Well, now here is proof that if you want a job done right, let a woman do it!! Even though he has been given very good directions, when it comes right down to it, things go better for now if someone else posts pictures for rr - so here they are and from the looks of the amount of work going on here, no wonder he always feels old and tired (though I am sure he is NEITHER!!).

And now this is just too choice to pass up - the last picture needs a title - but what should it be???? rr with the weight of the world on his shoulders?? rr with his head in the clouds??? or - rr that blockhead!! What a man - he leaves so many opportunities for joking around!!













And now this is just too choice to pass up - this picture needs a title - but what should it be???? rr with the wieght of the world on his shoulders?? rr with his head in the clouds??? or - rr that blockhead!! What a man - he leaves so many opportunities for joking around!!



I just might have a few more if anyone is interested and rr gives the go ahead....

SeaHorse, don't you know anything? Everyone knows 'what i am doing...' I am making sure that Santa Claus won't get stuck!

Thank you for posting the photos. I didn't buy the movie camera for my father's day gift, but I'd better do it soon(as William is growing up fast,) but I just don't have the time/interest to learn all the things one needs to for computers...I need a student tutor or something. Maybe I should run an add....rr

Hey buddy - that is Pere Noel to you!! But the important questions is - will he fit??

An assistant, huh? Maybe you should just run...

And just in case anyone was worried about Arthur after the incident with the elephant gun - here is proof that his front half is okay - though William is hiding the back half that was supposedly shot......and the poor dog is lying down and not standing up....... And what a sweet looking calm boy - we will never again believe you about Wild William Wednesday. rr - you are such a story teller - I can't imagine that he is half the trouble you let on....is there anything you don't exaggerate about? P.S. - when will you prove that Dominique is alive and well???

rr... very cute kid! He get his looks from his mom? Oh... and the doggie looks like a little angel. I can't imagine him doing ~anything~ naughty....

Glad to see you back SH.... we need you to keep rr stirred up!

It's pretty ugly. We're not in any danger, but the Carson valley is inundated with the smoke. The fire is centered at Meyers, but spreading. It's now over 2500 acres and has burned more than 200 homes. The winds were horrid yesterday, which did not help the firefighters. The fire is in the tall timber, so it's jumping from treetop to treetop. The planes and helicopters were having a hard time in the wind to drop either retardant or water, so the hand crews were trying to cut lines. They have ~5% "hard" contained and another 15% "soft" contained. It's still very bad. It was cold overnight (40 here, low 30's at the fire) and no wind, so that will help efforts this morning.

It was amazing to see so much smoke in such a short period of time. They said the fire started at about 2:15 and by 3:00, we weren't sure we could get up the highway due to the smoke. We hauled two horse trailers up to help with evacuations. We made many trips back and forth to the fairgrounds, until they wouldn't let us back in. Hopefully, everyone's efforts got all the animals out.

Here's what we can see from our house:

Origin point:


Smoke over Carson valley:


rr - snow pack this year was about 40% of normal and everyone was very fearful something like this would happen. We've had numerous brush fires, since everything is so dry. Over the weekend, a fire was started by someone mowing weeds, the mower struck a rock which threw a spark and ignited about 100 acres. That's very dry!

Thoughts and prayers for everyone affected. FHM, is your sister close? I don't remember where you said she lived. Hope she's okay!

Hey Remmer, keep us posted(and take care with the rescue operations.) What is this world coming to? We have had torrential rains(heavy flood warnings over the BBC for Great Britain,) and in the states and Australia, not a drop...weird

I hope my brother and his neighbors have been cutting back the brush around their homes. He took over the home when my dad died but just comes up on weekends...

Take care of yourself. Our thoughts and prayers to you all out there!

rr

And I just remembered something. I remember when dad would call and say that it was snowing in June, and this was not so long ago!

Lucy, I don't recommand the "buckshot treatment" for every dog , but it sure has worked on Arthur. William's report card wasn't the greatest the last quarter and I should take away the one week pony clinic we'd promised him. But I can never do this because I am a softy...

rr

FHM, I thought that you visited that part of the country with your sister(or horseback,) this past Winter. I don't recall that she lived there...rr

My sis lives in Incline Village, NV, on the northwest corner of Lake Tahoe and heads a resort condo sales office in Truckee, CA. She returned my call this AM and said she's in no danger. They're using vacant condo units as temporary shelter for those displaced by the fire.

