Happy Father’s Day Dad!

17 Jun 2012 58 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Cattle Ranch, Family, Juniper T Ranch, Ranch History, Ranch Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a bit late with posting this but seems life right now is a bit fast and crazier than I want…today is a very special day of honoring our Dad’s.

This is my Dad…he was an amazing man…he lived with a left stiff leg from a football injury during his senior year in high school. Yet not once did he ever complain or make excuses for his life. Instead he fought to live a normal life and he did. I saw it and was witness to it…Dad was the real deal when it came to being a cowboy and a great Dad!

Dad with his horse Jingle across the road from the house in the 1940’s.

Dad roping in the 1950’s…

Dad in the 1970’s running one of the biggest cattle ranches in the state of Oregon. One of the very last cattle ranches in the state to drive their cattle down from the mountains in the late fall to the winter pasture. It was a 90 mile cattle drive with 800 head of mamma cows.

Newspaper Article On The Juniper T

Yearly Fall Cattle Drive

Cows headed home…we drove the cattle every fall for almost 30 years and by the time we did it the last year…it was a piece of cake. They knew where they were going…home.

Dad looking weary on the drive about half way through. This is my Dad…his horse Bucky…his dog Blue. He was pretty much John Wayne to me and Mom and kinda scary to Wild Bill:)

Oh come on WB Dad does not look scary here!!!

 “WB are you gonna marry my daughter?”

“Yes sir….I am!”

“She is our little girl…and our only child…so I am watching you!”

“Don’t worry Dad…I am good with WB.”

I have so many good memories of growing up riding with Dad and working cows…but some of the best ones are when Dad took me fishing or when he taught me how to drive a four speed Scout up in the mountains…he was the solid comfort in Mom’s and my life…and he always kept a going.

Dad, you gave me the gift of life and horses:)

Happy Father’s Day…I learned everything I could from you about life and living and I miss you and Mom so very much.

I thank God for giving me a cowboy Dad like you!

Hotrod Cowgirl headed on down the road with horse power and horsepower:) Over and out…see ya on down the dusty trail!

Whoa…Slow Down…Summer Times A Flying!

13 Jun 2012 35 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Farm House, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I know I know I need to do a post about life here instead of awards….I am sorry to be so dang slow!!!

We have been busy busy with the house remodeling job and doing all the various summer chores….

Wild Bill was taking a picture of me mowing the yard…a country yard is sort of dirty work…out here we do not have manicured yards as we have various visitors such as gophers or critters that dig holes and then when you are innocently mowing the yard you accidentally hit a dirt mound and poof:)

It seems the days fly by and here it is almost half way through June!!!

Yikes I want summer to slow down and stay for as long as possible with warm sunny days:)

With this post I would like to show you how the old house has changed over the years. This is a picture of my parents right before they got married in 1939…when they returned from their honeymoon, Grandpa moved them into the house here in Juniper Canyon…where we still live today.

The house has changed the last 100 years, but it started out like this in 1920…with a full basement and the upstairs. It was a typical white clapboard farm house…built really good as it is very solid. When they poured the concrete for the basement they poured it deep…and the wood they used for the structure was solid good stuff as Grandpa spared no expense as he wanted the best for his Mother. This picture would have been in the 1950’s…about 35 years after the house was built. I think that is my Dad on the tractor on the left, he is moving dirt in prepping the site for the concrete patio…and I think that is one of my uncles off to the right.

Fast forward to 2007…the patio runs the whole side of the house wrapping around to the front porch. The yellow siding was added to the house by my parents in the 1970’s…the windows were changed out in the 1950’s the first time and eventually replaced with storm windows. In 1980 we moved into the house as  Mom was tired of the stairs…she wanted a one level newer house. I was delighted as I loved growing up in the house…it was home to me. Over the years Wild Bill and I have done various remodels and upkeep to the house.

This year it was time for some major upkeep remodeling with a new roof, new siding, a floor upstairs and revamping our master bedroom and re-doing the concrete patio…along with a new well and all new water pipe to the house etc. This was about a month ago…we have the new roof on and the old siding off.

We added blow in insulation to the outside walls and roof…and then they wrapped the house with insulation…so we have double insulation now and I can tell the difference already!

We chose a Hardie Plank Red Cedar siding as it matches our log fence and also the cedar bat and board shop. I love how it came out!!!  The garage doors need to be painted yet…and we still have to re-do the patio.

