Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all having a great Christmas.

This is this stuff that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

All I can say is WOW.  What a nice mare.  Not only a great racehorse, but

seems to be a sweet horse as well.  Kudos to the training and handling

of this great mare.  Enjoy retirement girl, you earned it.

Top This Computer Problem

You have to be very accurate when describing problems to the foreign tech support.

Emu Herding

Really, I don't make this stuff up.

Hubby & I were working on the arena today when I notice an Emu running loose with a couple of

people trying to wrangle it back to it's own pasture.  Looks pretty well handled so I head up to

the house to check on lunch.  I am only gone for FIVE minutes and when I come back, there are at least

7 people trying to herd up the critter, now in the neighbors pasture and it is now headed for ours!  They can go through almost

any fence!  So now of course it is in our pasture.  Our horses were all too eager to help.  Darn cow horses!

The head Emu wrangler managed to get the sucker lassoed and his buddy got a loop

on it's feet.  I guess they are pretty dangerous.  Long story short, the outcome wasn't good.

They got it caught alright, but, then it dropped dead.  Just a little too much activity for it's ticker.

I felt bad for the lady, but all I could think of was just how big of a turkey fryer you would need to cook it.

The biggest bummer...  No Camera!

Only in Loma Rica can you see this kind of stuff.

Happy Veterans Day!

I just love a parade! It's even better when you know someone in it.

The Sheriffs Posse made a showing and they looked great!

It was Tillie's first parade and she was just a little amped up, if you know what I mean!

She held it together and did just fine all in all.

And, who knew that Santa drove a 3 wheel motorcycle in the off season.  I would have never guessed!

And then, there was the giant Friesian

Just where is the heck is the ladder to get on?

Marching bands are an absolute must!

Yep, you guessed it, more horses!  And....

Ponies!!!  Or Minis....Whatever.

Cute, no matter what they are.

"Take my picture!  I'm cute!"

A spa day was required for this dog's debut!

And there you have it!  A good old fashioned small town parade.

Thanks to all of the veterans for serving our country.

You are all heroes.

A Visit To Camp Jacq

Just another busy day...  We loaded up some calves and took them to the sale.  Thought

cash would be a good idea since we bought more shade cloth for the arena.

Then, since we were already going that way, we planned a visit to Camp Jacq to see

the GJA and have a quick lesson.  We also went to visit Hanson Performance Horses.

They just happen to live next door to Camp Jacq and they are reining trainers.

Super nice folks, you can check them out at

www.hansonperformancehorses.com

Anyway, we made arrangements to drop off William for 90 days of training.

I am gearing up so show him next  year.  It's gonna be a busy show season...

How much more convenient could it be for lessons, stop and ride the GJA

and then tootle on  down the road to the next driveway and ride William.

In theory this should work well, I'll let you know.

Beautiful Weather, Beaches and Butterflies!

We have planned this trip to Pismo Beach for months and were scared to

death that the weather would be rotten.  It was a totally valid fear since it dumped

several inches of rain just 2 days before.  But, we must have pleased some gods somewhere

because it is going to be in the 80's today here in Pismo.  Totally unusual for this time of year.  YIPPEE!

At least it wasn't the freak snowstorm that hasn't happened in 100 years.

Anyway, the men went off happily with the ATVs right after breakfast to

ride on the sand dunes.  Meanwhile us women folk stayed behind to

go check out the butterfly grove.

These Monarch butterflies come to Pismo Beach every year from late October through

February.  They cluster in the the limbs of a grove of Eucalyptus trees at Pismo State Beach.  This colony is one of the largest in the nation, hosting an average of 25,000 butterflies over the last five years.  Being early

in the season, it was estimated that there were 10,000 today.

The Monarchs that visit Pismo Beach are a special variety. They have a life span of six months as opposed to that of common Monarchs who live only six weeks. This can be attributed to a unique fat storing system. However, even with an extended life span, those butterflies that leave in March will never return.

It was an amazing sight!  Vaquerogirl will be here today and I can't wait to take her over

there.  Our campground is right next door.

An absolutely beautiful day!





A Beautiful Day For A Cattle Drive!

Well, it's that time again.  Changing cattle from summer pasture to winter pasture.

This time it was a piece of cake.  The winter pasture is just across the street!

How much sweeter could it get!

Sparkey and Tillie are ready to go!

Off we went and gathered all the ladies and their babies.

It went off without a hitch.

We put them in this holding pen while getting ready to usher them across the street.

A light breakfast was served buffet style.

And, of course, children ate for free.

Then some high tech engineering had to be done with the gates

A guy can fix almost anything with either baling twine or duct tape.

Now we are ready for the parade!

And, there you have it.  Another successful cattle drive!

Happy California Cows!

Once that was done we headed home and I thought it was high time you saw

Sparkeys new winter blanket.

Yup... It's giraffe print!  I thought it was perfect for a buckskin.

He likes it too!













Get your cold weather gear out!

Winter is coming.  We are gonna get hit with the first rain of the season. 

Am I sorry?  No, not really.  Irrigation is going to be cut off soon, so rain is a good thing.

You can also tell that winter is coming by Penny Pinschers wardrobe.

She LOVES her polar fleece.

Here is her new outfit I made her this afternoon.

You gotta love Wall-mart remnants.

She hates to be cold..



This is the pool and cabana in the good weather...

Next week the cabana tent will be all closed up with

everything from the yard in storage.

I hate that part....

Well, anyway... Come on Winter!

We aren't scared!