Thanks for posting photos, remmer. It's as I pictured it in my mind from your area. Kudos for your volunteer efforts!

rr- Nice digs! Very pastoral and Normanic. I can understand why you settled there. And... not too shabby a job on that fireplace either! ~FH

Fires starting all ready! This is going to be a very bad summer. I sure do hope they get it controled. remmer, I know what it is like to be burried under heavy smoke. A few years ago the Forrest Service allowed a fire to burn in the local mountains for 3 months. At one point I measured 4 inches of ash in the front yard. Could not leave the house without a mask on. Thankfully I did not have a horse then.

Most of our mountains have burned off all ready, but not all...

remmer, stay safe. Come on down here if you need to! We have hay and so far clear skies. (No smoke.)

rr, those pics are lovely! No wonder you have been (and are) such a busy guy! Although the last one of the chimney...Um... Well, what can I say... What exactly are you hidding? Or, do you really think no one will recognize you?

Very handsome young man there rr, I asume he takes after his mom ! Especially as you are hidding in the fireplace!

In 2004 we had over 2 ft. of snow on Nov. 21. Rare to have it that early, and usually we only get a few inches. That Dec. we had tons of rain, mud slides, and several deaths. That is the last time we had much rain. All the snow is melted from the mountains already, there is usually some snow on top of Mt. Baldy 10,000 ft.+ until at least the first of August. Some areas are planning to ration water. Our rain total from July 1 2006, to now is 1 12 inches. We usually get between 7 and 14 inches. The wet winter 2004 we got 22 inches of rain, plus the snow. It is DRY!

We have probably gotten 3inchs of rain this afternoon! We planted some hedges last Winter and the only thing positive about this rain is the way they're growing! The farmer that owned this place CUT DOWN ALL THE TREES and sold them for firewood. We've planted a bunch, so what the heck, this rainy couple weeks must be good for something...

FHM, I used to fish the Truckee River! I loved that place.
What is happening weatherwise? Tried emailing my brother,who installs swimming pools, I wonder if there going to start prohibiting people from filling their pools, watering their lawns, washing cars, etc..

I just noticed we may get two days of clear weather, not enough I am afraid to do all the hay that everyone's been waiting to do...

About the place, here. We restored the whole damn thing(can't really put a roof on half a building,) and there's room for guests if visiting France(but then FHM, I don't remember you having to many kind thoughts for the French...) Maybe the others could blindfold you...rr

The Truckee area is great - hate to think of fires up that way. Glad you are okay remmer (and back on the board at least briefly) - how many loads of horses did you haul out and where do you take them all? My goodness that would be alot of dislocated animals, feed, people, etc.

Water levels are okay here - but the city is having trouble with water pressure so is asking for voluntary even odd grass watering. Now MHO is that grass either grows or it doesn't - if you have to water it, then it doesn't belong there naturally. But only people who wash their horses instead of their cars would think like that.

Here,though Normandy is pretty much known for its Seattle Weather, people have been buying these thousand liter containers for rain water storage. We're probably not to the degree of AMM in Australia but I do have some of my rain gutters connected to our well...

I like it when things like this happen stateside, people get together and help each other. When we were hit with that HUGE storm in 99 I didn't have the feeling that many people helped out. I DO KNOW some who quickly took out their tractors and PULLED DOWN their barns to get the insurance money from the goverment!(More than you would probably believe!) I was the dumb one, before going to help my neighbors, I patched all my roofs up myself. Never even thought of an insurance claim if I could get up there and patch it up myself...I'll never be rich...rr

Quote:

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Never even thought of an insurance claim if I could get up there and patch it up myself...I'll never be rich...rr

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But you know - I think that does make you rich in the things that count.

Ah shoot - now I almost said something nice to you!! Hold on here comes another - I think it is very smart to collect rainwater off your roof - it can be used for so many things that might otherwise not be a good use of water. But then I have lived in the sub-Sahara so my view of water is different from many people.