Thanksgiving '08

This Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, Kittee and I did not get into allot of running around nor did we have company in.

We began this holiday season with our traditional eggnog latté morning treats. Mmmmmm good stuff. These have always been quite the treat, while soaking in bed on cold holiday/weekend mornings, waiting for the house to warm up around us.

This year for Thanksgiving dinner we went up the So. Fork of the Walla Walla and had a most pleasant afternoon- evening with our ex-boarder, Kasey and her grandparents Gerry and Connie Schmeckpeper. Gerry's sister also joined us for dinner, and there we all consumed a delicious feast, with plenty of vino on the sidebar. This was a very casual dinner party, (I was instructed not to attend in Black Tie) with too much good food and wonderful company to share it with. This was our first opportunity to break bread with Connie and Gerry, it was a good time; we have now invited them to come down river and join us with a ranch BBQ when the winter weather breaks.
Kittee and I roasted our 20 pound turkey, with all it's trimmings on Saturday. It made a very good dinner for Saturday and all day today, pick, pick, pick... Mmmmmm Good!

Our weekend weather has been mostly off and on clouds/fog banks going through, with sun breaks to let us get outside with horses and do a few chores around the ranch before December/winter is upon us.
I did some more work on burning, cleaning and tilling the garden area these past few days. I was hoping to move the asparagus plants out of Rusty's keep, but all I got done on that project was to till the bed I am moving the asparagus crowns into. Hopefully this next week I will be able to move the crowns before having to move Rusty back to his keep.

Other than these little projects, we have just stayed home, relaxed, watched some good movies, "worked" /played with the horses, and Kittee her cats.


Kittee did load Derby and Nugget up this morning and took them for a ride at the Walla Walla Fairground Arena. Since it was quite chilly and foggy this morning when she left, I did not feel like going out trying to ride my horse and have my head chilled out this day; so I stayed home and when the sun came out at high noon I went out and groomed and grained horses. Everyone is now wearing a winter coat, but so far their coats have not gotten very long or shaggy. Hope this might be a sign of a mild winter to come.
After working and playing with the herd, I tilled a couple more rows in the garden, getting ready for spring of '09.

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Rosey is VI months old

Thanksgiving Day '08 was Rosey's six months old Birthday.

She now stands 12 hands tall and tapes at about 450 pounds.

She is getting to be a big little girl. Still as lovable, soft to touch,
and gentle as ever.

I will be posting more photos onto Rosey webpage
and photo album soon.

Lest we not forget Rusty.
It was just over a year ago that we made the trip to Bend, OR and bought our Adrenaline Rush. Since that time he has become such a very gentle pet stallion. Rusty has recovered from his bout with Pigeon Fever and has spent the past week - 10 days out on pasture. He is currently in our 4 acre pasture being fed hay twice a day, and grazing the balance of the day, so he is showing being well winter fed. He does stay busy pacing/prancing the fence line as he watches the rest of the herd about 200' away in their pastures. This past week we wormed all the herds (horses & goats), and blended the mare and gelding herds back together to be one for the winter.

Our Quarab mare Goldie is beginning to show to be quite pregnant x Rusty, and loving her extra rations of mare/foal grain and sweet COB. She is still the #1 Blond Bitch in attitude, right behind Shaiela being the Queen Bitch of McKuster Ranch. Horse herd hierarchy, is a very interesting thing to watch.

This has been our Thanksgiving '08 holiday weekend. Schools has been out for over a week now, and tomorrow I get cranked up again driving two buses to make my rounds. Gee, just think... we have another holiday coming at us in just a few weeks.

Happy Holidays and to all a good night.

Thanksgiving '08 around McKuster Ranch --- Dale

Used to be, one would have been enough...

This past week the weather at McKuster Ranch was gorgeous as the herds of horses and goats laid around sunning under our warm eastern Oregon blue skies. One day this past week I spent the entire day working in my AQHA T-shirt. Enough to make me wonder if global warming might be heading in our direction here in the Great Pacific Northwest, or if it is just the micro-climate of McKuster Ranch and our solar heat collector/bluff. Our clear blue skies now has the sun traveling deep in the southern quadrant with sunrise hitting our front door at 7:56 this past weekend and the last light of the setting sun leaving our front door at 3:23.

