Clouds

Summer is one of two rainy seasons in Arizona.  The cloud buildup in the afternoons and the resulting sunsets are breathtaking.

Chicago

I have just returned from spending several days in Chicago with Audrey.  We shopped for furniture, appliances, cabinets, flooring, fabric, and more.  I helped her unpack boxes and get better organized.  Audrey and Dan's apartment is in a 1920's building with many vintage details.  It is spacious and is in a wonderful location near the lake, with so many recreational options nearby, and within a block of all the shops along Broadway.  They are happy to be in their "new" home. 

Lulu and Papa with Oscar and Pablo

Papa's sister, Mary visited us at the ranch over the July 4 weekend, to be part of our ranch branding.  She took this photo of us with our horses, Oscar and Pablo.

Sunflowers

The quintessential summer flower must be the sunflower.  I like having a bouquet 

in our living room and this past week, we enjoyed sunflowers.  Gorgeous!

Branding

On Saturday, July 3, we had our annual branding on Winchester Ranch.  Our ranch manager, Colter, planned for the day for three months prior.  Cattle were moved over and over in anticipation of the week of branding.  On Monday of branding week, Colter and his Dad brought a load of corral panels over and set them up in the Schilling corral.  On Tuesday of branding week, Colter and eight more cowboys, including Papa, rode from our house across the ranch to push the cows toward Schilling corral.  On Wednesday, Papa and Colter gathered new mother cows and calves from the pastures nearest our house and pushed them toward Schilling.

Thursday was a day off.  On Friday, Papa rode Pablo and Oscar with Mel, a friend who came for branding, and checked the cows.  Saturday morning, July 3, we were up by 4 a.m.  Papa saddled Oscar and was ready to go by 5:30.  Colter and Papa, along with eight more cowboys got together before 6 and rode off toward Schilling.

By 7:30, they had gathered over 100 mother cows and calves.  They heated branding irons and began branding, castrating, and ear marking by 9.  Ninety seven calves were branded by 11 a.m.  All children had an opportunity to participate, and the weather was perfect.  It was a good branding!

All the cowboys and their families came to our house after the branding for dinner.  I had prepared a picnic of barbecue pork sandwiches, herbed chicken, slaw, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon slices, and carrot and Italian cream cakes for dessert.  We had a wonderful day!

1st Birthday!

First and only grandson, Toby, celebrated his first birthday on June 7.  I researched the best gifts for a one year old and most lists included a tricycle.  This photo of Toby on his trike is adorable!

Blue Bell

Years ago, while living in Dallas, we began eating Blue Bell ice cream, made in Brenham, Texas.  Blue Bell was a staple in our freezer.  Blue Bell was served in our home not just on special occasions, but rather often as dessert.  When we moved to Sarasota in 1992, we were very disappointed that Blue Bell wasn't sold in Florida.  Within 5-6 years, Blue Bell arrived in Florida and we were back to having a constant supply of Blue Bell.  Now in Arizona, we keep several half gallons of Blue Bell (up to 7) in the freezer of our Tucson home.  Our favorite flavors are Southern Hospitality, Pralines and Cream, Homemade Vanilla, Strawberry, and Summer Berries. 

Art Class

Papa and I signed up for an art class in May.  We attended our first class last week and learned art terms and techniques that we had never heard of.  Our teacher, Karina, has a degree in art and is an excellent teacher.  We did our first homework assignment last night.  Both of us have significant room for improvement but it's great fun learning something completely new.

National Parks

Papa and I spent a week in June in Montana, Wyoming, and an afternoon driving through eastern Idaho.  We visited Glacier, Yellowstone, and Teton National Parks.  We stayed in historic hotels every night but one.  We saw moose, bears, bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, and trumpeter swans.  The variety and abundance of wildlife was a daily treat.  We hiked at least 2-3 miles every day, to places like Avalanche Lake in Glacier NP, through Norris Basin in Yellowstone, and on the boardwalk at Old Faithful where Giant Geyser was higher and more impressive than Old Faithful!  We toured the state capitol building in Helena, walked the almost deserted streets of Butte, and visited the ghost town of Virginia City.

We saw more cattle grazing in Montana than we've ever seen before!  Yellowstone NP was memorable for having 60% of the worlds thermal water features.  It was fun to imagine the first settlers coming upon steam spewing out of the ground and believing they were on "holy ground."   The Tetons were breathtakingly beautiful!  The drive along Jackson Lake south to Jackson was particularly  memorable and a place we will return.  An unforgettable trip!

Springtime on Winchester Ranch

Over the past three months, we have had close to 9" of rain, as much as we had in all of 2009.  The bonus is an incredible display of wildflowers.  We've been hiking every day, enjoying the bold colors and delicate flowers of the desert.