter Black

Wild Weather

Looking out across this landscape, you'd never know there

was an event Wednesday afternoon that set most of the county 

glued to the live shots on Channel 12.  "We had Tornadoes!"

This is what it looked like from our place, to the northeast, after 

the main event had died down.  Now, no way did this even compare
to those in the the rest of the country, but for Glen and Butte county's
" It was a big deal".

The first hit was at  Ordbend about 5:30pm then Durham,
lifted over hwy 99 to Butte Valley were it came down again.
It finished up it's destructive dance around the valley
 by hitting a small ranch at the foot of  Mt Mountain.

Thank God, no injuries or deaths.  Farm equipment moved around, 

garages and barns blown up, power poles down, but no homes hit.  

The biggest damage was to walnut and almond orchards, 

which doesn't seem like much, but remember

that's someones lively hood.

Besides our little wind storm, we were deluged by rain and even 

managed to have it snow again in the mountains.

Well! that was the only exciting thing going on around here this week.

Every one have a safe Memorial Day weekend 

Hope your doing something fun and

 remember why you have the day off.

Thursday's Thoughts, "Technical Problems"

If it's not one thing it's another!!!  computer, camera, internet, blog, tractor.

I started noticing that things weren't just right on my blog, but

thought it would work it's self out...........NO!

When I would try to comment on others blogs, the scroll bar was missing

 on the side, making it hard to leave a comment.  

I got an e-mail today from Linda, that she had tried to leave a 

comment, but got an error.   I'm always afraid to do anything,

thinking I will loose all my stories and photos.

I would really appreciate if any of you have been by in the 

last two weeks, if you would e-mail me and let me know 

of any problems you had visiting this blog.

"Thanks You"

Oh...the tractor, thats what I was doing today,

running tractor parts.

Wordless Wednesday

Your In My Space

The big nest in the eucalyptus was there when we moved

and for the next 15 years the Red Tail Hawks successfully

raised their babies. Every spring the fussing and

screeching would begin, then things would settle down

till the baby hatched. Then the fussing and screeching

would go on all summer till baby finely left the nest.

Five years age, a Big! Horned Owl took over and raised

three babies one summer. Boy! did that cause a commotion.

Mother Hawk, screeched her best complaints about the

whole thing, but the Owl stayed put.

The following year the hawks reclaimed the nest, but

the baby hawk had fallen out. It was a very sad summer.

These last two years the nest stayed empty,

no hawk, no owl.

The fussing and screeching started up again, this spring

and it was music to my ears. This week mama hawk has

been sitting pretty tight in the nest. That Is !

Till I tried to get pictures of her. I took to much

time and got to closes. She was letting me know all

about it. This is her telling me,

"Your in my space.......

........Don't you make me come down there"

Pretty Picture Monday

Sunday Stills, In the Sky

Thursday's Thoughts, Giving Credit

If you've been visiting 5SF for a while, you know that

all of the photos here are mine and that,

"what you see is what I shot"

Others, who have contributed photos were given credit

and

only two pictures were played with on the computer,

which I also pointed our at the time. I plan on keeping

the photos on this blog true to the way they were taken.

With that said, let me explain the pictures your looking at.

I like the way the pictures on Muddy Boot Dreams and

It's a Southern Thing looked, but had no idea

how to go about it.

A few weeks back I found a web site "Vintage West Photos"

this site belongs to Stacie Lamson. Stacie is a ranch wife

in Southeaster Montana, who started getting serious about

her photography last December. I had seen Stacie's

photos before on her blog Smiling country, now privet.

She created these great textures and has make them

available as free downloads, to any one who would like

to use them. "Wow that's really nice" Let me just say

"THANK YOU STACIE"

What do you think.....the photos are mine, of course and

the textures are Stacie's. I used Tin Typish, Warm Muslin

and Branding Wood. Using the Picasa collage setting to

lay the texture over the photo, then changed the lighting

and the color with Windows Live Photo Gallery, that

came on my computer. It was furn and now I'm hooked.

Thinking about adding a page to the blog just for photo

play... still working on all the text being the same color.

Daughter Dawn

This, is my one and only girl !

"She's the most precious flower in my garden"

"Happy Birthday Dawn"

"Love You"

Abbey of New Clairvaux

Mothers day weekend we went on a outing with JS's family.

Grandma and grandpa Starr, his sister, sons Shane and Zach

and JS and me. Grandpa wanted to take the old cars, so

our little caravan headed north to Vina in Tehama county.

Our destination was the Abbey of New Clairvaux. The ranch

originally a Mexican land grant awarded to Peter Lassen.

Lassen come across the ground when he and General Bidwell

were tracking horse thieves from Sacramento north in 1843.

After his death the ranch changed threw many hands and

in 1881 Senator Leland Stanford acquired the property.

