Setting Up for the Festival

We're planning on a busy weekend. This morning Desert Boy went over to help set up tables for the silent auction that will be held tomorrow--there are so many neat items.

We also set up chairs. We had to roll out the carts with chairs.

A closeup shows that Desert Boy is intent on helping!

All of this is for the Snake Valley Festival, which begins tonight with a potluck dinner (the yummiest Dutch oven fried chicken and potatoes in the world are provided) and then a music and cowboy poetry program.

Tomorrow we're going to get up early to drop off items at the community-wide yard sale at 7 am and at the silent auction, then go to the pancake breakfast and visit booths. Then comes the parade at 10 am--it should be a hoot, with the length of three blocks and an odd assortment of entries. After that, food booths, the silent auction, entertainment, film festival, and kids' games all begin and last for several hours. The entertainment includes a variety of musical and cowboy poetry acts that go all afternoon. Desert Boy might be able to sneak in a nap before we head out to a barbeque, dance and live auction beginning at 6 pm. If we still have some energy left, we'll go to the star program.

Sunday there's a mountain bike ride bright and early, a pancake breakfast, church services, film festival, and another star program. 

There's lots more detailed info at ProtectSnakeValley.com. We will be taking lots of photos--it might take a little while to get them posted because all the activities will keep us busy!

If you're close by, we hope you can make it, otherwise have a great weekend whereever you are!

Relay for Life

On Saturday night I participated in a Relay for Life event. It was the first time I had ever been to one, and in fact, the first time it was held in Ely.

I was part of the team Great Basin Millipedes-We've Got Legs! We also had some hungry bellies, but fortunately Brian and Meg brought burgers and hot dogs and everyone else brought side dishes so we could get energy to go walking.

Andy, Roberta, and Carol are building their strength. Notice the tent in the background? Some people were planning on staying the night. I couldn't do that this year, but I imagine it would be fun--like a giant sleepover.

The bleachers and the track were lined with luminaries.

As you can see, our track wasn't an official track, but just a path in the grass. Participants of all ages walked around it.

Travis even took Dixie around a few times.

Here are three of my teammates walking. We had antennae to symbolize our millipede status. They also made it very easy to spot other teammates.

With most of the team present, it was decided it was time to put on the big millipede costume.

We shuffled along like a long millipede, our antennae bobbing in the wind.

We got lots of attention as people tried to figure out what we were.

"Great Basin Millipede Legs" (one sheet with the "We've Got" was misplaced, but everyone got the idea)

As I was leaving the luminaries were being lit and looked really beautiful. The money raised for this event will go towards trying to find cures for cancer. We more than double passed the fundraising goal, so I'd say it was a huge success!

Desert Destination: Ely's Fourth of July Parade

On Saturday we went to Ely, Nevada to view their Fourth of July parade. It's been years since I've seen a parade, and I don't think Desert Boy had ever seen one, so we decided it was time. Ely has a very wide main street--four lanes plus parking on each side.

The park between the middle school and library/courthouse was full of spectators. We decided to sit on the "sunny" side of the street because there were fewer people, and fortunately there were lots of clouds for most of the parade.

The parade started off with a couple trucks from the White Pine County Sheriff's office.

Soon came the marching band. They weren't big in number, but they played well.

Ely Fire Department showed off their new, shiny Ladder 1 truck.

They also had their brush truck. In these small communities, brush fires are more common than structure fires.

Most people driving vehicles waved at the parade spectators, but this truck driver caught my attention because she was so busy talking on her cell phone.

Desert Boy (and Dad) liked scampering for the candy some participants threw. Desert Boy also really liked watching the horses.

Some of the spectators.

A truck advertised the White Pine Horse Races, a popular event in August held at the fairgrounds.

The Pony Express Reriders had a good contingent of horses and riders. They help reride the Pony Express trail every June.

One of the BLM wildland engines was in the parade. The BLM has a large district office in Ely with a strong fire program.

Not all the firefighters got to ride in the trucks--several hiked the parade with their fire packs.

The Ely Historical Car Club had a beautiful set of entries. Some of the vehicles looked brand new because they had been restored so well.

Desert Boy really liked the tractor. It was pulling some of the 4-H participants.

The ambulance from the nearby community of Ruth was in the parade.

The Forest Service also had a fire truck in the parade, with their famous spokesperson waving--Smoky the Bear.

No parade is complete without a few motorcycles.

There were a few patriotic entries, like this big bell.

Some dancers did a routine as they moved down the street. They were very well choreographed. Due to a new regulation that the parade could only last an hour, groups that used to stop and do routines couldn't do that this year.

The VFW had a colorfully-decorated truck.

Both Desert Boy and his dad really liked this John Deere 60. It was in tip-top shape.

We really enjoyed the parade. There were many more entries, but I didn't get good photos of all of them. 

