Gunnison Sage Grouse and another Mystery Critter

Ok, Grand-kiddies, pay attention.  Grandpa got to see the very rare Gunnison Sage Grouse on Saturday morning.  The above video is one of a half dozen or so that I took, so be prepared to be wowed next time you come over!



Line the Greater Sage Grouse, the Gunnison males gather on a lek to woo the ladies.  On a sage strewn area about the size of a soccer field just outside Monticello, Utah, we saw these amazing birds.



They are about one-third smaller than the Greater, but the very striking tail feathers and the crazy topknot on their heads that they keep throwing around make them really fun to watch.

On Saturday March 31, Steve Stewart and I got up at 1 am in Provo, drove down to Monticello and met the local wildlife rep, who showed us where they were.  We couldn't get any closer than about 100 yards, but it was sure fun.



Meanwhile, last week we had a day of good weather in Oregon.  While Grandma was teaching piano and a whole herd of kids how to cook, I took a walk.



And saw a Eurasian Collared Dove



And one of a whole bunch of Norther Flickers (Red Shafted) right at home on Rainbow Lane.







An now if you are paying attention, it is time for the mystery critter.  This one stunned itself on our window and was being very cooperative.  What is it?



The river was high, and I had Mike Welch over to do some commentary on the panels he has done for us.  His next project for us is going to be at the law firm.  Ought to be fun. 



So for one last story.  Two Saturday's ago Chris and Kenni came over to go on a canoe ride with Zuri while we watched Dot.  They put in the canoe, rigged up the motor and took off, with all the paddles!  A few minutes later, Alicia, Tucker and Weston showed up to take a canoe ride.  No Paddles!!!  No Problem however as Tucker just tied the Kayak to another one of the canoes and began to tow his very pregnant wife and child .....  UPRIVER!  Seriously these guys are nuts.



Boy are we having a good time!

Snowy Owl Irruption at Thanksgiving!

Every one in a while, birds begin showing up in large numbers in places that they are not normally expected.  This is called an irruption event.  Just after Thanksgiving this year we began to hear about Snowy Owls, normally a far north specialty showing up here at the 45th Parallel!  Weather, climate change, winds?  I don't know, but it was fun.  



This was probably a juvenile based on its dark coloration.  It is one of the largest of our owls, and was fairly easy to spot from nearly a mile away on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge just north of Vancouver, Washington.




But first, Thanksgiving.  We celebrated with a big family dinner at the Lodge.  That is just a great place to gather the whole family together.



 Grandma, Hai (Lien) and Jayden.



Food Galore



And grandkids coming out our ears!

But let's pause for a mystery critter!  Anders got the last one.  Who will it be this time.  This critter was found by the grandkids just outside the Lodge in the rocks.  What is it?





It was a very late fall, just like the spring had been.  I hope this spring (see my last post), doesn't mean another year of no grapes.



And in closing, a few more pics of the remarkable Snowy Owl.  What a treat for us here in the banana belt!!!!

Someone Forgot to Check the Calendar

OK, it is March 21st for heaven sakes.  Yesterday was Paula's birthday.  Spring is two days old.  And it is snowing in Portland, Oregon.  What the heck.

This is the second year in a row where we just don't seem to be getting a spring.  On Monday, I took the following picture from up on the hill at the lodge, showing huge lakes where the river usually is.




While it is not forecast to reach the levels of 1996, the water has come up very quickly.  Here at the Rainbow house we are seeing water for miles across the river.



Looking from the side of Rainbow



And from the Sandbox at Rainbow



I took this shot from Patricia Lane around the loop.  It is looking east toward Groner School.



How about a mystery critter?  Taken this morning in the front yard here at Rainbow.  This bird thinks it is spring and was working with a mate on a nest.



After I got home from my walk this morning, I got in the kayak with my camera and went across the river.  This was the view of the house.





And now it is snowing.  Since Paula is a big chicken, I am going to drive her to the Temple for her 6 am shift in the morning before I fly to Salt Lake City for a meeting and a hearing.  Seriously it's snowing!  March 21st.  What the heck!!!

Married to a Grandma

My mother-in-law Marilyn has always bristled when I called her "grandma".  She insisted that she was not my grandma, and she of course was right.  But I never intended it as anything but a statement of honor.  Grandma's have played a huge part in my life.  I knew both of my grandma's and knew they loved me.  They both taught me to love things I wouldn't have even known about otherwise.  My mom was a fantastic grandma, and I have always lamented the fact that she passed so soon before she could teach my children.  But my mother-in-law has certainly lived to be just the kind of grandma I remember.  So the name for me is more that just an indication of relationship.



Our children are very lucky to have so many grandma's around.  Just in this picture alone are (bottom, right to left), Grandma Wright (Marilyn), Paula, Sally (Alicia's mother-in-law and Weston's grandma), and (top, right to left) Hailey (not yet a grandma, but certainly laying the foundation), Heather (Paula's sister and a grandma), and Mary, (Marilyn's neighbor who has joined us from time to time as another grandma to bless our lives).  Each of these women acting as teachers have made a huge difference.

But here is the thing.  I am married to a grandma.  Holy Cow!  Remarkable.  Really hard to comprehend sometimes.  But I can tell you that among all of the ways that Paula has brought me joy over the nearly 37 years we have been married, watching her as a grandma has certainly been one of the most precious of all the ways.  Teaching grandchildren to play the piano, play checkers, sew, sing, read and cook provides the most beautiful pictures that I have ever seen.  No sunset, bird, flower, or magnificent building can even come close.
Thanks sweetheart for letting me call you grandma.  It is to me the highest honor I can express.

 

Vial Family Reunion - A Worthy Tradition

Though I don't know who to credit it with, I have long embraced the quote "There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children, one is roots and the other is wings."  I really feel like the concept of "family reunion" is one of those traditions that fulfills both of these objectives.  The "Vial" family reunion is now a couple of decades old.  A gathering of my dad Armand "Jean" Vial and his descendants, it has been held often at the Oregon coast, but in 2011 was the inaugural event of Scholls Valley Lodge!  Held over the 4th of July, all of Jean's boys were there.



The flowers had been planted, the furniture just barely delivered from Vermont, and the weather was great.







We had scareplane rides.







And Fireworks!



And birds!  Like the Red Tail Hawk and the Turkey Vulture.



The field had just been plowed, and The Vultures were out hunting in force.



Night





And Day



It was all about the people.

 

 

 

 









We even celebrated a few birthdays!



A worthy tradition for a great family!