Tag Archives: Nevada

Backyard Visitor

We put the dogs out in the backyard after supper to do their business and almost immediately both of them went off, barking the way they do when there is some kind of intruder onto the property. As we live out in the country, pedestrians are a rarity, and about the only vehicle that pulls into our driveway is the UPS truck, so when they bark like this we wonder what’s going on and we always investigate.

Here’s what had them going:  a three-foot gopher snake under the roses.  He was trying to make his get-away and at first crawled into the bush. I ran for my camera. Sorry, these are a bit blurry.

Brad got him out of the bush and the snake made a beeline toward the house, passing by the garage door and ultimately slithering under the foundation.

Knowing he isn’t venomous and is a predator of  the pocket gophers and other rodents we’ve got around here soothes my initial shock at seeing the guy. Now, if he’ll just stay out of the backyard.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Summer

It used to be that summer to me meant beaches and barbecues. But since I’ve moved to northern Nevada, it never really feels like summer until I can put on my shorts and hiking boots, pack the dogs in the car, and head up to the trees.

Hiking through the woods at Spooner Lake. Good for the eyes, good for the psyche.

Day 140 – 15 Years

15 years ago yesterday I found the love of my life. 10 years ago yesterday we officially said I do.

I made reservations for us at Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe.  Our cabin was a sweet little one-bedroom with kitchenette and a fireplace.

After checking in we walked about 50 yards to this beach. You can see the cabins through the trees.

I got a photo of Sweetie in the cabin.

We had reservations for the Captain’s Dinner & Dance Cruise on the M.S. Dixie.  I’d never done the cruise around Lake Tahoe, so this was a first for me but not Sweetie.  It was a very short walk to the dock where she is berthed.

A view of the lake from the pier.

Another photo of Sweetie across the dinner table.

We went to Emerald Bay and back.  This is Vikingsholm.

The food was just okay, and the dance floor was about the size of a postage stamp, but the two-man band was pretty good, and there were people having a great time, and we did too. Some were celebrating birthdays and others were celebrating anniversaries like us.

In the morning we had breakfast at the lodge and added two more coffee mugs to our collection.

And before we checked out, I got a picture of the two of us by the fireplace.

Day 139 – Final Project

I didn’t want to post this until the results were in. (And yes, the last photo was taken today). What follows are just thirteen of the approximately 400 photos I took of the event and the days leading up to it.

Final Project – ART 235
Medical Outreach Response Event
April 13 – 14, 2012
Silver Stage High School, Silver Springs, NV

Organizers and Volunteers
Christy (right) is the Director of the Healthy Communities Coalition. Freida (left) runs the Dayton Food bank and was the instigating force for the event.  She wondered, What good did it do to give people food if they couldn’t chew it?  Freida was the volunteer organizer and logistics person for the event.

Wendy organized the professionals (dentists, doctors, nurses, optometrists, etc). She is the head of Community Roots.

Rita was one of a couple hundred extraordinary volunteers. Here she is calling people who registered late for the event to let them know what services would be available.<


The Event – Friday, April 13 (12 – 5pm) & Saturday, April 14 (9am – 5pm)

Community Health Nurses consult with one another in preparation for the MORE event.

One of the dentists and his assistants heading out to the mobile dental van.

Wendy cannot contain her excitement after getting a look at the dental van. It really was amazing. It was a complete, modern dental office (five chairs) on wheels.

There were so many who needed dental work, that it was meted out via lottery tickets.  On day one 8 numbers were drawn every half hour.  The dentists did their best to keep up, but many clients with tickets had not been served by the end of the first day, so those patients came back the next day, as did anyone else who had a lottery ticket in the raffle can. There was no way all who needed help were going to be seen. And yet the people waited and hoped.  Once their number was called, it was still a long wait and I saw some people who had been standing in line on Friday morning still waiting for dental treatment on Saturday at 4pm when I left ,  No one who was lucky enough to get their number called complained. They waited and waited and waited until they finally saw the dentist.  And among those lucky enough to get their ticket pulled, well, in some cases they gave their place to someone else in their family whose needs were more urgent.

