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!

Magical Country Nights With My Car Guy

25 May 2012 25 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Holton Secret Lab, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As spring slowly slides into Juniper Canyon, the evening light has become softer with golden highlights…perfect light to capture pictures of the various customer vehicles we have built. This “1951 Chevrolet Pick Up” came to us from Calgary, Alberta and it was time for pictures as the owner was on the road headed to our shop to take his truck home, as the job was complete:)

The late day light makes the colors pop…which I love!

The chrome grill and rounded nose of this vintage truck rock with artistic design!

This is one very classy Chevrolet, completely restored to stock. The owner bought this truck at the Barrett Jackson Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ. and once he got it home decided that it needed some TLC. He did some searching and  found “Holton Secret Lab”…that is our business here…he loved that we were the “Secret Lab”.

We restored a “1948 Chevrolet Pick Up” a few years ago and took it to the Portland Roadster Show several times winning Best of Class. Both pick ups are almost the same color etc. and they are both restored to stock. You can take a look at the “1948” on our website under portfolio and also awards on http://www.holtonsecretlab.com. It is on the second page of the Portfolio.

I do love taking pictures of the work my hubby does as when the vehicle is finished it is amazing as I know how it looked when it came into the shop. WB has incredible vision and can see through the rust and nasty looking vehicles that our customers often bring to us to make them new again. Kind of like me with salvaging some of the antique furniture we have…when I begin to restore an ugly piece of old dilapidated furniture I can see the end result even if no one else can:) WB puts his whole heart into the customers dream vehicle…doing what he said he would do…and he does it with perfection:)

Very cool shot…check out the headlights…and all the amazing chrome:)

When I first married WB I had allot to learn with Hot Rods and Customs. Thankfully on my own accord in High School I fell in love with the love of automobiles and cool cars….of course my parents did not allow me to have anything cool…geesh. I wanted a “1966 “396” Chevelle” for my car on my 16th birthday…I heavily hinted this to Mom and Dad as their very good friend owned a Chevy garage and on his used car lot he had this exact car…a dark black cherry color with black interior…I even test drove it…hoping beyond hope…instead they bought me a three speed on the column “1966 Dodge Coronet” or I could drive my Dad’s Chevy Pick Up or his Chevrolet Blazer…which was pretty cool in “1968-1969” as they were unique.

Simple times…simpler days…no iPod or iPhone or high-tech stuff installed on this dash…just get in and enjoy the drive:)

I love that the wood is oak with chrome strips…what a flash!

Ahhh…the good ol’ days!

Had to throw this in so you would not get too bored with car stuff…this was last night between storms…we now seem to get mid-west weather…wild clouds and wild weather…hoping we do not get tornadoes next or something crazy…weird clouds and storms are enough…perfect for a country cowgirl camera addict:)

Ok time to put her away…

Hmmmm? I wonder what he is seeing or thinking?

My car guy…love you WB:)

After 35 years you still make my heart pitter patter:)

It’s Fabulous Fantastic Freaky Friday!!! I am wishing you an incredible day filled with lots of good belly laughs with plenty of sunny sunshine!!! No matter where you are…there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if you look for it! It may not be actual money that you find but something very special and meaningful:)

Look deep into my eyes…the force is with you…Happy Freaky Friday!!!!!!

Sunsets…Horses…Moon Rising…Spring Evenings

20 May 2012 38 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscapes, Photography, Sunset Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Spring evenings are magical here as the earth begins to turn green everywhere and sunset time brings soft light and incredible skies.

I never grow tired of looking at this view…

The CRP is getting greener and is full of life.

Hey Mr. Buck Buck…love his Buckskin color…and he is such a good boy!

The sun is beginning to slowly slide behind the canyon hill….

While I fill water troughs and check horses…

My Sweet Melody…such a pretty girl:)

Heaven above is painting the sky colors and hues that we can not make ourselves…as it is God’s way of blessing us with His nightly creation…

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!

God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

And as the sun-kissed the earth one more time with golden colors…I was blessed with this view out the window…the incredible moon sitting on top of the hill.

What we call a “Harvest Moon” as typically we often have beautiful moons like this during the heat of harvest and summer…

And lift off…the end to a perfect spring day in Juniper Canyon….

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday…and a great start to a new week on Monday!

I will be updating some new pictures of the house remodel as it is beginning to change quite a bit!

My New Love Affair

16 May 2012 47 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Sunset, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I have a new love affair living here and “Wild Bill” knows about it…in fact he is the one who gave me this new love for Mom’s Day! I bet you are wondering what it is…

Let me introduce you to” Lola”…a completely stock “1955 T-Bird” that WB surprised me with for Mother’s Day:) Yes we name our vehicles around here…always have as we feel they each have a distinct personality!

