Herding Cows On A Working Ranch In Washington

I would consider myself adventurous.  My friend Kari wanted me to experience a little of what life is like on her family's ranch so I agreed to play along.  I headed out to the ranch located two hours West of Spokane outside of a small town where there aren't any stoplights or grocery stores to be found.  However, I did notice a blacksmith and a post office.

This is her way of life year round.  The cows are out to pasture at the moment, so I decided to tag along while she moved them to another pasture.  Trading horses for ATV's, we headed out to herd the cows from one stretch of land to the next.  It's a good thing she knew where we were driving and what we were doing.  There were bumps, holes, drop offs, etc in the ground that I didn't notice until I was right up against it.  The last time I sat on an ATV I was 16 and it was a three wheeler.  As I was going up a hill, I didn't distribute my weight high enough so I jumped off and the ATV went crashing down the hill.  Of course, I didn't mention this to Kari at the time.

This time, it was a smoother ride.  I learned a lot about ranching on our adventure.  I didn't know that cows will come to you when called.  At one point, we were driving along and she kept yelling, "here...cows!...hereeeeee cows!!!"  I thought that was nice that she was saying hello but in fact, they listened and a few moments later, we were in the line of a stampede.  Just as the cows got to the gate, they stopped when they saw me, unsure of what I was doing there with my camera.  I slowly tip toed out of the way and they continued on their way.

After we did this a few times, we drove around the area to explore empty barns, a cemetery and stopping to chat with a neighbor on his ATV driving by to check on an area he sprayed the day before.  Three ATV's on the same road would be considered a traffic jam in this area.  In fact, after chatting with Kari's dad for a while, he doesn't even know where the key to his house is located.  "What do I need a key for?" he said.

Life is sure different out on the ranch.  I think everyone should experience this once in a lifetime.  I am not a beef eater but I think it's a good education to see where your food comes from and the people behind the work.  I also toured a working ranch in Arizona where they branded cows in front of us.  Wasn't the most pleasant sight but it's what they do to keep Americans fed.

Thank you Kari for the tour! She will be featured in my "Women's Work" project.  To see more photographs of these women, click HERE

The Joy Of Painting

Who doesn't like a happy tree?  I know I love happy trees and if you do too, you must love Bob Ross.  He's the painter on television you might have seen in the early 80's when you were too lazy to get up and actually push the button or turn the knob to change the station.  And why would you? He is pretty entertaining to watch.

His voice and calm way about him would capture my attention.  I wondered how he makes it look so easy and why is he so happy and nice saying things like, "let's build us a happy little cloud that floats around the sky." Of course when something looks that easy, I have to try it and his "happy little cloud" would turn into a thunderstorm of mud on my painting.  Not a thing happy about it.

Last year I dabbled in watercolors and one of my goals this year is to paint with something other than that.  I don't know if I can count these paints as "other than watercolors", but I just might!  So, goal completed!

Sometimes it's nice to do an activity to turn off your brain for a while and not think about anything but what you are doing at the moment.  Turning my brain off is a bit of a challenge for me so when I was at the art store the other day, I thought perhaps Bob Ross could help me do just that.  Don't let the "for kids" on the box fool you, this is some serious paint by numbers project.

I set up my "painting station" and started painting away with number five first, then one, then seven...and for a moment, I didn't think of anything but filling the space with paint.  Bob Ross sure knows a thing or two about painting happy trees.



Here are the 12 watercolor scribbles I did last year and let's not forget my new Bob Ross happy snow mountain landscape to add to my collection!

No plans for the weekend?  No worries!

I think a masterpiece is just waiting for you at the art store.   Just look for the man with the crazy hair on the box and you are in the right place.

What's next?

I'm always wondering what's coming up in life but at the same time, I like to be surprised.

I've been saying yes to things lately that have been the most rewarding, even though there is a level of discomfort to the unknown.

I think I thrive on the unknown.  There is so much to learn when you do things that you are not 100% sure about, although the outcome might not be the best.  Whatever happens, there is a lesson to be learned.

I showed my house to a nice young couple yesterday to rent for the summer and it brought on some feelings of discomfort.  I haven't really planned what I am going to be doing in the months ahead and renting my house is one way to be forced to leave and go somewhere I haven't been before.  It's just that I am not completely sure where that will be.  It will be easy to pack since I haven't really unpacked my car from the last trip.  I kept everything in it just in case I needed to leave on a moments notice.

When I was on the road the past two years, I would wake up and decide where to go next. I love the freedom of being able to pick up and go to places I have never been.  There were times when I made wrong turns and there were some huge lessons learned, but somehow it all seemed to work out in the end.

So, it might be time for a little planning.

I haven't taken "trailie" out on the road for over a year.  It has stayed put in my driveway since Maggie and I came home from our trip in October of 2008.  It still reminds me of her when I'm in it.  I am thinking of dusting it off and taking Max for a ride in it soon.  It's a little different experience with the trailer versus having a tent where I can pick up and go anywhere without anyone noticing.  Trailie gets looks everywhere I go.  Most people want to know what it is and want to look inside.  I have pictures of it on the right side of the blog. It's just 4 feet by 9 feet and pretty light so it's easy to tow.  It's been a while so I have to get used to the fact that something is following me on the road when I look in the rear view mirror.

After traveling in a tent for months, I've learned that I don't really need that much.  Everything I need can fit in the car so the trailer is pure luxury.

Luxury without a shower, bathroom, privacy or warmth.  Who needs that anyway?

There are places that I want to see, that I didn't come across the past two years of being on the road.  I didn't go to Canada, North Dakota or the Salt Flats in Utah.  I also would like to visit the Salton Sea in California.  I am sure there are so many places to explore that people don't know about, including myself.

I feel that I am paying attention more today than ever before.  I hear what people say and what comes into my life.  I am listening.  Listening to how I feel about things as well and going on instinct.  I know for a fact that I feel at peace most when I am in nature.  I also get excited about learning new things and when a photograph captures a moment as I saw it.

Many women light up when they see jewelry.  For me, I get that feeling when I go shopping and look at a really nice tent at REI, or if I try to convince a camera shop to take the Canon EOS 7D out of the box so I can touch it.  No luck.  Sigh...someday...

For now, I will continue snapping away with my pocket Canon Powershot.  It's been good to me so far.