Camera Critters - Mr Peabody

This is Peabody, a male Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassisii) that lives at Animal Ark, here in Reno. He's about 52 years old and was brought to the Ark by a fireman in the late 80's. He's believed to have been some one's pet..







The Desert Tortoise is the Nevada State Reptile. They are also an endangered species and protected by Nevada state law.

They are found mainly in the southern Nevada desert, however their habitat is threatened by human population growth and environmental factors.

They are also found across much of the southwestern area of the US. Fossil records have shown that they have lived there for at least the last 10 - 12000 years.

An interesting fact about the desert tortoise, is that it spends about 95 % of it very long life (80 - 100 years) underground in burrows. This helps it survive the hot summers, where ground temperatures can exceed 140 deg F, and the cold, harsh winters.

Have a great weekend all !!

The school year ended, on Friday, so we are now on break for the next 5 weeks. YAAAAAYYYY !!!

Now go to CAMERA CRITTERS and join in the fun.

Skywatch Friday - Is It A Bird ... Is It A Plane ??

No, it's a pesky helicopter, that spent most of last Sunday, flying above us, taking photos of the facelift they've given the Peppermill Casino.

I wouldn't have minded so much, if they hadn't started the flights at 5.30 in the morning !!

These were all taken with my little point and shoot.

Took others with my 35mm SLR, but haven't got the roll of film developed yet..


Early morning..


Flying against the sunset...


Hmmmmm ...maybe it's heading off to the airport...


Nope ...here it comes again..


Ahhhhhhh ... blessed peace !!!

Have a great weekend all !!!

I just bought a Tokina 70-210 lens for my film SLR, so I'm hoping to get out, this weekend, and play with it. :-)

What are the rest of you doing ??

Go to SKYWATCH for views of the sky from all over the world !

Watery Wednesday - It Rained.... Again !

Well .. the weatherman said, last night, that the thunderstorms moving through the area, would stay the other side of I-80.

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

After looking out my front door and seeing the above sight, I wasn't too convinced about his prediction. He'd have seen the same sight if he'd stuck his head outside the studio door, as the TV station is just a few blocks from us.

Within minutes, the heavens opened and someone up there started sloshing large buckets of water at us ... well .. at least that's what it looked like !



Made for a pretty sight this morning though. Most of the plants had sparkling diamonds of water all over them..



have a great WW all :-)

My World Tuesday - From Times Long Gone..

Long post today, but I couldn't decide what to include :-)

Back in April of last year, friends and I visited an old ghost town, just out of Falloon, NV and off Route 50. One of the many that dot my little corner of the world.

This one was known as La Plata, meaning silver in Spanish.

La Plata was a mining camp, established in 1862, when silver was discovered in the area. It existed through till about 1869, when it was abandoned due to much richer discoveries.

From 1864 - 1868 it was the Churchill County Seat and it also had a Post Office. If you google La Plata Post Office,Nevada, it will tell you the weather for that area, just as though it was still official :-)

La Plata is situated in a canyon that extends from the south slopes of the Stillwater ranges to Fairview valley. I believe the canyon was formed by earthquake activity.

(Click on photos to get larger view)



These ruins are the first thing you see as you enter the town site. A plaque in front of them says that they are believed to be the walls of the old courthouse. However, other information I've found, suggests that they may be the remains of the mill, that broke up the silver bearing rock.

The rocks, that form the walls and the walls of the miner's homes, were all hewn by hand from the walls of the canyon.




The remains of the miner's homes, dot the slopes. They are mostly one roomed structures of varying sizes. Many of them are now covered in scrub.


This one had a fireplace, complete with mantel. Looking under, you could see where a steel hook had been inserted to hold a cooking pot..


One of the bigger cabins. It had a circular pit in the center, which now has a bush growing out of it, which I am guessing was a fire pit.


This was one of the mine shafts, still with the ladder going down into it. I wasn't game to go down,as they are rather dangerous, plus they are also a haunt for snakes.


