A day in a life near Summer Lake

When I need to ground I head to the desert. Wide open sky. Clean air and desert sage smells.  And then there is the wild life. Antelope, mule deer, owls, hawks, cranes, coyotes, and foxes. (This is what I saw this past weekend.) I had other goals besides grounding. My friend with a cabin in the area had secret petroglyphs to share and we had dinner plans and business ideas to discuss at the Cowboy Dinner Tree in Silver Lake. My favorite accommodations as I head to the desert is my 1968 Aloha trailer towed behind a well travel Tahoe.

Clyde and I headed out Saturday morning, and right before the "No Smoking" barn we spotted a scene of true Americana. A family of ranchers, branding, and vaccinating young calves.  I pulled over, grabbed my camera and started shooting. The light, the horses, the noisy cows, the cute kids and the light were all perfect. If only I were a real photographer and a real journalist.  The scene was priceless.  The matriarch of the family kindly walked over and asked if I wanted to join them. The warming fire they had built and the idea of a closer look was very attractive, but I did have an agenda to my weekend so I declined.  She told me this was a fun kids day. Getting them out there with the family learning the joy of communal hard and dirty work. (my words)

I told her watching the ladies rope the calves as a team was better than a rodeo..