Lady Tigers Take down the Wolverines!

Captains Lucy and Bailey hob-nob with the Refs!

Ok, time for my sports writer gig! kinda fun, but not as much fun as watching Hodge grab an offensive rebound and put it through the hoop!

Well, last week was a good one for the Lady Tigers Basketball squad. They notched two more victories to bring their record to 19 and 1. On Tuesday January 25, they defeated the East Nicolas Trojans, and finished the week with a satisfying victory over a strong Biggs team. 43 to 35.

Lucy warms up against Biggs.

The Tigers came out hard and fast against East Nicolas, out scoring the Trojans 14 to 3 in the first period. By the half the Lady Cats were solidly in charge 31 to 11. However, East Nicolas wouldn't give up and came back hard in the second half playing nearly even through the third quarter. The Tigers helped keep the Trojans in the game by giving up 15 unforced turnovers in the second half. But it was to little to late for the Trojans to catch the cats as the Tigers held on to win 47 to 29. Emma Briggs led the team with 18 points, followed by Anna Roach with 12, Lindsay Compton with 5, and Bailey Holt with 4. Roach dominated under the boards with 10 rebounds, while Compton, Briggs and Marissa Wehrman grabbed 5 each.

The game on Friday at Biggs promised to be the toughest for the Tigers, as the Wolverines are the only team to hand Portola a loss so far this season. The first four possessions resulted in Tiger turnovers as the aggressive Wolverines pressured the Portola ball handlers. The girls gave up 10 unforced turnovers in the first 8 minutes. However, despite the imbalance of scoring attempts, the Lady Cats played excellent half court defense, and shot better than 60 percent from the floor to keep Biggs from breaking out to an early lead. At the end of the first quarter Portola was ahead 12 to 6, but by intermission their lead had been reduced to 18 to 14.

Hodge muscles a rebound from Biggs (Photo Deb Baer)

In the third frame, the Tigers held Biggs scoreless for the first 4 minutes, and opened up a 31 to 20 lead at the beginning of the fourth period. It was a very physical contest, with few fouls called as the Lady Tigers went to the charity line only 8 times during the contest, converting 9 out of 16 shots. Portola led by 12 with 5 seconds left when Biggs made a desperation 3 pointer to close the book at 43 to 35. Top scorers for the Tigers were Roach with 10 points, Briggs scoring 9, Lucy Wilbanks contributing 8, and Holt adding 7. Compton led the team in rebounds with 7, while Wilbanks gathered 6, and Roach and Briggs got 5 each. It was sweet revenge for the Lady Tigers, since the Wolverines beat them up badly, 64 to 46, in their fourth outing of the season.

Hodge continues to lead the team in rebounds with 115, and is fourth in scoring with 111 points. She started against Biggs. Oh man! Am I gonna miss watching my girls play high school sports? YES!!

That's All!

Savoring Time!

Jim talking and Owen packing

Last weekend I headed out to the wilds of Northern Nevada to hunt chukar partridge. I met my brother-in-law Buck, and friend Buzz Ebright at cousin Jim's house in Fallon early Sunday morning. Jim and Terry cooked us up a delicious "hamburger steak and eggs" breakfast. Our hunting party was 6 guns strong with Jim's son Owen and Friend Steve joining the safari. It was a fantastic start to our two-day adventure.

Many years ago, I would do this 5 to 10 times in a season. Buck and I and friends and family would spend a few days hiking the hills and canyons with our dogs, eating Basque food and drinking Picon Punches in the evening, and sacking out in cheap motels. It's been a long time since I went on a hunt like this...I missed it!

Delta and Cooper are ready to hunt!

We consolidated and packed our trucks after breakfast, gave the dogs a pottie break, and headed out. When we got to our spot the next logistical exercise began. Put on boots, get out the guns, collar up the dogs, load up with ammo, grab some food for the "mid-hunt" meal, decide what to wear in order to stay warm enough, but not too hot, hide the keys to the truck, bring water for the hunt, put the two-way radio in the vest, decide who goes where and start hiking!  Halfway up the hill, Buck remembered he had left his new GPS instrument in the truck. Dang, hope we don't get lost, at least we remembered our cell phones!!

