The Rivenrock Videos
Soil, land and animal videos

Organic Soil Preparation , size of file- 28.5 MB
Organic Soil Preparation begins with knowing the soil. Here I share just a bit of info.

Dinosaur Caves , size of file- 13 MB
Dinosaur Caves is a small section of rocky cliff beach in the Shell Beach/Pismo Beach area.
It got it's name due to the large concrete Dinosaur statues that were here in the sixties.
This video shows kayakers, pelicans, cormorants and sea lions all at this one small spot.

A Mule Deer Doe , size of file- 1.5 MB
Our little deer here are really sweet, even though they eat nearly everything in sight.
I've had family back East mention that our deer here must get really large because there is no scarcity of food in the winter.
I just couldn't let them down by telling them that a good size buck here will dress out at a measly 175 lbs or so.
The scarcity of food here happens in the summer. Large animals are not well suited to semi-desert chapparell areas.

Lompoc Flower Festival, Horses in the parade , size of file- 3.4 MB
Lompoc has always been a horse town.
So it stands to reason that we love our horses.
The annual Flower Festival parade always has lots of horses in attendance.

Lompoc Flower Festival, Cultural Dances , size of file- 12.1 MB
Lompoc has a diverse population.
People of many ancestries show off their own cultural heritage in the various cultural groups that march in the parade.

Lompoc cars in the Flower Festival Parade , size of file- 10.8 MB
We enjoy our vehicles in Lompoc.
Ever since they removed the hitching posts from 'H' street, we've moved more and more to cars and trucks,
now they provide the main transportation for the citizens of Lompoc.
So it stands to reason that we'd put them in the parade.

A California Canyon Dirt Road , size of file- 6.4 MB
There are still lots of folks living way back in the hills in California.
Many of these people live far from powerlines, cable TV, and Starbucks.
Most of those folks are served by dirt roads such as this one, that goes back to our place.

The Rattlesnake , size of file-3.5 MB
A young Pacific Rattlesnake by (under) our back steps

The Doe which comes along through our garden to drink from the silver bowl, size of file-36 KB
Mule deer doe. She is pretty tame.
Each year we get a doe who hangs out near our house.
They feel a bit safer near us as the Mountain Lions are a bit less inclined to visit near the house.

The Skunk which comes up onto our patio to eat cat food (Friskies), size of file-18.9 MB
The Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis (loosely translates to 'smells bad, smells bad') is an interesting animal that tends to come out in the evenings to avoid human contact. It is an opportunistic eater of almost anything it can find, lizards, mice, eggs and carrion can all provide for it's needs. It can spray a vile smelling substance from two glands located at the base of it's tail. The spray can go some ten to fifteen feet, as our dog has found several times to his (and our) great sorrow.

Local Quail and their little babies, size of file-752 KB
California Quail, Callipepla californica is an interesting little game bird native to the Western areas from Oregon to California, and East all the way into Nevada. They forage in the grassy areas and light brush for the seeds and bud parts they eat. The parents are very good care-takers of their little brood. The male will stand watch over his family while the female leads the young-uns around in search of food. I often see the males perched high in the chapparell overlooking the family and ready at all times to whistle his distinctive 'warning whistle'. It's a shame that more human parents are not as good at taking care of their children as these little birds are.

Wild turkeys and their little babies, size of file-8.54 MB
Wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo is a huge bird that has an ungainly flying habit. They look like prehistoric flying animals when they do take to wing for some distance, but man, can these guys slip through the brush so quietly when they want to. I've followed these things through the woods, them just leading me on with a call, enough to entice me to continue following them. It is a hard thing to slip up on these wily things unobserved. Sadly, the modern breeds of captive domesticated turkeys are known for their stupidity, while the wild ones are widely known for their sagacity. Benjamin Franklin tried to get the Turkey to be proclaimed the national bird of the USA. While to people who know only domesticated turkeys this would seem a slip of Ben's otherwise highely capable mind, but when one has seen enough of these Wild Turkeys, their woodsmanship and craft can be highly appreciated.

A California King Snake, size of file-3.75 MB
California King Snake, Lampropeltis getula californiae is a fine snake to have around. They are a good mouser-type snake that is non-venemous. But their greatest asset is their natural resistance to rattlesnake venom. This means they can attack rattlesnakes and eat them. For this reason, this snake should NEVER be killed, it is one of man's greatest reptile allies. It is said that these snakes will roll into a ball when confronted, but I have never seen this happen, perhaps the snakes don't see me as much of a threat.

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