Birdwatching in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Cows on the move

The Monday after Micki Selvitella's workshops, I took her on a sightseeing tour to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. On the way we passed a herd of cows being driven north on the highway we were traveling

Lawen Road

south on. We headed down Lawen Road and spotted snow geese and tundra swans in the distance. At the Refuge HQ we checked out what birds were in. Coots were feeding on the front lawn.We saw lots of coots everywhere. From the refuge HQ we started south on the Center Road which I hadn't taken before. Micki's comment was "I feel like I'm in the Old West."  Well, she sort of was. The Slough hasn't filled all the way yet because the snow melt hasn't started in the Steens Mountains. We went as far as Benson Pond where I thought the swans and geese would be hanging out. Of course, they weren't. Beavers have done quite a bit of damage to the old trees there. I'm not sure what that is all about.  We came back through the Diamond Craters, old lava beds, completing a giant circle we made of the middle part of Harney County.  We spotted golden and bald eagles on the way.  It was so warm at Benson pond we took off our heavy coats. The rest of the journey was pretty windy but fine, very fine and gorgeous. It restores the soul.

Coots feeding at Refuge HQ

The Slough

Micki at Benson Pond

Beaver damage at Benson Pond

Benson Pond with Steens Mountains in background

Diamond Lava Beds

How 'bout dem Workshops?

Acting class

What a weekend! Walking with llamas, wine and cheese reception, intro to acting, screenwriting basics, writing for actors, birdwatching. Micki left this morning and headed back to Portland, very impressed with the Oregon frontier and the people who live here.  What an interchange of ideas and enthusiasm. Fifteen attended the acting workshop, 13 for screen writing, 11 for writing for actors. Micki's exuberance and enthusiasm for her subject helped convey her ideas.  For us we stretched and grew as actors and writers.  Everyone benefited from stepping outside of their boxes. Hope we can do it again.

Chris and John act out

Carley is not trying to punch Anya, our youngest participant.

Pat and Noni, our oldest participants

Jane came to have fun

Pat gives her monologue. Love her hat.

Carley

Anya

Listening to the skits

Screenwriting class and working with props

Screenwriting

Writing for actors

Writing for actors

Micki holds forth

Some people just can't sit that long!

Wine, Cheese and Sparkling Cider

Carley, Anya and Ann

And then we held a social hour for Micki at Lorna and Charlie's house Friday evening. Everyone in the photos will be attending at least one of the three workshops on acting, screenwriting and writing for actors that Micki is teaching Saturday and Sunday. It was a good crowd. The acting and writing community in Harney County came together. Thank you Lorna and Charlie for hosting the event!

Micki, Peg and Tom

Terry and Sue

Jane in the Center. She didn't bring in her guitar

Debra and Chris, who played Oscar in Efrog's recent production of The Odd Couple.

Lorna, our hostess, and Winona.

Micki and Lisa Walk the LLamas

Micki, Wizard and Lisa

Lisa and Snowy Owl

Micki Selvitella arrived from Portland Thursday evening. Of course, the weather turned to freezing and 20 MPH winds for her walk with Lisa and the llamas Friday afternoon.  But walk they did for an hour instead of three hours. Through snow squalls, even.  Lisa and her two other partners have a herd of llamas they breed and train to pack so it requires exercising the llamas.  Lisa had the llamas saddled with their packs when we arrived. The farm where they keep the boy llamas borders on BLM land, a bit rugged in spots. This was a totally new experience for Micki, not for Lisa who has been working with llamas for years. Lisa is a writer buddy in Burns, member of the Harney Basin Writers. The book she is writing about training llamas is just wonderful to read because the llamas talk and tell what they are thinking about being trained.  Lisa can understand what her llamas are saying, you see.  Thank you, Lisa, for taking Micki walking with the llamas!

Saddled up and walking out

Heading for BLM country

Coming home and everyone is still smiling

The reward -- a munch on the bale of hay

Unsaddling

Wahoo. He's the subject of the book Lisa is writing -- Wahoo's Training Manual for Llamas and Trainers.

Lambing Time

Here's a photo of Jane and Bill Jones' baby lambs and mother Emma.  They are so cute! 

Sage Rage Watch

 The other morning I looked out to see the two younger cats patiently waiting for the sage rats (Belding's Ground Squirrel) to appear.  The sage rats came out of hibernation about a month ago and have been scurrying frenetically back and forth from burrow to burrow.  They are a nuisance for farmers since they dig so many holes and people make a sport of shooting ground squirrels with the farmers' blessing.  I think they are kinda cute but there are a lot of them!  We have warm days (in the fifties) to tease us thinking spring is coming. Then a cold front comes through like yesterday and we are nearly blown off the face of the Earth.  It has been too dry here but the grass is heroically greening up. We lost one of our two bee hives over the winter. Last week a coyote got my favorite leghorn hen when we went to Bend for the day.  I know I'm going to lose some to predators, but I wish they wouldn't take my favorites.  It is hard to believe Palm Sunday and Easter are coming up.  Wishing everyone Happy Spring!

Cat obsessed with sitting in flower pots. This one is a fig tree that lives on our sun porch. It is just starting to bud.

Bird Song Karaoke A Great Hit

Kate and Tom Troubadour

 Karaoke night at the Showtime Bar and Grill is over. What an evening!  Amazing talent emerged during the course of the evening. The hats are really what make a successful Karaoke. Besides the singing, of course. Some of the Old Tyme Fiddlers attended and we had live music as well. Tom Wallis was roving troubadour. Jordie Wallis did Gilbert and Sullivan songs to everyone's great delight. What a performer!  Janet Brayman, dulcimer player, donned a blond wig and nobody knew who she was. Joan Sueter did a solo with Jordie backup of Summertime. Holly Hoyt did an amazing rendition of  Give Me One Reason, a Tracy Chapman song. And we did actually sing some bird songs opening with Rockin' Robin to get the evening off to a rousing start. Sorry we can't give everyone top billing, but everyone agreed we need to do it again.

Pat and Lorna discuss the merits of bird songs.

Jane and Janet rock and roll

Lorna, Susan, Holly and Pat

Debra and Barbara

Ron and John

Group sing

Joan

Jordie and his mother Peg in disguise

Bill rocks on mandolin

Jordie sings Gilbert and Sullivan

Yes, this is Janet Brayman