We are the third owner and interesting enough…all three owners have been women. I fell in love with this car the first time I drove it with “Wild Bill”. A customer had asked us to check all the running gear out on it as he had bought it for his wife in 1992 and they were ready to sell it.

When I first met “Wild Bill” this was my car…a silver “1964 Corvette Coupe”…which I loved so much! I have looked for another one the last 35 years and have not found one yet. After I drove “Lola” I was taken back to driving my “64”…Lola drives the same and feels the same and is very much like my Corvette! I know there are some Corvette addicts out there that are rolling their eyes that Lola can not possibly be like Lucretia (my “64’s” name)…and I admit this is the first Ford I have owned.

Lola is all class…leather dash and all original interior…6 volt…both tops…three speed overdrive…enough room for two people…and that beautiful Torch Red. She is also the first year of Thunderbird…and honestly if she was newer than a 1957 Bird I would not like her. I personally thought the 1955-1957 T-Birds were incredible.

When you drive her you have to actually drive her:) In other words in my Suburban I just lightly steer and off we go…with Lola you have to steer and watch the tach and shift up and down:):):) So that is why she reminded me of my “64 Vette”. This is a classic sports car back when America knew how to build cars…the golden age of real steel and real parts with attention to detail on horsepower and the ride:)

Here is a very cool touch…the exhaust exits through the two chrome ports above the bumper. They were designed to look like a WWII machine gun ports on a fighter plane…really!

And the hood scoop…love it with the cool grill in it:) Love the flags with the Ford logo.

Smile “Wild Bill”..I love you…so does Tucker and Dasher…he hates me taking his picture…can you tell?

I can’t stop taking pictures of Lola to share with you how amazing she is in person and I love taking pictures! Have you noticed?

My “Baby Bird” has a 292 CID overhead valve V-8. It was the second year of these motors for Ford…a big improvement over Ford’s old flathead engines. Lola’s really peppy even as a senior citizen:)

As I often say…see ya on down the trail driving Lola…L..O..L..A Lola…La-La-La Lola:) Ok here is a test for…who sang the “Lola” song I am humming along to?

Another beautiful country sunset that gifted us on a perfect weekend!

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!!!

Weekend Warriors!

02 May 2012 20 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Landscapes, Photography, Ranch Life, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few weekends ago we began to move the portable horse stalls we set up here at the house to the new set up across the road from the house…last weekend we decided to move the hay/feed room.

With running a small business during the week and currently remodeling the exterior part of the house etc…often our weekends are when we do ranch chores.

In the spring especially, the ranch requires lots of TLC…we spray weeds and burn weeds…clean up around the buildings and along the roads…drag pastures as well as drag the gravel driveways around the ranch complex…fix fences, gates and sprinklers if needed…clean the barn, saddles and corrals…work up the dirt in the arena into nice soft un-clumpy dirt…lots of this and that type things.

There are not enough hours in a day for either Wild Bill or me from about February until maybe December and then we have the holiday rush!

“Wait…Hey Mr. Sun…you can’t leave me now…come back I need more daylight please!!!”

We began the process of dismantling stuff and I had gone to the house to grab some water for us to drink and my camera…I glanced out my kitchen window as I walked by and I saw this! We had moved the two stalls by taking them apart the weekend before…and Wild Bill…now you can see why he is known as “Wild Bill”…decided there were too many screws in the hay/feed room to take it apart sooooo…he was Wild Billing it!

“Uh honey, we are blocking off the road and it looks like you are beginning to slide down the embankment…which means you are likely going to roll the tractor and the feed room is chained to it so it will follow you!!! What are you #### doing!!!”

Yikes the tractor is sliding…ok I can’t watch this…no I have to watch this…”WB…there has to be a way to do this different #### !!!”

“Wild Bill get off the tractor!” The gravel and ground is sliding terribly!

Somehow WB, “Wild Billed it”…saving himself, the tractor and the feed room! Maybe it was me falling to the pavement kicking…screaming with a few swear words and praying hard!

Ta-da! Almost to the right spot! Aussie dog Dasher is supervising!

And then WB tries one more time to tip it over! I think he likes to give me a heart attack or something just to see if I am watching!

The new stalls are across the road from where they were before…this was a distraction picture as I was trying to not look at WB and the feed room that was trying to tip over!

Buck is munching away on the nice green pasture grass…soon the big irrigation guns will be watering the pastures again with having the new well:) “Psssst Buck…look at WB…the feed room is tipping!”

