After our snow incident, we headed for warmer climes on the other side of the mountain. We called our friends M and T and asked if we could camp on their farm near portal so we could have a good visit with them. They agreed and we got settled near their great barn. This was one of the original buildings in the area and its walls are about 20 ft high and made of masonry rock. The roof is a curved metal. The outbuildings are also made of rock. It’s quite impressive.
We woke the next morning to cows and newborn calves milling around our trailer. In the fields, a ways away were about a dozen javelinas of all sizes. It was great fun.
Dale met an interesting couple who were in the area for the first time. Dale offered to take them up to a crystal mine in the area so we all headed up to see the crystals. It is quite a hike up the mountain and I haven’t been able to go the last couple of years. But with my new knees I was fine this year. This new couple are both chefs and were taking a break between jobs to see the area. We enjoyed showing them around.
Life up at The Walker House is going well. Dale is busy working on a new water project and I am cleaning up the gardens at three places. It has been quite satisfying work for both of us. While we were there we had a visitor. A coatimundi came down and was eating from one of the platform feeders. For those who aren’t familiar with the coatis, he looks like a cross between a raccoon, a monkey and an anteater. But he is quite beautiful and a very flexible climber. He makes himself right at home and is not skittish around people. I took pictures and painted my version of this funny animal.
more to come…
