Cali~Creative Exchange~071811

Cali is my other Wyoming BLM mustang. She has always loved people! From the moment she arrived, she was a "pocket pony"! She was halter broke at a prison training facility in Wyoming. She nibbled on my hair while Scout remained aloof. She's very calm and doesn't spook at all. I took this photo of her last week during her lesson. Her mane was flying behind her...typical Cali. Usually we have to really get her moving, but on this day, she was moving well on her own. She is a real sweetheart and she's getting saddle broke. Creative Exchange for July 18, 2011. To visit the Creative Exchange, please go to: http://www.lgordonphotography.com/

Mountain lion spotted in Fallbrook, CA

Here's the link:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/17/witnesses-spot-mountain-lion-fallbrook/

Apparently 3 people saw it. It was next to an elementary school. My parents used to own a 10 acre horse ranch in Bonsall, which is right next to Fallbrook. I used to ride horses throughout the hills there as a kid. Many, many times I rode right past rattlesnakes, but never saw a mountain lion. I hope it was just passing through and will head toward the hills, away from people. It would indeed be a shame to read that it was shot...(just my own personal opinion). This is literally just over a couple of hills from where I board my horses! Just past Temecula, then into the hills of Fallbrook. Along the way is the Cleveland National Forest, and an area where mountain lions have been spotted, and includes one fatal attack on a female, in 1994. (Attack #10, death #5) Iris M. Kenna, a 5-foot-4 and no more than 115 pounds, 56-year-old woman in excellent physical condition, was killed near Cuyamaca Peak at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park while hiking to Cuyamaca Peak alone in the early morning. One time, in Arizona, out on the Mogollon Rim, hubby and I took a very early morning hike. It was our last day up in Forest Lakes and we hiked out toward the edge of the rim. Hubby, who grew up in the forests of western Pennsylvania, grabbed my arm and said to me, as we were hiking, "Don't RUN...whatever you do! Something is watching us.!" We calmly turned and walked out. All we had with us were our cameras. We made ourselves big, walked tall and calmly, and made it back to the car. I figured it was a mountain lion and he confirmed it. He never saw it, but said the hairs on the back of his neck had stood up...and he felt eyes on us...Frankly, I'm more afraid of bears than mountain lions (having had cats my entire life...), but that time, I WAS scared! I frequently hike along Deep Canyon alone and I really should have some kind of weapon with me besides my camera...HA!...

Scout saddled

Several of you have written me and asked that I post some photos of my horses here on this blog. If you want to follow their progress, you can always go to: http://deserthorses.blogspot.com because that's my main "horse" blog. I also have all my other blogs listed on the sidebar there. But, since I'm on my laptop this morning (hubby's holds ALL our photos...) and I'm too lazy to switch laptops, here goes! :-) My horses have a lesson every Tuesday and I rotate them so that Quad, the off-the-track thoroughbred, gets a lesson EVERY Tuesday, while the others rotate every other week. He is the most ready to be ridden (however, he's used to jockeys and children, NOT full grown adults with legs that dangle down his sides!)...He also has some really BAD manners, like bolting in the arena! I certainly don't want to be on him when he does that! Scout, one of my mustangs, is now saddle broke and I thought I'd post some photos of her here. We have two mustangs, Scout and Cali. They were halter broke at a prison training program up in Wyoming. Originally, they both were from the Salt Wells Creek BLM area and were rounded up with their mothers (don't EVEN get me started on BLM roundups!!!!!) Hubby found them during an online BLM adoption and bid on them and won. HOWEVER, they were up in Wyoming and we live in Southern California. So, then the question was, "How in tarnation do we get them down to us?" So, he called the BLM office and it turned out that another bidder won Scout's sister and Cali's brother and she lived in Mariposa, which is up by Yosemite and she had a huge stock trailer which she and some friends were driving to Wyoming. So, hubby called her and arranged for her to pick up our two mustangs and drop them off in Lancaster (where I was boarding my horses at that time...). It wasn't that far out of their way back to Mariposa, only a couple of hours, so they were kind enough to do that for us. When they arrived, Cali, the palomino, was very people-friendly. Scout, er, uh...not so much! In fact, it took our trainer (who specialized in mustangs) over an hour to get her haltered the first time! She had absolutely NO manners! I moved the herd down near us that summer and pretty much didn't do much with any of them (not knowing how to train them myself). And, I fell off a friend's horse and injured my back and for another two years, I didn't do squat with any of them, fearing that I would injure my back even further (I now have permanent nerve damage in both legs...) But, the ranch owner was having a gal come and train a couple of her horses, so I asked if she would work mine in, too, and now she comes every week. They have ALL made wonderful progress and she's very patient with them. So, here are some photos of Scout's lesson from last week. Don't let her "cuteness" fool you. She's an alpha mare, VERY SMART, and the wheels in her brain are always two steps ahead of me!!!! She's a HANDFUL!!!!! That's why my trainer loves her! She's a challenge! By the way, hubby and I visited their half sister and brother, up in Mariposa one time when we were traveling to Yosemite. They are used as pack horses and go into the park all the time. We were so lucky to find someone to bring our mustangs to us!

