There's gold in them there hills!
At least it looks like gold. Maybe this fool just thinks it's gold.
But whatever it is it sure shines bright gold!
These pictures really don't pick up the gold
color in the reflections like what you see when actually looking
at them. The blurry picture shows the intensity of the reflections
the best. My camera was unable to focus that close.
While walking around the ranch I often see small
bright reflections coming off the desert floor. Usually, it's a
piece of glass or silica which reflects a bright white color like
what you'd get from the sun reflecting off a mirror.
On this day, the small reflection that caught
my eye from 15 feet away and caused a double take was the fiery
color of gold. I froze in my tracks, looked intently, and heard
the whispered words "sweet Jesus" come out of my mouth.
I couldn't tell what was causing this reflection.
My first thought was gold colored foil from a gum wrapper. As I
got closer the reflection disappeared when the angle of the sun
changed. I was looking at desert sand. There was no foil wrapper.
I got closer and found a position to once again
pick up the reflection. It came from a little piece of rock about
one quarter of an inch long. The gold reflection I saw from 15 feet
was half the size of a piece of glitter. I figure it should be worth
at least half a dollar.
On another trip, I found the bigger rock. The
"gold" in this one was also very small. A trip to a gemologist
will tell me what it really is. In the meantime, I ain't telling
none of you all where I found it.
Two new projects have been started
at the ranch but progress has pretty much stopped for the summer
due to the extreme heat. They are a bath house and an ATV shed.
Just the foundation of the bath house is shown
above. It will be 4' x 8'. There will be a 50-100 gallon water tank
above feeding a gravity fed shower head. The floor will be simulated
redwood decking with the water draining directly through to the
ground underneath. This water will quickly evaporate in the warm
dry desert climate.
The side walls will be some kind of redwood or
cedar and there will be an open gap between the top of the walls
and the roof. There will be limited temperature adjustment for the
water. It cannot be cooled but may be heated with propane.
There's nothing like the experience of an outdoor
shower especially at night under an open sky full of stars. Some
people use them as there regular shower. I don't know why it is
but they seem to be very popular in the Cape Cod area and there
are websites devoted to outdoor showers.
The ATV shed will be made mostly of cinder blocks
and resemble a utility shed. It will house two ATV's available for
rent this fall.
James Hayes braving the heat...Denise
Meyer collecting postcards along with her thoughts...Ken
Adam very helpful in the sand section...Russ Kurz
tap dancing with the FAA...Ray Franklin offering
commentary... |