The weather this past week gave me a good chance to work on cleaning up our garden area; burning off the weeds, pulling up drip tape/soaker hoses, spreading horse manure,

and working until last light making the first soil tilling for the up coming '09 garden season.

Saturday and Sunday Kittee and I went horseback riding in the fallow-stubble wheat fields of our property on the north side of the river. Derby and Misty had a grand time jogging and cantering the harvest trails on Saturday. Even though we had Sunday riding time at the indoor arena in Walla Walla it was just too beautiful in the great outdoors to take our horses for a ride inside four wall/under roof. We just don't get views like the ones below when riding in and around the city of Walla Walla.

Sunday when we off loaded the trailer, we had intentions of going to the top of Bowlus Hill. But it appeared that Derby and Misty were a bit tuckered from their Saturday of cantering in the soft soil of stubble fields, and they were not quite as eager to cantering up the foothills of The Blues this day.
So we made it easy for them and us, a little jogging, a little cantering, mostly walking and enjoying the scenery above the forks of the Walla Walla. After a 2-hour ride as we were heading back towards the trailer/the trip home, we watched a herd of a dozen mule deer running, bouncing off their toes across the field in front of us. Wish I had been set to get a picture of that.

It was one year ago today that I fired up old "Silver PU" and drove to Helix, OR around 5:30 a.m., there to meet Julie at her MidCo school bus. That was the Monday before Thanksgiving Day, the night before and that morning we were getting our first seasonal snowfall. Reminded me of WNC winter weather. As I headed for Helix that morning the wind was blowing snow so hard in places I could not tell if I was on the road or about to run out across the wheat fields. Well, a lot of bus driving has gone on since them, and this past week I got a telephone call from MidCo Bus Company in Pendleton asking if I would be interested in having another school bus to drive for them. I told them give me a day to think about it and I did.

Used to be, one school bus sitting in a driveway would have been enough in a family. Now at McKuster Ranch we have two school buses sitting in our driveway. Makes the place look like a pretty busy location with four other vehicles sitting out front of our two school bus parking lot.
So if you are heading in our direction and need to find us quick and easy, just leave Milton-Freewater on Walla Walla River Road and look for the home with allot of horses out to pastures and two school buses parked in the driveway. There is no other place on the river like this one.

And that's the way it is. Hope you and yours have a safe and happy T-day holiday weekend.

A week in the life at McKuster Ranch -- Dale

A Sunday afternoon ride

This past week the weather has been rather mild around here. I am currently sitting on a big dose of horse wormers, but with the mild temperatures we still have flies and I am reluctant to worm everyone, until we get hit with a cold weather front. Our episode with Piegon Fever seems to have passed with only Rusty, and Shaiela showing any major signs of that virus. Derby did have his days of feeling bad, and some mild swelling, but nothing like Rusty and Shaiela.

Thursday after work Kittee went by the M-F Library, picked up a couple of books and five 007 classic movies. So needless to say this was a James Bond movie weekend at McKuster Ranch, beginning with Kittee's three day weekend which started Thursday evening.

Friday I did my morning and afternoon bus route, while Kittee worked on her case brief going to the Court of Appeals. Friday evening we did a James Bond movie, with a dinner intermission.

Saturday a.m. we had our farrier Kevin here at the ranch, he trimmed all our horse, pulled shoes off Nuggett and Misty for the rest of the year. So between now and next spring everyone is barefooted as we will be riding wheat fields and the Walla Walla indoor arena.
Saturday p.m. Kittee and I put on the roof flashing kit that didn't come complete with Rusty keep run-in shed. Last winter when I bought Rusty's keep -- Nobel panel and run-in shed -- I only got part of the roof flashing kit at that time. Without much rain or snow in sight at that time, I didn't worry about it. This past week I went back and got the complete flashing kit and now we are set for the wet season roof runoff.
Late Saturday afternoon Leila came out to ride and work with her horses. Kittee built a fire in the backyard fireplace, and we just sit by the fire watching our herd of horses, Leila working with her Calvin in the round pen, while the sun set slowly in the west and the nearly full moon rose over The Blues to our east.