Sierra sunset~SkyWatch Friday~071511

Sunset over the Sierra. Those are the Minarets on the left hand corner. Photo taken at Minaret Vista, near Mammoth Lakes, CA over the July 4th weekend. SkyWatch Friday for July 15, 2011. To visit other skywatchers, please visit: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Young gray squirrels playing~Nature Notes~071411

There was a family of young gray squirrels living right outside our rented cabin at Twin Lakes and one afternoon, while sitting on the front porch sipping wine, they entertained us. One chased two of its siblings up a nearby pine tree and the two were swinging from a branch. Suddenly, PLOP! One fell to the ground. I walked over to see if it was okay and off it scampered. They all chattered and chattered and made quite a fuss! I'm glad that we had an opportunity to sit and observe their antics! Nature Notes for July 14, 2011. To view other participants, please go to: http://ramblingwoods.com/

San Joaquin River~Outdoor Wednesday and Watery Wednesday~-71311

After we left the Devil's Postpile (see yesterday's post...), we began to investigate the river which we could hear running alongside the hiking trail. It was moving very quickly and there were falls further down the trail, but remember, we aren't used to hiking at 9,000 feet and we were getting out of breath! Phew! I did see a bridge going over the river, so we walked over it and shot some photos looking out into the meadow beyond. Very quiet and peaceful...ahhhhh! Finally, on our way back to the bus shuttle stop and the ranger station, I noticed a small weather station and a plaque which explained that this was the San Joaquin River. Really? I thought that was very interesting. I just googled San Joaquin River and discovered that the Stanislaus River, Merced River, and Toulumne all flow into it west of the Sierra. Right now, that's a LOT of water, as all of these rivers are flowing full and swiftly due to the heavy snowfall this winter. Anyway, here are some photos of it flowing above Mammoth, along the trail to the Devil's Postpile. Outdoor Wednesday and Watery Wednesday for July 13, 2011. To visit Outdoor Wednesday, please go to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ and to visit Watery Wednesday, please go to: http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

Devil's Postpile~That's My World~071211

As I discussed yesterday, hubby and I took the shuttle bus down to the Devil's Postpile over the July 4th weekend. It's just a short hike (about 1/2 mile) back to the monument. And, along the way, you can view the river. Once you get to the postpile, you'll be amazed. Steep columnar blocks of basalt stand before you. Some have fallen down and I looked at them to see their shapes. They weren't uniform...some were hexagons, some were quadrilaterals, and a few were triangles. There were many different shapes. I thought maybe they'd all be the same...nope! So, here are some views of the Devil's Postpile. It had been over 40 years since I'd last been there. It only cost $7.00 each for the bus ticket and you can buy them at Mammoth Village. That's My World for Tuesday, July 12, 2011. To view other worlds, please go to: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/