Oh my the patio…I roller skated on this patio…had lots of birthdays on it…swam in my swimming pools over the years on it and have loved it…still do today as we live out there during the summer. Our contractor feels they have to tear out the concrete on the side of the house and re-pour it….it has aged a lot the last ten years and it is time to address that too. Ok Minnie…you and me need to head to the high country as this will be very noisy!

Ms. Melody is not impressed either…she is down at the barn…good water and nice stall but….she wants her old stall back right outside my window at the house…when we drilled for water it was in her old stall so I had no choice but to move her to the barn for a while….its ok Mel…we love you lots and we are setting up new stalls for you, Buck and Annie close to the house:)

Me and Mel when she was three a few years ago…first night she spent here after I brought her home. She is a very social horse:)

I will update photos over the next few days to show you what we have done inside the house too:) This is the new floor upstairs…it is Acacia Wood and I love it!

And Ms. Minnie Mouse says “Remodeling stinks…why Mom does this I do not know…of course I am the cat…and I know where it is at…my name is Minnie Mouse and I am the Queenie of the House…Humph!”

We have had several beautiful sunsets….with intense and incredible colors!

Lots of weird but beautiful clouds…

Funky ones of every kind:)

And then there was this big boy…it seemed like it was sitting on us…it was just beginning to rain a bit when I got this picture.

But then it did this and the day ended beautifully once again here in Juniper Canyon…ahhhh.

Minnie had a good day too as she had a nice sun bath before it rained…whew:)

Have a good night wherever you are:) Minnie says “Bye for now:)”

Incredible Storms Rolling Over Juniper Canyon

30 May 2012 16 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscapes, Photography, Storms Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our weather the last year has been odd for this neck of the woods….but perfect for me to capture images to share with you all:)

It all began like this….dark couds overhead with threatening skies…I knew it was camera time.

Within minutes the first rainbow appeared…as the sun was dipping lower and lower so the incredible colors are natural.

Looking back towards the barn….beautiful skies!

We had several short cloud bursts of rain….

Incredible…God’s colors…in person they are intense and beautiful and awesome!

Another rainbow…and this time it was reaching over the entire ranch….we have land on each side of the road and this blessing rainbow was reaching from side to side of our land…wow!

And Mr. Buck was on the move…he was feeling good and stretching his muscle!

And a classic Quarter Horse stop…Buck is right on…head down…butt tucked under and haunches set…slide a bit and stop…love Quater Horse butts:)

“Did yah see that Mom?”

Ok this is the third set of rainbows…totally weird…I do not ever remember seeing so many in one storm here.

Neither does Buck….

Another incredible sunset in Juniper…

Melody and Annie were right with Bucky…weird weather makes them feel frisky…they love to play and run and buck too!

A beautiful end to an unusual storm for us…I know many of you have scary storms…so far ours have been unusual and great photo ops for me…by the way I shot over 350 pictures in a few hours with this storm and it was hard to pick the ones I did for the blog:)

Buck says whew that was fun! Now I need sleep…it is the time to say God Night:)

With that said…have a great night!

It’s Tawanda Day! Tawannnnda!!!!!!

05 May 2012 44 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Landscapes, Photography, Storms Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do you remember the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes”? I loved that movie…and Tawanda! So every once in a while it is Tawanda Day here…why…because it represents a sense of freedom and complete silliness!!! Which I personally need and love…we all do. In our busy crazy lives, wherever we live, we need to remind ourselves to take time out of each day and dance…laugh…let your hair down…be you…and just do it:) Tawaaannnnndaaaa!!! Yee-Haw!!!

We had rain this morning…with this amazing ground rainbow….I have never seen a ground rainbow…it was quite curious to me.

At noon we had a small break and now the clouds are definitely building…looking a bit ominous too.

 A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL

PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH…HAIL…AND HEAVY RAIN.

Well that does not sound fun!

I need to go check on my girls…Melody and Annie…they have been at the real barn since we began moving their portable stalls across the road…I miss seeing them out my window…the barn actually is very nice with quality stalls etc. for them but they miss me too…that is why we bought the portable stalls so they could be closer to the house.