Sunday afternoon, after giving everyone's hooves a chance to settle from their fresh trimming, we loaded Misty and Derby into their trailer and drove a mile and a half, to the saddle of Spofford Hill and there rode the wheat fields. Not long after we had offloaded horses and we were tacking up our rides, the Cospers drove up with a trailer of two horses and were planning to ride the same hillside.


I asked them if they wanted to join our party, and they said nope, that their horses were a bit green and they would work with them alone on the other side of the road. So they rode off up the hill and Kittee and I rode off heading across the hill. Pretty neat place that you can ride around with your friends and neighbors, stay in sight and be a ½ mile apart.
Kittee and I were out riding for about two hours today, and had a grand time working our horses in the soft turf of the stubble fields.

Misty and I had quite a few nice across the field jogs, using the harvest road trails. Here on one of our jogs I took a picture from Misty's point of view -- of the field in front of us, and got a shot of Kittee and Derby at a leisurely jog. Misty and Derby worked up a good sweat with this afternoon's workout, and seemed to have enjoyed this outing as much as Kittee and I.

After our ride we headed back for the ranch, got everyone put back out to pasture, had our lunch and watched another 007 movie for our late afternoon/evening's entertainment.

This is mostly what is happening around the ranch these days. Feel free to come and join us when you get the chance, we are not planning on going anywhere before spring... except out to feed and ride our horses.

life around the ranch --- Dale

Fresh snow fell on them thar hills this week.

This week has been rather busy, as we are hay feeding twice a day, graining once a day, and still medicating Shaiela and Rusty twice a day for the effects Pigeon Fever (they are getting much better). This past week has definitely turned into the annual wet/mud season, and the 14" high muck boots have come out of the closet. Weather has been Oregon mild, but we have had rain and drizzle most nights and early mornings this week. Right now we are having an evening thunderstorm with a helluva light show to go with it.

Now driving the Double Deuce into town Monday-Friday, I am seeing what people have been telling me for years... "It is cold, gray, wet in College Place and Walla Walla; and you guys have sunshine and springlike weather out here at the ranch, what gives." Yep, I have told quite a few folks that are amazed at our micro-climate, this is normal for us.
It is pretty amazing, that so many days it is gray and freezing to the trees two miles to our west, through town and north into Walla Walla, while here at the ranch we have sunshine and a beautiful view of the snowcapped mountain to our east so many days during fall and winter. Again another blessing, we so much appreciate, living in our stretch of the Walla Walla River Canyon.

One afternoon this week, when we had wet and gray most of the morning, I went out to work with Rusty, just after noon, and found the geldings having a big time, just hucking and bucking round their pastures. I watched them for a minute or two and realized they were really wound-up and went back to the house and got my camera. Took a few pictures...


This is one reason Kittee and I know that a horse is not meant to live in a box. These guys are 1000+ pound creatures made to run free and graze pasture on a 24/7 basis. They are herd animals... having one is no fun, for the horse. Horses: most interesting pets to have around, and then they will take you for a ride if you wish.


It was pretty funny to watch as the geldings were running a bucking around and around in their pastures, throwing mud clods into the air, as they frolicked. The mare herd was doing a little running around but mostly watching the gelding as though they must be going crazy.

Later in the afternoon when I returned from my bus route, I went out to feed and pet the herd I found the mares hucking a bucking. Goldie and Misty were rearing, running, and sliding on the wet ground and I probably watch Misty leave the ground bucking/jumping straight up off the ground at least six times. They were feeling good!!! What a joy to watch.

With the electricity flying around outside this evening, flashing our backyard bluff, I am signing off; Good night

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Stardate 110908

Sunday
Last evening we had quite a T-storm pass over the ranch. Lightening was sending fire across the sky, and once we had a double barrel blast of thunder that sounded like two cannons going off just outside the house. The house shook, most of the windows in our house rattled. What a storm, not allot of rain out of it though.

Just before the storm hit last evening I checked the ranch email and found that the NWQHA club "mud season's" indoor arena riding has started and that arena would be available today. Hip Hip Hooray!!


Kittee and I started the day rather early, she went out to feed horses, I prepared a hardy ranch breakfast. After breakfast we both went out and tended to horses.