The shooting started only 20 minutes into the hunt. Unfortunately for Buck and I, it was coming from Jim and company. Sounded like a civil war battle down there! Polly the German Wirehair was doing her job, and Owen had modified his shotgun to hold 8 rounds of ammunition. The sound of the shots keyed up Delta and Cooper as we continued up the hill.

Delta listens to shots in the distance!

To make a long sad story short, Buck and I didn't fire a shot  all day, although we did see a few birds. The sounds of battle continued echoing through the canyon however, as Jim, Owen, Steve and Buzz shot over busy little Polly. Late in the day, after one particularly long volley, I jokingly commented to Buck that maybe they would run out of ammo soon. I later found out that Buzz had indeed actually run out!

When we all got back to the truck the important "debriefing" phase of the hunt began. This process usually includes profuse praise of the dogs, cussing about poor shooting, bragging about great shooting, and cussing the dogs. As Jim and company laid out 12 or more chukar on the tailgate of the truck, the snacks, beer, and bourbon came out. We got all the birds cleaned and packed in ziplock bags without cutting ourselves (a minor miracle for me), and as the sun disappeared behind the ridge, someone started a bonfire. We hung by the fire warming our hands as the bourbon warmed our bellies, and the conversation warmed our hearts.

There should have been some birds hiding here.

Finally, under the darkening sky, we had to hit the road to Winnemucca. Jim decided to enhance the adventure as we swung onto the dirt county road for the hundred plus mile trip in the dark. I followed intently as the black, moonless night enveloped all but the red glow of the lead truck's taillights. It seemed that we were making good speed as we glided along the back road but when I looked at my speedometer every few minutes it always indicated between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Buck was in the right front seat intently studying his GPS unit in an attempt to figure out just where we were, while Buzz scrutinized the map from the back seat. At one point, after driving for about an hour, Buck declared that we had made it 11 miles from our hunting site. Fifteen minutes later we had progressed another 3 miles at 14 miles from the starting point. It was shaping up into a long drive. Four and one half hours after reluctantly leaving our warm bonfire, we pulled into Winnemucca. After checking three restaurants that were closed, we decided to hit the Motel. We stayed at the traditional hunter's hang out: Scott's Shady Court Motel. It was perfect since the rooms had three beds, and dogs were allowed!

Not long after we settled in, Jim came knocking at the door, and invited us to his room for "pulled pork" sandwiches, and Terry's homemade antipasto. As I entered the room, there was Jim, heating up the pork on a Coleman camp stove at the foot of his bed. The sandwiches were awesome, as was the company.

Big Nevada Country

Monday morning, at the Tumbleweed Cafe, we breakfasted on pancakes, steak and eggs, veggie scrambles, etc. Jim knew the waitress, Cindy, and we struck up a good conversation. After serving us, Cindy pulled up a chair to our table as things were a little slow for the moment. We ate and visited together for the better part of an hour. At one point Jim shared a minor epiphany he had the previous evening after pulled pork. "You know people are always trying to 'save time' he said. But, you can't save time really, it goes by no matter what!" We got a chuckle out of his comment, and there were several attempts at matching the play on words. Finally, we payed our bill (Buck was the treasurer, and I think he made out pretty well) and headed out the door.

Buzz cleans the lone bird, while Buck assists.

 That day's hunt was another dry hole for Buck and me. However, Buzz killed one bird, and Delta earned her dog food for the day by finding it about 15 yards further down the hill than anybody thought. Back at the truck, a similar ritual to the day before played out. Sandwiches and beer (no bourbon today with the long drive home ahead of us) feed and water the dogs, clean the birds (or bird I should say), pack up and hit the road.

Buck goes low tech to ensure we make it home.

As I was driving down Interstate 80, with Buzz and Buck dozing, I thought back to Jim's comment about not being able to "save time". He was right on of course, we can't save time, but we can savor time. This hunt wasn't about killing chukar for me, although admittedly that would have been icing on the cake. It was all about savoring time with friends and family.