So because it is a Tawanda Day…I had Wild Bill take me for a drive last evening to grab some shots of our landscape…I wanted to shoot the Canola now while it is yet blooming as in a few days it will drop the blooms…right now it is a vibrant yellow…this is for you:)

I loved taking these shots…could not stop as it was beautiful with the colors, the clouds, the light…it was magic time!

This is above our house…yes we can see into forever here…we live in a beautiful pristine land…most of the families that live here are like us…our ancestors came to America over 100 years ago to settle the land…to farm and begin a new life to pass on to their families and they did. Now we are the caretakers of the land and we all seek to do it right.

The view behind me….

And to my right…back towards the Blue Mountains…the carpet of green is this years wheat crop growing.

Incredible huh…golden clouds above a golden-yellow field of Canola.

This particular field has lots of memories for me…it is up the road from our house and joins our land…my cousins farm it. I ride my horses on it when there is stubble or no crop for the year…I love it as it has lots of hills and draws to explore. When I drove wheat truck in it…well it was never boring…very steep hills and draws to climb with one long 45 degree hill that lifts the back wheels on a self leveling hillside combine off the ground!

One year when Wild Bill was driving combine, I rode with him for a day sitting on a bean bag pillow on the floor, my back was against the glass and my view was either looking at WB or looking at the back wheels of the combine. As we came down the steep hill, I saw the back wheels lift off the ground…the only thing that kept us from rolling was the header! Of course my cousins and WB thought it was so dang funny as I was pretty wide eyed…no make that hysterical…oh wow what a ride…yeah!

Back to the Canola…this is how your Canola Oil becomes oil…next time when you look at your oil…think of this incredible yellow field…the seeds are there in the head of the flower. After the blooms fall off, the stem dries out, then the farmer pushes it over and harvests the seeds.

And this is what makes “Hot Rod Cowgirl” get excited with her camera!

The ever changing light, the colors, the landscape…beautiful and incredible:)

Country clouds and….

Wide open spaces…perfecto!!!!

Annnd…HRCG is on the move!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!! Taawwwaannndaaa!!!

Round Pen Training…Developing The Foundation Of Trust

02 Apr 2012 25 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Horses, Juniper T Ranch, Lifestyles, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: , , ,

Today we finally have a bit of a break from the rain and blustery wind…make that a deluge of rain and dreary gray weather…I know I know…blah and blah…grumble and complain.  The rain has kept me indoors the last week cleaning of all silly things, so I took a break one day and sorted through some old pictures on my back up drive…it was fun to look back on lots of good memories…good people…good times and good horses of course:)

March’s last week of blahsay (is that a word?) weather was much like the day in this photo…wet…cold…gray…and dreary. This picture was taken a few years ago in the round corral…Cowboy son had come home to visit for the weekend and while he was here, he wanted to work with Fanny Annie. He was working on desensitization with Annie, which is important as it begins to lay the foundation of trust. She is learning to trust in her human no matter if the plastic sack is scary or not…

This teaches her inner trust in us so that when anything unexpected happens on the trail or anywhere we go when we ride her, she will not freak out being triggered into the fear or flight instinct. As he asks her to move about, he is watching her body language…looking for the try in her to trust him…waiting for her to turn towards him with two eyes…instead of her hindquarters, which is a lack of respect.

He had a ways to go yet with her as she is yet turning away from him. As we waited and watched you could feel the rain coming as the air was heavy with mist and a feeling of ominous blahsay…it has to be a word, as it fits the dreary day!

He continues to move her feet about…it is not mean if it is done right…she is learning that her world is safe with her human leader…just as it would be in the wild with her herd…ultimately she is learning to trust. Horses are born with the biological fear or flight mechanism…it is what kept them alive for centuries. In the wild when a predator approaches, the lead horse in the pack will alert the herd to move out if danger invades their world.

We humans want to ride our horses like no big deal…but unless we first develop trust with them or a very good trainer does it before we purchase the horse…we likely will deal with a spooky jumpy horse and be upset or worse, either the horse gets hurt or we do or we both do. A good foundation is a must when you raise horses and if you purchase one then you need to be sure that the horse has been given a good foundation of trust and consistency. And remember if for some reason you end up with a horse that is not so great…it is not the horses fault…they are doing what their natural instinct says, “fear for your life horse”…and that would be due to lack of foundational training…with daily training and relationship. We would not expect to buy a lion and bring it home for a house kitty…and expect it to be fine to play or cuddle with us…horses are the same way…they are much more vulnerable to pain caused by humans as the human did not know or understand the horse.

