Sonoita

Papa and I drove to Sonoita this morning.  The rolling grasslands are at their best.  We saw antelope and cattle grazing while the grass swayed in the breeze.  Sonoita is simply beautiful!

Sidewalk Chalk

We had Carly, Colter, Madilyn, Colter Lee, Traven, and Karlys (Carly's Mom) for dinner last night.  

I keep a bucket of sidewalk chalk, so Madilyn, Colter Lee, and Traven had fun drawing on the patio and writing their names.  I love their art!

 

Mountains and Canyons Covered in Green

We've gotten slightly below normal precipitation this summer, but the mountains and canyons are covered in green grass leafed plants.  Green is good! The puffy clouds are nice too!

Oscar's New Shoes

It seems horses hooves grow faster in summer, just like human fingernails grow faster in warm weather.  Papa spent this morning trimming Oscar's hooves and putting on new shoes.  Oscar is a good horse.  He stands in one spot, without complaining, regardless of how long the process takes, raising one foot at a time as Papa taps him. 

 

Making DALE Bags

Papa has been in "DALE bag making mode" over the past couple of weeks.  He has cut out four DALE bags and is sewing granddaughter Emily's first.  Many steps to go! 

Road Work

Road work on Winchester Ranch never ends.  During the summer monsoon season, if we get more than a half inch of rain, the water runoff wreaks havoc with our 2.5 mile driveway.  On Friday of last week, we drove off the ranch as rain was falling.  By the time we returned, 1.5" of rain had fallen and the road was a mess.  The good news was that we saw some places that Papa could "help" with a little road work.  He's been back on Fergie the past couple of days, trying to improve the road situation.

Fence Repair

Over the past ten years, we've had close to 20 miles of fence replaced on the ranch.  The half mile + of fence running from our house up the mountain has not been replaced, but is repaired over and over by Papa. 

Cows Near Home

Colter moved all the mother cows and calves to a pasture a couple miles west of home.  The first year heifers are still in the pasture nearest home, along with several bulls.  We see them every time we look out the window or go on a hike.  

Clouds at Sunset

We've had clouds at sunset over the past few days.  The cloud formations have been quite different as have been the effects.  Winchester Ranch is a beautiful place to be in summertime!

Plane Flying Low

We are always amazed at the pilots flying planes lower than the mountain and so close to our house.