buzzardnotes

Today was another beautiful day in Minden, Nevada…one that beckoned me to get out and breathe the good air. After all, I had been breathing my own cootie-filled air at my house for almost a week and I needed to get out for a few minutes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been sick enough to stay indoors and not care about picking up junk around the house, checking email or even eat much. An upper respiratory infection will do that to you. One person I talked to said her doctor called it the 100-day cough because folks just can’t get rid of it. I hope my cough doesn’t last that long, but it surely has been exhausting to endure the hacking.

Anyway, back to the adventure. I drove out to the Settelmeyer Ranch where many calves have been born in the last two weeks. They are so cute. I watched one little guy bound back and forth between a ditch and the rest of the herd. He was really kicking up his heels. Others were newbies and were sleeping off the rigors of being born.   Just watching the herd eat, nurse the babies, moo to each other and just sort of watch the world go by was very relaxing and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This little guy in the back left was a bundle of energy as he ran toward the ditch.

The little spot is the same calf bounding toward the herd

In my estimation, cows, up close and personal are not necessarily cuddly type animals.  But, in the pasture, they become relaxing and pleasant to watch and hear.  They are curious but wary and many of the new moms are not afraid to go after a coyote or another predator who might be a threat to their little one.

A view of the herd grazing on some hay

This lady had not had her baby yet, but was kind enough to pose for me after getting a drink.

I wondered why she was the only one in the herd with horns. Perhaps she was a different breed or had special privileges. I don’t have a clue.  Note the decorations on her ears.  I believe these tags are markers as to when she was inseminated and all kinds of other information.

It’s Eagles and Ag week here in the Carson Valley where many tourists come to see eagles feasting on cow afterbirth (I did a blog on this last year). So eagles should be in the pastures. I didn’t see any, much to y chagrin. But I did notice many small birds walking amongst the cattle. They were right underfoot, pecking away at stuff. The cows did not care a whit and paid no attention to them as they grazed on the tiny sprigs of grass trying to come up. (The grass is so sparse that the ranchers are having to put out hay so the cattle have enough to eat) I decided the birds were starlings, as they like to eat bugs and stuff stirred up by other animals. They acted like starlings and scurried around like them.

I’m so glad to have the opportunity to stop alongside the highway and take the time to watch these little adventures transpire. Last year I was able to watch a calf being born. I wasn’t so lucky this year, but to see the little miracles on the pasture gave me great satisfaction. Below is a quote from Ansel Adams that I think sums up some of my philosophy here in the Carson Valley.

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”

A little dogie and its mom

During the last Official Tim Baptista Memorial Crab Cioppino Feed, I won the official cioppino recipe as well as a big cooking pot and giant wooden spoon. Last year, Raley’s, a local grocery store had a big sale on crab and I decided to try my luck at cooking the recipe. It turned out well and I decided to do it again this year…even though the crab sale didn’t save as much as last year.

My good buddy, Dick Schmidt came across the “hill” (aka the Sierra Nevada mountains – at our age, we never say “over the hill.”) from Sacramento to join us…hence the wonderful pictures that will accompany this Buzzard Notes entry.

Dick arrived the day before the Fiesta and we took a ride around the Carson Valley to try to espy some bald eagles.   As I reported last year, they arrive as the calving season begins. There were a few calves out in the pastures and we think we saw a couple of eagles about 200 yards away as well as a sand hill crane. No good pictures there. So we went to the Nature Conservancy beside the Carson River where I knew was an eagle aerie off in the distance. Sure enough, we did see 2 a pair of eagles. YEA!   We weren’t up close and personal, but we did see them. The big clump of stuff in the tree is the nest and the dot next to it is one of the eagles.  (Don’t forget that you can enlarge a picture by clicking on it)

The big clump of stuff in the tree is the nest and the dot next to it is one of the eagles.

