BEAR ENCOUNTER.

Blogging right now is tough for me. Typing one finger with left hand is slow and tedious. I've hesitated to eat out since eating left-handed is "sloppy".  Neighbor Jan enticed me to a Sunday breakfast at the Native Sons Hall. And, I'm getting more adept with my left hand. She was just rewarded with a plaque for being the best CERT volunteer of the year. We celebrated, and heard a great bear story.

We sat across from two guys, one an electrician the other a general contractor. I took their cards and they are around-somewhere. I believe the contractor's name was Paul Belleni. He was fixing a broken water pipe at a house in Arnold and heard a sound. He turned around to face a mama bear with two cubs. She let out a distinct cry unlike anything he'd ever heard,  and the two cubs scooted up trees immediately. One tree bent to the ground with baby in it. Mama bear dashed past Belleni to protect her cub and he decided to run. He went down hill through a gully and ran for his life with mama behind him and eventually came out on the sixteenth tee at Sequoia Woods Golf course. One of the golfers said "Hey, you, what the hell are you doin'?" (Or something like that as Paul whizzed past.)  Then they spotted the bear. At that point the bear gave up and returned to her cubs. Whew!

He told us with emotion in his voice her claws were so long they were like a second hand.  Looks like a  bent tree saved his bacon. The story came to light as I told my recent encounter with a bear, I've had four, but none as dangerous as Paul Beleni's close call.  But, my cougar story, hey...another time.

ANIMALSCAPES ART SHOW.

 

Hidden Giants by Lori Kelly.   The rules behind this competitive art show called Animalscapes, of Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, required depictions of animals from our area. I know we don't have elephants.

 

Chains to Flowers by Jim Sells.  A second elephant, embracing an unmistakable theme, and preciously done, reminded me that we do have elephants in Calaveras county, in the rescue acres at PAWS, the Performing Animal Welfare Society. They definitely live here.

 

Black Tail Deer by Laurie Williams.  The animals I see the most is deer.

 

Companions-Sifu Berchtold. And these pesty little beauties, the pileated woodpeckers.

 

Whee! By Juliana Tillman. Visitors can vote for a favorite. I spoke with an arts council friend who was a judge and she was surprised at the outcome. She did not reveal her choice as discretion is important in these things. None that placed would have been my picks. I find that happens a lot at art and quilt shows.  I quickly decided this one was going to be my fav. The opening event was one where you could meet the artist, and I met some of my favorite artists. Not all had an entry, but they do turn up for the arts.

 

Meet the artist, Juliana Tillman  I managed to corral the artist, I'd never met her before.

 

Spotted Owl-Forget Me Not, Diana Boyd.  There were many owls entered in the competition. Held at Kautz Winery, I learned that the Owl is the symbol of the Kautz Coat of Arms.

And, two real owls there to raise money for Wildlife Rescue organizations. This is a barn owl.

 

And this sawwhet owl is three years old and looks like a baby. She bites, the rescue worker told me. Her role in life is to tear her prey to bits and she is good at it. On an African Safari I took in 1997, that point was made so unforgettably clear, I could never again view deer as Bambi's nor lions as talking characters. The wild is something to respect and I never cross that line and feed wild animals. I love watching, though.

 

Bell Meadow Bears, Karen Nina Kling. Baby animals, no matter what specie, are adorable.

 

The Threat by Marta Magstrali.  Named the threat, huh!  The most petted piece in the show. You couldn't help but run your hands over this unique fellow.

The little mouse on his behind made me smile. What an enjoyable piece of art.


And, then I came upon the piece I voted for. This Horse Head by Larissa Stephenson. So real looking I wanted to reach out and pet its nose, even though the feel of velvet would be missing.


The show had a musician and young women passed out champagne and hors d'oeuvres. It was lovely and I'll see the show again when it moves to Amador County. I'm meeting a friend from Discovery Bay there for lunch next month.

 

I met Art Director, Susie Hoffman. I stopped her to take a picture of her feather earrings, very Native American looking. She bought them in Paris. She is director at Town Hall Arts, Galerie Copper in Copperopolis. She invited me to visit and I will get there one of these days. I love that I live in a community where the arts have such  great prominence. For the rest of my photos click the link below:

2016-1-15-AnimalScapesArtshow

SOLEDAD IS A PRISON, BUT NOT HERE.

With my Sheriffs Department background, Soledad brings to mind the prison by that name. But, here, at Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails, is the true meaning of the Spanish word, solitude. It fits this quiet, peaceful site that meanders across the Santa Clara River with approximately 800 sites--- without feeling crowded.

I spent time in the beautiful hot tub. Its cool here, and the pool is closed for repair work.

When we move to a new place, it is our habit to walk the park, see where everything is located, and just get a feel for the place. We noticed a lot of tree work going on in several sections of the park. Old giants, laid down for a final rest.

Beauty still, in its rot and decay.

Like all Thousand Trails, they have multiple activities for kids and adults. Tennis, basket ball, several "kiddie"  playgrounds and picnic areas, horseshoes, an arcade, miniature golf, a couple of outdoor amphitheaters. This is the first TT we've seen with an old tractor for kids to climb on.

We heard coyotes our first night, but literature warns hikers about cougars in the area. On our walk we saw the fattest crow and a few other birds. In Palm springs our walk around the site was 3 miles. Here, it felt like the same distance with just one circle around the perimeter.
 Events here are bus trips into Los Angeles on Thursdays and Saturdays to visit Olivera Street,  the Getty Museum, the Queen Mary, a farmers market, Hollywood, Union Station, Sana Monica, Venice Beach and so on. A continually changing menu of things to see and do.  And, you don't have to drive.
Planned events at the lodge vary with the time of year. We already see flyers for the up-coming St. Patricks Day Corned Beef and cabbage dinner for 99 cents. The big lodge has a huge dance floor and restaurant.
People come up out of the smog filled cities and can enjoy this restful, peaceful place at Soledad Canyon.