“Uh you mean the hay room…the feed room with the treats in it?” Buck was worried too!!! He loves that room!

Well we got it all moved without tipping something over and without yelling too much…just a few rather loud cuss words:) The feed room looks good…next we will re-assemble the stalls with a pen in front for a run and dry lot. I think they will like it better…more to do and not as boring.

Yes….we had more rain on Monday. Sunday had been beautiful…today it is semi cloudy and cold. I want warm days with sunny sunshine:) If you look close you can see the field down the road with the yellow hue to it. That is Canola…when you use Canola Oil this is how the farmers grow the seeds. I will get a better picture of it this week to show you.

Have a peaceful evening and a great week!!!

Crazy Wild West Weather Captures Hot Rod Cowgirl’s Eye!

07 Apr 2012 19 Comments

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

April blew in with fury and might arriving in Juniper Canyon with wild whacky weather…take a look:)

We woke to snow on two mornings…yikes and what???

I know I complained back in December for Ms. Madame Cold Winter to come visit us but…it is time sweetheart, for you to go away as Spectacular Suzi Spring is waiting patiently to do her thing. However, you keep rearing your cold winter head and it is a nasty head cold you are dealing with…ok here is my box of kleenex…you need NyQuil and rest Ms. Madame! Seriously GF it is time to let it go and hibernate for a few months and get rested up again for next winter! I will be asking once again for snow on Christmas Day…and no I will not forget you!

Sammy Sunshine heard me and answered my plea…he came out to warm the earth enough to melt the snow:)

While heating up the floor for Minnie who was into the groove of her super sunny sun bath:)

Yet each day the seasons have continued to fight back and forth for either winter or spring…thankfully with the skies putting on a show for camera nuts like me.

Brisk rain drops falling on my window instead of my head:)…making for a cool view. Real horsepower with a hood scoop and real horse power in my view! Am I in heaven?

Gentle drops of rain wash the grime and dirt of winter off the land that is filled with the beauty of new life with the buds of April.

Clouds that threaten with ominous darkness one minute…

And turn into perfect blue skies with circles of blue and white sky the next!

Melody has her ears up…hmmm…something is going on as I can never get her ears up when I take a picture!

Now I see why her ears are perked up…here we go again with astonishing weather and cloud formations.

Wild weather was all around us the first week of April 2012! Yee-Haw!

UH-OH…Hey Toto…can you hear me?

Grab my hand…’er paw and

 “Hang on tight…here we go again!”

“Happy Glorious Easter!”

“Celebrate His Life”

“For He Has Risen!”

“Wild Bill…HR Cowgirl…Minnie…And All Our Horses and Doggies…Barn Cats…And HSL…Wish You All A Happy Easter Sunday!”

“Hello Kansas…Are you Missing Some Clouds?”

28 Mar 2012 22 Comments

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

Hello Kansas…Oklahoma…how about Nebraska…we are having the most incredible bizarre weather we have ever had here…a bit crazy…a bit wild…wild west weather…ride ’em cowboy!!!

Good Morning…Juniper Canyon!

Today does not look like the spring weather we usually have…at all?

Melody just had a brief morning shower…and she is not that impressed either.

At 9:00 this morning it became 9:00 at night…

Hey Toto…looking for the yellow brick road?

Hang on…me too:)

Last week we had winter…today we had

Whacky Weird Wednesday Weather…

Incredible photography moments…I was amazed as all of a sudden I was seeing images I only saw on the Weather Channel…here!?!?!

Wild weather gives views that make you stop and look with awe…taking your breath away…

Landing you in the middle of the Wizard Of Oz..2012 style.

With Fanny Annie…and of course Hot Rod Cowgirl…and

Toto…we are still here…smile:)

We can relax as God has the night shift…we can all sleep tight, as we drift off humming the “Yellow Brick Road…We’re off to see the Wizard!”

Simple March Days

10 Mar 2012 21 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Landscapes, Minnie, Photography, Sunset, Weather Tags: , , , , ,

Last Sunday was one of those rare warm spring days…and Minnie Mouse was taking it in breathing all those yummy outside smells!

She is so very cute!

Mom can you smell that!!! She is in her jungle mode scoping out her pray…and planning her attack!

While Minnie was occupied with spring smells and Wild Bill was playing on his laptop, I had the opportunity to go for a walk with my camera….it was truly peaceful, warm and beautiful.

The light was beginning to change to a golden soft light…perfect for pictures.

Before we know it this wheel will be turning and watering the pastures once again.

I love the sagebrush…the colors of the sky…the land…and the clouds.