One client speaking to a volunteer at the lottery table.

Other services were also offered. Immunizations were by far the most popular after dental work.

We had optometrists on hand as well. The Lions Club volunteers did vision testing and screening, and prospective patients were sent back to the optometrists.

Dental work was, by far, the most requested and labor intensive service offered at MORE 2012.

Mark needed a filling in his front incisor.

Dr. Brad Munninger of Desert Valley Dental in Fernley worked his magic.

Mark’s reaction was pretty typical of all the dental patients.  Big smiles, hugs, and even some tears.

“If I cannot eat, cannot smile, cannot kiss without pain, do you think I can work, attend school, participate in the normal affairs of my family, peers and community?”

~ Shaun Griffin

I was very proud to have done this project and I’m honored the organizers trusted me to do the event justice. I’m happy with the result, but more than that, I’m happy that the photographs I took will be used to influence support for further events of this type in the near future, and legislation and change in the coming years.

Icing on the cake:

Day 134 – How we spent Mother’s Day

We got up bright and early and participated in Moms On the Run, a local organization that helps women with cancer to meet their living expenses while undergoing treatment. My co-worker, Rachel (a young mother of two boys), was diagnosed with breast cancer last December and is currently undergoing treatment. While our insurance is good, she is out for several months and at the time she was beginning treatment, her husband had been unemployed. For her, Moms on the Run was a just the help she needed at a very challenging time.

Rachel’s Pirates for the Cureibbean were out in force today.

All the pictures of the day can be found at my SmugMug Mother’s Day gallery (I’m sounding like Disperser!), but here are a few from the day.

This next shot was supposed to be a shot of the crowd. I held my camera up and thought I was shooting straight out. Instead I got these two women. I like the composition with just them and everyone else’s legs and feet.

We did the 5K walk through the neighborhood around Reno High and then through Idlewild Park along the Truckee River. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful setting.

After the walk, we headed across the river to the Pneumatic Diner, a tiny restaurant that seats maybe 30 people at tiny tables and specializes in vegetarian and vegan fare. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as busy as it usually is on Sunday mornings.

Sweetie had a vegan pecan waffle and eggs.In the picture above you can see a person putting their own fixings on their waffle. Yep, that’s how they roll at Pneumatic.  Daughter and I each had the Vegan Bubba with Slab (grilled tofu).

I think we may have found a new Mother’s Day tradition!

Day 78 – Rock Point Mill

I’ve driven by this spot for years, but desperate for a photo for the day, I stopped here today during my run to the grocery store.  Just off Hwy 50,  the Rock Point Mill:

Founded in the early 1850s, after gold was discovered in the area, Dayton is one of Nevada’s most historic mining communities. A trip through the town reveals a quaint and historic downtown with a handful of well-preserved buildings.

However, the east edge of town, adjacent to Dayton State Park, is a lesser-known historic site that helps tell the story of Dayton. Nestled in a grove of graceful cottonwoods is the Rock Point Mill, one of Dayton’s oldest remnants of its mining glory days.

Charles C. Stevenson, who was Nevada’s governor from 1887 to 1890, built the mill in 1861. Constructed at a cost of $75,000 (a considerable sum at the time), the mill had 40 stamps that crushed silver and gold ore carried over the mountain from Gold Hill via an elaborate tram system.

I knew none of this when I pulled over to the side of the road to explore. I didn’t have much time, and I’d like to go back and give the place a closer go-over, but here are a few shots from my cursory visit.

There were three hawks flying overhead, but I only managed to get this fellow’s picture.

Detail!

As I mentioned, time was short, so I jumped back in the car to head to the grocery store, but on my way I was distracted by what I thought were more hawks. Nope. Turkey vultures!  There was this handsome guy.

Actually, there were three (but just two in this photo).