Barrel Cactus

Every August, like clockwork, barrel cactus blooms in the desert.  Papa and I set off on the Ranger yesterday, to a ridge with several barrel cactus.  Actually, there are many fewer barrel cactus than in years past, as we had a killer freeze two years ago.  Still there were many beautiful blooms. 

Horses through the Fence

Papa and I drove to Sierra Vista yesterday to do some shopping.  When we returned to the ranch, Papa went down to feed the horses, but they were not at the corral.  As he drove back up the hill, he spotted them on the next ridge over from the house, at the dirt tank.  He drove over to meet them in the Ranger.  They were happy to see Papa, running and jumping.  I hiked up the mountain to watch.  Papa followed them in the Ranger, then got out to "assist" with a rope halter, to get them to go back to the corral for their evening hay.  They were having none of it, turned and walked up the mountain to the opening in the fence.  Our guess is that bulls pushed the fence down.  Papa rode up in the Ranger with his bag of fence tools, to mend the downed fence.  All the while a storm was brewing to the east, punctuated by a beautiful rainbow.  We love Winchester Ranch!

Hike to Red Rock Overlook

While Papa did much needed road work yesterday, I hiked to the hairpin turn overlooking Red Rock Canyon.  When hiking alone, I'm always on the lookout for lions, tigers, and bears.  No kidding! 

Neighbor Horses

Winchester Ranch is landlocked.  We must cross another ranch to get to our ranch.  Our neighbors on Warbonnet Ranch raise horses.  Most times we leave the ranch, we pass their horses.  As I left the ranch to run errands yesterday, the horses wouldn't get out of the road, so I parked my Hummer and took photos.  They wanted a little attention.  They are beautiful!

An Errant Bull

One of the bulls on the ranch got in the wrong pasture, so a couple of days ago, Colter moved him back to the cows he belonged with.  It was a cloudy afternoon and the bull was in no hurry. 

Raining Cats and Dogs

We had an inch of rain Sunday night and .30 on Monday.  We have a Davis weather station, with several different functions, including a rain gauge.  As the rain started to fall on Monday, we got the RAINING CATS AND DOGS message, as rain was falling at a rate above 1" per hour. 

Saturday Morning

Papa was up by 4 and left early Saturday morning, to go to Tom's ranch branding.  I was up by 5 and the sky was filled with clouds.  Soon the sun was peaking through and hitting various mountain tops.

Papa got home around 3:30, with his hand bandaged.  His morning at Tom's branding didn't go so well.  Papa was castrating a steer calf when it started kicking.  He cut the top of his right hand badly.  Carly took him to the emergency room for stitches.  It was a busy morning at the emergency room, as Rio, the 4 year old son of Allison and Cody, neighbor ranchers, fell off a gate at Tom's branding and broke his arm.  Saturday morning was memorable for Papa and Rio. 

Raising a Calf

Colter has a mother cow that got dehydrated during the birthing process.  She was blinded as a result and not able to take care of her calf.  Colter took the calf home and Madilyn is feeding the calf with a bottle.  The calf is very attentive to Madilyn and comes when she calls, loving the attention.

Lunch with Yolanda and Jacques

Papa and I invited Yolanda and Jacques for lunch at the ranch a few weeks ago and they 

reciprocated with lunch at their home today.  We met Yolanda when taking an art class a few years ago.  Yolanda discovered a real talent in that class.  Her paintings are wonderful!

We were treated to a delicious lunch at Yolanda and Jacques home, and then we drove over to their greenhouse.  Their greenhouse covers 7.5 acres.  Jacques grows herbs and vegetables.  They use geothermal heat and have a very sophisticated system of greenhouse farming.  We were fascinated by the business and the operation.  We had a good day!

Evening Rain

We have been fortunate to have several rain showers over the past few days.  They have rolled across the mountain in the evening, as the sun was setting.  The colors change moment by moment.  Incredibly beautiful!