Spring is getting sweet around the ranch

Goldie is now off at training camp, Aunt Misty and Summer

graze the driveway together

This past weekend started Friday with Kittee going to Milton-Freewater court which lasted until 10:00 a.m., I did some grocery shopping while she was in court and we both got home by 10:30. I gave downriver Robert a call and asked if he wanted to join us for an arena ride, and he did. Close to 11:00 we were saddled up and ready to ride. Kittee was going to try to start riding English this day but the girth strap she bought didn’t fit Derby or Shaiela, so she went western and then bareback; we rode about three hours.

From Misty's point of view

To finish this riding session I took Misty out of the arena and we rode the pastures at a trot and then a little ways at a canter. In the above picture Misty has her ear cocked back, while making arena circles, but running the pastures she is head high, ears erect, and happy with the wind in her face. Misty is just making a better ride all the time, actually we work together to make our rides better and more fun. After my p.m. bus route I burned the garden rows to eliminate any seedlings that had started since I had Round Up the entire growing area several weeks ago.

Kittee and I then kicked back and had a few beers and topped our day off with a couple of thick hot-off-the-grill ribeye steak, grilled mushrooms (from our new two person gas grill), a large baked potato split between us. Mmmmmmm good stuff. That and a glass of vino for Kittee and a red-beer for me made a fine dinner and we then capped the day off with an early evening video.

Saturday, was a beautiful day for fun, play and horseback riding. Right after our hotcake & sausage breakfast Kittee and I made a bee line to the tack store and bought a longer girth strap for her English saddle, I got a set of roper reins (that were too short) and we headed home to ride. Again Robert came up and rode with us for several hours. I will let these pictures tell the story of this day…

Kittee and Derby go English

After riding we put the horses up. I got a picture of our three youngest ranch fillies…

Raji is 3 yo (a boarder), Summer the yearling, Rosey the 2 yo

After lunch Kittee brought Sunny a 4 yo Arabian boarder filly, into the round pen, saddled her up and lounged her for awhile. Sunny’s owner told Kittee, she could have the freedom to ride her at will so Kittee is looking forward to that.

Kittee has not ridden Sunny yet... maybe next weekend.

Saturday evening Robert invited us to have dinner with he and Sherry. Pizza, & beer party with a Wii machine of fun and games to follow. First we had two sets of bowling, I made high score on the second game, then Kittee and Robert played 15-shot / 3-point basketball, then Kittee played two 9-hole rounds of golf. Everyone had a really good time with this toy, and now Kittee feels we should have one (Hummm? Would be good for winter). By the time we were through, it was waaaaay past our bedtime.

Sunday, we slept in for awhile, had our starter cup of coffee in bed, listened to Will Shortz's puzzle game on NPR, and later a corny grits, sausage and egg breakfast. The weather forecast for Sunday was temperatures in the 60's and a 40% chance of rain, which usually means things are going to get wet around here to some degree. With that chance for rain, right after breakfast I fired up the garden tiller and went to work.. on about 600 row feet of garden space.

Sunday it didn’t rain so Kittee and I rode, rode, and rode horses up to lunch time. This day I rode Nugget to put him through some of the arena course work that I usually put Misty through. Nugget not having done this in a long time was quite a bit slower and less responsive than Misty. But I worked him, and worked him and he was much better at running the course in a trot and canter by the time we were through working/ playing the course.

Kittee spent her time riding Derby in their new English attire.

Sunday afternoon, Kittee and I just kicked back and took life easy for awhile.

Taking a break, just taking it easy...

After lunch Kittee laid down for a rest period (we were out late Saturday night), and I hung out with horses. About time I was going into Rusty’s keep to groom him, I had company show up. Now this is neat… I met Jennie on Facebook a few weeks ago. She now lives in the BIG NYC, but is from Walla Walla, WA where she grew up on a 20 acre asparagus farm, and her mom Bonnie is a member of our Walla² Fly Fishers’ fishing club... small world. Jennie was on vacation this past week, spending time with her mom, so I invited both of them to drop by the ranch to pet horses and have a beer. They did, we did. After Jennie and Bonnie left, Kittee came back outside and we messed around with horses for awhile, had dinner and watched a video before calling it a full blown weekend… done.

And that's the way it is around the ranch this past weekend.

Wish you were here,
Dale

April is green, the Blues are white & Duke WINS it all!

A view of the Walla Walla River Valley after snowfall

across the Blues - 5 April.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again this blog posting is mostly For The Records...

What a game... What-a-game, we had last night. That had to be one of the best collegiate championship B-ball games of all times.

Duke WON!!!

Did you see that?

Last Thursday Carolina lost the NIT championship game. I must make mention of that, sad but true. My Ole Home Team, the 2009 NCAA National Champs... loss.

