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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Autumn's going - Winter's coming
Hola, Baja Nomads. Yes, well…. I’m late for the party again, lo siento.
(First of all, please excuse me, but if the text & photos below are too wide for your screen…please press the CTRL and the minus (-) key at the
same time to reduce the page to suit you. Photobucket...grrr… is giving me a hard time by blurring my re-sizing attempts.)
I’m checking off another item from this year’s bucket list. Even with a couple of Baja Sur trips to satisfy my Baja addiction, I’ve been missing my
long-time Baja home in Coyote Bay, Mulege. Been traveling/wandering in some very distant places for a long time, so posting on Baja Nomads is the
next best thing to actually being there. Thank God, some things are constant wherever you are, like the seasons…. the same
in each hemisphere. For all of us, it’s autumn in Baja… and up here, too.
Autumn….signaling that time is passing. I’m becoming very aware of the truth in this…“It is not until autumn that most of us become aware that
our tickets are stamped with a terminal destination.”
Of course, it’s a mite different Up North than in Baja Sur. For example, there are different kinds of ‘snowbirds’. Up North, two sounds of
autumn are unmistakable...the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating
geese. It is now October…a time when our memories demand that we look up at those familiar distant noises.
With that thought in mind…This was our scenario yesterday morning.
The strong lead bird of the first snow goose flock migrating south is a mature female veteran, having weathered this same central flyway for the last
few seasons. She’s an expert on the sky paths and it’s conditions from the tundras of the Artic Circle to the marshes of Texas and Mexico. The huge
V-flocks strung out behind for miles trust her memory and guidance…just as countless millions have followed the best-suited bird since their time
began. (Co-pilot shows that infuriating Mona Lisa smile whenever the discussion is about…. why the lead goose is most often a
female? Being a poker player, I’ve learned to spare myself a headache and simply accept nonsensical odds.)
As thousands of raucous snow geese flew overhead….here’s where some of us ground dwellers come into the scene.
It was time to feed and the leader scanned down through the early morning mist…onto the autumn fields of the Dakotas far below…and then spied some
faintly familiar shapes. Human forms. The sight awakened learned cautions and she honked a little more rapidly now. Not a greeting to the
forms below, but a wary recognition. She continued onward with stronger wingbeats, maintaining the flocks at a high, safe flight over the fall
landscape and the forms below.
Watching the snows fly on by, we are experienced hunters who know when we’ve been spotted… and that’s as it should be. We trudge back to the
Duk Shak’s warm kitchen for hot cups of coffee with Kahlua or whiskey. We sit and talk of missed opportunities and some errors in planning, all the
while enlarging the cunning & size of the goose flocks with each telling. It’s what old hunters do in the fall.
Ah, this delicious Fall! It captures my soul, and if I were that goose I would fly about the earth seeking eternal autumns.
As it is, I travel the seasonal roads on the ground…from Up North to Baja.
Sights and sounds kindle our imaginations during the Fall. Times of hoar-frost, burning firewood, cider, carving pumpkin smiles, tiny candy bars,
crisp blue sky, the pungent smell of silage, and…those special autumn memories from our childhood. Jumping into piles of raked leaves….carrying a
girl’s books home from school.
Look!..the land is blushing with flaming scarlet, lustrous gold, throbbing vermilion, and fiery orange.
Can you relate to…It's crispness, it's anticipation, it's melancholia, it's cool breezes? Up North these all say there will be no more days that can
be mistaken for summer. It's long days out walking in the woods, harvest festivals, and being part of the cheering crowds in a football stadium.
It's Halloween pranks, pumpkins grinning toothy smiles, the cracking of a pecan against pecan. Curls of woodsmoke, fresh blisters from pulling a
rake. It's crisp and fresh and mellow and snug, solemn and melancholy. And it's very, very welcome.
Fence ivy turning red at my beloved Duk Shak…telling me Fall has arrived. It’s also telling me…”It’s time to get the grandkids up here and rake
the leaves…and then take them duck hunting.”
Yes, indeed I love this poignant season.
"The air has that bracing autumnal bite so that all you want to do is bob for apples or hang a witch or something…."
I hope you are enjoying it too, amigos.