All horses want to get along but if they have been abused and if they have not been handled correctly or right…then they are spooky and fighting for their lives…they do not know if we are safe or not until we begin with them from the beginning. By the way I refresh my well-trained older horses in the round corral if needed…often both of us need it:)

Here Cowboy is touching Annie softly on her shoulder area asking her if she will settle in with him but she is still tight and tense…not quite ready to listen…

He continued by moving her off again…in the direction he asks…always when you work your horses, if you ask them to go to the right and they go to the left…you stop them and turn them back to the right…they must go the way you ask…again this is good communication and respect.

Annie is beginning to settle…she is facing him and you can see in her eyes that she is thinking…she wants to hook on to Cowboy…the first step that all is well and  she is safe. “Annie will you hook on to me now and follow me?”

For the sake of your eyes and boredom, unless you have horses, I fast forwarded the process and the pictures a bit 🙂

Ry is in the corral now as he listens how to connect to Annie, as she is looking for that sign of trust that Ry is safe too.

Touching Annie on her forehead is reassuring to her that all is well.

I have found that horses have a bond with children that is hard to explain…they are very soft with kids.

Dropping down to her level…we are showing her we are not over her but we are partners in this relationship and as partners you will be the safe leader…submission and trust are critical in your relationship with your horse.

Still working on trust here but making good progress.

Incredibly beautiful…as this is the moment when trust is being given between horse and human…see how Annie is looking at Cowboy…when your horse gives you their trust it is a sacred relationship.

One of my favorite pictures of Annie and Ry…she is such a sweet girl…and he is becoming such a cowboy too:)

That rainy gray morning…Annie gave her heart with her trust…she relaxed…joined in and  became soft.

The lesson ended with Annie introducing herself to Bo-Bo…he is the best dog…and father to our dog Dasher.

From here on we continued to develop Annie’s trust. The most important part of the relationship with your horse whether young or old is consistency…that is the key to the whole deal of your horses knowing that they are safe in this life with you:)

No more blahsay…hoping for a sunshiny today…is that the right spelling for sunshiny??? It is a word right?

Smile….click!

“Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be”.

A bit of help from the Mama’s and Papa’s.




Hot Rod Cowgirl’s Fete A La Holiday

17 Jan 2012 2 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Cattle Ranch, Juniper T Ranch, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , ,

Hot Rod Cowgirl’s fete a la holiday…in regards to yesterday…what is a holiday?

Hmmmmm…living in the country as a ranch wife or farm wife and eventually a hot rodders wife still living on the ranch/farm…

Means your life is pretty much committed fulltime to either the cattle and horses or taking care of the land or building and driving hot rods…oh what is a girl to do?

Growing up on both a large cattle ranch and wheat ranch meant I got to ride horses and take care of cows…and take care of the land.

Then I married “Wild Bill”…the crazy hot rod person:)

Follow me back in time before “Wild Bill” to the cows and horses. In the summers my parents and I moved to the mountains with 800 plus Black Angus cows…my relatives stayed here and took care of the land while my parents and I took care of the cows. Everyday we were either checking cows or moving cows to different pastures etc. and if that was not the case then we would be doctoring a sick cow or putting out salt blocks or fixing fence or building fence or looking for the leppy calf’s mama…or taking care of the horses and so on. As Fall made it appearance we began to gather cows…this took several weeks…once they were gathered…then my Dad began a 100 mile cattle drive to the low lands for the herd to winter on.

Through the winter months it was calving time and feeding time. I remember we would get done feeding the cows about noon…then we loaded trucks up again for the next day getting done in time to make one last check on first calf hefers…if we saw one that looked imminent it was either moved to the barn area or we would watch her through the night. In Spring we vaccinated and had a huge several day branding at the lower ranch…and June 1 we moved back to the mountains to repeat the summer pattern.

I know the rest of the world celebrates with several holidays a year but around here and to this country cowgirl most holidays are just another day…Thanksgiving and Christmas we take the day off but if we have cows or horses then we still have to feed them and take care of them .

Holidays?

Holidays were either working or moving cattle or cutting wheat after we were married and moved to the ranch.

Or doing Hot Rod Car Shows on Labor Day Weekends.

