Golfing in our Backyard

 

My husband has wanted to play golf lately. So he made a three-hole golf course in the nearby meadow and started teaching us. I now know what a "pitching wedge," "driver," and "putter" are. I even sort of know when to use them. At first we had to train the dog not to chase the balls and move them. 

The course doesn't have sand traps, but it does have plenty of cow pies, tufts of grass, rose bushes, and ditches. It makes it rather exciting.

We have to use brightly colored balls (even white is bright out here) so we can find them amongst all the obstacles. The holes are marked with rebar and a piece of dam material (temporary dams for flood irrigating the pastures are made of the orange fabric). 

The weather has been fantastic, so we've been out to play a few times. The kids have declared that once a week is enough. I wouldn't mind going more frequently, although the days are rather short. It's quite fun having a golf course in our back yard!

Wildlife on the Ranch in September

I've had a lot of fun photographing wildlife on the ranch at sunrise and sunset this month. Here are some of the photos. One day I was surprised to find a Great Blue Heron up on the pivot. Was this something new? I asked my husband, and he said that it was the first time he had seen it up there. I positioned myself to get Notch Peak in the background, love that distinctive mountain!

Here are deer eating the cut alfalfa. What? Are they too lazy to eat the tall alfalfa? Maybe they just like cut salad!

Sandhill cranes are migrating through, and I just love seeing and hearing them.

A closeup of them flying.

The geese are also arriving. (Do you see the Great Blue Heron in the background on the pivot?)

One morning I could just tell that the clouds were going to make for a special sunrise. They didn't disappoint!

Hooray, the sandhill cranes also flew with the cloud bands as a background.

I went to a little pond and enjoyed watching this western sandpiper looking for food. It probably didn't even realize what a nice reflection it was making.

Also in the reflection were the nearby mountains. I was feeling like I was in heaven, such beautiful scenery.

Although I get most excited about birds and colorful skies, I'll stop and take a photo of some deer once in a while. ;)

For autumn equinox, I went out to the Baker Archaeological Site. This Fremont village was inhabited from about 1220 to 1295, and it's thought they may have oriented the buildings to help tell them when it was time to plant and harvest based on sun position when rising and setting. While I was waiting for the sun to rise, I turned in the opposite direction and saw a big beautiful moon over the Snake Range. I zoomed in for a close view.

A little bit later, the first sun rays were lighting up Doso Doyabi, including the colorful aspens and the heart of the mountain.

When I turned back in the other direction, I decided for an artistic shot, with a trail sign, modeled on a slate artifact found at the site. The "owl" may have been modeled on the eastern mountains, which with two rounded wings and two pointy ears looks like an owl (or a bat).

Here's the view of the owl/bat in the mountains with some sandhill cranes on a different morning.

I like when I can get more than one species in a photo. Here are sandhill cranes in the sky (with Notch Peak behind) and deer and a raven in the field.

The sandhill cranes hopping (with a raven in the background) made for some fun watching.

The cranes don't pay any attention to the mule deer strolling by.

One evening we went for a family drive and observed this beautiful Cooper's Hawk. Well, it's beautiful if it's far away from my chickens!

This mule deer checked us out from the field, with a hay barn in the distance.

Then we saw pronghorn, a whole lot of them.

The patterns when they stopped and looked at us were mesmerizing.

This pronghorn buck had an attitude. 

On the other side of the vehicle were more deer in the field, including several bucks.

This was a strange nontypical buck. My husband says it's called a moss head.

Here are some sandhill cranes strutting their stuff.

And finally, a good morning shot. 

Hope you've enjoyed these photos of life on the ranch!

Photography Magnets and Notecards for Sale

 

BRISTLECONES and MILKY WAY (L to R): Old tree with wildfire glow, Bristlecone curtsy, Diagonal bristlecone, Reaching to the stars

I started taking more photos when Desert Boy was small. As he toddled along trails, I amused myself by looking at what would make a great photograph. Going at a slower pace was quite beneficial! Soon I found I had a real interest in photographing the night sky and learned about astrophotography and the Milky Way. 

A friend encouraged me to sell the photo of the bristlecone and the dark sky (top left in the photo above). I hadn't even noticed the glow on the horizon when I looked that way, but the long exposure showed it. The glow was from the 2014 Hampton Fire, and I knew I could never re-create that photo. I loved taking photos of the Milky Way with bristlecones but also found other fun subjects.

OTHER MILKY WAY: Whoa!, Old Car, Utah sign, Nevada Sign, Old Yellow Truck, Pegasus, Stella Lake Starlight

I sold some photos, mostly at the Ely Art Bank, which always has new offerings, so is fun to check out. I often ask the kids to pick a favorite. I also entered some photo contests and kept clicking away. I've had several photos featured on the cover of Ruralite Mt. Wheeler Power edition and in Nevada magazine, including some wins in the Great Nevada Picture Hunt. 

Eureka Restoration Enterprise in nearby Eureka, Nevada asked me to do a show. Wow! My first ever show! I included some landscape photos, which are often taken during sunrise or sunset to get the magical light.

LANDSCAPE: Snowy Sunset, Deer in Clouds, Cave Lake, Reflected Sunset, Sunflower Sunset

I continued entering some contests, and won a big prize in a BLM calendar contest: a ticket to attend the Winter Photo Shoot at the Nevada Northern Railway. Avid train photographers converged in Ely for a long weekend and we were treated to amazing access to the whole yard and several train rides. I was definitely intimidated with so many expert photographers around me, but it was also exhilarating. I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.