Duke was not to play until Saturday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week around the ranch life has been pretty relaxed. Since April 2 all of our nice spring like weather of February and March has turned into high winds, some heavy rains, splattering snowfall, a hail storm with pellets larger than green peas that turned the ground white. For the most part the weather around here has turned to yuck in the past week. April 1 we had a beautiful sunshiny day with the forecast of winter heading our way for the weekend. Friday morning started out rather iffy, sunshine with the sunrise. I had a MacHi softball trip scheduled to Union, OR for the afternoon and evening. By the time I was halfway through my a.m. bus route, we were getting some high winds blowing, and splattering snowfall across the area, and moving easterly towards Union. Weather forecast was for 3”-6” of snowfall across the Blue by nightfall. Well by the time I finished my a.m. route, the trip to Union was cancelled. The baseball trip going to Stanfield, was cancelled. The trip going to Ontario was cancelled. The BIG 24-schools annual track meet held right here in small-t0wn USA, Milton-Freewater for the past 72 years, was cancelled at noon. That was the first time in 72 years that this had happened. So that defines what our last Friday's local weather was like.

Saturday a.m. feeding before the wind blows.

Saturday started with sunbreaks throughout the area. After breakfast, Kittee called downriver Robert and made plans to horseback ride in the arena for the morning. I was off chores and riding duties due to a knee injury, which had occurred earlier in the week, without my knowledge of how, why, or where (?). Kittee and Robert made a leisurely 2-hour horseback ride out by the riverside, and they claimed that most of the time in the arena the wind did not hit them.

I continued to put in some time on our Walla² Fly Fishers’ Facebook site. Our Walla Walla fishing club is not doing a website, but I am putting together a monthly Blogspot site of club happenings and a Facebook site of area/regional fly fishing interest. It is enjoyable to be working up a new fly fishing club for our home waters in Walla Walla River Valley. I joined Kittee and Robert outside after their riding time and we noticed a small herd of mule deer in the stubble field across the road sunbathing and relaxing.

Saturday afternoon it was a NCAA Final Four Duke basketball game to enjoy and I really enjoy being on PDT- not staying up half the night to watch sports being played on the east coast / ACC. Duke Won!!


Sunday Kittee handled the ranch animal chores to give my knee a chance to continue healing. Throughout the day she was in and out of the house about every 20-30 minutes or so dickering around with horses, cats and goats. After breakfast I read the morning newspaper, listened to A Prairie Home Companion and then spent most of the rest of the day tying flies for the upcoming trout season. The past couple of years Kittee and I have almost depleted our supply of stillwaters flies, so the time has come to re-supply our fly boxes with Elkhorn Lake Specials and starting a supply of Chironomids. This got me thinking about going steelhead fishing in Washington on the lower Walla Walla before the season closes April 15th. Steelhead are not worthy table fare this time of year, but the hookup can be fun to play.

Monday it was a back to school day, and for Kittee a day in court. After my p.m. bus run I fed the ranch critters and waited for the BIG --- NCAA National Championship game with Duke in the running. What a game. Did you see that?

Duke Won!!!!

Yep, I will have to say that I have really enjoyed having high speed Internet connection over the past month, particularly with two ACC basketball teams playing for the Men's NCAA and the NIT national championship games. What a thrill.

Today I took my palomino mare Goldie (Summer's dam) off to the trainer for 30-days of under-the-saddle workout. I am looking forward to riding in her saddle upon her return in May. Goldie will give us five riding horses on the ranch when she returns, which is kind of necessary when breeding three/four mares on an every other year basis.
She is such a dappled beauty when she's washed up... Don't you think?


And that’s the way it is around the ranch this week.

Happy Trails and Peace be with you ---
Dale

Spring Break '10 is over & Duke is sweeping the NCAA

Go Duke!!! ~~~ Go Carolina!!!

Having been raised in North Carolina, being an Ole ACC fan,
it is hard for me to turn my back on these two teams,
and my ole pal Dr. Bob who played for Duke
in his undergrad days while being tall.

Go Duke!!! ~~~ Go Carolina!!!

I just finished my nice long stretch of Spring Break 2010. It actually began on Thursday the 18th as school was out of session that day and also Friday the 19th. What a break.

Thursday, I made a road trip with the MacHi Track team to Pendleton for a major division meet. It was a beautiful day for running track events. After dropping the students off at PDT High School I dropped the trip bus off at the Caterpillar shop to be worked on. Kittee came out to the CAT shop, picked me up and we headed for downtown PDT for a very good lunchbreak. I spend a bit of time running around town buying our 2010 Pendleton Round Up tickets, some Stretch Magic for tying flies, and some spicy Bloody Mary mixer to make red beers when I got home, and for Spring Break. Round Up tickets- there were NONE available for Friday and Saturday's rodeo, and only a few for Wednesday and Thursday. I bought tickets for Thursday's show and there are no seats yet assigned. What I got was a voucher for money paid, as the Round Up Grandstands are being rebuilt and added on to for this year's BIG event.

