L-R: Romy, Ashley, Fanny, Jackrabbit, Sandia
Went out today with Dutch and Beth Anne. It's our last hunt in Deming for this year. I'll be leaving on Wednesday, and will spend an evening in Socorro. Thursday morning I'll drive up to 6000+ feet to meet writer/blogger/falconer/houndman, Steve Bodio, at his home in Magdalena. And while this picture shows the last hunt in Deming, we're far from done. We'll go out with Steve and his Tazis. Then we'll move on up to Edgewood and let Chris Mason see her "kid" for the first time since we took him away last August.... then we'll go out so he can kick his brothers' and sisters' asses ;-) Then, if I'm lucky, Margaret will decide she's had enough of Michigan Winter and I can pick her up at the Albuquerque airport Sunport (?) before the ESCA lure coursing trial. On March 10, we will finally leave New Mexico. Next up, Louisiana. Crawdads here we come.
But before I get ahead of myself, I will do a review of Deming, for all of you who like to keep up with restaurants that we visit around the country, and all that stuff. That will be in a future post. For now, enjoy the last dusty rabbit chase picture from Southern New Mexico.
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!)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
One Last Time... With Feeling.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
You Want Fries With That?
Recyclable?
That's a lot of stainless steel. Maybe when it comes out I can sell it for scrap and recoup some of our vet expenses.
Whoa!
If you're one of those people, leave a comment, and let me know how you really came to be here. And thanks for helping my visitor count!
More Than Bumper Stickers!
Friday, February 22, 2008
"I Don't Know Art.. But I Know What I Like"
Thursday, February 21, 2008
It's A Hit!
Still More Birding Images.
This image was taken a second later, and really shows the aerodynamics of the body. The Peterson Guide describes Harriers as "slim hawks with slim wings, long tails.... flight low, languid, gliding..." I enjoy watching them, as they're always hunting, watching the ground for voles, which is their main prey. You can always tell the Harrier by the large white rump patch, clearly visible above.
As I mentioned in a previous post, this particular trip to New Mexico has been particularly rich in viewing birds of prey, both large and small. Just from memory:
- Bald Eagle
- Golden Eagle
- Northern Harrier
- Ferruginous Hawk
- Red Tailed Hawk
- Zone Tailed Hawk... (maybe; briefly over the car, and I remember it was dark, with a black and white tail)
- Cooper's Hawk and Sharpshinned Hawk
- Peregrine Falcon, and
- Kestrel.
..and probably more, but it's hard, sometimes, to get a positive ID on a bird sitting on a yucca when you're driving by on the interstate at 75mph ;-)
Someday, I'll write about how I got so into amateur birding.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Good Veterinarians, Good Eats.
Dr. Koschmann called later this evening to tell us that the surgery was complete and Rally was resting, and that she'd "done quite a job in there". There was more damage than just the tendon, but he got it all together and stitched it up, although to hear him describe the procedure it sounded more like he was making a rug on a loom! And she'll have an external fixator holding everything steady for the next 6 - 8 weeks. Robodog.
The best part about the timing of this little errand to El Paso was that we were able to stop in La Mesa, NM and have lunch at a place that had been highly recommended by local friends- HT Val Koeppler- and also by the Sterns, of Road Food fame. Chope's Bar and Cafe is a true "hole-in-the-wall" gem. Chiles rule there, and their rellenos are their specialty. Very lightly breaded, and deepfried, in a combination plate with enchiladas, beans, and the best taco I think I've ever had. Magnifique! And, as always in this part of the country... lots of green chiles. Rumor has it that former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Tom Landry, used to fly to El Paso so he could eat at Chope's. The cheerleaders, too. They swear it's true. It's on my keepers list.
British Invasion
Interesting website, covering all things "hunting" in the UK.. of particular interest: Lurchers, and Lamping. Return the favor, and check it out.
UPDATE: The Hunting Life website has been added to our link list.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Buteo Regalis
After the Classic.
