‘Female rain’

7 07 2012

It has been raining – softly and steadily – for about three hours now in Disappointment Valley. The rain ringed Spring Creek Basin all morning and afternoon, then hit the eastern side of the basin around 5:30 p.m.

Heavenly.

Divine.

Something so simple, so wonderful. So longed for. So grateful for.

“Female rain” is this very type of slow, gentle, nurturing rain. “Male rain” is heavy with lightning and thunder and bravado.

I can’t remember whether that’s attributable to the Navajo? But I’ve always loved it. Perfect.

Just think how Spring Creek must be flowing now! 🙂


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Categories : Disappointment Valley, Rain, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Water

Meet ‘n greet

7 07 2012

Grey/Traveler greeting stepdaughter Aurora.

The band was grazing near Wildcat Spring tonight (this photo is from July 4). The trickle is doing really well, with water filling the little pool, then trickling on down, enabling the horses to drink at multiple places. Not a lot, but more than previously. And with this rain now … ! Hopefully this is the start of our monsoon weather pattern!


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Categories : Aurora, Grey, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Spring Creek, Spring Creek Basin

6 07 2012

More rain in the basin this afternoon. In the northeastern part of the basin, against the northeastern ridges that form the boundary.

I drove in this evening with a friend, and we crossed Spring Creek – a little muddier/puddlier (yes, that’s a word; I just invented it!) than the pic I posted on the blog previously – a little after 7:30 p.m.

Before 9 p.m., we were heading back out of the basin … and saw this:

Looking upstream.

Looking downstream. At lower right are my tracks from earlier (driving left to right).

Looking all kind of silly dancing around praising the rain that fell earlier. 🙂

Spring Creek flows only during rain events – and it might take awhile for that rain water to get from there to here. In fact, we drove down to the canyon after this – and the water hadn’t made it that far yet!

Stoked, my friends. Simply stoked. 🙂


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Categories : Rain, Spring Creek, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Water

Maia in the light

6 07 2012

Rain today.

Wet stuff falling from the dark, swollen heavens.

Relief.

Rain.

I’ve never been so happy about mud. 🙂

Maia last night. Sweet baby girl.


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Categories : Maia, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

Black and white …

5 07 2012

Alegre and Maia at the end of the day.

… and a little pink:

Grey/Traveler just before the end of the day.

Wow. Clouds. I still can’t get over the novelty.


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Categories : Alegre, Grey, Maia, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs

(Rain) dancin’ for joy

4 07 2012

It was such a weird, seldom-seen sight, I almost saw it without SEEING it.

Peeps, that there’s rainwater, in a puddle. And the ground is dark because it’s still damp. Not splattered by raindrops you can count in the dust but actually DAMP. From rain.

RAIN!

I didn’t actually see the rain, but the puddles don’t lie.

Puddles in the first Spring Creek crossing.

Had a report that it rained – “poured” – for a couple of hours in Ridgway, home of at least five Spring Creek Basin mustangs. (Thanks, Alice!)

Can I also direct your attention to the amazing light in these photos? What, you ask? It’s grey. It’s dull. It’s flat.

Yeah. That’s cloud-a-riffic, my friends. 🙂 Gorgeous!

Thanks for the rain dances! It’s still mostly giving us spits and starts, but it’s coming. And we have storms in the forecast the next couple of days. Firefighters have a handle on all the region’s fires, including the 10,000-plus-acre Weber Fire south of Mancos. The last I saw, they had at least 85 percent containment.

Keep on dancin’!


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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Water

On the rocks

4 07 2012

Comanche’s band sticks pretty close to Hollywood’s band. The stallions zealously guard their mares – and if the mares get out of line, they send them back! Interesting to watch. Duke and Seven also are with the band most of the time, and this day, Kreacher’s little band (he got Roja and Killian) also was nearby and drank from a different part of the canyon.

Kestrel and Madison, taking the high ground as Kreacher’s band pushed in behind them.

While it’s totally human of me, I’m so glad to see Kestrel and Comanche and the girls reunited.

Juniper shows off her mad mountain goat skillz on the side of Spring Creek Canyon.

It doesn’t look like much, but yes, there’s water.

Comanche stretches his big trot on his way to catching up with his family after warning Kreacher’s not to get too close.

Adios!


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Categories : Comanche, Juniper, Kestrel, Madison, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Water

Peek-a-‘Nona

4 07 2012

Finding relief in the slim shade from a pinon:

In the late-afternoon light, she and the tree are the same color.

What a subtle sweetie.

Happy Independence Day!


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Categories : Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Winona

Raven & Sundance

3 07 2012

Such a feeling of peace in this image.

Simply grazing, but I love when they make their way so close to each other, easy in their proximity.

Beautiful evening.

Beautiful light.

Beautiful mustangs.


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Categories : Raven, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Sundance

Golden Grey

3 07 2012

Another one from solstice morning:

Grey/Traveler was grazing nearby as the sun came up and illuminated the world. At this time, too, he caught site of Hollywood’s and Comanche’s bands not too far away across a big arroyo. I took advantage of his attention elsewhere.

Beautiful boy on a beautiful morning.


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Categories : Grey, Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, Spring Creek Basin mustangs, Summer solstice

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