[Edited on 11-12-2014 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64852
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Welcome back Roger!
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2107
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Welcome back Roger! |
X10!!!!!
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LancairDriver
Super Nomad
Posts: 1593
Registered: 2-22-2008
Location: On the Road
Member Is Offline
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It's about time! Welcome back.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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Good to see you, Roger. I've been wondering about you and my questions have been answered.......alive and well.
Don't be such a stranger in the future. It makes us old folks nervous.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Keri
Super Nomad
Posts: 1393
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: La Mision, Baja Norte
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy contento
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Welcome home. Was so happy to see your name, I checked quick to see what date it was . So happy to see it was today. You sound like your very
happy.Hope your health issues are all resolved. God bless you Pomp so happy to see you back,k
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: Skeptical
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Rogelio!
As always, your posts are always welcomed. The prose is so lyrical and your photos truly majestic.
I have said before, you need to get published, for us, for yourself and for posterity. The book(s) is already written and archived on BN. Please take
it a step further. Our respective clocks are indeed ticking. I want the book on my coffee table.
Your Amigo,
Tony
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Loretana
Senior Nomad
Posts: 825
Registered: 5-19-2006
Location: Oregon/Loreto
Member Is Offline
Mood: alegre
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Hey there you are! 
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
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capt. mike
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8085
Registered: 11-26-2002
Location: Bat Cave
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sling time!
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Good stuff. I will be duck, pheasant and goose hunting in KS this November. Can't wait to shoot and eat.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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BajaParrothead
Nomad
Posts: 460
Registered: 12-4-2012
Location: Portola, CA / Los Barriles
Member Is Offline
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Sure do miss your posts Roger!! Thanks for the great return!!
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Fall is in full swing now and we’re still having lots of that great Indian Summer. Daytime temps are in the 50’s and
sometimes even into the 60’s, which is quite balmy…making activities in the field very enjoyable. The nights are getting chilly but makes for that
great sleeping weather. Goose down pillows and comforters are prizes of the day.
Recently I was on a drive over to some prime antelope country in Montana and drove by this familiar replica of a typical Crow teepee lodge. As usual,
I was intrigued by the big iron cooking pot and had to stop and admire it, thinking of the many communal feasts that it provided. Something like that
had to have been traded for at one of the many fur trading posts throughout the area. One can imagine how many beaver pelts it cost.
Later, I was near a big Cabelas store in Billings, Mt. and that Crow cooking pot I'd seen earlier made me decide to add something to the kitchen….and
it will make a great addition to any camping list. I knew it when I saw these Dutch ovens. One of my favorite breakfasts is a compage made in a
Dutch oven the night before so that it's ready for you over morning coffee.
Above…Ah...'Dutch ovens' & campfire cooking....It's damn good to know certain things haven't changed...
DUTCH OVENS AT CABELAS, BILLINGS, MT.
Want more to do on a nice fall day? Go out walking and look for sheds. Here’s an elk shed found in the Turtle Mts on the ND/Manitoba border. Kind
of rare to find a complete shed. Usually the porcupines chew them up fairly quickly.
Lots of early settlers history is preserved. All legal immigrants naturally. Although the ‘Indians’ living there had no say about that.
This roadside display is a replica of a sod house created by the early Scandinavian pioneers. Your goat could graze on the roof.
PIONEER CABIN of some family ancestors. Originally it had a sod roof, but was long ago replaced with a wood one. Old Omund was semi-famous among the
Soiux for his strawberries. Which is probably why they let him keep his scalp and live in peace. A little further west, Custer and his troops did
not fair so well.
Here’s a gift idea for the waterfowler in your family. Made from an old fishing pontoon boat. Great camouflage. Anchored in a weedy slough, it has
a ‘fatal attraction’ for the ducks and there’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee drank in it's comfort. It makes a terrific camera blind, too. I’ve
had herons land 2 feet away and never spied me until I moved the camera. Uh…it’s best not to let them land, however…I’ve found they leave a trail of
heron-poop about 6 feet long when spooked…not nice....whew.
