It's been a few days since my first post. It's not that I've been forgetful or lazy, but rather I've been a bit busy here at the ranch dealing with our daily torrential rains! We are in the thick of the yearly monsoon season and this year has been one for the records. This years monsoon rains have brought almost daily flash flooding. The thunderstorms have been dramatic and impressive. It is just awesome to see the storms roll in, and that's exactly how the arrive - the just roll in. One minute the skies are bright and cloudy, then suddenly a rolling, boiling, billowing stretch of black sky that approaches like a tsunami! Skies switch from bright to black in a matter of minutes. This black curtain sweeps with lightening flashes and thunder reverberates through out air. All of a sudden the air cools like our walking into an air conditioned room, then suddenly the rain pours from the skies. Yes, it literally pours water, like someone has hit you with a stream of water from a bucket. There is no quick dancing to shelter like one usually can do when it starts to rain. If you haven't found shelter before it starts you have no chance as your soaked in seconds!

Then the water starts to run and race to the lowest spot it can find and as it goes it gathers together into a small stream and before you know it there is a river before your eyes. It washes away everything in it's path - the soft sand disappears and all of a sudden the earth is cut like someone has gouged it with a plow!

As I started to write this I had planned to tell you that today is the first we've had where it hasn't rained. But now as I write the rains have arrived again. Since writing the first paragraph the power has been on and off three times! It may take me all night to get this written, if the power holds on.

Our days here have been spent on cleaning up the mess and debris that the rains have left behind. Fill in the washed out areas, try not to drive on the saturated and muddy roads, check and clean the animal pens and corrals to make sure the critters are still warm and dry, re-do the tarps that get blown off and around from the storm, and on and on.

This morning we went for a walk to see what the effects of the last storm were and here are some images.

Here is a Ponderosa that was struck by lightening and cut in half.


This is a now filled dry lake bed. Normally our llamas spend the day down there lying under the trees and eating the grasses. Now it's under water.


This is just outside the house. The runoff created this very small arroyo over several days of rain. It was solid ground now it's been cut by the water.


Here is a closer look. It's over a foot deep and goes right under the stack of boards and then on down the slope where it ended up at -


this stock tank. The water in the tank is probably 20 feet deep and stretches for about 300+ feet by 50+ feet. That is a whole lot of water. Also, note how green everything is. Before these rains things were mostly a dull, drab brown. Water is truly a gift from God. And speaking of gifts from God, look at what we were blessed with -


A baby llama - or cria! Mom and baby are just fine. We haven't determined it's sex yet as Mama won't let us get close enough. Mama was kind enough to bring it here to the house for us to see it. It looks like the little one was dipped in chocolate! But wait -


This is what the little cria looks like from the other side! Really amazing.

These images were taken on 19 July. Since the rains started last week we have only seen the llamas from a distance down my the lava lake area. That is until this morning when they came up to the house. No doubt to let us know that they are all fine and weathering the rainy weather just fine.

As for art. Well, that has been on hold these past few days as I help out here in dealing with the results of the rains. The forecast is for the rainy weather to let up by this weekend. Then I'll have a chance to play again! I need to after this past week of dancing and singing in the rain!

As I finish this post the rains have now moved on. It is pitch dark outside - no street lights, no moon, just darkness. And in the distance I can see the bright flashes of jagged lightening perhaps 20 - 30 miles from here. The flashes are so bright that I can see the outline of the Chain of Craters along the great divide.

What a way to end the day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.