12-24-09

Christmas Eve

I made a run into Globe for groceries and finally got a picture of this really cool rat-rod that I have been seeing zooming around town but never have had the chance to photograph. Very cool Stude front end. There are actually some pretty nice rods here and with this weather; they are out all year long.

The Winter Solstice celebration pizza I made. It sort of has that Christmas look as well. I also made a double batch of Tova’s wholesome Oaties (cookies) for desert.

Deanna and Don brought down rice.

There was a mass chopping up of dead vegetables that got stir-fried in this wok that went on the table. There must have been around 12 people gathered around the table and there was just enough for everyone. After supper some went down to the sauna and others to the big fire pit. What a nice way to celebrate the solstice.

This little guy keeps a close watch on me almost all the time. He started supper with a cookie, but even that didn’t bring out a smile…..

We had a huge windstorm and rain the other night. I was sitting in the truck with the computer when it started. It was like someone poured chocolate milk over the windshield. I turned on the wipers just to see out. Evidently the wind blows up dust over the hill near Phoenix and that dust mixed with the rain makes for an interesting heavy rain. As the storm continued the dust thinned out and this shows just a little of what it was like when it started.

I remember when I was traveling through Idaho one time a highway patrol officer zoomed by me, and when I got to an off ramp, he was there making everyone exit the freeway. It turned out that there was a multiple car/truck pile up of over a dozen just down the freeway from where we were made to get off. It turns out that there was a ‘raining mud balls’ event where the wind blows across the dirt of the potato fields with such force that the rain makes mud balls which the wind picks up and instantly covers the windshields and makes it impossible to see.

I was out for a walk yesterday afternoon when I happened to meet up with a cameo deer bow hunter. We talked for quite a while as he was telling me about the sneak hunts he puts on these deer. He actually puts a sneak on then after he glasses the hills to find where they are bedded down. he wears an interesting large flappy  shoe or slipper  so he doesn’t make noise. He has to be very careful of the cholla and pad cactus as they are NO protection from them. It turns out that he is camped just down the road from me in a little tent trailer. He is a serious bow hunter and even got an elk last year with his bow. I told him about my friend Roger and how he is always dragging home some big old horned buck that he plunks with an arrow. Just before I left I went over to Rogers and had some grilled sausage that he had made from the last one he plunked. Well, last night the hunter (name Travis) came up to my camp with some of his elk sausage and we had a chance to sit around and visit some more. Wow, that elk sausage was wonderful. It turns out that Travis is a nurse and works three days and has four off which gives him time to do these hunts. When he left he gave me what was left of the sausage. I have a feeling that a elk sausage pizza is going to be on the menu soon. 
It turns out that he met Mark Weeding last year while hunting in the area. It is a small world eh? 

 I think it will be a Christmas motorcycle ride tomorrow with a supper across the street from the commune. Good food and good friendly folk.....

I hope you all have a nice Christmas too… Rx