In this part of the world, lots of Canadian geese (honkers) and ducks have been migrating through, but very few snow geese so far. They'll be along
presently, I expect. By now the sandhill cranes are flying over some Mexican resort.
And now it's time to make ready for manana's foray...and hey, almost forgot...also get ready for the trick or treaters that get pulled around in a
haywagon. We'll be ready for 'em!
BOO!
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Thanks for the pictures and info. This far south the ducks we get are mostly local wood ducks and early migrating teal. Back in Idaho a friend trained
his golden retriever to find sheds. The dog is a shed-finding machine.
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Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
Member Is Offline
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Something tells me there is a rake in your near future
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
Thanks for the pictures and info. This far south the ducks we get are mostly local wood ducks and early migrating teal. Back in Idaho a friend trained
his golden retriever to find sheds. The dog is a shed-finding machine. |
Your Idaho amigo must have a fine time afield with his shed-finding golden. And…You’re in a great place for those wood ducks, Cypress. A beautiful
bird..the Wood Duck. Co-Pilot, using cornflakes, enticed these and the mallards close to our campsite at Santee Lakes in San Diego County.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Russ
Something tells me there is a rake in your near future |
Oh yeah, definitely always a use for rakes Up North, Russ. Thank goodness I have my Baja crew nearby..(nephews & grandkids make short work of
it).. for the fall cleanup.
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
Member Is Offline
Mood: Weary
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Best time of the year!!! Got my elk and antelope in the freezer, I'll get my knees shot up next week and head for Montana for some bird hunting...
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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It’s November and Fall is trying to turn into Winter…where did the time go?
Seems like it was just yesterday that youngsters were enjoying….The local ‘spa’. Kids of all ages have fun in the mud found on the banks of the
mighty Missouri.
MISSOURI RIVER MUDBATH
Oh-oh, now here are some omens of a severe winter to come….so says local legend and the Farmer’s Almanac.
Actually, these are just normal preparations for the coming winter. Unlike a lot of BajaNomads, these are not nomadic and stay put for the duration.
SOME BEAVER-GNAWED TREES
...used for food and making these:
BEAVER DAM
MUSKRAT LODGE
VISIBLE COAL VEINS
This is taken from my walleye boat while fishing on Lake Sakakawea…and right in the middle of the coal and oil grounds so much in the news about the
ND boomtimes. Clearly shows the black coal vein. Coal, along with oil, makes this part of the USA so rich in fossil fuels.
While most of rural American is losing it’s open spaces, there is still plenty left. Why? Low population and because there’s not a traffic jam or a
mini-mall every 2 miles! On the other hand taking a drive might develop into a long trip...and..
...you can make great gas mileage with no mountains or big hills to climb….put the pedal to the metal, as they say. Used to be in these parts that the
speed limit was whatever was ‘safe and reasonable’.
“LIFE IN THE VAST LANE”
GRAIN ELEVATORS
There was once one of these every 50 miles across the vast wheatlands of the Midwest States and central provinces of Canada. No longer much needed
and mostly abandoned these days. A nostalgic and forlorn scene on the Great Plains.
If you get bored with so few big city perks, a new hobby is always fun. Try your hand at how to..TRAP A GARBAGE BEAR.
Enjoy what's left of the fall...while you can.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Kgryfon
Senior Nomad
Posts: 624
Registered: 1-27-2009
Location: East Bay, CA
Member Is Offline
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So glad to see you back with another lyrical post! I really do enjoy your tales. 
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
“LIFE IN THE VAST LANE”
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I just drove in such vastness in east oregon. It's so liberating after navigating the roadways of california.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Long ago, when I lived for a short time in a huge city on the coast, my brother sent me a painting of ND...'entitled Life in the Vast Lane.' It looks
a lot like this photo I just posted.
Everytime I look at it I am reminded of a favorite quote from Tom Ford..."I grew up in New Mexico, and the older I get, I have less need for
contemporary culture and big cities and all the stuff we are bombarded with. I am happier at my ranch in the middle of nowhere watching a bug carry
leaves across the grass, listening to silence, riding my horse, and being in open space."
Leaving that metropolis behind was like getting your breath back. Nice to visit, but you can't really live there.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
Member Is Offline
Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Thanks much ...
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