That's All!

Lady Tigers Sweep Home Stand

Well, just to keep you all informed of the exploits of the Lady Tigers Cagers, here's the latest scoop.

Hodge goes to the hoop against Williams

The Portola Girls Varsity basketball team won their first two league contests at home last week. The Lady Tigers downed the Williams Yellow Jackets 63-21 on Tuesday and then defeated the Esparto Spartans Friday night 46 to 23.


In the league opener against Williams, the girls played smothering defense, holding the Yellow Jackets to just 21 points. The two photos here were taken by Debbie Baer, a local photographer, and basketball mom. The Lady Cats outscored the Jackets 14 to 2 in the final period. Steals were a big factor in the victory with Senior Bailey Holt and Sophomore Emma Brigs grabbing 9 out of a team total of 21. Offensively the Tigers shot a respectable 50 percent from the floor with four players in double figures. Briggs led the way draining 12 points, followed by Senior Lucy Wilbanks who netted 11, while Senior Anna Roach and Junior Marissa Wehrman each tallied 10. Forwards Briggs and Wilbanks led the rebounding for Portola with 9 and 8 respectively, followed by Roach and Senior Ellie Kibble with 4 apiece.

Ellie Kibble shoots while Lu positions for the rebound

On Friday, the Lady Tigers had to play without their leading scorer, as Briggs was sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in practice. The Cat's rhythm was definitely thrown off, as they only shot 38 percent from the floor. It looked like it might be a long night for the Tigers at the end of the first period with Esparto trailing by only 3 points 11 to 8. However, in the second frame, the Tigers outscored the Spartans 16 to 3 to take a 16 point lead to the locker room. After an unproductive third period where the teams scored 4 points apiece, the Girls outpaced Esparto 14 to 7 in the final frame to notch the 46 to 23 league victory. Wehrman knocked down 12 points to lead the Tigers, followed closely by Holt with 11. Roach lit up the board for 9, and Lindsay Compton tallied 6. On the boards, Senior forward Camry Housel and Roach both grabbed 9 rebounds, while Wehrman snatched 6. Wilbanks and Compton contributed 4 apiece.

Lucy lines up for a free throw against Esparto

Coach Matt Compton was pleased with the overall performance of his team. "These last two games the girl's ball movement has allowed everyone to contribute on the offensive end of the court" Compton said. "We have really been working on our man-to-man coverages in practice lately" he continued. "I think it's paying off as the girls are really showing better focus, and staying more involved." The lady Tigers go on the road this week to take on East Nicklaus and Biggs. No scores were available at press time.

Lucy has now accumulated 101 points for the season as the number 4 scorer. She is only 12 points behind number three and leads number 5 by 8 points. She is really shining in the rebound category, leading all players with 107. She is very good at blocking out opposing players and actually helps her teammates get many rebounds as a result. Dad is proud! Sure will miss this next year!

That's All!

The Hunt

We were walking North-East along the top of the sage covered ridge. Thin patches of snow dotted the ground, and the footing was soft and muddy where there weren't any rocks. The dogs ranged ahead, bounding over the sage brush, and slipping between rocks and boulders. Remington was all business nose to the ground or up in the air struggling to discover that special chukar scent, constantly on the move. I had to watch her carefully, or she would be gone on her own hunt, hopeless without my gun. Her bell tinkled in the crisp mountain air, a beacon to me as I frequently scanned the ground ahead to maintain my footing. Cooper was all business as well. Not as experienced as Remmy, he occasionally got side tracked by gopher scent digging and pawing in some burrow at the base of the brush, But who knows? Perhaps some chukar had roosted there last night, and was just out in front of us scratching up a bird breakfast.

Buck and I had struggled up to the top of the ridge from the valley floor. About 450 feet in elevation gained. My heart was pounding, and I could feel my pulse in my throat, as I gulped air in to feed my laboring legs with oxygen. The good news was we were on top of the ridge with the toughest part of the hike behind us. The bad news was the wind was to our backs so the dogs could only easily smell what they had already moved through. Not a good recipe for sneaking up on some birds. I felt more like I was walking into an ambush!