Or harvesting on July 4th…

And we usually do not want to see any fireworks!

Smile…smile….smile:)

Tack room wall of bridles and bits.

And working decor…yee-haw:)

Tonight as I close this sort of educating work verses holiday on a ranch post…we are under a severe winter storm watch…winds have been blowing all day…gusting to 45 mph…we are to be inundated with snow the next 48 hours…and it is snowing hard right now…we need moisture…but could we hold off on the freezing cold stuff as tonight I am dang cold.

Sleep well and I am wishing you a warm and gentle night:)

Simple Times In A Simple Country Girl’s Life

10 Jan 2012 12 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Heritage, Juniper T Ranch, Photography, Ranch History, Ranch Life Tags: , ,

Simple times in a simple country girls life in Juniper Canyon can be interesting…always changing…certainly not boring. What is it like where you live? If you were to ask me what is it like here, this is what I would say…

Amazing views because you can see forever…ever changing incredible light for picture taking nuts like me…you never know what living scene of daily life you will see or experience.

Most mornings you wake to a beautiful sunrise…filled with a revered quiet…stillness that fills you with a sense of God and peace for the new day.

Equally beautiful sunsets kiss your face each night and never fail to put on a chromatic color scheme of pure country beauty.

Solitude…looking into forever…not seeing another person…just you and the stillness of the land.

I know that horses will be in heaven because God made them and He loves to ride them…I feel like I am already  in heaven when I ride Melody…she makes my heart rest and my spirit go ahhhhhhh.

A warm winter’s night that feels like spring…it was incredible to look up and see two jets overhead in the golden evening twilight.

One of our resident hawks taking off to hunt for dinner. I then convinced Wild Bill to hike up on the hill as I was hoping for some moon shots.

Even after living here forever I never get tired of the views and knowing that the ground I walk on has been in my family for over 100 years…that speaks deep to your soul. I thank God for our home and this land everyday.

Here is a bit of history…the old clubhouse that we made for our kids and eventually became our grandkids. It has been everything from a rocket ship to a fort to a tank to a spaceship. In real life though it was an original tractor cab way back in the early 40’s. It kept the weather out and some of the dust…if only it could talk the stories it would tell.

And then…the moon peeked out from over the hill….perfectly blessed:)

Wild Bill agrees the hike was worth it!

Country beauty…country blessings.

Always interesting and intriguing.

As we headed for home we passed the stand of old trees that my Dad planted way back when. The weather and harsh winds take a toll on them but they have an enduring beauty of their own.

Hey Little Buck Buck…he is enjoying his evening hay dinner.

One last Juniper moon shot.

I hope you have enjoyed a small…very small part of our simple life here. May you be blessed where ever you are.

Just As We Were Hurrying To Get All The Last Minute Christmas Shopping Done….

19 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Lifestyles, Ranch Life, Weather Tags: , ,

Just as we are hurrying to get all the last-minute Christmas shopping done…holiday meals planned…and last minute details finished…we noticed a few days ago that there was an unusual amount of water on top of the road in front of our house. “Wild Bill” went out to look closer and found that we had a water leak under the paved county road.

After getting the necessary permits “Wild Bill” began the labor intensive job of tearing up the asphalt to get to the water pipe.

Not a fun job and rather over whelming to start this project now with freezing temps…but we needed water and we had to stop the leak.

“Yikes”….

This was rather serious folks…

As in trenches and “detours”…our poor dogs trying to do their job…barked and growled at every car that drove off the pavement to go through the detour…try to sleep at night…and no you do not.

Ask “Miss Melody”…she did not get any sleep either with the barking dog issue and “Patio Horse” was still staring at her too”.

And there is one of the culprits…and she is such a good girl..we love our Kiah…good good girl she is:)

Yes “Kiah my Kiah…you are a good girl!”

“Ok guys…what do you think?”

Since we fixed the leak of a 50-year-old pipe under the road it only made sense to fix the pipe all the way to the well…about 200’…to replace all the old pipe with new pipe….so Wild Bill dug and dug.  Dasher is the dog you see with Wild Bill…Dasher was born this time of year…perfect name huh?

The road is almost back to normal…the trench is filled with gravel…three days later all is well once again in “Juniper Canyon” and we have water in the house at last!