Photo of the Boys

I was fooling around in my photos and came across this photo

from the men's Tribe Ride.

That's my hubby in the middle.

Handsome guy!

Husband's STILL Home, but it's all good.

Yes, the hubby is still home and hasn't had his knee surgery yet.  He hobbles around getting more done lame in one day than most guys get done in a week.  We are getting ready for winter around here, it's gonna be here before we know it.  This year he decided to add more shade cloth on the arena to block out more wind and keep it drier once the rains hit.  Remember, he has a bum knee.

He welded the frame to the beams to lace the curtains to.

Pretty smart..

Needless to say the arena was out of commission for a few days.

Even Wednesday was wondering what was up

It took a few days, but it was all worth it!

Our new motto "Every Day Is A Ride Day!"

Also means that Penny Pinscher has a huge indoor play yard!

She is just sure it's all about her!

Where in the heck have I been?

Have any of you gals ever had your husband been home on an injury for over a week....  Well, I have.
Sometimes it's good, sometimes, not so good.

Anyway, we have been busy, busy. .

Yesterday we went to "Camp Jacq", where the GJA is in training.  I had a blast.  He is getting a much
bigger trot.  YIPPEE..  and transitions are getting better.  Like I have said before, I have taken him as far
as I could and it was time for further education.  When I say that, I mean both of us.  remember, my first time in the English saddle was in Nov. of last year.  I had a short lesson, and  I tried a 17 hand hunt seat horse that was for sale, but, not for me.  Too hard of a trot.  I could not sit it save my soul....Nice mare, but, I do like the GJA.  Sorry, no photos.  I don't know what I was thinking.

Once finished there, we just HAPPENED to stop by the trailer dealer on the way to the Mexican restaurant.
I just wanted to see what our size trailer would look like with a pop out.   WOW...

And, off to dinner.  ( if wishes were horses, beggars would ride)

So I settled for dinner and a nice ride home.  Really, not so bad after all

Not much to say, so just a funny

Girls Weekend In The Middle Of The Week!

I have had a wonderful couple of days!

Vaquerogirl and her trusty steed Desi came to visit and play.

We had lots to do.  The wonderful hubby was working around the big barn

installing a new septic system.  We all helped, even Penny Pinscher.

Penny loves to go for a ride, even if it's in a backhoe.

Vaquerogirl and Hubby are discussing how deep to go.

And here she is with the trusty measure stick for the laser level.

I hate that job.

It wasn't all work, we managed to get in some pony time the next morning before

Max the shoer came. 

Mr. Desi practised his  trail obstacles and then got brave and did the

"car wash".

After a couple of trips, he did it like a pro!

Good trail pony!

We were having so much fun that the time flew by and the next thing we knew,

Max was here to shoe.  That takes all day since there are 11 horses.

By now, it was getting hot, so we changed into swim gear and hit the pool.

Every so often we had to head back to the barn to switch horses for Max, and

Vaquerogirl had the outfit for that.

Ya, I was gonna post the picture, but it would be mean.

Just imagine a swim suit with ostrich cowboy boots.

Says it all!

And then then next morning, as if we haven't had enough fun, we loaded up

some heifers to take to the sale.  A quick stop at the Black Bear restaurant

for breakfast and then off to see the girls sell.

The time went too fast and we headed back to the ranch so Vaquerogirl

could load up and head back to her house.  Sniff, sniff.

I miss her already.....

Just A Funny For The Day!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

We Had A Day Off!

I can't believe it!  We had a real day off.  Our friends Bill and Carol Lynn have

a nifty party boat and invited the gang out for a lunch cruise.

We have lived here for over 10 years and have never been on the lake.

The weather was great, not too hot, which it can be this time of year.

It's not often that we ALL are relaxing on the same day!

Captain Bill.

This is the most laid back guy you will ever meet!  Super dry sense of humor.

While we were zippin around the lake, Carol Lynn asks Bill jokingly, "Hey, can ya jump

the dam?"  Bill says without cracking a smile, "Not all of it."

1st mate Carol Lynn.  These folks are also the people that bring us

team sorting at the posse arena.  On Saturdays they put on

the gymkhana.  Busy folks.

We cruised the houseboat mooring and all decided that this one was the coolest!

Check out the enclosed tube slide starting on the 3rd. deck!  And of course, a

spot for your jet ski.  We saw this as it was being built a couple

of years ago. Pretty awesome!

I thought these were just too cool!  They are floating campsites!

They have a dock on the other side for your boat and there is a

bathroom inside that little room.  Your tent goes up on top.

They also have floating restrooms all around this lake.

Who knew?  I gotta get out more often!

Carol Lynn and I are just chillin', enjoying the ride.

Now, stay tuned for your regularly scheduled program....

Back to my real life.

Search And Rescue Training

We had a SAR Training at our ranch yesterday and had a great turnout!

We had tons of obstacles and scary things.

Lots of these horses were young.

Checking out the small wooden bridge.

Tarp

Rain Slicker

Rope gate.

Leaving and returning to the group, followed by some formation riding.

Water crossings!

Small Creek crossings.  You know how deceptively hard that they can be!

Then we had road flairs, the big soccer ball and the hanging car wash.

Everyone did great.

I still can't believe the turnout!

Thanks to Howard, and "Howard's Wife" aka Melodi!

Howard has brought a lot to the table with his mounted police training.

And as usual, Melodi keeps all the paperwork in perfect order!

Thanks to all who attended, and are interested in making the Sheriff's Posse

a safer and more efficient unit!