Another reason I wanted to see the parade is that I'm organizing one for the Snake Valley Festival on July 25. I had talked a bit with the Ely parade organizers, and they gave me helpful tips. I never realized how much work goes on behind the scenes to make a parade happen. Not only do people and floats need to be recruited, but a permit from the state department of transportation must be obtained. In Nevada, that requires a million dollar insurance policy (the Great Basin Service Club who sponsors the Ely parade pays $1,000 for this), signatures from the sheriff's office and state patrol, and city approval of the parade and detour routes. 

Thanks to all those who make parades happen all over the world, plus those who participate in  and watch them. Parades are a great way to show off a community's pride and interests. I'm looking forward to the next one! (Oh, yeah, that's the one I'm organizing.)

Out in the Boonies

Yippee, I'm leaving the boonies today for a trip to town! Town in this case consists of driving nearly 100 miles without passing a single abode--but it is on a paved highway. The town we're going to has a whopping population of about 5,000. Desert Boy and I are ready to do all the fun things you do in town--walk on sidewalks, wait for traffic lights to change, people watch, and of course wonder how people can manage to live so close together.

Oh yeah, we'll also get in lots of shopping and playing on different playgrounds. The tricky part is taking enough coolers and ice to get the ice cream home still relatively frozen.

Stormy Spring Weather

Although the spring weather can be quite confusing, with snow flurries one day and 80 degree heat the next, one thing that's for certain is that it sure is pretty. I love seeing the storm clouds hover over the valley, while a few rays of sunlight sneak in from just over the mountain. The wind really blows, and while we can usually escape from it inside our modern vehicles and houses, the old-timers were much more at mercy to the elements. Sometimes I think they were lucky, getting to be so in touch with nature, and not being able to isolate themselves from it.

Desert Boy Goes to Playgroup

One of the moms in the valley recently started a playgroup for the little toddlers in the area. Desert Boy enjoys going and seeing what the other kids are doing. Or sometimes they just like to stand at the door and look out at Henry.

It's really fun watching kids this age because they don't tend to interact very much; instead they do their own thing and watch the other kids. If another kid is doing something interesting, then it's time to imitate.

Desert Boy couldn't resist putting one of the orange cones on his head and walking around with it. I'm not sure what made him do it, but he thought it was fun.

The cone didn't fit quite right, so he had to hold on to it as he walked. It took some concentration.

And then, oops, it fell off. I don't think any  of the other kids thought what Desert Boy was doing was cool enough to imitate it. But despite not having any followers, I have no doubt he'll be a conehead again soon.

Desert Destination: Cave Lake's Fire and Ice Show

January 17-18 were the dates of the annual Fire and Ice Show at Cave Lake near Ely, Nevada. The fire consists of a huge fireworks show and an historic black powder cannon being shot off "as often as possible." The ice covers Cave Lake and is the scene of ice fishing and ice sculptures, with a top prize of $1,000.

I think those ice fishing outnumbered those ice sculpting, and people of all ages participated in both. I asked one fisherman how thick the ice was--we've had unusually warm weather the past two weeks--and he said 12 to 14 inches. 

Here's an ice sculpture in progress. We toured about 2 1/2 hours before the quitting time, when the sculptures would be judged. This is a sculpture of a man riding a horse. Not shown in this picture is the same scene but going in the opposite direction. I'm guessing these ice sculptors were fairly experienced, bringing plywood to keep off the wind. But the weather was really pleasant--the ice sculptors just wished there was more snow.

This scene has a bed/recliner, fireplace, a tree, and a couple other things. We'll revisit this scene at the end of the post and see what they've accomplished in 45 minutes.

This is a rendering of the Hoover Dam. A huge group came up from Las Vegas to work on it. They said if they won the top prize, it would pay for their hotel rooms next year. The Fire and Ice Show has been in the Top 100 Events for both 2008 and 2009.

We wondered why paths were shoveled out on the ice, and before long we got our answer--the ATV-towed wagon. We couldn't resist a ride around the lake. 

Some of the ice sculptures were still in the blobby phase. 

Others were pretty much done, like this steam locomotive.

Here's a mouse watching a cat catching a mouse and some catnip in front of it. The sculptors are busy shoveling snow around their creation.

An ice cream sundae. yum.

I think this is the doughboy. Or maybe the monster in Ghostbusters crashing through skyscrapers. I was fascinated by the process of making the ice sculptures. Buckets, shovels, sleds, heaters (to warm up water), ice augers (to get lake water), chairs, ladders, and concrete finishing tools were the most popular tools to make the ice creations.

Here are some cute penguins, part of a bigger sea scene.

The Hoover Dam is getting bigger. The columns were starting to tilt a little, but they just kept patching them up.

The tree is looking a lot more like a tree that we saw in the first scene.

Walking around could be a little slippery.

Next year we'll have to bring a sled--kids loved being pulled around. And people were sledding off the hills all around the lake, playing ice bowling, and generally having a great time. It was a wonderful day to be out and about. Now if I can just convince a bunch of friends and family to join me in ice sculpting next winter, maybe we can try for that prize!

Here's a video from last year's Fire and Ice Show from another blog: