Have you seen these guys run? Like in the cartoons their legs disappear because they are moving so fast. A cute little bird. Seems to like to run rather than fly. The quail can be found in several areas here in Chino Valley/Prescott Arizona. Finally had a chance to photograph them tonight. Very, very photo shy. This was a first for me. Planning to photograph them is extremely difficult. Today I was lucky. Got a few shots. Thank you Mr. Quail!
Definitely the largest bird I have photographed is this Sandhill Crane. Definitely the most difficult to approach. The colors and personality of the bird are incredible. Another fun experience that won’t leave my memory any time soon.
Sometimes “Midnight” is the best view of Bryce Canyon!!!!!
Nancy is the Risk “Manager” at Maverik. Probably the hardest job at Maverik. At least in the top 10 most stressful. She’s never complained. It’s just obvious that what she does is not for the faint of heart. We all love her and respect her.
Today she told me of a quiet place to get away for a few minutes. Close and beautiful. A nice walk for the body and soul.
Boy was she right. A flat grade to walk. Easy. Quiet and Beautiful. I will surely go back soon. A little quiet time is always good for the soul
How crowded can 1 acre get? Take a look. The scale is a little skewed. At the site – approx 5,ooo tons of dirt, base and pea gravel, two dump trucks, an excavator, a gigantic tank excavation, a 580 case backhoe, a case back scraper, a roller compactor, two lifts, a water truck, two connex, a gravel/concrete spreader, a toyota RAV (my rental, barely room for it), a trench box, a bunch of electrical “stuff”, a welder, two pick up trucks, a significant supply of steel studs (no not you Brady), 4 well points, piles of rolled up fencing, rolls of double wall petroleum piping, dispenser sumps, dispenser manholes, a 4700′ building with the footings, foundation and floor in place, and last but not least the home a lizard!
Tyler – “Gettur Done”
Meet Howdy. Standing at the Fallon site a pretty run down man came walking toward me. Maybe 6′ tall. Couldn’t weigh over 115lbs – wet. And speaking of wet probably hasn’t seen a shower head for a few days. Turns out he is the crane operator. When I asked him if he had ever tipped a crane over, through his partial toothed smile he proclaimed “never”!
An interesting fellow and a pretty confident crane operator. Just like howdy though the crane was a bit too small.
Then there was this “hobo” from california. Today was tank day. The contractor set four-twelve thousand gallon tanks. The tanks are manufactured in California. They were loaded and shipped here yesterday. As a representative of Maverik I inspect the tanks. On the bottom of the tanks near the ribs were some really cute little spiders. Thanks to FSRS (Fallon Site Research Specialist) C. Taylor it was discovered that these California hitch hikers were just Daddy Long Legs.
A very interesting little Bug(ger). Before long these guys were about 8′ feet under in nice cool pea gravel. A nice resting place.
By the end of the day I was the guy with the camera….not the owners rep. C. Taylor (F.S.R.S.) and T Dykman (the local racer and olympic athlete) found this little reptile. Another little personality. Another day of anxiety due to breakdowns, damaged tank and herding cats-I mean contractors. Great company and good friends made it all a little bearable.
Today I stood in the bottom of a 42’x42’x13″ deep excavation. A big hole. A safe hole to be in. In this world of litigious personalities all around us the extremes rule. A very simple task can become a extremely expensive proposition when OSHA, and it’s partner’s pour regulations out. Safety is and always has been important to any responsible individual. Common sense has been smashed, broken up and discharged at the nearest refuge. The new Fallon, Nevada construction site has set new “stupid” and time wasteful standards. In the end the fuel tanks will be installed, buried and hold 48 thousand gallons of fuel. The contractor has either a very limited history of this type of construction or just scared beyond reason.
As I stood at the bottom of the tank excavation I realized there was some interesting opportunities for photography being missed. So I took the challenge…….