“Uh Dad….what do you think?” My two men…brings back memories of “Wild Bill” with my Dad.

Today we decorated our tree and got back to Christmas:)

And “Minnie Mouse said all is good:)”

This is country living folks…we is country folks…and we live it:)

Crazy…Fast and Furious…Unpredictable Life Filled With Many Blessings!

08 Dec 2011 4 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Heritage, Juniper T Ranch, Lifestyles, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: , , , ,

Crazy…fast and furious…unpredictable life filled with many great blessings…I often experience a mix…and even though it is fast and furious I find myself grabbing on to the important seconds that tick by….filing them away in my heart and trying to see every little detail of God’s world that we live in.

Prince was my first horse and best friend. Prince carried me for several years all over out here where I still live…a heartful of memories in a young cowgirls life.

I grew up behind my Dad’s back…where Dad went on a horse I went too…that was life to me…being on the back of a good horse…riding behind my Dad…and I miss his back.

Cows and horses or horses and cows…how I grew up and what I saw daily, normal everyday cattle ranch life…my history filled with many memories.

I am sure you all have those early life memories of daily life with your parents and where you lived…how you lived and what your life was about…moments that will live on forever and yet often, only live on in your memories.

My life was growing up here…on the Juniper T Ranch…various family and friends were around during early summer when we moved the cattle up to the mountain ground and again during the fall gathering. Three of my Aunt’s are in this picture…and this is where my Mom cooked for 20-30 men every day on a wood cook stove in this log cabin…no water except hauling it by bucket…that was life back in the late 60’s for this redneck girl.

  With this post I am writing about life chapters…old times and new times…old memoreis and new memories.

A glimpse of the special moments.

Experiences of a lifetime…Hobby and I playing with a cow.

She was just learning to hook on here.

And then she got it!

I loved the feeling of a horse under me moving and dancing with a cow…nothing quite like it! Hobby I miss you girl…miss you lots.

From work to play on a simple warm trail riding kind of day. Sitting on top of the Blue Mountains…the best place to be on a horse around here in the summertime!

Life with many adventures and well-worn chapters in the book of simple times.

Chapters of buying a new horse and bringing her home…our time getting to know each other….Melody you are the song in my heart:)

Turning golden worn pages to another chapter of life…grandkids and fun times with friends at the beach.

Moments with our sons…ocean views…happy times…family memories.

Special birthday times with our youngest son who is a “Moose”…Hot Rod Cowgirl is 5’9″….youngest son is a “Giant” at 6’5″.

Snap shots of a funny moment of “Jagged and Wild Bill”…silly, crazy times!

Of course “Smart Alec Times”..I think Hot Rod Cowgirl is picking on Wild Bill:)

Birthdays and grandkids  helping me celebrate…two granddaughters…lots of resemblance in our eyes and mouth…you can see that we are family:) Ok guys you can close your mouth…Wild Bill…Natalie…Becca…ok I know the cake is looking yummy and all but come on for the picture…close your mouth like me and smile big:) Oh Becca…where oh where are you??? Come back to reality girl.

An ordinary life filled with times such as this with family…love…happiness…that incredible moment when time stands still and you know….this is beautiful life.

Life takes you to places you have been before and places you have never been before.

Like “The Portland Roadster Show” in 2006 when we took three customer vehicles and won three Best Of Class!

And snow storms that drift and give you great photo ops!

Christmas is coming sooner than we expect…and before we know it…less than three weeks!

Just ask Ms. Minnie Mouse:) She likes sleeping under the tree when we put it up…now on to decorating it.

Christmas with Grandkids:) on our antique red sofa…long story for another post….the sofa is 1940’s vintage red leather  and I love it!

Good Night where ever you are…it is super cold here tonight…snuggle down with your loved ones and remember to look for those special memories and moments in your life…may you be blessed by the season at hand.

I Am Headed Down The Road Of Fall Colors And Autumn Adventures…

21 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Juniper T Ranch, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: ,

I am headed down the road of fall colors and autumn adventures…as

Summer has faded into history…and even though I grumble that summer went too fast…I am drawn into the change of seasons with the vivid colors of autumn…softer colors and softer light for photography…rusty colors…golds…greens…oranges….burnt yellows and the deep rusty reds that I LOVE!