Behind me to the Southwest the sun shinned brilliantly over the Sierra Valley. It was a warm and beautiful day, in contrast to the previous several weeks of hard cold. Buck and I discussed with wonder how great it was to be out with our dogs, and exercising our bodies with the chance that we might get into some birds. I looked up from placing my boot strategically on a small rock to avoid the soft mud, and noticed Remmy had quartered to my left. Good, I thought perhaps she'll pick up some birds we may have passed as we were walking with the wind. I moved left to follow her as she disappeared behind a brick red boulder, painted with lime green lichen, and chukar white wash. Always a good sign I thought. Buck and I had noticed quite a bit of  chukar "sign" (a euphemism for poop) as we had walked up the ridge earlier. We had also noticed some tracks in the snow, although it was had to tell how fresh they were. There had definitely been birds in this area not to long ago... perhaps they we still here, lurking in the sage brush, waiting and hoping that the dogs would miss their scent, and we would ignorantly walk buy. Honestly, that probably happens more than we like to admit.

Remmy trying to figure it out

As I approached the large rock Remmy had disappeared behind she came into view. She stood stock still, frozen with her held high and pointed back into the wind in the direction we had just come, but further west than our actual track. She did not even glance at me so intent was she on deciphering the scent that was comming from the brush ahead of her. I gave a short blast on the whistle (that means "don't move") and looked for Buck. He was a ways off to my right, but the whistle blast got his attention and I signalled him to call in Cooper, and come join me. I turned back to the little short hair who had not moved a muscle, and reassured her to wait a bit by calmly telling her to "whoa... whoa." Buck heeled his dog over towards me as Remmy waited without a flinch. We whispered our plan for Buck and Cooper to circle around the big rock to the right, while I moved around the left to flank Remmy from behind. Finally, as we drew nearer to the dog, she put her head down low and stealthily moved into the wind. Buck and I followed with our thumbs on the safeties of our shotguns.

Undetectable to us, the scent of fear filled Remmy's nostrils. "Yes, there are birds out there, a good sized bunch, and they know I am here" she thought. "Got to stay low, and move carefully, or they'll flush". As she closed the distance, the scent got stronger and stronger. She stopped, quivering in anticipation, head down and body crouched with her tail sticking up at nearly 90 degrees from her back. "They are close, very close!" she thought. After a moment one front paw lifted and moved forward, pause, then the opposite rear leg moved up. Finally, she couldn't move any more, her front right paw frozen in mid air. "There they are! Can't you smell them? Get ready!"

Buck and I were bent over and carefully moving as well. Ahead of the frozen dog was an unremarkable patch of sage brush in a shallow draw that opened downward to the West Southwest into the valley far below. For a moment time stood still. Dog, hunters, even the breeze seemed to hold its breath.

Then the innocent patch of brush exploded with the sound of beating wings. Flashes of grey and tan erupted into the air, the ripping sound of small sturdy wings beating frantically. The noise startled me even though I knew it was coming. My thumb instinctively released the safety, and I swung the gun to my shoulder as the dozen or so birds flailed away down the draw towards the safety of the slopes below. I singled out a target and just as I was squeezing the trigger, I heard a shot to my right. Nothing dropped. I shot! Nothing dropped. Frantically, I drew the barrel over to one of the last birds in the bunch. Still in range, I squeezed "BAM"...nothing dropped. As the birds disappeared over a fold in the terrain below, I saw Remmy gamely racing after them.

I turned to Buck and the post mortem started. "Damn! How could I miss!" I said. Buck was just as livid, "I know what I did wrong, I know what I did wrong!" he exclaimed. "Tried to aim instead of just pointing the damn gun!" Meanwhile Remmy was having no luck catching up to those speeding chukar. It took me 5 or 10 minutes to get her to come back. She was looking under every bush and rock in the small basin below us. "Perhaps I did hit one" I thought. So I let her work, and work, but no luck. She finally returned and seemed a little disgusted with me. I was disgusted with me!

