Weekend on the Ranch

On Saturday, we noticed several cows had escaped the pasture they were supposed to be in.  As we were returning home a few hours later, we saw more cows.  Papa picked up fence mending tools and we rode the Ranger along the fence until we found the hole.  Seems the cows must have charged the fence in a 100' corner section.  It took Papa a couple of hours to repair.

Happy Easter

Memories from Easters past...

and in France, with our grandchildren in 2014...

Happy Easter!

Flowers in our Tucson Yard

There are so many flowers blooming in our Tucson yard!

University of Arizona Tour

On Tuesday, we took a tour of UA with tour guides from Ambassadors of the Science Department.  Several of the Ambassadors spoke to our Boys and Girls Club group in early February, staying for two hours to talk about their college experiences and answer questions.  We enjoyed seeing some of them again and getting an inside view of daily life on the UA campus.

Antelope Sighting

As we were leaving the ranch a few days ago, for a drive to Tucson, we saw these antelope 

on Allen Flat.  Seeing antelope is always a treat! 

Old Schilling Homeplace

While waiting for the fire to burn down over the weekend, I hiked up the hill to the location of the Old Schilling Homeplace.  It was frame house, built in the early 1900's, and it burned in the late 70's.  The views from their front porch were spectacular! 

Ernest Schilling had a reputation for being one of the best ranchers around.  He took his best bull to the World's Fair in Chicago in 1933... and it won!  He put the bull back on the train and brought it home to Winchester Ranch.  Ernest Schilling found a mail order bride and paid for her to come to Willcox on the train.  It seems she was not enamored of the ranch, so Ernest bought a little house in town for her.  He would visit her on weekends.  Ernest Schilling lived on the ranch over 40 years. 

Fire

Over the weekend, Papa and I went to the old Schilling home site and cleaned up dead limbs.  There are lots of hackberry trees there, and their lives are rather short.  We started a fire and burned debris.  We spent over six hours working and then waiting for the fire to become ash.

Poppies

Poppies are blooming on the ranch! 

Hike to Red Rock Canyon

Papa did roadwork yesterday, so I hiked along the road to throw rocks.  I turned around at the hairpin turn above Red Rock Canyon.  Spring has come early to Winchester Ranch, with lechuguilla and thistle already sending up shoots and blooms.  They are normally coming up in May, with full blooms in June.  Indian paintbrush is blooming too.  It was a beautiful day!

Fence

Since buying the ranch in 2003, almost all the fence on the ranch has been replaced.  One of the last pieces of fence runs past the house and up the mountain then down into Rattlesnake Canyon.  Colter worked on the fence on Monday and Papa helped him yesterday.  They are making progress.

Prescribed Burn on Muleshoe

Winchester Ranch shares a three mile boundary with the Muleshoe Ranch Nature Conservancy. There is currently a prescribed burn going on in the northeastern section of the Muleshoe, in the Galiuro Mountains.  We can see smoke, but our ranch is separated from the fire by 3 to 4 miles.

Tucson Festival of Books

We drove into Tucson on Sunday morning for the Tucson Festival of Books.  We have been in years past.  It is a wonderful family event on the University of Arizona campus, with over 100,000 people attending over two days.  We walked all about, with Papa enjoying an author presentation and me checking out the children's area.  There was everything from science experiments to bagpipes, with most visitors walking away with books in arm.  A beautiful day and a good time!

Photo Project

I have embarked on a photo project that seems epic at the moment.  I am scanning all our old photos.  It is amazing how much photo quality has improved over the past 35 years!  Along the way, I'm enjoying reliving the moments of our lives, at home, on trips to visit family, and on vacations.  These are a few favorites from 1981-1988.  So many more to go!