Gentling

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – “I look for intelligent eyes,” Hank Curry told me, as we talked about the saddle-trained horse adoption event coming up May 19. Hank has headed the wild horse saddle-training program at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center for 10 years now. “We have as many as 1,100 horses at one time in our feed lot,” he continued, “but the ones we prepare for adoption need to be trainable and healthy.” The program is a cooperative partnership between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Nevada Department of Corrections, and the Nevada Department of Agriculture, and gentles and trains about 60 wild horses a year. I wanted to know about the trainers too; “How do you build your training team?” I asked. » read more

Artsy Smartsy

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – “On the side of the mountain in northwest Carson City sits one of the most beautiful art galleries in the city,” I read in Focus Magazine (Spring/Summer 2011, p 14) as I tried to learn more about this area. Since I like both mountains, and art galleries, I kept reading. Not one, but three galleries in one building at Western Nevada College, the article continued; the Main Gallery, Atrium Gallery, and College Gallery. I put the magazine down, looked up the address, and drove out West College Parkway. I found the three beautiful galleries, and I learned about the college-on-the-side-of-the-mountain too. » read more

In Ink and Stone

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada — A statue of Sarah Winnemucca graces the center spot of the Nevada State Capitol; a copy representing Nevada stands in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Notice the book Sarah holds in her hand. It is a telling emblem of the life of one of the most influential American Indian women in American history. Born into a legendary Paiute family in 1844, Sarah lived when the influx of white settlers began. Spending time with white families in the 1850’s, she learned the ways of the white world and mastered the English language. In the 1860’s she became an interpreter for the US Army; in the 1870’s she served the Army as a scout. So what about the book?  » read more

Decisions, Decisions

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – It must be terrible to live in Carson City. Every weekend, week after week, you have to decide – do I stay home, and enjoy my beautiful valley? Or, do I go east for 15 miles into the steep brown hills towards Virginia City and explore the ghost towns of mining days gone by? Or, heaven forbid, do I drive 20 miles west over Spooner Summit and mess around on the forested shores of the second deepest lake in all the country? Lake Tahoe, you know. I declare, I don’t know how they stand it. I’ve gone in both directions, now I’m taking a poll, so tell me, what would you do?

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Coming Through

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – A painted blue line shows the way, accented by bronze medallions implanted in the sidewalk beneath my feet. The pear trees are in bloom today and it’s an easy downtown walk along the Kit Carson Trail, 2.5 miles of history, where I’m promised a pedestrian’s-eye glimpse of the past. Modern-day technology in the form of a podcast reveals the juicy bits and basic facts; 64 landmarks to see, and think about. Who came here, and when? Who stayed, and who passed on through?

It’s nice that someone put this together for us to see. Good citizens and lovers of history have made sure we can follow many “trails of the past” – like the Pony Express Trail (a plaque at Robinson and Carson reminds us); and the American Discovery Trail, a coast-to-coast endeavor extending from Delaware to California. It comes through just north of town. Are you familiar with the ADT?   » read more

Picnic Time

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada– A picnic basket or a brown paper bag, either one will do. In fact you won’t even pay attention to what you’ve brought to eat because you’ll be gazing across blue lake waters at snow on a mountain, without a care in the world. A lop-eared jackrabbit might go hopping past, or you might spot an eagle soaring overhead. There are sand dunes in one direction, and wetlands in the other. What is this wonderland that is only a five-minute drive over the hill from Carson City? » read more

Minty Fresh

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – It’s green, and sports the number “1.” It looks imposing, tucked there in the corner of the Nevada State Museum; obviously important in the scheme of things, I think. I’m in the Mint section of the Museum, surrounded by stories of assays and mining and the minting of coins in Carson City, coins with the CC mintmark. The Carson City Mint had a relatively short existence, producing coins between 1870 and 1893. Built during the mining boom, the mint was closed when mining production declined. But that was not the end for No. 1, I learned, she wound up producing coins bearing the Philadelphia “P,” the San Francisco “S,” and the Denver “D” – what a story this turns out to be!  » read more

Warm Mashed Potatoes

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – I don’t usually recommend restaurants. But everybody I’ve met so far in Carson City has told me Red’s was their favorite place to eat. I had to go see for myself. It’s not really a restaurant anyhow, it’s a museum that just happens to serve really, really, really good barbecue. And a lot of other good stuff.

The windmill signaled me in; what lay ahead under the patch-worked tin-sheeted roof? I walked past stone walls, carved wooden bears, an enclosed patio with a giant barbecue grill and a blazing fireplace. Laney welcomed me at the door; handed me a leaflet describing the fabulous Red “collection.” » read more

Not Just Blowing in the Wind

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – The blue and silver flashes caught my eye as I drove down Carson Street. Hundreds of pinwheels on the Legislative lawn were spinning wildly in the afternoon breeze. Of course I had to know — why were they there? Inside, I learned it is an annual thing, this Planting of the Pinwheels; as April is Prevent Child Abuse month in Nevada, part of the national effort, Prevent Child Abuse America.

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Close Enough to Touch

Linda Burton posting from Carson City, Nevada – From the door of my room I see mountains. They are a dry-brush brown, with a white-snow frosting along the tops. I could walk across the street and start climbing towards the snow. If I were a hiker, that is. These mountains look approachable; with gently rounded slopes. I could wrap my arms tight against my body and go rolling down. If I were a kid, that is. Rocks jut up here and there, but overall, these mountains have a friendly look. And they are close enough to touch.

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