Today turned out to be a very pleasant day, starting with rain and then a few on and off showers, but the temperature was in the mid to upper 50's and Kittee and I cleaned the mud off Misty, Nugget, and Derby, loaded them in their trailer, and headed for the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds indoor arena. We had a pleasurable almost 2 hour ride until one of our NWQHA member got thrown from her bolting "green broke" horse. After that our riding time was just about over so most folks dismounted and starting loading their horse to head home.

It is good that arena riding time has come just in time this year to keep us in the saddle, while it is getting cooler and much wetter around the area. While Kittee still has a hurt shoulder, I think she is more comfortable riding in the controlled environment of the arena than out on the open trails. We both ride this arena without riding vest as hitting the sandy dirt, would be nothing like landing on hard turf... would not be fun, but would not be hard.

Happy Trail,

life around the ranch this week--- Dale

November's Gold

The activities at McKuster Ranch are beginning to wind down with the advent of November, and it appears the wet season has returned. Most everyone in the horse herd is covered with a nice coat of dirt/mud. Most of the Cottonwoods on the river are now in gold, the Sugar Maples in our front yard are mostly bare of their golden leaves as we have had rain and wind the past three days almost stripping these trees. These maple leaves must be sweet as the goats and horses love to eat them as soon as they blow into the pastures. Warm temperatures the past few days have made a very pleasant Indian Summer in northeast Oregon.

This past week was the closing week of our '08 trout season here at the ranch/ Northeast Oregon. Because of the activities around having a new foal this year, Kittee dislocating her shoulder, we did not even purchase a 2008 fishing license to fish anywhere other that our own backyard this year. The two blog entries that follows this one gives details of those two afternoons of fishing I had on Wednesday and Friday, as I finish off this season.

Rosey turned VI months old this past week. She has been weaned from her mom for about 2 weeks now and she is doing very well on her own, with Aunt Misty at her side most of the time.
Rosey is still just as sweet, and soft a pet as every, even though she is a bit more muddy these days. Her coat is starting to look a bit winter shaggy, she is putting on a winter hay belly, as are most of the other horses here, and she has a few skuffs on her face since she has been living on her own. All in all she is still a most adorable little horse, and it is a joy to hug our baby.















































Rosey still spends much of her time taking small naps while out in pasture, but also enjoys hanging out with Raji her yearling Arabian filly buddy.

We still have three of our horses, Rusty, Shaiela, Derby showing Pigeon Fever, but their abscess wounds are greatly improving, as they are being medicated twice a day with a good dose of sulfur drugs. Today as I was washing Rusty's abscess wound I was holding his head in my arm, and he like Rosey showed complete relaxation and confidence that everything was alright. It is neat to have this kind of rapport with a stallion.

It was last weekend we did have a couple of very nice afternoon horseback ride up Cashe Hollow Road, and I rebuilt the front porch which Kittee had taken off the front of the house before it was re-roofed and new siding applied this summer. This past week I worked on putting gutter guards on the gutters at the back of the house... putting the finishing touches on the outside of our house.
You might notice from the photo below that even the late afternoon sun adds a golden glow to the house.
So with plenty of hay in the barn most of the outdoor projects completed around the ranch we are about set for winter, with the exception of bringing in more firewood. I have been making arrangements to gather a couple of cords of wood and hope to have that project completed by the middle of November.

Happy Trails to you until we meet again.

a week in the life at McKuster Ranch --- Dale

The last day of trout season '08

This morning started dark and damp. I woke up a couple of times during the night with my old broken ribs aching, knew it was going to be a damp day. Leaving home on my bus route -6:40 a.m.- it was very dark and before I got to town there were a few raindrop on the windshield. Temperature was rather mild at 50º, but it felt like it was not going to be a great day to go trout fishing (would be a perfect day for steelhead fishing). Just not what I had hoped for this last day of trout season 2008.

Reflecting on Wednesday I had a most beautiful afternoon of trout fishing, warm, sunshine, the world was golden. But since I had only brought home two redband/rainbow trout, I needed to go back out this afternoon and catch a couple more trout to make a nice dinner for Kittee and I.

When I got home from my morning bus route, everything was gray, wet and the wind was blowing the golden leaves out of the Maples in front of the house. I could tell the weather was getting worse, and I was beginning to not look forward to fishing for the fish we needed for dinner. But by late morning there was a patch of blue across the sky, and a bit later there was sunshine around the area, my spirit for going fishing was lifted. As the day progressed it was a pleasant fall day with a few passing showers and the temperatures went into the 70's.