Buck and I sat down and had a break after that. Ate an orange and a peanut bar, gave the dogs and ourselves some water, and talked about what a beautiful day it was, and how lucky we were to be here. The dogs even seemed to forgive us after a short spell.

Down below us, probably a half mile or more the chukar were regrouping. I won't try to guess what they were thinking, but it probably wasn't long before they settled down as well. Scratching up the green grass at the base of the sage brush, keeping an eye out for hawks, keeping to cover, and yes....wondering if there are any more dogs out searching for them.

We got into one more bunch of birds that day. Remmy found them again, pointed them out, and I won't go into the embarrassing details. Suffice it to say that even though we didn't bring any birds back in our bags, it was one of the best days ever. Imagine that!!

That's All!

Portola Lady Cagers Notch 5 more Victories

Ok, So here's the latest! After the Burney Tournament, the Portola girls basketball team has added 5 more wins to improve their record to 15 and 1 with non-league victories over North Tahoe, Incline, Loyalton, Chester, and Durham. Here's a quick game by game run down:

On January 3, the Portola Girls handily defeated the North Tahoe Lakers 56 to 20. The Lady Tigers lead all the way, increasing their lead each quarter. Emma Briggs lead the Lady Tigers in scoring with 18 points, Lucy Wilbanks put 12 through the hoop, Lindsay Compton drained 10, and Camry Housel tallied 8. Wilbanks and Housel grabbed 7 boards each with Compton pulling down 6, and Briggs grabbing 4 rebounds.

On January 6, the Tigers traveled to Incline Village, and beat the Highlanders 44-31. The Incline girls put up a scrappy defense and led 8 to 6 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Lady Tigers took the lead in the second period, and kept the pressure on to win 44 to 31.  Bailey Holt had an excellent defensive game with 6 steals to help the Tigers turn things around.  Briggs led the Tigers scoring again with 17 points, followed by Anna Roach who put in 7, Holt also contributed 7, while Compton netted 5. Wilbanks and Housel led in rebounds with 4 each, while Holt, Compton, and Marissa Wehrman pulled down 3 apiece.

Lucy puts one in against Chester

January 11 saw the Tigers facing off against the Loyalton Grizzlies in Loyalton. The Tigers were in control from the tip off, and tallied a season high in offense to defeat the Grizzlies 70 to 27.  Briggs continued as top scorer with 19 points, while Anna Roach tallied 16, followed by Wehrman and Wilbanks with 11 points each. The Tigers dominated the glass with Roach grabbing 8 rebounds, followed by Wehrman with 6, Housel with 5 and Briggs and Wilbanks pulled in 4 each.

Lu grabs a rebound

Chester was next on the Tiger's dance card as they came to Portola bent on revenge for their earlier defeat by the Purple and White. The Tigers roared from the beginning however, leading the entire game to win 44 to 25. Ellie Kibble was hot from the outside leading the Tigers with 12 points, followed by Roach with 10, Briggs with 9, and Wehrman with 5. Briggs pulled down 9 rebounds while Wilbanks grabbed 8, with Roach contributing 3.

On the 13th of January, the Lady Tigers traveled to Durham to take on the perennial powerhouse Trojans. This game figured to be the toughest test the Tigers had faced in the new year.  The girls came out hard and fast in the first quarter taking a 15 to 6 lead. The Trojans came back hard in the second period with a man to man press that gave the Tigers fits for the rest of the contest. The Tigers gave up 24 turnovers, but their great defensive play, including 6 steals by Briggs, kept the Trojans at bay.  Portola led at half time by 7 (22 to 15) after a bucket by Wehrman at the buzzer. Durham managed to pull within 3 points after the third stanza. However, the Tigers defense contained the Durham offense, and by the fourth quarter Portola ended up on the winning side of a 41 to 35 score. Briggs turned in another great performance with 17 points followed by Compton and Wehrman with 6. Holt and Roach each tallied 4.  Compton pulled down 12 rebounds, Wehrman grabbed 6, Roach gathered 5, and Briggs and Wilbanks contributed 3 apiece.

