Thanksgiving Weekend

Mary came to the ranch for Thanksgiving weekend.  We hiked before starting to cook on Thursday.  Deer were running through the grass, the sky was beautiful, the air was clear.  We spent time with the horses and did more hiking on Friday.  We played Bananagrams, we watched old movies, ate too much, and talked about the things we are most grateful for this year.  It was a good Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Photo taken during Ranch Branding, July 2013.

A New Horse

Our third horse, Hank, died in early October from a freak accident.  Colter had been training him for months and he was about ready to come back to the ranch for Papa to ride.  After Hank died, Papa began the hunt for a new horse and he found Doc.  Doc came to the ranch a few days ago.  The pecking order was quickly established, with Doc in lowly third place, as Oscar and Pablo asserted themselves to be sure Doc understands the rules on Winchester Ranch.  The rhythm between them is interesting to watch, with Oscar clearly the leader and Pablo acting as junior officer, making Doc the enlisted horse. 

Art & Crafts

Madilyn, Colter Lee, and Traven came over this afternoon.  They helped me make pizza for lunch and peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies.  While the pizza baked, Papa helped them with a leather lacing project.  After lunch, we made yarn trees, button ornaments, fingerprint trees, paper garlands, and a handprint painting for Carly and Colter.  Our art and crafts afternoon was a lot of fun!

First Snow of Winter Season

The clouds of the past couple days brought a light dusting of snow to the top of the Winchester Mountains. 

Gray Day

Growing up in Kentucky, there were many "gray days" throughout the year, mostly from October to April.  I thought gray days were depressing.  I much prefer sunny days!  Living in Arizona for the past ten years, I've actually come to enjoy the rare gray days.  Today is one of those days and the light rain falling is quite welcome!

Boys & Girls Club

In early 2013, Papa and I spent some time thinking about how we spend and donate money.  We talked about all the organizations we have known through the years and we did some research.  Years ago, we had very positive experiences with the Boys and Girls Club in Sarasota, as Claire and Whitney swam with the Boys and Girls Club swim team.  In June, we dropped in on the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson.  We left knowing that we would make some sort of contribution.  We also signed up to volunteer.

Over the past two weeks, we have volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, with a group of kids from 8th grade through high school.  They are good students and several are competing in the "Youth of the Year" writing/speaking competition.  During yesterday's hour with them, we talked about body language and played charades.  All of us had fun and certainly we learned something about ourselves and each other.  We are looking forward to next week!

Guitar Concerts

Over the past week, I've been to two guitar concerts at the University of Arizona.  Last week, Papa and I attended the finals of the Beeston Memorial Guitar Competition.  We attended last year and discovered a very talented guitarist from Hermosillo, Mexico, Misael Barraza-Diaz.  We have seen Misael perform since at a Flamenco Festival in September.  He won the Beeston Competition for a second year.  He is very talented.

Today I attended a concert, again at the University of Arizona, performed by the Assad Brothers, Sergio and Odair.  They are Brazilian born and have been performing together over 48 years!  They were amazing!  The concert hall in the Music Department holds 200 people.  It was an intimate concert of mostly Latin music.  I enjoyed every second!

Roasted Grapes

Over time, Papa and my taste buds have evolved.  One of our favorite desserts has become Roasted Grapes over Greek yogurt.  It is easy and delicious!

Roasted Grapes
2 cups seedless grapes (can also use strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries)
1 tbls balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 375.  Toss grapes with vinegar.  Spread on baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes, until skins have cracked.  Serve with Greek yogurt topped with a teaspoon of brown sugar.  Can also serve over vanilla ice cream. 

Carolina Mantis

The Carolina Mantis is the most common mantis in America.  This one was on our patio today.

1916 Marker

Papa and I hiked to check on a new section of fence a couple of days ago.  We came across a corner marker, dated 1916.  People have been working and living on Winchester Ranch over a century.  We know Ernest Schilling homesteaded the ranch in 1906.

So Many Deer!

Over the past weeks, we have seen more deer than usual.  This afternoon, a herd of twenty seven deer passed by our house, very slowly.  

Good Week

We've had a beautiful week on the ranch, with temperatures ranging from a low of 46, early in the morning, to a high of 70 most afternoons.  We've had high clouds several days, but mostly clear skies with clear nights and lots of stars. 

A Buck

As I was driving off the ranch this morning, a small mule deer buck walked across the road in front of me, in Red Rock Canyon.  I stopped my Hummer, got my camera, and waited for him to cross the creek.  He then joined two doe friends as they ate the fruit of a barrel cactus.

The Birds

A large flock of ravens was flying in the canyon downhill from our house.  We think a deer died and the ravens were feasting on its remains.  There were so many birds!

Guests from Tbilisi

After sending our holiday greeting last year, we heard from local friends, Rod and Jan, that they had new friends in the area, with a daughter and family living in Tbilisi, Georgia, where Claire and her family were moving.  We soon met Sue and Bill and have gotten together with them several times over the past months.  They came for our Branding in July! 

Sue and Bill's daughter, Lesley and her children, Mariam and Alexi, came to the ranch yesterday.  It was a picture perfect day, with big clouds.  They arrived in early afternoon.  We had lunch, then went down to the corral.  Lesley rode Oscar, then gave each of the children a ride on Oscar.  Alexi collected crystal rocks.  At sunset, we came back up to our house and built a fire, to make s'mores.  We had a good day!

Morning after the Wedding

Papa and I stayed up late to prepare breakfast for Savannah and Will's families, the morning after their wedding.  We made Breakfast Sausage Casseroles, Jalapeno Cheese Grits, yogurt and fruit parfaits, pumpkin bread, banana bread, and fruit juices.  The morning was spectacular, with light showers moving across the mountains and valleys.  We were happy for the out of state wedding guests to enjoy our big views before flying back to Texas and Montana. 

Savannah & Will's Wedding and Reception

Papa and I went to Savannah and Will's wedding in Willcox yesterday afternoon.  Savannah was a beautiful bride and Will was a handsome groom.  The ceremony was short, which was good as Savannah was so excited.  It was refreshing to see a bride so enjoying the moment. 

After the wedding, Savannah and Will's reception was a barn dance at her Uncle Tom's barn.  The bridal party arrived riding in the back of a truck.  We enjoyed a barbecue dinner and a dance down to the couple married the longest, 60 years!  Papa and I feel lucky and happy to have been married 32 years!  We enjoyed time with Will's grandmother, Emma, his brother, Michael, and his wife, Erin, along with their Texas neighbors Misty and Jimbo.  We saw old neighbors Pat and Jim, and newer neighbors, Ashley and Dallin.  Carly and Colter were beautiful and spiffed up.  There was a conga line and the traditional first dance.  Everyone had fun!

Jack O' Lanterns

Even after Halloween has passed, jack o' lanterns are still on porches across America.  

These were on Colter and Carly's porch yesterday, as I drove past.