I believe this is probably the remains of the corral, by the looks of the fence posts and square headed nails used in their construction.


The road that leads up to La Plata.

Churchill County keeps it in pretty good repair, grading it at least once after the snows have passed.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the miners though ... bringing their supplies in on bullock carts or horse back. No four wheel drives or modern conveniences for them. Life was very tough back then.

Makes you thankful for modern life, in some ways :-)

Now, go to MY WORLD TUESDAY where people from all over our globe , show off their little corner of the world !

Mellow Yellow Monday - Yellow Makes Me Sneeze !!

Well...at least this particular yellow bush does. It's called Scotch Broom and in California, the Pacific Northwest, Australia and New Zealand, it is classified as an invasive noxious species.

In NZ it is estimated to cost the farming industry around NZ$10 million a year and the Forestry industry around NZ$90 million. It competes with newly planted seedlings for room and destroys grasslands needed for feeding stock.

When the seed pods mature, they open with a loud crack. There was a hill, not far from the home I owned back in NZ, that was covered in the stuff. It could be quite noisy at seed pod opening time !

In dry, sandy soils, it doesn't spread, so people, here in Reno, use it as a landscaping plant.

As a result, the month or so that the broom is in bloom, I am afflicted with sneezing, headaches, itchy eyes and other allergy symptoms..

The temptation to roam the streets with a flamethrower is quite strong. :-)


This one sits alone by the wall of the building that used to house Circuit City, before they went under.

It's a little unusual, as usually they are planted in clusters. perhaps the landscaper also had an allergy and could only handle one at a time!!


The bees love the flowers, so they're obviously not allergic. This little fellow had pollen sacs on it's back legs, that were packed full.


I liked the way the sunlight was making this one's wing glisten. You can also see that it's pollen sacs are pretty full as well.

It amazes me that they can fly with that type of load on board, as they were all gorging themselves with the pollen..

Have a great week, all :-)

Skywatch Friday - The Changing Sky

Our skies, here in Northern Nevada, have been interesting the last couple of days...


The mornings have been starting out with brilliant blue skies, and a few wisps of white clouds..


By the afternoon, the thunderclouds have rolled in and the heavens have opened..

This particular downpour was preceded by a sound on the roof like an approaching freight train and then the noise of a couple of hundred young voices screaming in unison, as they fled the playground...

Not much sympathy from us adults ...'Oh for heavens sake, stop the drama ! The rain isn't going to make you melt!' :-)


The following morning, the puddles make for interesting photo opportunities...

It's made reading blogs a bit of a challenge, as we have had the computer of a bit due to the lightening strikes..

Have a great weekend, all !!

Go to SKYWATCH for views of the sky from all over the world !

Watery Wednesday - Cool reflections..

I think I've probably mentioned, in recent posts, the lack of rain where I live.

Well, a couple of days ago, that all changed, thanks to a depression parked of the California coast, which is making our atmosphere, here in the High Sierra Desert, a tad unstable.

That means thunder storms, and thankfully quite a bit of rain !!

(Click To Enlarge)

Yesterday's rain left lots of puddles.

I found these reflections in the ones I saw in the parking lot, next to my bus stop, this morning.

Trees and sky in this one...


Part of the front of the Peppermill Casino, just across the street, is reflected here. I like the texture that the edges of the puddle give...


The Peppermill again.

I thought the reflections were rather cool :-)

My World Tuesday - What Does This Mean ?

(Enlarge for better view)

This banner, on an apartment building near me, always has me raising my eyebrows, whenever I walk past it..

One day I'm going to get around to calling the listed phone number and asking them just what it means...

I'm sure it's not meant to be taken literally, as how could the US get 'OUT' of the US ?? :-)

Very strange ..

*Update ... Sometimes I can be a little slow on the uptake. :-) Yes, after reading some of the comments, I think that the check in the corner, probably means that the banner should read as 'Check Us Out'.

