Our trip was so relaxing! Nothing relaxes a person like getting out into an 800 acre vineyard with nothing but grapes for as far as you can see. No news, no computer, just the family, some awesome falcons, books and knitting needles.
I didn't get much reading, photography or knitting done. As soon as I got there my hubbie put me to work. I have been weighing, flying and feeding falcons all week. He does Falconry Abatement and is up at 5am to start work and doesn't finish working until 10pm or so. Falconry Abatement is a great sustainable alternative to shiny strips, nets and guys with guns and firecrackers. We use falcons to scare the little birdies away from the grapes. Birds don't connect a noisemaker with dying, but they do remember where falcons live and hunt. They tend to avoid those spots. So after a couple of days of hunting and chasing little birds just don't come around anymore. After a couple of weeks the previously full bird traps are consistently empty and the grapes are healthy. This works in buildings, on airstrips and landfills too. If there was a falconer on the end of every major airstrip we wouldn't have any planes crashing because of birds hitting the engine at the end of the runway. Also many wildfires are started by guys who are shooting off firecrackers to scare birds off of farms. We dont use anything other then a non sparking starter pistol and the bird's natural talent.
I have a few photos to share. I hope you enjoy!
I did get in one project. Here is a new hat for winter. Its made with cheap Red Heart acrylic yarn. I got it because of the colors. I love the way the yarn striped!
I also got some new reading! Its signed too! Buy directly from Amanda's website. By the way there are more photos on my flickr page if you want to see more from our trip!
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