Yesterday we made a quick turn-around trip to Moore to drop a piece of plywood at someones house.
Since both LC and I never developed our artistic skills beyond stick figure drawings, we had searched for a local person who may be able to draw a horse and cut it out for us on plywood.
The plan was to paint it black and attach it to the side of the house, since horses seem to be an unplanned but developing theme.
As we drove to Moore yesterday morning we kept glancing warily back at the bed of the truck hoping that the plywood would stay put in the gale force winds we were driving through.
It was so windy.............and as we headed north through the desert and then through the small town of Arco and beyond, we found ourselves greatly amused by the seemingly endless tumbleweeds that tumbled through the desert and across the highway.
There was no end to them.
And as these light brown streaks tumbled ass-over-tea-kettle in front of us they almost looked like small animals scurrying at warp speed across the road.
Our truck rocked and it rolled in the wind and eventually we reached Moore.
We met a very friendly couple and ended up visiting for an hour before leaving our plywood and heading back towards the house.
As has been the standard over the past couple of weeks, we had boards to stain and they were calling to us in the wind.
Endless boards and endless stain but one day soon it will end.
Heading away from Moore I looked to my right and was momentarily startled.
Having lived in the south east for so many years, my first instinctive thought was "Tornado".
But we were no longer in the south east. And the sky was not filled with ominous clouds slowly moving in ominous circles. The air wasn't green and filled with violent energy.
We lived in the west, and the sky was completely blue, and the wind was strong enough to knock your head off. I was looking at a dirt devil.
The biggest one that I had seen since we moved to Idaho.
I watched it for a few moments, mesmerized by it.
It moved in circles just as a tornado does. It was picking up dirt as it traveled from my right to my left, just as a tornado would pick up moisture.
Finally snapping out of my short trance I reached for my camera and snapped this picture through the windshield.
I snapped others as the dirt devil continued across the highway and moved across the flat land to our left.
But by then it was beginning to lose its form and within another minute or two it was simply random dust flying in the wind....................
As we approached the house LC and I looked at each other, both stunned at what we were seeing.
The first thing we saw was the huge pile of tumble weeds that was piled up in front of the house and which effectively blocked access to the front door.
As we climbed out of the truck I headed towards the fence that we had built late last summer.
It was filled with tumble weeds.
Looking across the road - tumble weeds.
Tumble weeds everywhere................
More tumble weeds along the fence line at the side of the house...............
If it had been up to me I would have just left them all until the wind died down, and that did not feel like it was going to happen anytime soon.
Surprisingly, LC made a grab for a pitchfork and promptly began pitchforking endless weeds-that-tumble away from the house, letting the wind carry them over the open field across the road from us.
Once they were untangled from each other they merrily continued their journey - carried on the wind to wherever tumble weeds end up once they are done their tumbling.
Reluctantly I reached for another pitchfork and walked to the back of the house intending to pitch the tumble weeds (that were contentedly locked to each other and to the side fence) over said fence.............
As I walked into the back yard though I stood looking at another huge mountain of the prickly beasts.
Holy Cow!
I had never seen so many tumble weeds.
Not last spring.
Not since we had moved here.
Not ever actually.
As with the ones in front, and the ones at the side of the house, these puppies were all locked together, making them too heavy to blow away to their ultimate tumbleweed-destination.
With little enthusiasm, I began to break them apart.
Some headed towards the fence at the side of the house, and I quickly walked over to open the gate. Some would happily find the open gate and freely continue with their journey.
Some would add to the pile up at the fence line, and that was OK as well.
After making a dent in the back, I unethusiastically walked over to the fence and commenced to pitching up and over, and then watched with gratification as they quickly headed towards the Twin Buttes............
The unfinished back of the house, with its mostly torn-down green house, and trials for window frames.
We had thought maybe white painted frames, but then decided on natural wood............
A few hours later LC, Kory and I wandered through town, curious to see if other homes in town were as inundated with tumbling tumble weeds as we had been (and to a certain extent still were).
Yup.
Every tumble weed in Idaho apparently decided to set up camp in Tiny Tune Town Atomic City on this early spring day.
It'll take the entire town a week or so to dig out...............
I cut and pasted this picture from someones Face Book page, and can't seem to change the size so.............the picture of our horses.
We'll paint them black and they will go on the side of the house.
He's beautiful................
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