This morning the first pickup on my bus route did not make it to the bus, so again I had a feeling that I would be able to get home early to get in that extra little bit of late afternoon fishing.

Kittee was home today and mid-day I spent working with Rusty and around the house. The other day I sold the old buckboard wagon that had been sitting in our garage for the past few years, and today the fella that bought it came to pick it up. I spent most of the morning thereafter cleaning out/ straightening up the garage so we could park Kittee's Subie under cover. By the time I got that finished, parked her car in the garage, the skies were mostly clear and it was quite warm. A perfect autumn afternoon, and it was beginning to look like a great day to go fishing.

I went to do my afternoon bus route and the kids that get off at the last two drops did not show up (about 20 minutes driving time) now adding to my p.m. fishing time. I hurried home did a couple of things around the house, prepared some mashed pumpkin and cole slaw to go with trout for dinner, then geared up and headed for the river.

Again it was off and on passing showers for the afternoon, but mostly sunny. Kittee and I discussed the effect this beautiful weather should have on my afternoon fishing. Reaching the river and looking upriver towards the forks, I saw a bright rainbow...
and hoped that I could get a photo of the trees in gold to go with the rainbow in view but the sun was behind clouds and I had to get in the river instead of waiting for the sun to add flash the Cottonwood trees.

Now today I gambled that I could fish the same waters that I had fished on Wednesday, and catch the two trout I need to make a nice dinner for tonight. I jumped into the river and started fishing hard and steady... this was much like work ;>) it really was (wading river current, climbing over river boulders, etc.), but someone has to do it. I fished where I had been catching trout every time I had gone fishing this season, but today I found nothing more.
I did notice a rig, the same one a few times parked below Joe West Bridge a couple of weeks ago, and now I think that guy was fishing through McKuster Ranch waters and killing trout.
Anyway I came up behind the second cross vein boulder structure and fished the pool there very hard expecting to catch the 3 or 4 fish I had C&R there on Wednesday. I just got one hookup there today and that turned out to be a short rodeo... fish on--fish off. Having worked this area hard and fast I proceeded to head upriver working my Copper John nymph behind every large rock and through every water trough in the river. Again and again, no trout was found; now I am sure someone has been in these waters and taking the trout I had been Catching & Releasing all summer.

The consolation I did have through this lull of not catching any fish was the sunset view of the bluff as I was standing in the river. Beautiful earth tones, and a river runs through it.

Kittee and I feel that we are so very fortunate to have a place like this to call our home.

After taking the above picture, the sun had left the water and there was no trout in my creel to add to dinner, so I begin to fish harder still. Fly line and fly were working well, smooth casting, no hangups, but there was no fish action where I had always found them. I continued fishing upriver until another showering cloud came over, making things kind of dark and gray and almost enough to make me call it a day... done.
Well there I was, with one more pool/run to fish before too dark to fish, and nothing to show for my afternoon's effort. Wednesday as I finished fishing I studied a large boulder in the middle of the river in this pool's tailout and thought that there should always be a fish holding around that rock, but I had never found one there in the past 4-5 years. I was going to fish that pool and tailout before calling it a day. As I came up on the pool it was getting darker and a few more raindrops were falling on the water and me. I made a dozen cast up and down this stretch of water to find no trout. OK, this the last day of trout season '08 was just about done. Just a couple more cast and I was heading home.
To make a long story short I finished the day and the 2008 trout season without a redband/ rainbow to show for this day's effort. It was still a great day to be working/wading upriver, even though my gamble of fishing over the same waters I had fished on Wednesday did not pan out.
Maybe I should have started where I left off Wednesday evening and fished the upper ¼ mile of McKuster Ranch waters, which I was thinking about doing most of today, but just didn't play my cards that way. Oh well now there is next year, and I will be interested to see how the riverbed changes over winter to re-create fishing for the '09 trout season.

I don't think that I have ever mentioned that there is a cave in the bottom of the bluff, that sits about 3 feet above water level. Every time I pass that cave after an evening's fishing and it is nearly dark, I can feel the hair on the back of my neck raise as there is no telling what creature(s) might live in, or come out of there. There is kind of a beaten path from the cave to the water's edge. Spooky? It's Halloween.

