Being a Mother

In the whole of my life, I am most proud of my children.  Some of the most important values Papa and I tried to impart to our girls were:  independence, open mindedness, and planning ahead.

Very early in our girls lives, I realized we remembered whole years by the trips we took.  Papa had a demanding job, so I would plan one big trip each year for two to three weeks.  When the girls were young, we visited Sanibel and Captiva, looked for sea shells, and played in the water.  We went to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, renting houses on the beach.  On a trip to Spanish Wells, the girls had their first experience hanging clothes on a clothesline and eating mangoes.  Once they started to school, we graduated to sailing trips.  On the first of those, Whitney literally turned green as we left the St. Vincent harbor in a squall.  The next year, we sailed the Abacos in the Bahamas and rented a house on Elbow Cay.  Whitney fell on Elbow Cay while running in flip flops and broke her wrist. Papa made a splint from a magazine and a belt and Whitney still did her chore that evening, washing the dishes.  Our most memorable sailing trip was in the British Virgin Islands and seeing the Baths on Virgin Gorda.  On the last day of the trip we had an incident in the harbor that Papa doesn't like to talk about.

As the girls got older, we made several trips to Europe and enjoyed visiting France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and a bit of Germany together.  During their teenage years, each of the girls was busy with sports.  We bought a vacation house in Patagonia, AZ in 1995 and would go there for short trips a couple of times a year.  We made wonderful memories hiking and going to Nogales to shop in Mexico.  When Audrey graduated from college, we went to Ecuador and stayed in historic rancho haciendas.  We went to Italy at Christmas the year Claire and Whitney graduated from college, going to Christmas Eve service at the Vatican, staying on the Amalfi Coast, and spending a day in Pompeii.  We met in Casablanca the year Audrey and Dan got married and traveled around Morocco.  Three years ago, we met in Buenos Aires for a week before Whitney's first baby was born.

Now our girls are married and are making memories with their own families.  Papa and I enjoy the moments we share with each of them through the year.  There is nothing quite like picking up the phone and hearing the word "Mom."   

McKusick Tiles

When the girls were quite young, in the mid to late 1980's, we visited the Gila Pottery workshop while on a trip to Globe to visit Papa.  The owner/artist, Bob McKusick, was a long time friend of Papa's. He had a degree in Ceramic Engineering and owned a clay mine, where he mined the clay that he and his wife used to hand form and decorate tiles accurately depicting desert animals and plants and Native American motifs.  Bob McKusick was a one armed man, which made his work with clay all the more impressive.  McKusick tiles, mosaics and murals are found in many homes and public buildings, and may be seen in a number of museums and Arizona State Parks. Their family business was located in the foothills of the Pinal Mountains from 1949 to 1996. We are fortunate to have several McKusick tiles.  These are just a few of our collection.  They are hanging in the Rock House.

Spring Flowers

The desert in southeastern Arizona did not get as much rain over this past winter as is normal.  The spring flowers in Tucson were still quite nice.  I took these photos in our Tucson yard and in our neighbor's yard.  The delicate cactus flowers are an extreme contrast to their thorny host plants. 

Historic Hotels

I have a great love of historic hotels that are interesting architecturally.  It is often the case that "they don't build them like they used to."  The detail work done 100 years ago was pretty amazing.  Labor and materials were cheap, and people were glad to have work.  These were some of the hotels we stayed in or had meals in, last week on our trip to Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Death Valley National Parks.

 

Roughley Manor at Twentynine Palms, CA near Joshua Tree National Park, 

built as a private home in 1928

Ahahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, built in 1927

Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park, built in late 1800's

Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley National Park, built in 1927

New Calf Crop

We now have about 200 mother cows on the ranch.  They are all pregnant or have just given birth.  The new calves are so cute!  They jump right up soon after birth and start prancing about. 

Trip to Joshua Tree, Yosemite...

We returned to the ranch today from a week long driving trip.  We visited Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley, and Hoover Dam.  We hiked quite a lot and saw things we had only seen in photos before.  Some favorite photos...

 Joshua Tree National Park

 Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park

 Sand Dune in Death Valley National Park

Bridge at Hoover Dam

Audrey & Dan Anniversary

On Thursday of this week, Audrey and Dan will celebrate their 4th Anniversary.  

They are celebrating their Anniversary week in Jordan, visiting Claire, David, and Emerson, 

along with several historic sites.  I love this photo from their wedding day.

Marbleized Eggs

I love dying Easter eggs and found the idea to do marbleized eggs at www.marthastewart.com.  It's very simple...
Step 1:  In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and a few drops of food coloring. Place egg in dye, and leave it submerged until it turns the desired shade.
Step 2:  In a wide, shallow bowl, prepare a second batch of dye -- which will provide the swirls -- in a darker shade or a different color. Liquid should be 1/2 inch deep. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Run a fork through this mixture, creating curlicues of oil on the surface.
Step 3:  As oil swirls, place dyed egg in mixture, and roll it once around the bowl to pick up oil streaks; remove the egg.  Gently pat egg with a paper towel.
Step 4:  Let it dry. You can experiment with color combinations: Vary the base tints and the swirls to achieve striking contrasts, subtle shadings, or multihued richness.

Happy Easter!

Survey Marker

We have been surprised to find several survey markers as we have hiked on the ranch.  Most are dated 1916, and stamped US General Land Office Survey, Penalty $250 for Removal.  We have found these markers in the oddest places, in a solid rock face due south of Muskhog Peak, on the peak of Buck Knob surrounded by rocks, on the ridge that follows Rattlesnake Canyon, and in boundary corners.  They are withstanding the test of time. 

Spring Roundup

On Monday, April 11, Papa helped Colter, Colter's Dad, Granddad, and Uncle, move 135 cows from the west end of our ranch to the pasture nearest our house.  They drove the cows about six to seven miles, gathering cattle as they rode across the ranch.  All the cows are pregnant.  They came across several new mother cows with their calves and left those behind for another day.  I happened to look up the hill behind our house as they were almost "home."  I took a series of photos as they moved down the fence to the gate.  Once they neared the gate, there was a succession of "cuts."  They cut one group of cows and then another, so they could get a good count, and also to pull a group of first time mother cows aside to put into a pasture by themselves.  One of the first cows through the gate was Frosty, the first cow born on Winchester Ranch after we bought our first herd six years ago.  Fascinating to watch!  We love this life and are so grateful to have Colter managing the ranch.