WILDLIFE

My place is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. When I first signed up with the National Wildlife Federation, I didn't think it would make much difference in the amount of wildlife I see. I was wrong. Its the water.
I have a pond with enough length that the bats can swoop and scoop. It contains a big rock for smaller animals, and a board to crawl out if something goes wrong.
Deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, skunks, and birds are frequent visitors. Cougars and coyotes come occasionally.

For lizards, a shallow pot bottom with a few rocks works well. They require a shallow vessel without slippery sides, otherwise they drink and drown.

I leave a brush pile and long grasses along the fences here and there so quail and small critters can hide as they move from one place to another.

Western bluebirds have a special house on my greenhouse. I was home in the spring and saw it full. My butterfly house has yet to surprise me.

I had no idea how thirsty the animals are in this hot climate and I appreciate their presence on my property. We no longer spray, not even for ants. We use diatomaceous earth if they get pesty.
When I first signed up, I saw bag worms in my walnut tree and I thought about getting out the spray. Soon, a cyclone of wasps broke through the bag and ate every last worm.

The squirrels increased in such numbers that I could not harvest one walnut. They got every last one from two trees. I tried coyote pee in dog hair, rubber snakes in the trees, strategically placed owls, (which worked wonders to keep the jays out of my almonds and peaches) but the squirrels kept a'coming. Finally, after about three years, the hawks came in and killed most of the squirrels. Nature asserts itself when you give it a chance.
To create a wildlife habitat you promise not to use insecticides, herbicides and to provide water for the critters.
I don't get to see the critters very often and when they come, by the time you get out the camera, they flit away. Deer are the least shy and often come around during the day. Every now and then....you get a decent shot.

MONTE WOLFE, THE LEGEND

After Monte's disappearance, the stories began to flow. His exploits as a hunter; his quirky ways; his feats of strength. They came from so many sources, they are collectively a picture of the real Monte Wolfe regardless of his origins or what his real name may have been.
He spelled his name Wolfe with the English e on the end. He used expressions like thar and by gar, and made some "Canuck" bunk beds for friends of his. He served some time in jail as Ed Mc Graff for relieving Constable Billy Schmidt of his gun while trying to arrest him for stealing a gun from Alexander Chauncey. He was prosecuted as Ed Mc Graff in Tuolumne County and sent to State Prison. He also supposedly served in War War I as Ed Mc Graff, but he once corrected someone and told them his name was Monte Rice, and another time Ed Wright? He wanted to be unfound and his inconsistencies made everyone more curious. For instance, he had a barely accessible cabin on the Ned McGrath ranch on Little Humbug Creek. Ned McGrath, Ed McGraff? The names so similar? He claimed to be Catholic and his mother had a proper upbringing. He canned venison, never dried fish or meat as the Indian's did. His cabin building skills and handiness with an ax suggest a Canadian background. No one knows for sure who he was, but his feats of strength were legendary and indisputable. He would easily ski to Nevada to get his mail since the rangers took his mailbox away in Calaveras County. He'd pack people into the woods and carry their stuff plus his own. He'd catch fish for them if they didn't get their limit. His main cabin was two rooms, 14 by 20 with a loft. It had guest beds made of metal with real mattresses. He had a cement mixer, a wheel barrow and a heavy cast iron cook stove that he carried into the canyons by himself along with a victrola, steel cookware and other heavy items.
One man recalls meeting Monte carrying a keg of heavy nails on his shoulder. He stopped to talk for several minutes and never set his burden down, but continued on as though it was nothing.
He made a log ramp and hoisted 600 to 800 pound logs up the ramp he made while building his main cabin. After working all day on his "new" cabin, he still had energy enough to hike five hours out to escort people to their cars as the day dwindled, making it back alone at night.
The Lewis family recall that he offered to build them a cabin on the Moke River if they would supply the windows. He showed them a couple catfish lakes so full of fish they'd practically jump in the pan. "His legs were like fence posts and we couldn't keep up with him. Monte explained that he wore several pairs of stockings to protect himself from rattlesnakes," said Earl Lewis.
Monte loved to be social and readily sought company on his terms. Yet, he gave the impression that he was hiding from justice.
All the little contacts people had with him through the years verify his unusual personality, his strength, his sense of fun. He would ski into Tamarack and chase the giggling cook around the bar (a skit they planned for the entertainment of patrons) and through the kitchen, jump up on the bar and emote with relish. He loved talking about his encounters with cougars and bears.
Slim Hinton remembers he started a forest fire once and was embarrassed by it. He burned around his cabin every year and it got away from him. The burn exposed a cast iron stove he had tried to move to his lower cabin. It even defeated Monte. Hinton said he couldn't even budge a corner of the thing. Another time he used his shoulder to lift and nudge a cabin into position that he helped another guy build. He liked women and had a number of women visitors. He worked for others when he could find work, but he always left himself an out. He had many a cache stored around a four county area to give him a wide range and an "out" if he needed it.
The above pictures show Monte's smaller cabin, one of the log bridges and a cache wired into a hollow of an oak tree. He kept his food in water tight, vermin proof containers. He grew 500 pounds of potatoes a year and kept them buried in oak leaves near his cabin.He would have enjoyed knowing people are still talking and reading about him today.