Flashlights in the Night

On my FB page, I wrote about spending yesterday, preparing food for the family of a dear neighbor. Gordon was truly a member of the "greatest generation" he was 88 when he passed away late last week, and a one of the happiest, most content people I have ever met. Here is one great story about Gordon.

One winter night, Mike and I noticed flashlights on the hill across from the house...Now..it had been dark for hours. and our we wondered who on earth would be on the hill, muddy and slick from recent rains, at this time of the night...esp with just a flashlight.

We watched the flashlight's beam...all over the hill it seemed to go, searching perhaps? a lost hunter perhaps? or .......wait a minute...it is Gordon! Yes, Gordon was on the hill, walking the area looking for a lost calf, in the late night, in the mud, on the steep hillside that is so slick when muddy, most of us don't ever attempt such a feat....But...Gordon was out, looking, searching for one of his precious calves...we found out later, he did indeed find the calf.

This was one of the first experiences we would have watching Gordon on the hills around our home. The man could walk...that is a simple statement, but there was nothing simple about this man's ability to walk.

When Gordon was 79 years old, he was convinced by family members to quit his bi annual trek of cattle driving his cows to summer pasture...it was well over 30 miles, and Gordon did not ride a horse, Gordon walked...every speck of the way ;-) I don't know many people that can walk 30+ miles in a few days, Gordon never seemed to be bothered by the task at all...It was great fun for the Grandkids, but Gordon was finally gave in to family members, perhaps the cows should be trucked to summer pasture.

Cattle drives are a common thing on our country road. Gordon, his son Clark and his 2 Grandsons move their cows often. From here to there, there to beyond there and back....many afternoons were spent watching as the "guys" moved their cows....always done by foot, never by horse or other "machines."

In the last few years, Gordon had taken the role of "lookout" instead of actually walking, but he was very fit, never the less. If you saw Gordon on the top of our place, coming from pasture they have above our pasture, he would beat you to the back to the house, and that is if we were using the 4 wheeler!

The day before Gordon passed away, we saw him in his garden..he no longer planted the garden, the kids did it for him, but he love to tend the garden, we honked, and he waved and smiled....he died during the night.

That smile will always remain in my mind.....rest in peace Gordon, and keep moving those cows!

My first CT photography event ..cheering on Liz and Traveler

Over the weekend I attended the CT - 3 day event where Liz Mattke of www.travelingmoonranch.com and her Curly Stallion *DCC Traveler were competing. Stanton Farms is a "short" drive, about 45 min from my home.

Here are Liz and Traveler early on the Cross Country course....

Bringing it HOME !!!
Sunday was Stadium Jumping......here they are on course....................
Liz and Traveler on the show jumping course.
The combo jump in process.
Great results! being in the ribbons in this crowd is an accomplishment on its own..but doing it with a curly stallion, who took up eventing after years of not much handling, shows he has a great mind, and a capable body........CURLIES ROCK !!!

A wonderful surprise! The Northwest Carriage Museum

Last week, Hubby and I took a little business trip....I was surprised and delighted to find a rare treasure in the area we went too. Located in Raymond, WA on the shores of Willapa Bay we found the Northwest Carriage museum. 27 antique carriages, all restored to the top condition they were in their heyday are in this museum..it is quite a sight to behold.

The carriages, all owned by the Dennis family were gathered thoughout the USA. They were then painstakingly restored to their original luster.

This wicker Phaeton, is the carriage type that was used in the movie, "Holiday Inn" in the segment where the actors sing "Easter Parade"....

I loved these trace carriers! This was on the pair that were pulling the Landau.

This Landau is an early 1900's version..it is the same style carriage made famous by the Royal Family...Prince Charles and Princess Diana left the wedding ceremony in this type of carriage, as did The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge...more commonly known as Prince William and Princess Kate. The carriage seat is supported by large "C" springs, that have leather straps holding the carriage body...the seat simply "floats" in air as the people ride....simply STUNNING !!!

The museum did an excellent in labeling the carriages, and letting folks know their uses....summer, winter, ladies or gentleman, there were different carriages for different needs! Oh the life that must have been ;-)
The Top Buggy is what folks commonly refer to as a "Doctor's Buggy" it is amazing how lightweight the wood is, and how fragile all the carriages seem to be...how they held up to muddy rutty roads is amazing.

I LOVED the sleighs! the Russian sleigh was small, cozy and I imagine very fast.....just think of covering the miles of the great land of Russia in such a vehicle.
The museum was well supplied with carriages...what fun it must have been to search for all these carriages, watch them be restored and then put them in a museum for all to see. THANK YOU Dennis family.....this truly was a treasure for me to find. You can see more at
www.nwcarriagemuseum.org ..it is WELL WORTH the trip.

Something new to share!

I feel so lucky to have some of the cream of the crop from my breeding program in my barn. My mare "Legacy" is one of those cream horses. We are progressing in our driving training. Legacy and I have been working in our arena, long reining....yesterday, we worked outside!

This mare has a lovely frame, her dressage training makes her so confident on the bit, and relaxed too. I am getting in shape too! We do well at the walk, and the transitions at the trot are getting better on my part. Course, it is easy enough for Legacy...

Here we go up the driveway pulling the tire! Much more tire work is needed, but we have a good start...probably I will hook up to two tires soon, for a little more of a workload. AND...while we are busy training, our cart "Keen Green" is getting a makeover ;-) stay tuned !!!

The 4H horse show

I attended the Nez Perce County 4H horse show yesterday, and found it to be a whole lot of fun, and a great place to try out a new lens I recently purchased. The kids all seemed to have a good time. I was also there to help out my friend "Darryl" as she changed tack for different classes and to her her harness and hitch for the driving class. At least "keen green" is getting some work. The youngsters and their miniatures were just so adorable! The weather was great, a little on the warm side for me, but I am kind of a wimp when it comes to anything about 80 degrees. The photo opts were numerous and I had a blast, watching the kids, helping out and taking some shots for the memory book.

A tale of a tail

Well, wouldn't you know it...I have been trying to encourage Princess' tail to grow nice and long, I love the look..

The other evening, when I went to check on my herd at sunset, I discovered that Princess was wearing an extra piece of tail attached to her normal tail...you have probably seen such a thing, when the family dog comes in with a piece of brush attached to his tail, trailing behind him. Princess had somehow managed to snag a piece of wire on her tail, and the wire ( about 2 ft long ) was twisted so tight in her tail hairs, there was nothing I could do, but cut it free :( all that work of trying to keep her tail nice and poof, gone! so, now we have a "shorter" version of Princess' tail...and that piece of wire is long gone.

Attending a clinic with Legacy

Last month I attended a clinic with Terri Jones an ADS top ranking whip, at the Teddy Bear Fjord farm. I learned volumes and the hospitality of Warren and Sylvia Ridder was unsurpassed. Instead of eating a soggy sandwich on the trip home, I found a place set at the table for me to enjoy lunch before I left....Legacy and I got a good starting point to advance from long linning...and since that clinic, Legacy and I have been doing well here at home.