TRAIN: Divergence, Boys on Engine 40, Engine 40 Glamour Shot, Engine 40 Steaming Along

I live on a ranch, and although I have nothing to do with the day-to-day operations, I love documenting some of what happens. The cowboys and cowgirls are especially photogenic.

COWBOY Theme: Spring branding, Boot closeup, Roping

The Great Basin is such a wild place that it is easy to spot wildlife. Three of the photos below are in or near my yard! This type of photography is very different than the astrophotography, but also very rewarding.

WILDLIFE: Meadowlark Singing, Snuggly Marmots, Pronghorn Closeup, Kestrels and Lizard, Owl and Moon, Foxes

I've taken thousands of photos of wildflowers, but most of them aren't what I would call amazing. Then I thought about doing flowers at night, and that was a game changer!

FLOWERS and MILKY WAY: Palmer's Penstemon and Sunflowers

Of course bristlecones are always a favorite subject, especially the ancient ones. I marvel at how they survive adversity, and in some cases seem to thrive despite of it.

BRISTLECONES by DAY: Magestic bristlecone, Dancing bristlecone (at sunset), Long roots

When I was feeling so fatigued by the pandemic,  I heard about Comet Neowise, a comet that only comes by every 6,800 years and was first discovered in March 2020. In July 2020, it was found to be bright enough to see with the naked eye. We could even see it from our house, but I headed up higher, to the bristlecones, for my favorite photos. This mission to try and get great photos made July speed by and put a big smile on my face. I've been so glad to see folks coming to our local Farmer's Market, where I occasionally sell photos, also smile when they see these photos.

BRISTLECONES and COMET: Old bristlecones, Perseverance, Bristleone Framing

During 2020, we've been doing so much remotely that I decided to offer magnets and 5x7 notecards of the photos above for sale. Just email me (gretchenmbaker @ gmail.com) and let me know which ones you would like. Cost is 5 for $25 (mix and match notecards and magnets) or 10 for $45. Both prices include shipping. Limited to supply at hand. 

I also have signed up with Pixels.com and you can now get some of my photos as face masks (if you have to wear one, why not wear a piece of art!) and other products. 

And if you just like browsing beautiful photos, you can find out more at my website, GretchenBaker.com.

Taking a Market Steer to the County Fair

 

This year Desert Boy raised a steer for the county fair. The process started at the beginning of the year, selecting the steer and a backup. Then it was time to put the 4-H tag in the ear. The steer already weighed several hundred pounds, so it was necessary to put it in the chute to do that.

Desert Boy got some practice keeping records. 4-H requires turning in records each year, which is a good way for the kids to start learning some adulting skills.

As the weather got warmer, Desert Boy could go check on the steers in short sleeves. To help tame them, he took them grain.

Then he sat in a lawn chair and read so they would get more used to his smell.

Tying up the steers allowed Desert Boy and his cousin Kayli to get closer to them.

In May the steers were moved to a pen at cousin Kayli's house, where they moved in with some goats and horses. This helped tame them more, as well as walking the steers around the pen. Desert Boy rode his dirt bike a mile to go feed them every morning and evening, with walks getting more and more common as the fair approached. He also learned how to apply fly spray and pink eye medicine.

A couple days before the fair it was time for the steer to go to the beauty shop. He got his belly shaved.

Here's Uncle Tom explaining how to shave his chest.

Then it was time to shave his unibrow. Ha, not quite, but you get the idea.

When we took the steer to the fair, the first thing to do is weigh in. The steer weighed a whopping 1630 pounds. That made it the heaviest steer there. That's not the best, as max weight is 1400, so anything over that is donated, not sold, at the auction. It can also make for a lot of weight to manage. My husband wad determined not to let the steer get away.

 

 

 Desert Boy had lots of practice of keeping the pen neat and tidy.

 

 

Because of Covid, the fair schedule was different this year. Friday afternoon was showmanship. Desert Boy did okay, keeping his steer under control but not setting him up great. There were just two people in his class, so he got reserve grand champion.

Kayli also got a reserve grand for showmanship. That meant they both got to go back to the ring for round robin, where they would show a sheep, a pig, and a beef. Neither were too thrilled, but managed not to get trampled.

 

The next day started with a shower for the steer. By the way, the steer's name was "Surly" or "Sirly", short for Sirloin and a play on words to describe his temperament.

 

During the market class judging, Desert Boy did well controlling his steer.

The steer seemed to have gotten a little more used to his surroundings. On Friday everything was so new he was a bit nervous.

In the end, both Desert Boy and Kayli got blues for their steers.

 

The livestock auction is held Sunday afternoon. This is an opportunity to get some of the best-cared meat in the county. These kids take such good care of their animals.

Many thanks to Jose and Amy Noriega, who bought "Sirly." They will be enjoying a lot of sirloin steaks from him!

Desert Boy gets to keep all his ribbon money, but the auction money will go into his college account. He wasn't always thrilled about the amount of time it took to raise an animal, but he sure learned a lot. And at some point in the future, when he gets to use the money he made, I think he will look back at the experience and appreciate it.