The Tigers defended their 15 and 1 record against the Williams Yellow Jackets last Tuesday in Portola. No score was available at press time.

So the girls are doing great, and I am having a blast watching!  By the way Debbie Baer provided the great action pics, aren't they fantastic?

That;s All!

Hard Deep Cold

After bringing in a few loads of firewood last night, I stamped the snow off my slippers, stepped inside the house and slammed the door. I had to slam it, not that I wanted to. The deep cold we have been experiencing over the last several days has shrunk the door frame. It's pretty tight, but that keeps the gentle, yet persistent North wind that has been chilling the valley out of our living room. After making sure the door was secure,  I moved to my next task, loading the stove to keep the house warm while we all slept. A good bed of coals glowed warmly in the bottom of the stove as I carefully loaded some fresh tamarack and ponderosa pine. Finally, I padded off to my room, cracked the window, and crawled into bed. It was dark outside, dark and cold.

While we slept, the clear sky allowed any residual heat from the previous day to rise and escape. The polar air mass that has filled our little Alpine valley pressed down like a huge iceberg, and the night got colder and colder. Deep dark cold.

My first view

In the morning, I pulled on my robe and got up to put the coffee on and load the stove for the new day. As the morning gloom brightened, I could see that a freezing ground fog had come to sit outside our windows. It crouched there, obscuring everything beyond fifty feet or so, and I wondered if the sun would drive it away as I stirred the creamer into Lucy's morning cup of coffee.

After Kim and Lucy headed out the door for their day in Reno (Lu will choose the orthodontist over AP Econ any day) I noticed the fog starting to lift slightly. Glancing out the window at the snow covered landscape an incredible scene was revealed. The freezing fog had left the trees, fences, and all manner of objects cloaked in a fuzzy white coating of "Pogo-Nip". Not sure where that name comes from. I think I read once in the local newspapers that it originated with native Americans. At any rate, it is an incredibly beautiful phenomenon.

Emily's Garden

I stepped outside, camera in hand and crunched through the snow to document this incredible morning for you. Emily's garden was incredibly beautiful. The aspens there have grown straight and tall in the last ten years. I couldn't help but think that Em was probably enjoying this frosty winter scene.

As I turned back toward the house, the sight of our shade tree that shelters the kitchen window from the summer sun was striking. Frost blossomed from the bare winter branches and contrasted with the warm beige color of the house.

Our shade tree.

The antique hay rake beyond the fence of our front yard was glazed with a sugary frosting that looked good enough to eat. I wouldn't try it however. Don't want to get my tongue stuck! As I crouched there, focusing my camera, I couldn't help but think about the contrast between the seasons here in the Sierra Valley. I guess it is what makes each season so enjoyable. Even though this "hard cold" has been with us for over a week now, all it took was this incredibly beautiful morning to stave off the longing for spring and summer.

This rake has seen warmer days!

I walked out to the end of the driveway, ears and nose starting to succumb to the frosty air. The fences wrapped in Pogo-Nip created a mystical sculpture. The barbed wire looked as thick as cables insulated by the frozen water vapor. The sage brush seemed to be blooming with thousands of tiny white flowers as it pushed up through the blanket of snow.

Snow sculptures!

Finally, I headed back up toward the house and to the driveway. We have a basketball hoop set on the right of the drive. Lucy uses it occasionally to practice her shooting skills. Last year I installed a barrier net to keep the ball from straying into the yard or hitting my parked truck on an errant shot. On her trip out to feed the animals early this morning, Lucy could not resist the "Pogo-Nipped" net, and using her finger printed her name. I added her jersey number (24) and (for obvious reasons) a heart.

Lu is a tagger!

The sun has finally come out, and the frosty coating of frozen fog is rapidly disappearing. It is going to be another cold but outstanding day here at the Rainbow Ranch.

That's All!