It's just that the 'US OUT' is what grabs your eye and you totally miss the check mark. :-)

Interestingly, a Kiwi blogger reminded me that in New Zealand, the check mark is known as a 'tick' ..

I think that is where my confusion is coming from, as I am originally from NZ. My Kiwi brain is simply not translating the mark as 'Check' but as 'Tick'...

While it makes sense to Americans, it does not to me.... and we both speak the English language, but obviously, not quite the same :-)

Now, go to MY WORLD TUESDAY where people from all over our globe , show off their little corner of the world !

Mellow Yellow Monday - I Want To Ride My Bicycle ..

Every time walk into my local Walmart and see this guy pedalling around, Queen's 'Bicycle Race', pops into my head ....


'Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like'


Apparently he is the 'Safety Guy' for this particular Walmart. He peddles around all day checking on safety stuff.

He has this sign on the back of his bike that says 'FREDDY ROCKS' . Not sure if his name is Freddy :-)


As I saw him peddle past the melons, I thought to myself, he'd be a perfect subject for Mellow Yellow Monday.

So I chased him past the jewellery counter and the ladies and men's department and the cash registers and finally caught up with him at the entrance...

He graciously agreed to pose for me...

I then went back to my shopping, satisfied that this week's MYM post was taken care of..

I think my friend Lori, who was with me, thought I was a bit daft :-)

Have a great week everyone!!!

Camera Critters - The Young Ones

'The young ones
Darling, we're the young ones
And the young ones
Shouldn't be afraid
To live, love
While the flame is strong
For we may not be
The young ones very long'


'Tomorrow
Why wait until tomorrow
'Coz tomorrow
Sometimes never comes
So love me
There's a song to be sung
And the best time
Is to sing it while we're young'


'Once in every lifetime
Comes a love like this
I need you,
You need me
Oh, my darling, can't you see'


'That young dreams
Should be dreams together
And young hearts
Shouldn't be afraid
And some day
When the years have flown
Darling, then we'll teach
The young ones of our own.'

Credits ..

'The Young Ones' - sung by the one and only, Cliff Richard.

First photo - taken by my hubby ..

All other photos ..well, that was me :-)

Now go to CAMERA CRITTERS and join in the fun.

P.S... If you want to listen to Cliff singing the song, here it is, Video quality is a bit poor and the sound isn't synchronized, but it shows that he's still got it! Not quite a Camera Critter, but I couldn't resist. :-)

Skywatch Friday - Clouds Of Promise....

Around these parts, we get a little excited as well as apprehensive when we see clouds like these, rolling in.

They hold the promise of rain, which is something that doesn't happen very often, hence the excitement !

Unfortunately, they also hold the promise of dry lightening, which is what often accompanies clouds like these. Thousands of wildfires are sparked every year, in Nevada, by lightening strikes, so hence the feeling of apprehension..

I love looking at the clouds though ... they break the monotony of days of nothing but clear, blue skies..


I can see a little dog lying down, in this one. His head is a bit blurred by a wisp of dark cloud..


In this one, he seems to have turned around and is now prancing on his hind feet. You can make him out to the right.

Maybe he's begging the cloud gods for some rain ?? :-)


They started to roll in over the mountains, but unfortunately, came to nothing. The sky was pretty grey to the back of us, and there were a few lightening strikes, (hopefully I caught one on my 35mm SLR), in the distance. No reports of fires though, thank goodness !


So why am I posting a photo of the road, you may well ask?

When I was downloading these photos, from my camera to my computer, I was once again reminded of what can happen, when you hand an 8yr old your camera to hold, while you frantically rummage through your bag for your ringing phone..

Why she felt the urge to take a photo of the street, is something that I don't think even she can answer, however, at least this time it wasn't of my rear end !! :-)

Have a great weekend !

Go to SKYWATCH for views of the sky from all over the world !