Nice. You went to the beach? We just hang out in our backyard. They fly over pretty often. We’re just under five miles away.
That's one hefty heifer or is it a cow? A heifer is a virgin cow never having calved right? Look like a bull with that big neck hump going on.
She’s a 7 year old cow. Yep, a heifer is generally a female that has not yet calved. Some people will call a young cow a heifer until her second calving, but it’s rare.
She’s had 5 calves—one approximately every 12 months starting when she was 2 years old. It’s not unusual for a Jersey here to be milking still at 12 years of age. She’s a milk (dairy) cow so most likely she will live out her life here. Old Jersey cows have little value for slaughter so typically they get “retired” at home when they are no longer productive. They have earned a year or two of “free” feed. By that age they are part of the family like an old dog so you do the best you can for them until it’s time for the dirt nap. Then you put them down for that nap and cry alone in the loader tractor as you dig their grave…. In the commercial dairy business things are very different. Cows are usually only milked one to three years and then slaughtered at age three to five. We are talking about huge Holstein cows that may weigh 1800 lbs or more at that point. Beef cows here are generally taken to the sale barn when they get crippled or no longer breed because of age. They are purchased by packers who specialize in slaughtering old cows. They have a lot more muscle and fat on them than an old dairy cow and make fine hamburgers, stew meat, etc.
Latest creation - 1/35 scale MH-60R Seahawk in the colours of HSM-35 (Magicians) Helicopter Attack Squadron
From my hotel room in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, Alaska, in late December. I was there for three weeks and will NEVER go back We had ice storms with one reaching wind speeds of 100 mph. I design systems and was there for a new fish processing center. The pacific fishing fleets in the North Pacific drop off their catch for processing at Dutch Harbor because it so far out there on the Aleutian Island Chain. It is a very depressing place. Lots of money to be made but almost everyone in Dutch Harbor is counting the days to get he hell out of Dutch Harbor. And yes, this is where the Deadliest Catch guys would always go. Most people the Dutch Harbor bars and restaurants knew/knows them. Bald Eagles are everywhere and pretty fearless. You can almost walk up and pet them. But if you try you might lose a finger. They are called sea rats [rats of the sea] by the locals.
Two more systems I worked on. But I only have the photos I was allowed to have. I spent an entire summer in the cockpit of this sucker. But damn it was hot! This was for Mossad. Long enough now that I can talk about it. In the photo below, obviously the mobile home was moved before launch. This was a solid-fuel rocket - serious business! When I was walking around the rocket for the first time [in the down position], I asked the General what the chances are that it could explode due to static electricity or other factors. He glared at me and wouldn't answer. This was a particularly tough job. I had to spend a week sitting on the beach in Hawaii - near the Kauai missile range where the rocket launched. I actually supported the launch through a VPN while sitting on my couch in my living room.
Just FYI, the rocket was experimental and experienced a motor failure after about a minute, causing it to tumble out of control. But the key elements of the test launch were a success. I was supposed to go back for a second launch but then Covid hit. I haven't heard a thing since.
My Kauai office and view Damn rough week! And I only made $5K for that. Funny thing is, this was the job [the best trip I've ever made] I did before going to the hell hole known as Dutch Harbor [the worst trip I've ever made. Technically my trip to Peru should be the worst trip I've ever made given that we were held hostage by guys with automatic weapons, for 24 hours. But no, Dutch Harbor sucked more than being held hostage. LOL!
