Mylee Lauren Smith's First Day

My newest granddaughter was born this morning, Mylee Lauren Smith. She and my daughter Karen are doing fine. Husband Steve has been with Karen all day helping in any way he could. 

Karen was visited today by me, and her mother Tina, plus her sister Sheila. Sheila's children Kaylee and Tina came too, as well as Karen's first daughter Layla. It's getting to be a little crowded with grandkids!

This is my fourth granddaughter. No grandsons yet. 

Close Encounter

Today, my wife and I came really close - closer than ever before - to a real disaster. We took our mountain bikes up to Shasta Lake, our usual ride. It's a fairly steep climb, followed by a gentle gliding descent down to Vista Point, and finally ending at Shasta Dam. From there, the loop continues up a gentle climb for a ways, followed by a gentle down hill portion back to our house.

It's usually a fun ride. On this ride, we stopped along the way to snap a photo. Using the 10 second self timer on our camera, we rigged up a makeshift tripod (actually a unipod) from a piece of old manzanita and some rocks. Carefully, we balanced the camera on the top of the stick, I set the timer and we both scurried to the other side of the road. Once the photo was taken, we retrieved the camera and completed our ride.

It wasn't until we got home and uploaded the photo into our computer that we realize just how close we had come to, well, who knows what would have happened? Apparently, while we were posing for the picture, a cyclops took that opportunity to attempt an ambush. The camera shutter snapped and I ran back across the road to retrieve the camera. When I turned around, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Apparently, the cyclops had ducked back behind the hill. 

It is so rare that you see one of these things. I didn't even know that there were cyclopses in our area. There certainly aren't any signs warning people to, "Beware of Cyclopses." Personally, I didn't think they existed, but the proof is in the picture. He probably didn't realize how close he was to a tasty meal. Having only one eye, we figure that his depth perception is a bit off. 

We got lucky this time. Next time, we will be more vigilant. 

A Day For Ducks (and a rabbit)

Today was a duck day. My last mallard, a drake (male), flew away from home while I was gone. When I came home, I found evidence that a dog had entered the stream where he likes to swim in the afternoon. Recently, there have been a few other wild mallards in the stream, but not in the past few days. I suspected that the dog attacked my duck, but seeing no sign of blood, I hoped he got away.

It is now about 10:30 PM. About 15 minutes ago, I couldn't believe it: I heard a knock (quack) at the front door. When I looked outside, there was my duck! He had apparently hidden out under a bush all day long waiting for the coast to clear.

His name is Blue Duck, named after a rather infamous outlaw from the Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma. Blue Duck also has a prominent roll in Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove." Being a McMurtry fan, both McMurtry senior and McMurtry junior, my little drake became known as Blue Duck.

This morning began with a short trip into Redding. On the way, I found a drake mallard similar to mine just standing in the road. I stopped and walked up to him, spoke to him, and he spoke back in duck language. I thought it odd that he should be standing in the bicycle lane. As I got close to him, he said good bye and flew away. Later, I had the same experience with a cotton tail bunny. But, the bunny did not fly away, of course. He just ran away.

I am so glad to go to bed tonight knowing that Blue Duck is safe and home. It will be easier to sleep tonight. So remember, if you hear a duck quacking, go to the front door and open it. There may actually be a duck there.

Today was a good day for a short bike ride up to Shasta dam. This photo was taken at Vista Point, which overlooks Shasta dam. It is the highest point on the ride. The entire trip from my house all the way to the dam and back is about seven and one half miles.

This morning, I went to the gym. In addition to lifting some weights, I put in about 9 miles on the exercise bike. That, combined with my ride up to the dam, gives me a good amount of cardio today. 

The water level in Shasta Lake is continuing to rise. It was so low this past winter that bridges became exposed which had been under water ever since the lake was filled years ago. I mean, the water level was really low! It is good to see the water level coming up, considering that the state is in a drought right now. If we can get some more rain and snow soon, it would help even more.