We walked a bit on the banks of the Carson and noticed some special structures on the banks. Volunteers had cut willows from nearby stands and bundled into “wattles.” Live staked willows were woven into the structure with the wattles that were placed along the banks. We think that not only was this an artistic effort (they called it a sculpture on the sign) that it would also help with a flood control effort in not letting the banks wash away. (Lord knows that we don’t have a chance for a flood unless a miracle happens and we get 20 feet of snow in the mountains soon…the drought continues here in Nevada, too). Anyway, the wattles were interesting to look at.

Wattles on the Carson River

Dick took a nice picture of Job’s Peak reflecting in the Carson River.

As we left the Genoa area, we took the obligatory photo of the ever-present deer that live in the area.  I love to look at them but wouldn’t want all these critters eating up my flowers and lawn.

These four deer were part of a herd of 12 that were dining in a resident’s yard.

The next morning dawned and Dick found me outside feeding “my” birds. I like to get out early before they do so as not to disturb them as they come in for their morning feeding. Bless his heart, Dick held a light and documented this feeding. I also give the birds fresh water each day because the birdbaths and the tins on the ground are often solid ice. There is no other fresh water for the birds and once I started, I felt obligated to continue because they were looking for it.   It was about 19 degrees that morning.

Hanging a feeder

Filling the birdbath and the tin in the background

So it was the big day and after breakfast at a place called “Cowboys,” we began to prepare the cioppino sauce. We chopped, diced, sautéed, opened cans, added wine (and brandy), sniffed, tasted and finally let it reduce for several hours. This was quite a process that was fun to do but kind of tiring.   I didn’t realize how tiring it was until the big day was done. I can really appreciate how hard the Baptistas worked to feed 600 people and I was only feeding 15.

Adding a drop or two of the “sauce”

Dick is the cut up here with the celery

He had a green thumb with the parsley.

Me with the cioppino pot with paint buckets inside.

We stirred and added and stirred some more, all while BC waited around for a handout…except that she doesn’t like crab. What a crazy cat!

While the pot was simmering, we prepared the crab

…and the shrimp

When the sauce was just right, we added the seafood and stirred some more. At just the right moment, Scott came over with his truck and carted the cioppino pot over to Jolee’s house where the Fiesta was to take place. There just isn’t enough dining area in my house for 15 people.

I also want to show you that I donned the appropriate attire for the Fiesta in wearing my new CJ’s Steak and Seafood t-shirt (not from Italy, but rather Princeville, Kauai)

The finished product.

Cioppino servings in paint buckets, ala Baptista Cioppino Feed. They had red buckets, but I couldn’t find them. I also wanted to have lobster bibs but I couldn’t find any place in Carson City that carried them. Next year?

After we were all served, we all dug in, fingers and all and supped with delight. You can see that no one was holding back. We’re already looking forward to the Third Annual Cioppino Fiesta.

After dinner, the little kids went into the TV/living room to play video games. Dick got a cute picture of them playing.

Note Dalan has his own game chair while Megan made her own poor man’s version constructed of a cardboard box. Pretty ingenious, I think.

Monstro, the dog, chilled out with his ball. A dog’s life is tough at the Tristao house

The next morning, Dick caught a picture with a bit of frost on the sagebrush in the open space in back of my house. It’s a pretty sight at dawn…if you like that sort of thing. Good thing I do.

It was back to reality the next morning with a doctor’s appointment and then a tour at the museum. But Dick and I went out to breakfast one last time at Mom and Pop’s, a small café across the street from the NV State Legislature building. The food is good and not pricey.

They serve just about the world’s largest cinnamon rolls as witnessed by this picture. This one filled the entire entrée sized “to go” box. They are pretty good!

Thus endeth the Cioppino Fiesta Saga. It was a lot of fun and I’m so glad the Baptista family had their Cioppino Feeds and that I got the recipe to continue enjoying this terrific food. Hooray!!! (or Ale! in Italian)

*For those of you not familiar with the Baptistas. They are the family who so generously donated their son, Tim’s, heart that allowed Bob to enjoy the Gift of Life for more than 8 years.  Their original Cioppino Feeds plus a Memorial Golf tournaments were the main vehicles they used to create endowed scholarships in Tim’s memory at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep School in San Francisco.  They are all very special people.