Category Archives: Photographs

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Dionysian Dance

Posted on February 11, 2014 by John in Photographs

Looking West

Posted on February 9, 2014 by John | 5 comments

Robbin’s family gathered here yesterday from Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Coarsegold and Bakersfield for a family get-together, in lieu of Christmas. It was drizzling when I started the barbecue fire, but by evening, a shepherd’s red sky delight.

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Posted in Photographs

Tagged red sky

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WPC: Selfie II

Our true selves, just shadows on the landscape.

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Posted on February 7, 2014 by John in Photographs

Tagged weekly-photo-challenge

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WPC: Selfie

My wife and blog-partner Robbin caught me coming off the roof, weak-kneed, after sweeping the chimney. I played with the photo. For more about the Weekly Photo Challenge click HERE

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Posted on February 7, 2014 by John in Photographs

Tagged weekly-photo-challenge

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…under covers of clouds

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Posted on February 7, 2014 by John in Photographs

February 2014

Posted on February 5, 2014 by John | 2 comments

Dust becoming unsettled again, we are still feeding despite last week’s half-inch rain, season totals less than 2 inches at all locations on the ranch. Though I haven’t gotten on my knees to search for cotyledons, there is no noticeable germination of new grass, our high temperatures in the low-60s. Our top layer of dust and dirt is deep due to the drought and appears to have absorbed the last rain quickly, perhaps leaving seeds without sufficient moisture to complete germination. I don’t know, I’ve never seen our grass wait until February to germinate.

Up and down the mountain with hay a week before the rain, we noticed Blue Lupine blooming weakly in the bluffs above Lake Kaweah. At the same location, Phacelia or Scorpionweed below. It seems some wildflowers have already given-up on spring. Not a good sign. BBC coming today, chance of rain tomorrow, this is a roller coaster ride.

2 Comments

Posted in Photographs

Tagged Drought, feeding, wildflowers

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WPC: Object

Object under siege by leafhoppers in May 2012. For more on the Weekly Photo Challenge

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Posted on February 1, 2014 by John in Photographs

Tagged weekly-photo-challenge

Gathering Rain

Posted on January 31, 2014 by John | 5 comments

We have been blessed in the past 24 hours with a little rain, a shade less than a half-inch, enough to start our grass. Thunder and lightening roused Robbin and I at 2:30 this morning to make coffee and celebrate. The photo of the flatbed feed truck works for us—perfect irony for a gray day.

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Posted in Photographs

Tagged rain

Feeding in the Drought of 2013

Posted on January 31, 2014 by John | 9 comments

Reading yesterday’s Facebook links has fired the ire of my wife (as the better half of this mom and pop cattle operation who is thankful she is not on Facebook) to be publicly singled-out and slandered, along with all the ranchers in Dry Creek canyon, of not feeding and purposely starving our cattle— misguided accusations by some uninformed animal rights activists. Part of the purpose of this blog is to chronicle our activities on Dry Creek and to offer our perspectives to hopefully bridge that ever-widening gap between rural and urban worlds. The following photos have been previously published.

August 9, 2013

August 17, 2013

August 25, 2013

September 9, 2013

October 14, 2013

November 16, 2013

January 3, 2014

Janaury 15, 2014

January 17, 2014

For those who need numbers, we’ve fed over 400 tons of alfalfa since August, equating to 1,600 lbs/cow in the past 150 days. In addition to hay costs, our everyday labor, fuel and the wear and tear on the pickup to deliver the hay amounts to more than $300/cow, thus far.

Link: Fresno Bee