The ever changing landscapes of life arise with new colors in each season…the seasons softly call my name as each season has much life to capture…so I grab my camera to record the life and adventures that I see…feel…and experience…I am blessed to be here and part of HSL and Juniper T!

A few days ago I walked along the edge of Payette Lake, which was incredible, with my hubby Wild Bill…we felt the brisk air of fall with a touch of winter on our cheeks…hearing the cold crunch of leaves and rocks under our feet and seeing the geese planning their flight South for warmer weather…means that soon winter…

Will fall up on us…but for now it is time for fall’s gentle rains and various curious clouds to add interest to our ever changing views…each day the temps get a bit colder…the colors get a bit bolder…and I hold on tighter to WB:)

Evenings can be spectacular as the soft golden light of sunset falls gently on the parched dry land left from the summer heat…creating a beautiful landscape  with incredible hues that speak to your heart…I grab my camera quickly…I do not want to miss out on the magical moment…you know the one…the photographers moment for that one incredible shot…the one you will love and feel a part of.

October is a time of reflection as we look back over the year behind us and then forward to the family holidays that soon will be here with lots of yummy holiday meals with family and friends…I need to think about making Norwegian Lefse or potato cakes…by the way they are extremely good, hot, rolled up with 100% butter!

It has been said that Autumn is the years last, loveliest smile…and I do believe it is so…it is bittersweet and yet it is very sweet.

Another part of fall for us is getting the last load of hay into the barn for winter.

Grandson Cody and Flame are getting ready to load the bales onto the hay elevator. Our barn was built in 1909…we sided it in 1981 to protect it but I remember it when it was a burnt red and then white. I love this old barn as it has been here through out my life…I made many forts in it growing up and played with my horses in the stalls in the winter…it holds 100 tons of hay upstairs.

Fall is family time with sons and dogs…grandkids…horses…sweet kitty cats and warm gentle days…memories and fun times.

Speaking of horses…here’s “Lil Buck”…he is watching his winter food being loaded into the barn. I love Buck…he is so very laid back and yet he is so galant and steadfast…he is very true of heart.

Having the hay elevator is a huge help! The way this works is that you have a trailer loaded with 5 tons of hay….bales are 100 pounds…you pick up one at a time and load it on the conveyor belt of the hay elevator…

It takes the bale up into the barn door where others catch it and load it on a cart…the cart is stacked three or four high and is wheeled over to the stack to unload…another art in itself!

Son Greg is running the cart…by the way the hay cart is 100 years old…this cart was a wheat cart from way back when…wheels made of iron…yep heritage runs deep here…I bet my Grandpa Gunder  built it or one of his brothers did…Wild Bill is catching the hay off the elevator and Robby Bobby Blue Eyes is watching…and notice in my barn and only in my barn…see the headers hanging on the wall behind Robby? There is the reason for my name…Hot Rod Cowgirl!

Three generations here…Wild Bill…son Greg…grandson Robert…and me taking the pictures:)  Family history and heritage is sooooo very important!!! There are many traditions we pass on to our kids as well as family stories about old times…and good times.

Ah here are the barn cats Pat and Jack…go ahead break into the barn and make their day! No the dogs do not go upstairs to visit them as they are afraid to!  Pat and Jack are happy…they are getting new condos in the hay!

Can’t you see their smile? Kind of a snarly smile…with a few hooks of the claw.

Grandpa and Cody hauling hay for my ponies up at the house…I have a couple of rather spoiled ponies right outside my kitchen window…I am able to keep my eye on both of them:)

“Grandpa..geez..I need help…it’s not working:( It’s ok Cody…all is well…Grandpa WB will fix it:)

Fall clouds with magical light and incredible colors.

Evening sunsets with cloudy skies can be incredible if you watch for that one magical moment

When the sun touches the dark clouds with a sun touched kiss of beauty…I am grabbing my camera and hoping to catch the artistic shot for you!

Buck agrees…he is very wise.

So does Ms. Kiah…she is wise too.

And Minnie has her heating pad back on so she is a happy wise kitty too:)

This is a glimpse of the view I see when I ride my horses up on the hills that are all around us…can you see the mountains…on a clear perfect night you can see three mountains…Mt. Hood…St. Helens…Mt. Adams…and once in a great while Mt. Ranier.

Fall delights us and gently invites us to enjoy the golden warm days with ever-changing scenery…wherever you are I wish you a beautiful fall!

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