A Horse of Course
We are having a nice break from the winter madness. The mud is drying, the temperature is tolerable and the sunsets are becoming more and more colorful. I’m not fooled though. I know winter isn’t over, I’m just expressing my appreciation for this lull in the winter chill. The old gray horse seems to be enjoying it as well.
I’m gearing up for my daily visits down to the meadow to check the cattle. Calving season is upon us and it’s my duty to watch out for girls in the meadow as well as the heifers (first time mothers) in the corral close to the house. There is one heifer that is really close and we are checking on her round the clock in case she needs assistance. It’s such a tense time of year full of worry and hard work. I’m up for it though I’m impatiently waiting on the song of the meadowlark.
Have a great weekend, friends!
Merry Winter Solstice
Winter. I love the crisp, cold air. The fire in the wood stove. The peace and quiet of the snowfall. It’s a time of rest and renewal before our adventures in calving starts in the spring. Have a wonderful first day of winter.
Cowboy Up!
We’re getting saddled up for branding season.
Patrick caught Gray and led him out of the meadow and up to the barn and corral.
Unfortunately the young Bay horse isn’t invited. He’s not even half-broke so he gets to stay in the meadow. His time will come but for now, Patrick can only focus on one horse. He ran and bucked up and down the fence line the rest of the evening. He’s fine now, but the first couple of hours he was full of anxiety.
In the evenings, Patrick saddles Gray up and encourages patience and obedience while running circles. He took a spin around the meadow with him the other day and he did surprisingly well for not being ridden all winter.
Tighten the cinch and git yer spurs on…here we go!
Overcast Sunrise
It was a busy weekend with shoots, computer work, and calving. The calm, overcast sunrise this morning was just what I needed to feel refreshed. Hope you are having a wonderful Monday. 🙂
The Light Before the Storm
The wind blew all day yesterday. I mean it howled (still is today, but with snow circling as well).
So we decided to go down and check on the cows and horses and give them a little cake.
The light was stunning! The sunsets and sunrises have been spectacular these last couple of weeks.
I think I’ll call this one The Gray Ghost. He just wouldn’t stand still for his portrait!
Shooting in very low light is always tough and I had my old 40D with me. These shots are quite grainy but I think it gives them even more character. 🙂
Maybe I’ll have some snow reports for you tomorrow. The weather is so weird right now. Cheers!
Mohawk Mane
This is a great time of year for portraits of any kind. It’s cooling down a bit and the leaves will be changing shortly. I’m booking photo sessions for the fall and I am excited about all of them. I must admit however, that I am really excited when I get the call to come photograph a week-old colt. It’s mostly just to document coloring and markings for the horse papers but I do love spending a little more time getting a nice head-shot. Momma kept turning him around and wasn’t too thrilled with me being there. I was finally able to catch a sweet profile before just I left them alone. 🙂
P.S. The thing I love the most about baby horses is the mohawk for a mane. Cracks me up every time.
P.S.S. Then again, the long lashes and whiskers are cute too!
Napping Gray
The wind is HOWLING today. Dirt and cow pies are circling the meadows. For protection from the madness, Gray and the herd are napping among the cottonwoods.
Happy Monday everyone!
Serene Blue
I love the serene blue skies before a storm. Even though I’m anxious for spring color, I revel in the contrast of the golden winter meadow against that wide open blue sky.
Lakes, Waterfalls and Plenty of Mud
Welcome to March in Wyoming. Where the snow comes and goes creating lakes in the meadows, waterfalls in the mountains, and plenty of mud to get the ATV stuck.
Even though there are chances of snow for the next couple of months, the air is starting to warm up and our moods are slowly beginning to cheer up. I’m headed out for another round of checking cattle with the hopes of not getting stuck in the mud like Patrick did this weekend. 🙂 Hope you are having a great start to your week!
The Standoff
Our horses had a standoff with the horses next door the other day. I was sitting by the river when I heard weird grunting noises and hooves hitting the snow. They weren’t very friendly with one another and they didn’t stick around long. Alice led the pack away and they joined the cows on hay that was rolled out for them earlier. Knuckleheads.
A Long Walk
The horses are usually across the meadow when we come down to feed. It’s a long walk to the hay buffet.
You may or may not be able to make out ole Gray running in the background. He blends very well but he’s way back there kicking up snow behind the bay horse. (between the far trees and the dark brown horse) I didn’t even see him until he was right up on us. I picked icicles off his coat while Patrick cut the strings off the hay bale.
Waiving in the Breeze
Took a walk through the meadows and along the river yesterday before the wind came up. By the end of it, it was howling out of the west. Notice the tail waving in the “breeze”on the bay horse. Looks like ole Gray has been rolling in the mud again.
Happy Friday everyone. I hope your first week back to work after the holidays has been a good one!
Cold.
We had a quick arctic storm blow through here yesterday but nothing like the last one that is pictured above. It’s sure cold though. Glad the horses and cows have their winter coats on.
Have a great weekend folks!
Afternoon Roll
During almost all of my Fall photo shoots this year, the horses and cows were always right there to see if we had something for them. Most times the were just a nuisance really. Good ole Gray kept us entertained one afternoon with his happy roll in the hay. Needless to say I had some laughing and smiling clients after that little show.
Happy Hump Day friends! We are half way through the week. Wahoo!
High-Spirited
The heavy, wet and chilly autumn snow on Friday brought down tree limbs and took out power all over our town and countryside for a few hours. The wind howled and it was gray and overcast into the night. But I woke up Saturday morning to sunshine and watched the neighbor’s frisky horses frolic on their snowy meadow with my morning coffee. By Saturday afternoon it warmed up so much and the snow melted as fast as it blew in. Sunday was gorgeous and I had a great portrait session in our meadows and on the football field in town. Turned out to be one heck of a playful weekend. 🙂
a Friday Chuckle
Sometimes getting a proper portrait of a colt is simply out of the question. You’ve just got to go with what they give you and have a nice chuckle. Happy Friday everyone!
He Spies with a Big Brown Eye
In a barn built in 1881 made of limestone and mule shoes, a peeping pony asked to be petted.
(I had title block so today’s title credit goes to my dear friend Jessica W in my hometown of Macon,GA. Thank you friend. Your print is in the mail. xoxo)
Snowglow
The weatherman threatened a massive blizzard this past weekend and nothing happened. Zilch. Nada. But two nights ago it finally snowed and we had about an inch on the ground yesterday morning. It melted by mid-morning down low but yesterday evening, Squaw Mountain still beamed with a bright snow glow.
My, How You’ve Grown
Remember her?
And her?
Poco’s baby (top) and Kate’s baby (above) were both born a little over a year ago.
I thought you might like to see them now.
Here is Kate’s baby girl all grown up.
Poco’s baby is on the far right and they both were weaned off mama late last year. They were eventually put out in the meadows with our lead mare, Paddy’s Frost aka Rat. They went off with her to keep calm and be “supervised”.
Rat took right to her babysitting duties and takes great pride in showing the girls the way.
In fact, now that the other ranch horses have joined them in the meadows, Rat continues to lead the way.
Best friends forever.
Bring on the Mistletoe!
Merry Kissmas everyone!
We wish you peace, joy and love and lots of kisses this holiday season. 🙂
Uprooted Magnolia 
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