Feathered Friends

My new house in Drake holds many fascinations for me. One of the first things I noticed was the sounds, or lack there of. Compared to Chicago, Drake is rather quiet, or at least it seems so. In actuality, sounds emanate from everywhere, they are just a different kind.
Instead of sirens and screeching train wheels, I hear birds, everywhere. When I arrived, my ears picked up what I thought was a cricket. This seemed strange to me since it was daytime. I thought crickets were night sounds.
I soon realized what I heard was a hummingbird. I've been here almost two weeks now, and James Kristino (I named the hummingbird that) has not stopped his constant chirping... a relief to my ears after the big sounds of the city.
Yesterday I spent the whole day on the porch, camera ready, trying to capture an image of my new friend James. I came close, at least he's in the frame. Hopefully I can do better in the future.
Other feathered friends include noisy magpies, crows, ravens, and a whole flock of bluebirds that frequent our yards in the evenings.

Rattlesnake: Tanning

I've been in Colorado less than two weeks and I'm already tanning dead animals on my front porch. Life is good. I am new at this. Truth be told, I'm a complete rookie, but nobody else stepped up to the plate, and wasting this opportunity isn't an option in my book.
This is the same rattler that we ate the other day. The job of tanning the skin fell on me, since I don't have a job or school to contend with. I'm thankful for the work and the learning experience.
After doing a little Google research, I determined that an equal part mixture of glycerin and rubbing alcohol should do the trick. Most of the instructions I found called for the skin to be split along the belly, but Seth was sure this wasn't necessary.
After mixing the glycerin and alcohol, and tying a hankie around my nose, I poured some of the mixture into the inner part of the skin. I let this spread throughout the length of the skin and gently rubbed it up and down the cavity. I hope this coats the inside of the skin enough for curing.
Next I tacked the skin, backside down, to a long board, making sure the tacks were spaced no more than one inch apart. My instructions said not to stretch the skin as this will cause it to rip when it dries.
After tacking the skin to the board along both sides, I used a small paint brush to apply the tanning mixture to the underside of the skin. I applied this liberally as it seemed to keep flies at bay.
I let this sit overnight on my front porch. I worried about animals possibly tampering with it, so I left my front door open, with the screen shut, thinking the dogs would alert me to any unwanted scavengers.
This morning I awoke and all was well. The skin dried a little, but nothing seemed to have fed on it. I untacked the skin, flipped it so the belly side lay on the board, reapplied my tacks and added another liberal coat of the glycerin/alcohol mixture.
I need to let this dry until this evening when I will untack it and lay it flat between two boards, coated in paper towels. Updates will follow.

Debauchery Canyon

Wednesdays are Taco Night at the Canyon Grill near Horsetooth Resevoir in Fort Collins... at least if you're a hippie. Officially, Wednesdays are Bike Night, but most hippies don't have motorcycles. With plenty of 50 cent tacos to go around, you can see where the alternative name comes from.
Two nights ago was my first Taco Night. I had four tacos, my friend Jen had ten, that's where the debauchery began. The Canyon Grill also has $1.50 PBR on draft, and we all know how I love my PBR.
Ten beers and about one thousand wise cracks later, hunger settled back in, the tacos were wearing off. Roger, co-owner of the Canyon Grill, amused myself and the rest of the bar by throwing ice down my open shirt, only to find the same piece of ice mysteriously flew from my hand back into his drink. But still, the hunger persisted.
Solution: Rattlesnake...
I heard about the rattlesnake before I arrived in Colorado. Apparently, nestled up under a hot tub at a bed-n-breakfast is not a great abode for poisonous snakes. While walking by the hot tub one night, Jen was almost bitten. The snake was quickly dispatched and ended up in Seth's freezer, awaiting my arrival.
As the Canyon Grill wrapped up my first Taco Night, Jen, Seth, Mike and I headed up to Seth's apartment above the bar for a lesson in properly preparing rattlesnake for dinner.
I'll spare you the details. If you really want them, let me know.
The snake was pretty good, even though Seth may have over-cooked it a little. For a 2 am dinner/breakfast, whichever you prefer, I had no complaints.
The skin is currently stretching on a piece of wood, awaiting its inevitable fate as Jen's banjo strap.