“Let’er Buck”!!

This should be quite the show year for the 100th Anniversary. This year will make my 57th year of showing up at the Pendleton Round Up.

“Let’er Buck”!!!

Friday, Kittee had Milton-Freewater city court in the a.m. and that afternoon we did some horseback riding with Downriver Robert in our riverside arena. That same afternoon, our dear friend Kasey, home from college, dropped by and had her first Rusty ride. She is now only the second person to ride Rusty, so that was exciting to watch, not scary. After Kasey settled into the saddle, she kept saying "Dale you can ride Rusty... he is easy." I told Kasey that she can ride him all she wants to, and I hope by the cool of autumn I will be riding him. Our handsome Arabian stallion - sire of Summer.

A frame from our YouTube video of Kasey's - Rusty ride
and YouTube video of Kasey's - Rusty ride II

A beautiful end-of-winter afternoon.

Saturday and Sunday Kittee started coming down with a cold, the weather was beginning to turn back into winter, so we spent most of our time indoors those days. Saturday evening I missed all of the Carolina B-ball game but saw that we won and are still in the NIT Tournament. Hip-hip-Hooray.

Sunday we had a few sun breaks and I was able to get a full blooming photo of our driveway daffodils.

as once again Sunday the mountains to the east went snow capped.

The first part of the week –Spring Break– the weather was early spring-like crappy, cool, some sunshine with showers.

Monday and Tuesday I bussed the MacHi Girls’ Softball team to Boardman, OR for a two-day tournament. The eastern view of the snow capped mountains as we left Milton-Freewater was a beautiful eastern Oregon Blue Mtns. site. Traveling west on I-84 the Washington Cascade snow capped mountains were visible most of the way to Boardman in the morning sun. There the weather was favorable, mostly clear and dry with plenty of pollen in the air, when we got to Boardman. Monday with an afternoon shower, the hay fever attack was not too bad, but Tuesday being a very nice sunshiny day, the hay fever clobbered me. I had to spend half my day watching the ball games from inside the bus. The MacHi girls made a winning sweep of the tournament, with a slight close call -Pilot Rock comeback- half way through the last game. Go Girls!!

Wednesday I was pretty whipped by the Monday – Tuesday hay fever attacks, so I spent most of the day Wednesday and part of Thursday indoors working on our Walla² Fly Fishers Facebook site.












The Facebook site is progressing well and on Friday and Saturday we had some splendid fly hatches around the ranch, so that gave me some great specimens to expand the fishing club’s site with fly hatch info.

Thursday we had a pretty horses sunset to enjoy.

Friday we also had a good day on horseback in our arena. Kittee still has a sore foot from when she sprained it a couple of weeks ago so she has been riding easy in the stirrups, and Misty and I are working more and more on leg and rein control, without using the bit very much. We were getting good at that last year before I had a wreck on Nugget and busted some ribs. Friday evening I polished off the day watching Duke win over Purdue...

This one was not a nail biter...

Saturday, we just hung out around the ranch doing one small chore after another. I have been working on our pastures, Kittee worked a couple of horses in the round pen and washed Sunny’s mane.

Sunny is an Arabian boarder from AZ and her mom Jaz has given Kittee permission to ride her through the summer. Sunny and her sister Raji have been here for almost two years, and will be returning to AZ after the summer heat wave for Jaz and family to ride.

Saturday we celebrated Summer’s eight-month birthday.

Sunday after a breakfast of sausage gravy biscuits, eggs and coffee we headed out to groom our rides for the day. Downriver Robert came up and worked on Nugget and thereafter we had a most enjoyable riding session. Again I worked with Misty not using stirrups or reins in the arena. After that bit of schooling we went out to pasture, where I found Misty a bit unwilling to follow my cues so she really got a good workout. I too enjoy these arena & field workouts as it is a time of connection with my horse, and a chance to work up a sweat for both of us. Lately I have had to downsize my blue jeans, and that is feeling better.
I did get to watch the Duke against Baylor game from the get go Sunday, that was a good game.

Once again the mountains to the east got snow capped Sunday night. Made it cool getting back on the bus, going back to work at 6:30 a.m. Monday.

So all and all, over the Spring Break I had a chance to get most of the pastures I wanted to re-sown, I got the garden sprayed with Roundup and a few rows burnt off with the Red Devil torch, and found that as the lawn grass is getting taller, that I have a dead 8-year old battery in the lawn tractor. Gonna have to go to town soon for a battery and propane.

Now with the garden ⅓ prepped, as soon as it stops raining, I can spread horse manure across the burned off rows and in a couple of weeks I will be tilling and planting... fresh veggies for '10.

And that the way it has been around the ranch
during Spring Break ’10 --- Dale