Having a slow morning here in Sacramento, because yesterday started before 4am and ended after 1am, according to my internal clock. This provided the opportunity to take some nicer pictures than just the obligatory hotel-window shot, so I went for a walk on the bike path by the American River. Where I saw Fire Sheep:
OK, technically, according to the signs they had up, this is an “animal grazing fire fuel reduction” program, but I think “fire sheep” sounds cooler. There was a pretty sizable herd of sheep wandering around the side of the path, munching on the undergrowth. This particular shot was at a point where a whole bunch of them had decided to move up over a little hill, kicking up some dust that made for those cool visible sunbeams. You can also see why they’re needed, thanks to the burned tree trunk in the foreground.
I’m heading over to the CSU campus in a bit, and giving a colloquium talk this afternoon. I doubt I’m likely to get a cooler shot than the fire sheep, though, so I’ll just post this now, and not have to worry about it later…
But lest the Sacramento tourist board decide to hunt me down for mocking their fair city, I’ll throw in a bonus pretty photo of the American River:
But, really: fire sheep.
Or in other words, all-terrain lawnmowers. Sheep are sometimes used thus in Vermont, where fire danger is usually not as high as in California.