...and grows a goatee. :-)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Dutch Salmon's Desert Hare Classic Results.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Dutch Salmon's "Pack Hunt", 2008 Results.
OK.. a little teaser: The weather was perfect, and everyone got their money's worth.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Doors Are Open. A Crack.
We're starting with a bumper sticker,
Fun House.
Looks like fun, in a kind of disorienting way. Looks like more fun to be in the cast!
Even DeMille Had to Start Somewhere.
OK, Dan gets a little out of control with Windows Movie Maker. Don't do what you do when you go out to the movies and rush out as soon as the movie is over. Sit there while the credits roll!
We may have to invest in a real video camera... this is too much fun.
Get ready... the dogs move out in a hurry, but don't miss Randir's "cameo"! And watch how smart Sandia (pink blanket) runs; doesn't use it all up on the runup, but starts to move up through the pack as the course gets longer. Smart dog. In this case, when the hare came back toward our postition, he had a huge lead and we were able to call the dogs off. We'll do more of this.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Coming Soon.
On a commercial note: we're about to launch a storefront at Cafe Press. Margaret's been very busy this week working on some designs that you are going to want. Seriously. Stay tuned, and I'll post a sample and details before the weekend.
Money Pit.
After checking with friends in the Las Cruces, El Paso, and Albuquerque area for advice about vets, we decided to just take her to the local (and only) vet in Deming. Since she's shown a propensity for not staying sound for more than 6 months at a time, we were just going to get the most basic (read: cheap) repair, and retire her from running competitions.
Unfortunately, the local guy admitted he had little experience in repairing this type of injury... which by the way, was that the achilles tendon had completely separated from the calcaneaous (heel) bone. He set up a referral for us to a vet in El Paso.... one whose name we already knew from our previous search, and came with a glowing, albeit expensive, reference.
Tuesday, we'll take
Oh, that the local guy could have done it... the office call, exam, and referral were a whopping $31.00! And we walked in without an appointment.
Update: So I don't need to tell you, those Google ads around this site are more important than ever. Who wouldn't want to look at the Patriots' cheerleaders in bikinis.. huh? You know you would.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Lethal Weapon 4
Yeah... we got skunked again today. What of it?
Double Suspension
Ease on down, ease on down the ro-oad.
To say I managed to get myself into a good position today, would be an understatement.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Unabashed Self-Promotion.
We've hooked up with Feedburner to give you the tools you need to know when something new is here. Up above, is the headline thingy.. it scrolls through the past 5 blogpost titles. The cool part is, you can grab it and put it on your own blog, your My Space, or Facebook page.. anywhere you can paste a little HTML.. even on your EMail signature. Just click the "Grab this..." line and Feedburner will walk you through the rest.
At the top of the sidebar on the right, is a link to set up EMail alerts whenever there is a change here. Simple.
If you want to subscribe to a reader, or your Yahoo, or Google, or AOL, or whatever homepage or reader you use, you can just click on the "subscribe to a reader" button on the sidebar near the SiteMeter counter. I was shocked to find, when I pasted in the subscriber counter, that this blog has..... ZERO... none, nada, zilch... subscribers. Get off your butts people!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Meanwhile, On the Day Shift.
Yesterday, we drove out into the countryside to look at 40 acres that a friend has on the market. We took Sandia and Rally. When we parked, we let them out for a "potty break".. Sandia got leashed up, but Rally, who's been doing well of late on healing her partial torn achilles, slipped by. Well, she was staying close, so we figured we'd let her evacuate, and we'd leash her up then.
That was before the jackrabbit. And she was looking good for the first 150 yards or so. She even turned it, and was closing when...
Do I even need to finish the story?
Now we need a good orthopedic vet surgeon in southern New Mexico... and some means to pay them with.
Night Shift.
Whoa! What's this? It's night time.. this jackrabbit, being nocturnal, should be happily munching on vegetation... not running for his life! What could cause this non-standard behavior?
