Midian Ranch Blog

This is the web log for Midian Ranch, an isolated homestead in rural Nevada. It is owned by Jason and Tina Walters, whom are also its regular posters. This blog is exclusively for the enlightenment and edification of our friends, family, and colleagues.

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Location: Gerlach, Nevada, United States

Wednesday, October 20, 2004


The Ranch House Posted by Hello


The Mighty Midian Burning Machine Posted by Hello

Weekend of the 16th

Winter in the Black Rock: wet, windy, and cold. It's not quite here yet but, like an Oakland Cadillac with a whistle welded to its tailpipe, you can hear it coming down the block. Tina, Snap, and I spent a three-day weekend out at Midian Ranch getting thrown around by high winds and smacked sideways by semi-frozen raindrops. Which sounds terrible but, if you love the desert, isn't that big of a deal. It's just part of the package.

There were (and for that matter are) a few things wrong out at the Ranch. The windmill's electronics seem to have blown out so the battery bank isn't charging properly.... potentially a big deal, but I've ordered some new parts from the manufacturer so hopefully I can get that fixed in short order. The tractor is having some sort of battery problem that I haven't quite figured out yet.... I'm guessing that I should take the electrical system apart and clean the hell out of it. I can still bump-start it in 4th gear but that's a pain, to put it mildly.

Now, on the bright side Sam dropped off his latest creation (see the picture above) which it quite something to behold. It's not just a fireplace: you can cook in it, incinerate garbage with it, and probably use it for primitive blacksmithing in a pinch if you wanted to. Sam drilled holes in the bottom which allow air to be sucked in from below the coals. Then the narrow shape of the top literally sucks the hot air upward toward the pyramid's summit so that, with enough material, a small column of flame belches out of its top. All in all pretty damn neat.

We put up the new blinds inside of the ranch house which makes the inside look a lot nicer, to put it mildly. We have continued working on the outside of the place so it's starting to look pretty good as well (see the other picture above). This weekend I hope to finish the trim on the place, fix the tractor, and work on the generator shed a bit.... its always hard to say how much work I'll be able to get done. I've got to try, though.

This weekend's blaxploitation film selection was The Black Six, which starres six former NFL stars including "Mean" Joe Green and Lem Barney. The touching story of six Vietnam vets who wander around the countryside on spotless English motorcycles that are too small for them stopping only to destroy crudely made truck stops, The Black Six was kind of a double exploitation film because it also stars a bunch of sleazy, droopy mustached 70s Harley-type bikers at the villains. It you want to visualize this film picture a gang fight between the Pittsburgh Steeler's defensive line and Southern rock band Lynard Skynard held on some sand dunes outside of Santa Monica. Oddly, The Black Six has an abrupt ending even for a blaxploitation flick: it just ends in the middle of a gang fight. You don't even get to find out who wins. It's almost as though the cameraman just got sick of making the thing and walked off while filming.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Another Weekend of Painting

There was a whole gaggle of us out at Midian Ranch this weekend. Tina, Keri, Vicki, Chris Karma, and I spend two days alternately painting, raiding Black Rock Station's rapidly shrinking salvage/junk yard, and watching blaxploitation movies. This weekend's selection was Black Cobra II, starring Fred Williamson. Fred has a REALLY big moustache in this movie. Not as big a mine, but still pretty out they're considering this film was made in the early 80's. Big Fred has been shooting too many bad guys in Chicago so his bucolic Sargent lends him to Interpol, which mainly seems to be staffed by white guys with mullets. He then goes to a mysterious portion of the Philippines which seems to be inhabited mainly by Americans and Iranians, where he kicks a lot of ass using some badly choreographed martial arts. Big Fred's lower back seems to be killing him in this movie. Oddly, the film's director felt no need to edit out the fact that he keeps painfully reaching around to rub his spine after every action scene.

Well, we have finished painting the exterior walls of the ranch house but we haven't gotten to the trim yet. It still looks about a 1000% better than it did when we started but sure would like to have finished the job this time out. Still, getting some work accomplished is better than none.

Friday, October 01, 2004

Off to Midian This Weekend

T., Chris Karma, Keri, myself, and possibly Bob are lighting out for Midian this weekend to do some painting. With any luck we will also work on the ranch house's flooring. Rural ascetics mean a great deal to me, so I have high hopes that we can completely finish the exterior of the house over the next few days. Also, I've been deliberately over-watering the ranch's trees over the last week. I'm hoping for a pleasant surprise.... but it's the desert, so any terrible result is completely possible.