Menemsha Sunsets with Joey
Joey and I sat and enjoyed the Menemsha sunset yesterday evening.
Today is my Dad’s 70th birthday. His lovely wife flew us out to surprise him and boy he was surprised! We are enjoying our time together here on Martha’s Vineyard and wishing we could take the beautiful rain back home.
aurora borealis
Who needs to see the northern lights when you can have a Wyoming sunset.
After every thunder and lightning storm (with very little rain mind you) we drive to the ranch entryway and glass the hills looking for smoke. We can’t even enjoy a light rainfall without being nervous about a fire.
But it’s always a great opportunity to capture a colorful sky.
A pink rainbow appeared twice last week, this one came last Thursday .
I was going to post this last Friday with the title “Who needs Aurora when you’ve got Wyoming?” (or something to that effect, titles are always the hardest). But when I woke up to the news of the senseless events in Aurora Colorado, I along with everyone else in the nation, sat stunned and disgusted. My title was then obviously inappropriate. In fact I couldn’t bring myself to write anything. To take the words from my friend Seasweetie, “there really are no words.”
A week later still, I’m speechless.
For the victims, deceased and living, their families and their heroes, I send you all pink rainbows and pray you will find peace and resolution in the days and years to come.
With Sincerest Love,
Leah
I Spy
A summer that is hot and oh so dry.
A fuzzy bee landed on a thistle flower as I passed by.
A sneaky beaver in the Laramie River…
…stared me down with his big dark eye. (Do you see his paws under the water?)
The third apple on our apple tree hanging high.
I’m not having a good summer of veggie or fruit production. It’s terrible hot and when it “rains” it’s just a light drizzle, nothing significant.
Oh winter, I look forward to your next visit.
Goodnight Precious
Look who stopped by the porch for a visit last evening.
And then ran to momma before bedding down near the hay stack. ♥
Wild Baby Turkeys
The hens are starting to bring their babies out. I love how close they stay together.
They are little yet but I’ve seen them fly.
In fact, they can make the high jump to roost with mom in the trees by the river.
Dog Days
We’re all riding out this heat wave together.
We’ve had 100 plus degree days the past couple weeks and we’re wiped out.
But we’re smiling…
…and relaxing
…because we’ve been blessed with another day in paradise. ♥
“All the better to hear you with.”
My little Peekaboo Fawn is a whitetail deer fawn.
Here is a shaggy little mule deer fawn. This is my first sighting of one.
Grazing right by the road isn’t the smartest of ideas.
Thankfully, his big ears heard momma’s snort in the distance and he took off to her. Still got some learnin’ to do.
Oh, but don’t we all.
Yellow Sky
It’s nice to see the sky all aglow by the sun and not by smoke and fire.
I am forever in love with a Wyoming sunset.
RAIN
After Patrick spent 6 days and nights on the Arapaho fire, he came home the evening of the 4th and said that the southeast side of the fire (our immediate threat) was out. The next day we went to the Laramie Plains to check the cattle and repair a gate that the elk tore down. On our way home we saw black skies, and it wasn’t from smoke. The closer we got we could see sheets of rain falling on and around the fire. There was flash flooding and a lot of the crew still out there took cover and waited it out. And now, because the last few days have been cool and wet, the fire is 70% contained. But not before it grew to over 98,000 acres. Dryer and warmer temps are on the way but the crews will continue direct attacks on the hottest spots.
No one lost their lives and only minor injuries were reported. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes, their pasture, and their livestock. But we are so thankful that relief from above has arrived and we hope it only gets even better from here.
Thank you for all of your kind comments and prayers. We appreciate each and every one of you.
L♥ve,
Leah
Woe the Arapaho
Hello friends! I had the honor and privilege to be Freshly Pressed with Peekaboo Fawn and I thank you all for the sweet comments and emails. I am usually able to answer each and every one of you, and I will soon, but my time at the computer this weekend has been mostly spent watching the fire that is spreading rapidly toward the ranch. The Arapaho Fire started on the evening of June 27th and has doubled in size every day since. I got a call yesterday morning with a pre-evacuation notice. This means we need to be ready and when they say go, we gotta go. Patrick has been fighting the fire that has ravaged homes, livestock, and the gorgeous land we breathe and live off of since Friday. He came home yesterday afternoon after 44 hours straight of fighting fire with little to no sleep.
When he left on Friday afternoon, I stepped on the front porch and saw a plume of smoke rolling up above the hill.
Then about an hour later I went to the top of that hill and saw this:
It’s been so smokey and hazy and I’ve only left the house to feed the horses and dogs. The cattle are all on the Laramie Plains, out of harms way for the time being.
When I went out yesterday morning to observe the haze and get ready for chores, ashes were all over the porch and stuck in cobwebs.
On my way home after delivering prints to a very favorite and happy client (which was the highlight of my weekend!), the air felt cool but the haze of a 75,000 acre (and counting) wildfire was still in the distance. Notice the plume and haze above the mountain tops in the image above.
Patrick went back out last night and who knows when he’ll be back. He is out with many brave and noble men and women and we pray for their safety and their ability to get this thing under control.
We are not evacuated yet but if I disappear from here for a bit, don’t worry, in the words of Arnold: I’ll be back.
*hugs*
Leah
Uprooted Magnolia 
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