Friends for Lunch

Friends from Tucson, Linda and Bob, came to the ranch for lunch yesterday.

The day was topped off by this beautiful pastel sunset.

Uphill Hike

I hiked uphill this morning, toward the mountains.  Cattle were grazing.  The sky was clear.  It was a perfect morning for a hike!

Horses in the House Yard

If our house gate is left open, the horses find it.  They grazed in the house yard for a few hours today, while Papa was out on the ranch.  Soon after Papa got home, the horses saw that Papa had a rope in his hand and they headed for the gate.

Morning Hike

I was hiking by 6:30 this morning.  Several first year heifers were downhill of the house and greeted me with reluctance.  After a few seconds, they just ran!  It was a beautiful morning!

Back on the Ranch

After returning from our trip to Kentucky for a girls weekend and my 40th high school reunion, I spent much of this morning going through mail and responding to emails.  Papa worked on the tractor.  Just after lunch, I walked down to the Rock House to check on Papa.  As I walked down the road, I saw cowboys on horseback one ridge over.  They looked for new calves all morning.

The cowboys were arriving at the Rock House corral by the time I got there.  Colter suffered a bad fall from a bucking horse on Friday.  He broke his collar bone and his shoulder blade, and has one arm in a sling.  His dad, Colter Lee, Traven, and Justin were with him.

The Homestead

On Friday afternoon of last week, Papa and I drove out to see the home where I grew up.  

My Dad built the house when I was five, in 1962.  My Mom sold it in 1999.  The couple 

that bought the house welcomed us and invited us to walk all around.

So many memories were made on the homestead!  My playhouse, where I spent years of make believe, the wishing well grill I built with Daddy, the front yard where I sat on top of a crank ice cream maker several times each summer while Daddy cranked a batch of home made ice cream and Mom invited friends to share it with us.  I sledded down the front yard on snowy days, right into the fence down the hill, the front porch where I made tents over the wrought iron furniture on rainy days, so I could sit outside to listen to the rain, the tree on the side of the house, where I had a tree house,  the fence across the driveway, where I fed our mules, Jack and Jill, fresh shucked corn, the garden behind the garage, where I hoed the corn patch one year and cut down all the green beans.  

There are many happy memories...

 

Papa's Birthday

Today is Papa's birthday!  We started our day in Kentucky.  We were up early and headed to the airport by 8.  We were scheduled on separate flights through the day, but we landed in Tucson within five minutes of each other.  We went out for dinner at Firebirds and had gelato at Frost, then went to the Tucson house for an overnight.

Papa has received calls from Audrey, Brian, Claire, and Emily.  Its been a good day!  Sixty nine seems a big year!  We have much to be grateful for... good health, sound mind, and happiness!  We're already planning a 70th birthday party for 2016!  Happy Birthday, Papa!

This photo was taken by a friend in January, in the canyon nearest our house, with Indian markings on the wall.  Its a favorite spot. 

High School Reunion Weekend

I stayed in Kentucky this week to attend my high school reunion.  Central City High School closed in 1990.  Since then, "all class" reunions have been held every five years.  This year was also the 40th reunion for my class of 1975.  Papa flew to Kentucky to attend the reunion with me.

On Friday evening, there was a gathering in the high school gym, with Tom Wallace signing books from his recent book release Golden Glory.  A press conference had been organized with the top five all time leading basketball scorers, along with the four living coaches, various coaches and players from other schools and universities.  There were many stories retold of memories made, with the oldest speaker a graduate of the class of 1944.  The organization of the event was incredible!

We went from the high school gymnasium to the Country Club to listen to flute music 

by Jim Walker, a 1962 alum, who has played on the soundtracks of almost every major movie 

in the past twenty years, including Titanic, Memoirs of a Geisha, A Beautiful Mind, and so many more.  Jim was the principal flutist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic for many years.  

He was joined by three local high school musicians, on keyboard, saxophone, and percussion.  

The music was incredible!  Visiting with old friends and seeing brothers and sisters 

of old friends was so much fun.  We enjoyed every moment!

On Saturday, Papa and I went to lunch with my classmates of 1975.  It seems impossible that we graduated 40 years ago!  I was happy to catch up with several people I had not seen since graduation day.  In the evening, we went back to the high school gymnasium for the "all class" reunion banquet.  About 500 people gathered around tables by class year.  We enjoyed dinner while old photos were shown on a large screen and music from the 50's through the 80's played.  Jim Walker played his flute while we sang the school song.  There were lots of hugs shared with old friends. 

 

 

My hat is off to the organizers of the 2015 Central City High School Reunion.  

They worked overtime for five years to pull off the best reunion yet!  Thank you!

Class Lunch

Twenty plus classmates from my high school class of 1975, met for lunch in Central City today.  It was so much fun retelling stories from 40+ years ago and catching up on all the news since.

Dogwoods in Bloom

Dogwood trees are in bloom all over Kentucky.  What a treat to be visiting while they are in bloom!

Biking in Kentucky

I biked with my cousin, Dickie yesterday.  We covered over 34 miles and averaged about 16 mph.  Seemed a pretty good day for me, as it was my first time on a tandem bike.  I had a terrific time!

Afternoon with Granny

Our girls have called my Dad, Granny, since they could speak.  Granny is 6'5".  

We spent some time with Granny yesterday afternoon.  He opened a family photo gift, 

we ate kettle corn, and the girls checked out Granny's radio room.

Family Day

We started the day with a breakfast party for Mom, celebrating her 78th birthday a couple of weeks early.  We went to my nephew's home for lunch, with cousins and both my parents.  After lunch, we stopped at Aunt Guyneth's to wish her a happy 87th birthday.  We ended the day at my cousin Dickie's home, with dinner and watching old home movies.  It was a family day from start to finish!

Visiting Mom

I flew to Kentucky on Wednesday and am staying with my Mom for a few days.  She rode with me to the Nashville Airport yesterday, to pick up my girls.  Wahoo!  Girls weekend in Kentucky!

Windmills Going Up

The windmill project on Warbonnet Ranch is closer to completion every day.  The blades are being installed.  Its interesting to watch from our front porch.  The windmills are about 2-4 miles away and don't seem nearly as large as their actual 400'+ in height. 

Back Yard

I enjoy watching various plants bloom in our back yard.  Red yucca, bear grass, pomegranate, and santolina are all in bloom today.

Happy Mother's Day

 

In the fullness of my life, I have received the most joy, 

(and sometimes the most anxiety), in being a mother. 

I am happy to celebrate Mother's Day as a mother!

More Calves Every Day

Colter tagged 16 new calves yesterday, which seems to be an average of the past few days.  I saw several calves when on my hike, with plenty still not delivered.  We love calving season on the ranch!

So Many Blooms

We were in Tucson yesterday afternoon and this morning, for our weekly 

Boys and Girls Club volunteering.  I walked in our neighborhood twice, 

with my camera in tow.  Cacti were in bloom everywhere!

 

 

 

Checking for New Calves

Colter, Carly, Traven, and Colter Lee rode across the ranch yesterday, checking for new calves.  They passed by the house just as I left for a hike, on a beautiful morning.

Clouds

Cloudy days in the desert are about as good as it gets!  Today has been one of those days!  The high temperature today was 77 and the humidity 16%, with a slight breeze blowing. 

Colts

I went with Papa to pick up a load of hay.  The man he buys hay from, also breeds horses.  

He had a whole new crop of colts.  They were adorable!