Various hues of light dance as the sun is slowly fading…

The sky seems to constantly change as the golden light softens Juniper…

Amazing….from second to second the colors change all around me as I click and snap picture after picture.

The sun is dipping into a can of various colors of orange, gold and purple as it sets.

The sheer gold light reflects itself into the landscape…

Until our sun slowly sinks lower behind the hill…gently rolling over to go to sleep after a long warm spring day

A Wild West Wednesday Windstorm!

25 Feb 2012 36 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Landscapes, Life, Photography, Sunset, Weather Tags: , , , , , ,

 A “Wild West” Wednesday  windstorm made its appearance with lots of gusto…dust with dusto…tumbling tumbleweeds and brisk cold winds out of the west!

An unusual storm for this time of year here in Juniper.

With damaging winds that gusted over 65-70 mph as well as dust thick like fog in some places…it was a heck of a storm!  Fortunately with the canyon wall behind our house we had some protection from the winds and our CRP thankfully kept the dust down for us.

Late Tuesday afternoon it began with a sudden gust of wicked westerly wind, with dark clouds waiting for their cue to drift in with a hu-rrrummmph…threatening attitude!

Horses are not fond of wind as they are prey animals and keep aware of their surroundings in case they have to flee for their life. When the wind blows the normal usual things they see everyday that are “safe” become unknown shapes…that is when they jump or spook. WB’s horse Buck was on guard…watching closely as the winds were whipping it up pretty good moving sagebrush and bushes that are in his pasture.

And then…while I was setting my camera….”Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” showed up to visit me from 1977.

 Threatening clouds were drifting in from the west, seeming to hang in place…almost like it was the preview before the movie…I was never good with scary stuff so quit IT and no it is not really a spaceship hidden in the cloud…with aliens…..

By early Wednesday morning tumbleweeds were rolling and blowing…it was incredible to see so many roll by my window. Where is my long lens WB…and are those dang weeds ours? The roar of the wind told me that it was only a matter of time before the dust would blow.

And blow it did…between the dust and the gusts it was a wild winter weather day in Juniper Canyon.

For unknown reasons the county road department decided it was a good day to blow the dirt off the roads out here…are you kidding?

Annie is not sure about this and wonders what is brush the dirt off the road day anyway?

The flashing lights and equipment were enough to scare her! The wind already had her scared and now in her mind the Big Boogie Man with flashing eyes was coming down the road after her!

Annie ran into her stall while Ms. Melody Calm Heart ran out of her stall to see what was happening. Melody will look and maybe snort…maybe jump once…she is so very trustworthy in her world, she knows that her human (me) is keeping her safe and she is ok…I love love love this girl…I have had lots of horses but never one like her. I hope to get Annie feeling solid like Melody…part of this years training plan in round corral 101.

It blew and blew and blew…all day long…and then finally.

The light began to change and the darkness turned to beautiful skies as all things work together for good…even dust and gusts. We can find the good in every part of our life, if we look:) The sunset was beautiful and simply incredible with the dust particles in the sky that evening,

Golden clouds touched by God Himself…

As I post this today on Saturday, we are under another severe weather watch as the winds are gusting upwards to 60 mph again…we had quite a bit of rain last night but as of this afternoon we are back to seeing dust in the distance again…ugh.

In case you have never seen a tumbleweed…this is a tumbleweed…they have stickers all over them. They grow green with the stickers and when they dry out they break off and the wind carries them away as they tumble off and  roll. They can block a road and they can pile up against a wire fence…a few yeas ago I spent a month pulling them out of our New Zealand fences and then burning them in a pile. Songs have been written about them…new swear words were created because of them and they have been used to decorate with twinkle lights in them…I prefer to burn them:)

Leaving you with a smile…hum or sing with me the old cowboy song Tumbling Tumbleweeds…do you know the song?

” The Tumbling Tumbleweeds” by The Sons of the Pioneers

I’m a roaming cowboy riding all day long,
Tumbleweeds around me sing their lonely song.
Nights underneath the prairie moon,
I ride along and sing this tune.

See them tumbling down
Pledging their love to the ground
Lonely but free I’ll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

Cares of the past are behind
Nowhere to go but I’ll find
Just where the trail will wind
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

I know when night has gone
That a new world’s born at dawn.

I’ll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.

Sure brings back good memories as I can hear my Dad whistling along to this as we rode together gathering cattle in the mountains…we did not have tumbleweeds there but we had nettles!

Enjoy your weekend where ever you are! Let the end of Winter roar itself out…hang on tight…Spring will be here before we know it!

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