Since 2009, the retirement home of Shot On Site Photography... the source of the finest sighthound performance images in the world.
As of August 1, 2022, the blog will become much more photo-centric. Not only will I post images from the homestead in the foothills of the Little Florida Mountains, and surrounding environs, but also tips about shooting, editing, archiving, software, hardware and more. The political rants will become few and far between (but not eliminated! It is 2022 after all!)
This is a re-post from December 2007, because... well because, unofficially, this is the single most visited posting in the entire history of this blog! Why? Beats the hell out of me, (although I have my suspicions), but since it's once again December here it is for all those sickos out there:
Oddly, it's also the post with visitors from the largest number of foreign countries.. especially nations of a certain, uh, religious bent. Things that make you go "hmmmm".
If you don't believe me, just check the FEEDJIT Live Feed widget on the sidebar.. look for "...December 2007". This has been going on for 3 years.
The plan was simple. High winds were forecast, with an official advisory-- 35mph or better with gusts up to 55. But they weren't supposed to get up to that level until 11am. So I'd planned to get up early, have a little breakfast, throw the dogs in the car and beat the wind. I should have a couple of hours of running before the wind picked up to dangerous speeds. That was the plan.
It would have worked, too, if I hadn't found the last two eggs in the fridge and decided I wanted to make a breakfast burrito. With Cabot sharp chedder, Biad's Reserve green chile's, diced potatoes and onions, it was delicious. But hardly classified as a "little breakfast".
It added almost an hour to my prep time, but when I got the gang in the car it was still just breezy*. I had a good 45 minutes to drive, though, so anything could happen.
I was feeling pretty good with only about 5 miles to go, when I looked to the west and saw huge clouds of dust. At first, I thought there might be a vehicle out there, because things were still pretty calm where I was. But in the desert, things change in a hurry, and the car was suddenly slammed by heavy gusts, and the cattle ahead in the road were scurrying for heavier cover.
Rather than turn around, I decided to press on and make a loop through the coursing field, just to see if maybe one of the lower areas were out of the wind. How foolish of me. Not only was the wind howling and the dust flying, but I now had 3 pissed off dogs cramped in the back of the little Mitsubishi who realized we weren't stopping, and they weren't getting out.
It's windy again today, so tomorrow will be the next best time to get out and run some more Summer fat off these guys.
Still.. I don't regret the burrito. It was soooo good.
(it was a great day to be a tumbleweed, though.. if you were a tumbleweed that needed to get somewhere)
*In New Mexico, "breezy" is anything around 20mph.
Because we had an El Nino winter, and a fairly wet summer, we've got about 40 million acres of tumbleweeds.. or so it seems. Therefore, we don't miss them when they run in front of the car..
I was surprised to learn that this ubiquitous symbol of the Old West, didn't exist in the US before the 1870's, when they hitch-hiked with the flaxseed that were imported to South Dakota by Ukrainian farmers. Like so many invasive species of plant and animal, I guess they liked it here.
The holidays are approaching fast. Let me make a few gift suggestions:
All kinds of sighthound wearables, drinkables, and display-ables at our Cafe Press shop
The hot new 2011 Shot On Site Facebook Calendar.. available here! or use the widget to the right, on this page. (It's a bargain!)
Have Margaret make you a custom item from a photo we've taken of your dog(s) at any event over the last 16 years. Suggestions available here. Or email: shotonsitemargaret@gmail.com.
These goodies have "collector's item" written all over them... don't be the guy watching Antiques Road Show in 30 years who says, "DOH!!"
This will irritate Todd, but I can't help myself. There's just too much raw material. I'm just at a loss for this guy's motive.
