[grampawmike]

OK guys, just the observations of an old man.....Back when I was a kid (damn near 60 years ago), we had Spanish Basque sheepherders move their flocks thru our 160 acres of alfalfa (in California) durring the winter time. They'd run their flocks over 300 miles to a final destination, hitting every piece of pasture and alfalfa farm they could en route. This produced a little cash to the farmer and also removed the requirement for us to have to run a disc harrow over the entire place to break down the 'crown' on mature alfalfa plants. (the hard crown, if too tall can screw up a sickle bar mower) That saved us a pile of cash and work. These guys spoke a sort of spanish dialect that I had never heard, nor have heard since they quit the program.....probably because of too damn many people. It was spansh.....but not spanish. Mike