OH yeah, maybe before I finish the blog this evening I should mention that even though I did not catch any trout this afternoon/evening, I did hook into a pretty nice char.
On the ole 1wt. rod system the 19" Dolly Varden gave me a pretty good fight. Knowing by law I cannot remove this fish from the water it's caught in, I pulled it up into some slow moving water next to the bank and at that point it broke off my line. This seems to happen many times when trying to "land" a fish on wet ground.
This was the first Dolly Varden "Bull Trout" that I have caught in McKuster Ranch waters in over 5 years. It was back in 0-2, when ODFW fish biologist Tim Bailey and I used to fish for Dolly Varden to place tracking radios in those fish over 17".

This is how I ended the 2008 trout season with my last cast of the day.

Now don't you know... as I waded back down the river, heading for the house, going past the cave at the bottom of the bluff something was rustling the leaves in the bushes on that side of the river. This was in the dim light of early evening; this is Halloween in Northeast Oregon!!
Bob Francis and I are still contemplating the footprints we found in the snow at mile high Shady Camp on the upper Lostine River some years ago. What on earth made those tracks in the snow??? What on earth lives in that Pacific Northwest forest??? A little spooky.

Hope you got in a few rounds of Cat Bowling today, I did.

a day in the life --- Dale

On Golden River

Started this day about 5:00 a.m., thinking of fishing in the backyard, which kept me smiling through most of my morning bus route. It was to be an early afternoon release -Wednesday- from our Milton-Freewater School System, so this meant that I should be home no later than 3:30. A good time to gear-up and jump into the river running through the backyard.

On my morning route the first student did not get on The Double Deuce, so this put a smile on my face to start the day as it meant, most likely I would not have to run the full extent of the afternoon route and that would let me get home a bit earlier than usual. Looked like it was going to be a great afternoon to go fishing!!!

To make a long story short, the day went very smoothly and when I got to school for my p.m. run there was the student that lives at the end of the route ready to load the bus. Oh well, it only cost 20 minutes more of the day to deliver this one.After finishing my p.m. route I got home, swept The Double Deuce, grabbed a snack, and geared up to go fishing.

Oh it was a beautiful autumn afternoon. I probably got into the river a little after 4:00 and found it to be quite golden...
Stepping into the middle of the river to take the picture above, and I began to think of my ole Carolina fishing buddies, wondering what they were doing this afternoon. I proceed to fish below the rock vein structure and found no hookups. I move around to the upriver side of the structure and fished along the right side of the river and found no action for the first 30 yards. Then with a nice cast upriver I got hit. On my little 1 wt. the fish's first run was like a steelhead run, almost out of control. I was using a Copper John nymph so the fish stayed deep and ran hard. There was several nice rips of fly line through the water leaving the rod tip before I saw what was on the other end...


It was a nice redband, played hard against the old 1wt. system. We both had lots of fun.
After this little battle I proceeded to move upriver to the next pool behind the boulder vein to see what was holding in this area.

Very interesting how the river has redesigned itself since the placement of these structures last year. Here in years past the river was very flat bottom and there was no fish holding water. Now behind the boulder structure the pool is about 2-3 feet deep and plenty of room of fish to hangout. Last year on the left side of the river, upriver of this boulder structure it was over 3' deep, now this hole has filled in with river rocks. Just interesting to watch the dynamics of the river hydrology at work.
Anyway, fishing below this boulder structure I hooked into a number of 6"-7"-8" redbands and ended up keeping the largest, still hoping to hookup to another 11-12 incher to join me for dinner.

To finish the day I ended up fishing about a ¼ mile of the lower McKuster Ranch waters, with no further hookups for the day. Water temperature today was 43ºF and the air temperature was in the lower 60's with plenty of sunshine. As the sun set this evening the air turned quite cool, my toes were beginning to get cold, and I was getting pretty tired from my 5:00 a.m. wake up. I turned around and headed home to feed horse.

2008 trout season closes on Friday at sunset, so I am planing to get in one more afternoon of fishing this year. I need a couple more fish now to go with the ones I invited today to join us for dinner on Friday. This is the only time of the year that I kill wild trout; after season closes I feel that I will never see them again if I don't invite them for dinner.

a day in the life --- Dale