Well here's a clue. Scottish poacher uh, "entrepreneurial game harvester"*, Matthew, has the spotlight, and he knows how to use it!
And after a few trial runs the hounds, including Mona here, learn to follow the light, because that's where the jack is.
The biggest difference between day and night coursing is the course. Races are usually short, especially if the guy on the spot can't keep the hare in the light. From 7:30 to 10:30 last night we probably released the dogs on a dozen jacks.. maybe more, as I lost count. We drove only about 5 miles in that time, which brings up the other big difference: No Walking! (It does get a little tiring putting the car in neutral, hitting the parking brake, grabbing the camera, and jumping out the car over and over and over again.) The above is one of two that were caught.
Photographing this activity is just about impossible, so when I saw that image with Mona and the jack so close, and in the range of the flash, I was ecstatic, no matter that it's out of focus, and a little overexposed.. it's exactly what I was hoping to get on this little project.
By the way, for those who are interested, this activity is perfectly legal as long as no one is carrying a firearm. Dutch, being on the NM Fish and Game Commission made sure of that! And in this particular area, we'd be more likely to be confronted by the Border Patrol than the Game Warden.
*Thanks to Scottish native, Andrew at Regal Vizsla , for the politically correct terminology ;^)
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Return With Us Now to Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear...
Super Tuesday "Humor"
Just a sidenote... the only part of me that would touch Ann Coulter's ass is the part at the end of my leg. No, the other end!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
And the Winner Is....
Close enough that if we lived here we could have conceivably cast the winning ballots! Our South Dakota primary isn't until June. I originally figured it would all be settled by then. Now I'm sure we'll order up our absentee ballots. We, like you, can make a difference. But who will we make a difference for? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...
...I just don't know...
Weather Pic.
When I said yesterday that I would give the dogs a break, I didn't mean it quite literally. Fanny has some kind of foot injury. Much pain, but no bruising, or swelling, or blood. Mysterious. Yesterday Buffy dropped her gracilis muscle- and - smashed a toenail. The sisters are out of commission for the rest of the season... Buffy probably for good. The good news is that the puppy is staying sound, as is Geezer-boy, Randir. Rally is an enigma. We'll test her achilles tendon this weekend up in Mountainair at a NOTRA "practice" race meet. She seems ready.
In other news... my 3 week bachelorhood ends tomorrow, as I go to El Paso to pick up Margaret. And not a moment too soon.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Mountain Blanket
Can't let the day go by without at least one post. This was about 7AM MST today. This solitary-but very large- cloud hung over my favorite little mountain range for hours. That's the Capitol Dome formation on the right. I need to get out and do more of this, and give the dogs a break. Tomorrow looks promising.
Monday, February 04, 2008
The Dark Side.
This was the kind of "luck" that Notre Dame used to have before their god deserted them after the hiring of Charlie Weis. There must be supernatural forces in play here... but not benign forces. These are dark forces. These are Faustian- Robert Johnson down-to-the-crossroads kind of sinister forces. I'm convinced of it. What other explanation could there be for this...
So enjoy your brief notoriety, Eli. Down the road, the piper will still have to be paid.
Damn... I despise that whole hillbilly family ;^)
How About This Sport Fans??
HT Brian at MGoBlog . Yeah... big hint.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Freakish Dogs.
Buffy's Day. Looking Old School.
And Buffy just enjoyed herself immensely. Still the prettiest dog on the planet.
Is That All There Is?
Is Eli Manning a better quarterback than..... Peyton Manning? Sure looks that way. Is he a better QB than Tom Brady? You must be joking.
So thanks boys... for the most boring 3 quarters of football. At least the 4th quarter was... um, interesting. And, with the exception of the T-Mobile ad with D-Wade and Charles Barkley, the commercials were lamer than any year in recent memory.
And I'm out of Tequila.
Stanley Cup, anyone? I like hockey better, any way. Go Wings!
Hey look! The Biggest Loser is on NBC!