Winter Preparations

Rare opportunities

The Forecast was calling for rain, flood-watch, and flood warnings, so Tara and I loaded up the bikes and rain gear and headed down to Zion National Park to witness the flooding first hand. It's a pretty rare opportunity to see the 'dry' desert canyons in flood-stage. Typically dry washes and dry spill-overs, gushing run-off over and through them, and the streams and rivers fill up and turn to raging torrents. Very impressive, and what an opportunity! Thank you rain, for wetting our whistle.

Lower Pine Creek flooding.

Virgin river No. fork. Bank-full.

Tara riding up the zion canyon road in the rain, gushing rivers and waterfalls all around.

Lodge canyon I think??

Bottom of Heaps canyon into the Emerald pools spill-over.

Heaps

Angel's landing approach (see the trail-cut above the waterfall?)

Zion deer. Tara got a pet in...

Echo canyon spilling over.

Park service doing the road clean-up after the main flooding occurred.

On the move again....

We are packing up once again and moving about 4 miles up the road to a loft in Glendale. The loft is on 80 acres with goats, chickens, ponds, an outdoor kitchen, river, workshop, barn cats and a fruit orchard. We are just renting but have the ability to work and use the land. It has a wood burner for the winter but is much more insulated than our current rental and has south facing windows which will make keeping it comfortable a little easier.

Nate using the brush hog to trim the orchard grass.

Dodie the goat, waiting to be milked

Here I am instructing Rascal on dog/goat etiquette.

'Whispering' them closer.

One of 3 young barn kitties

Learning how to milk.

The loft.

The bedroom/office

 Looking South over the Glendale irrigation pond, towards the "loft".

The Chicken mobile, surrounded by Pea-fowl. 

 A walk up the ridge in the back yard. Home is behind Tara at the mouth of this Hollow (Ben's Hollow).

 Looking down at the ranch from the ridge, you can see Barry's, the big pond, the barn, garden area, orchard, river, and highway.

 The "loft" from aloft.

The Loft and irrigation pond. Lydia's canyon in the back ground.

Some more recent stuff from here and there abouts

Checking out patterns in nature while at the PDC in Boulder, Ut.

More patterns... and colors.

This is one of Hell's Backbone grill's chicken tractors at their restaurant garden. Looks like a good, simple design.

The grill's garden was complete with full size goats, and, these cute tiny pigmy goats too!

Just outside our classroom at the PDC, Boulder mtn. guest ranch... It's an old underground root cellar, converted to classroom and music jam room.

This is our PDC planting a pear tree Cathe style, at Boulder mtn. guest ranch.

Lower waterfall at BMGR. Cat tails below.

Me, just receiving my Permaculture Design Certificate

My cute mom in her abundant garden in Bountiful, Utah

This is a recent (August 2ish) photo of our backyard in Cottonwood Heights. Things are getting pretty wild back there. Tenants are doing a pretty good job of keeping up the wild yard. The chicken run got a chance to grow in with amaranth, sunflowers, squash, and other volunteers. They got three chickens to put in there, and they sure do love all that shade and bug habitat!

Another view. coop in the background.

First full summer on these grapes in the Salt Lake yard... lookin' and tastin' good!

Dizz the dog. Good biking dog. Ron and Susan, you done good!

Got to see some of my favorites whilst in Salt lake in August. John Scofield and Medeski, Martin and Wood! At Red Butte Garden!

Dave n' Sam. the ham.

We went for a little hike in the Orderville backyard canyon, Red Hollow. The whole Vala/Stireman fam seemed to love it.

"Get to the slot where it's shady!"

Isaac is a natural canyoneerman. That's my nephew!

"You want my to go down that!?"

So our eight chickens plus three new chicks are back in our possesion, right out the back door. Tara enjoys having them so near. She's such an animal lover. These are adventure chickens, they will be moving yet again next month when we move five miles up the road to a large farm/pasture.

Riley likes to chill with the chickens. She suddenly looks like a small cat next to these pretty ladies.

.... And then there's the Orderville Brewery. Second brew since being down here. IPA. They'd probably kick us out of town if they knew what we were up to...

Ahh, sweet sweet nectar.

Rocket stove making and prickly pear cactus harvesting. One of these days, we'll step it up and make a real Rocket Mass Heater Stove, and make prickly pear wine and jam...

Ended up working okay. Not as "rockety" as i'd hoped for, but it'll do the trick.

........

And then super at the end of the day, finally. Zucchini fritters, Spicy carrot soup, and mushrooms.... mostly from our productions. Not the mushrooms, but someday....