The ranch under Stanford saw race horses, beef cattle, sheep,

a herd of registered Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and almost

every commercial variety of the fruit and nut trees. The ranch

was 55,000 acres and irrigated by 100 miles of ditches.

The vineyards covered 4,000 acres making it the largest

winery in the world. Not suited to this part of California,

the vines provided poor wine and brandy became the

principal product. At Stanford's death the ranch was

signed to Stanford University, were the trustees sold it off

piece by piece. The Monks bought 200 acres of the

main homestead of the ranch in 1955.

The main attraction today is the Abbey of the Sacred Stones.

Father John one of the Cistercians of Strict Observance

monks, was our personal tour guide on an adventure that

covered almost 800 years. From the Cistercian monastery of

Santa Maria de Ovila, in Trillo, Guadalajare, Spain where

it's construction started in 1190 to Vina California 2011.

The stones were the chapter house of the monastery.

In 1931 William Randolph Hearst bought and had the

chapter house dismantled and shipped threw the Panama

canal to San Fransisco. He then traded them to the

city for taxes he owed. They stayed in San Fransisco

in crates till 1994 when they were given to the abbey.

By this time only 40% of the stones were left.

An outer shell in the Gothic style has been built to protect

the original structure. The Sacred Stones are now being

erected and should be finished this year. Look at the photos,

the dark stones are the original and light stones had to be

carved by hand on sight. We were all Awe Struck.

"It is Beautiful"

For the full story and more photos go to

www.sacredstones. org.

"They make good wine now"

Pretty Picture Monday

Sunday Stills, Looking High, Looking Low

After rereading the Sunday Stills challenge, I'm not quite

sure this is what Ed had in mine........Oh Well !

This is Oroville Dam, it was once the largest earth filled

dam in the world and is still the tallest dam in the US,

standing 770 feet. Constructed between 1961 and 1968,

and will hold 77,619,000 cubic yards.

It spans the Feather River that cuts threw the Sierras

to the Sacramento Valley. Mainly built for flood

control, it also provides Irrigation and power.

It was the center of many school field trip, the best view

for miles around and lovers lane... Then once 9-11 happened,

it was shut down to the public for a while. Once reopened,

new rules were enforced, like no parking on the dam and

no more field trips to the Hydro Plant in the core.

It's a bit of a novelty right now, you see the lake is full

and the spillway is flowing. California has been in a

drought for the last 5 years and water is the new

"Gold in California"

Who's got it, who want's is and how is it getting there.

It's a battle between the two California's

Southern and Northern.

PS. California is always in a drought.

Juni Fisher, Back Yard Concert

"JUNI FISHER"

WMA Album of the Year 2009

WMA Female Performer of the Year 2006, 2009

National Cowboy Museum Wrangler Award

Most Outstanding Album 2008

AND SHE WAS SINGING IN MY BACK YARD

WEDNESDAY NIGHT !!!!!

Cindy Quigley is friends with Juni on face book. When

Juni announced her open dates for her back yard concert

tour, Cindy ask what I thought and if we could have it

in my back yard. It sounded great.

A date was pick May 11 and plans were made. Juni along

with 32 family, friends and fans enjoyed a wonderful

evening of Cowboy Music. Everyone contributed to

the pot luck dinner, Ham, Tri tip, Lamb, Ribs and

every kind of salad you can think of.

At 7 Juni started her show, singing Little Red Horse,

Jersey Lilly and I Will Miss Ireland, Buckaroo songs

Yakima and The Ambler Saddle.

At intermission this beautiful cake by

"Van Gooey Cakes"

was enjoyed by all and inspired by Juni's boots

Juni's second set, she threw in a little Cohen and blues.

Her story telling along with her range of music,

and her energy, was incredible.

"What a Great Night"

"THANK YOU JUNI, EVERYONE HAD THE BEST TIME"

For more about Juni Fisher and her music, go to

www.junifisher.net

Juni is also featured on the documentary

"Oh You Cowgirl"

about the early 20Th century rodeo cowgirls

We already talked to Juni and may just have to do

this again next year.

Pretty Picture Monday

It's a Dogs Life

Ranch Dog got to ride to town yesterday. She had an

appointment at Bark Ave. for her annual Puff and Fluff.

The grass is turning brown and the fox tails are heading

out (stickers!) so it was time for a hair cut.

"And She Smells Good Too"

Sidekick George is staying with us and he got to ride to

town on Tuesday to the Vet.

He got things cut off too! aka "Attitude Adjustment"

Thursday's Thoughts, The Beaver Pond

This pond sets on the downhill side of a road I drove

all most ever day when the kids were in grade school.

It wasn't a pond then, only a drainage ditch, fed be the

water from a leaking irrigation channel.

Some years back a pair of beavers moved in and made it

home and a pair of ducks are nesting here now as well.

Most of the year, you wouldn't even know it's here,

but then a bust of yellow draws your eye and it's

beauty can match that of any grand garden.

I don't know how they came to be here,

I'm just glad they are.