Clouds and Shadows

Papa and I enjoyed the weekend at home.  We had afternoon rain, with the sky starting to show some blue just before sunset.  The light shining through the clouds created beautiful shadows on the mountains all around. 

Moisture Begets Grass

The rain of the past month has produced grass and out of season flowers.  Oscar, Pablo, and Doc are enjoying the feast that comes with so much grass!

Nice to be Home on the Ranch

Papa and I took Claire, Emerson, and Colby to Kartchner Caverns on Sunday morning.  It was the first time Emerson and Colby had been in a cave.  We enjoyed the tour.  Then we were off to Tucson, where Claire and the kids stayed at Westward Look Resort.  Papa and I had fun in the pool with them on Sunday and again on Monday morning.  Alas, their visit came to an end on Monday, when we drove them to Phoenix to catch their flight back to London.  Papa and I left 100+ temp in Phoenix and came to 70's at the ranch.  It's nice to be home!

Riding Oscar and Pablo

Saturday was Emerson and Colby's last full day on the ranch.  They watched Papa change one of Pablo's shoes and then they rode Oscar and Pablo.  Colby's ride ended with a fall off Oscar.  Not good - he broke a shoulder bone!  Still, we've had fun with Emerson and Colby!

Roping Goats and Hiking

We had big clouds over the ranch with rain falling, and perfect timing for us to get wet!  Emerson progressed to loping in the arena with Madilyn.  Emerson and Colby have roped goats and gone hiking with Madilyn, Colter Lee, and Traven.  They've had fun and made wonderful memories.

Playing on the Ranch

The past few days have been cloudy with some rain, and quite cool.  Emerson and Colby have played with Blanca, Carly and Colter's dog, made tool boxes in Papa's workshop, played with legos, and painted and colored.  We've gone for Emerson's horse riding lesson every day at 4:30, where she has progressed to riding on her own inside the arena.  Colby has played with Colter Lee and Traven on their horse trailers.  We've come home in the rain the past two evenings.  All fun!

Best Day of Emerson's Life!

We arranged for Emerson to take horseback riding lessons from Madilyn while they were visiting the ranch.  The lessons began yesterday afternoon.  Emerson had a wonderful time and was more comfortable riding by the end of the lesson.  As we were leaving the corral, Madilyn's dog followed us, and ran behind the Ranger all the way home.  Emerson and Colby were thrilled to play with the dog before and after dinner.  Emerson declared, "this is the best day of my life!"

Hiking and Tarantulas

On Saturday, we rode in the ranger as close as we could get to Nuevas Dam.  We went on a hike, with Colby and Emerson being great hikers!  We had a picnic and looked for a cave, to no avail.  After a bit of quiet time, Emerson went with Papa to feed the horses.  We saw a giant tarantula on the garage wall.  Another good day!

Grandchildren on the Ranch

We picked up Claire, Emerson, and Colby at the Tucson airport on Thursday afternoon.  They will be staying with us for ten days on the ranch.  Yesterday we hiked.  They practiced roping, hula hooping, leather working, and lots more.  It was a good day!

Monsoon Season in the Desert

We came back from our Bahamas trip on French Leave Beach to monsoon season in the desert... sixties temps for a good part of the day, with lots of clouds and spectacular sunsets.  Summer monsoons are beautiful and the moisture sustains the desert until the next summer monsoon season.