R.I.P.

Snake Valley has lost too many good people this year. Here are links to their obituaries:

Marilyn Ambrose, from Baker

Grant Anderson, from Callao

Reuvo Bagley, from Callao

Genevieve Baker, from Baker

Guy Baker, previously from Baker

Ladd Davies, from Burbank

Sharlene Eldridge, previously from Baker

Doris Genz, from Baker

Bret Layland, from Callao

Dave Person, from Baker

Joe Schuh, from Baker

Gene Skinner, from Baker

Marilyn Sims, from Callao

Velma Timm, from Callao

Lorene Wheeler, from Garrison

Lee Whitlock, from Baker

We miss you and will remember you always.

(I apologize if I've missed anyone. Please leave a comment and I'll incorporate that person into the post.)

2011 Baker/Garrison Christmas Program

Tuesday night was the night for the South Snake Valley schools to do their Christmas programs. EskDale preschoolers were first up on stage. What a bunch of cuties!

Then it was time for the elementary band and orchestra. They are making good progress!

Next up was Garrison elementary (grades K-2). The kids sang, played their recorders, and performed an original play. It was fun watching them.

Last, it was the Baker elementary school (grades 3-6) performing. They have some excellent actors! And the elf costumes were fantastic.

After all the entertainment, Santa came for a visit. The kids were happy to line up and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. I'm not sure if they mentioned if they had been naughty or nice!

2011 Christmas Bird Count

 Today was Snake Valley's 2011 Christmas Bird Count. We had a good turnout, and despite the early-morning inversion and frozen state of most of the water bodies, we found 56 species. Above is a Bewick's Wren I found in a juniper near a spring. I was excited to see it because I don't see wrens often. They are cute, with their striped tails held at such a funny angle.

 This mountain bluebird provided some contrast with the winter scenery.

 We might not be New York City, but we still have our pigeons!

 This western scrub-jay was all puffed out to keep warm. We never got over freezing during the day. I'm sure glad I don't have to stay out all day and all night like the birds!

I saw more white-crowned sparrows on this count than any other. One flock had 61!
You can see a post about the 2009 Christmas Bird Count here. It includes more info about why Christmas Bird Counts are held and where you can participate. They are a lot of fun!

Lunar Eclipse

 Early Saturday morning we were  lucky to experience a total lunar eclipse. It's the last one till 2014, so I was eager to witness it.

 I realized I should have started taking photos earlier, because the cool thing about any eclipse is watching the shadow move. Just seeing it at one point in time isn't particularly awe-inspiring.

There will be lots of astronomical events in Snake Valley this year, including several star parties, the Astronomy Festival June 14-16, and a Transit of Venus viewing June 5, 2012. Plus probably some more!

It's time to learn some more about the big universe we live in.

Giving Thanks

Well, it's Thanksgiving week, and I've been spending some time outside. Seeing the beautiful scenery of Snake Valley makes me very thankful that I live in such a beautiful area with so many good people. We are lucky to have such clean air, unclogged roads, amazing night skies, and abundant wildlife.

I'm also thankful to all those who attended, testified, and served as counsel during the recent water hearings in front of the Nevada State Engineer. The six weeks of hearings provided information so that the State Engineer can decide how much water to allow to the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Spring, Dry Lake, Delamar, and Cave Valleys. Public comment is being accepted. Comments must be received in his office by December 2 (so send them this week!). Address: Jason King, Nevada State Engineer, 901 S. Stewart St., Suite 2002, Carson City, NV 89701 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Harvest Festival

 The Baker/Garrison Schools Harvest Festival was held last Friday night. This is a potluck dinner followed by an auction. As everyone arrived, they headed up to see what would be for auction and to plan their bidding strategy. There was an excellent assortment of homemade goodies.

 The Torres boys had fun bidding on a variety of items later in the evening. First came the delicious food. I was impressed with the quantity and quality of all the great food.

 Then it was time to start the auction, with Wheeler as the volunteer auctioneer. She did a great job! Although the schools had only had four items donated by Tuesday, on Friday night there were over 150 items, so she had a lot of auctioning to do!

 Kate showed off the goods to their best advantage, using her immense theatrical talent.

 The kids enjoyed playing around in the back.

 The auction was well-attended, and there were a few items that were fiercely fought over. It made it entertaining.

 My daughter, Desert Girl, had some of her biggest laughs.

I think it was because she had found a new friend.

What a great evening! The Baker/Garrison schools will put on a Christmas program in December at Baker Hall and then the winter carnival with games and food will most likely be in February. I'll update the calendar on the right side of this blog as I learn the dates.

Halloween Festivities

 We have a lot of fun at Halloween in Baker. There was a Halloween party at the community center, with lots of treats, homemade goodies, and even some crafts.

 It was great to see all the fun costumes.

 Prior to that, most of the kids in town went on the Halloween Hayride, which went from door-to-door for trick-or-treating. The weather was awesome!

It's probably a good thing Halloween only comes around once a year, as all the kids really loaded up on candy!