Happy Memorial Day

We’re driving home from Fort Collins today.  We want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day – especially those who have served or had family members who served.  God bless you all.

Sunday Reflection–God’s Majesty

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. (1 Chronicles 29:11)

The Grand Tetons (above), Yellowstone, Beartooth Mountains, Wind River Canyon, endless prairies, mountain forests, bears, bison, elk, antelope – we have seen so much that makes us humble ourselves before the majesty of God.  He is the truly creative artist of our wonderful world.

Driving from Cody, Wyoming to Fort Collins, Colorado

We’re on our way from Cody, Wyoming to Fort Collins to spend a couple of nights with our kids and grand kids before heading home on Monday, Memorial Day.

I hope to have a Sunday Reflection tomorrow if all goes well.  After that, I’m working on all our pictures and video from our Yellowstone trip.  We leave on Wednesday, June 1 to head to Ohio for our grandson’s graduation and visit family and friends.  All of those places do not have Internet access so I won’t take my computer.

Starting June 1 I plan to do some advance posts every few days sharing the different aspects of our adventure in Yellowstone.  We saw lots of animals and beautiful sights.

So I hope you’ll check in every so often while we’re gone to see our pictures and videos.

Normal blogging will start again after June 15.

See you then.

Here’s a ‘teaser’ photo of what’s to come.

Hi From Cody, Wyoming!

Hi all.  We’re in Cody, Wyoming after driving from Yellowstone National Park yesterday.  We’ve had a great time so far and we’re looking forward to visiting the Buffalo Bill Historical Center today.  On Saturday we drive back to Fort Collins.

We didn’t have Internet access at Yellowstone so I’m in a catch up mode.

Today’s post will center on our time with Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah in Fort Collins.  Here are a few pictures of our visit there – along with my sister Jane and brother-in-law Hack.

Jane and Hack brought some animal pillows to Leah and Juliet.  Leah got a pink elephant and Juliet got a lion.

Leah wearing her Nana’s baseball cap.

Leah in her sunglasses at the park.

Here’s a short video of the kids at play.

I’ll try to recap parts of our trip to Yellowstone over the next several days.

Monday Video–Strange Bedfellows

We’re driving from Fort Collins, Colorado to Yellowstone National Park today.  So, I’ll leave you with this wonderful video of an unusual friendship between a cat and an owl.

“The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
    In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
    Wrapped up in a five pound note.”

Sunday Reflection–Family

Betty and I and my sister Jane and her husband Hack are all visiting with Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah.  It should be a good day.

Families can be great or horrendous.  We’re blessed to have a great family.

Just A Little Off The Top, Please

While we’re driving to Fort Collins, Colorado, I’ll share a couple of pictures from Wednesday.  We decided to give Morgunn a full body clip.  Being an Icelandic Horse he genetically has a thicker coat than most horses.  It’s great in the winter as he’s prepared for most any cold weather.  However, his summer coat is two to three times thicker than most horses so our New Mexico hot sun would be a problem for him.

Here’s the before…

And the after…

Leavin’ Town

Betty and I are driving to Fort Collins, Colorado early tomorrow (Saturday) morning.  My sister Jane and her husband Hack who live in Kentucky will meet us at Wade Daniel and Marie’s.  We’ll spend two nights in Fort Collins visiting with the kids and grandkids and on Monday morning the four of us are driving to Yellowstone. 

My sister has always wanted to see Yellowstone.  Betty and I have been there twice so we’re familiar with what to see.  It’s been awhile since we were there so we’re looking forward to it as well.

After we leave Yellowstone we’ll spend two nights in Cody, Wyoming to see the Buffalo Bill Historical Center – the best Western museum in my humble opinion.  We’ll get back to Fort Collins on Saturday afternoon.  Jane and Hack will head back home on Sunday and we’ll stay over until Monday to visit some more with the kids.

We come home on Memorial Day Monday.  We’ll spend Tuesday washing clothes and repacking because on Wednesday, June 1, we fly to the mid-West so we can be at our grandson’s high school graduation.  While in that area we’ll visit with family and friends.

Finally, on Tuesday, June 14 we’ll be home again.  I’ll blog whenever I can through out the trip so I hope you’ll check in occasionally during this time.

It will be a fun time even with all the driving and flying.  Be good while we’re gone – we hid the cookie jar.

A Little More Ditch Pony

I made a video slide show for Melanie Scholer who started Ditch Pony and continues to champion it today.  I thought I would share it with my blog friends.

Ditch Pony Promenade 2011

In 2002, Melanie Scholer who lives in Corrales and works for Dan’s Boots & Saddles, started the first Ditch Pony Promenade. It’s a free, kid’s horse show for kids up to age 18. This past Sunday the 9th Ditch Pony was held at our arena here in Corrales.

There are fun classes – Costume, Stick Pony, and Lead Line – and there are serious classes: Driving, English and Western – Hunter, Hunt Seat, Equitation, Western Pleasure, Western Equitation, etc. – that are judged by a qualified show judge.

The purpose of Ditch Pony is to encourage kids to enjoy horses in a setting similar to the more ‘professional’ shows, but still have fun and it’s all free. The number of participants and spectators has grown each year. Some of the 18 year old kids started in their first Ditch Pony when they were 9.

I’m honored to be the official photographer for Ditch Pony (Melanie is a good friend) and here are just a few of the hundreds of photos I took.

First the Costume Class.

And my favorite costume – The Prisoner and the Sheriff – the little girl has Downs Syndrome and drove a pony cart in the Driving classes (with her Dad) and rode in the Lead Line as well as the costume class. She was a joy to everyone. 

Then the Lead Line where parents led their little kids on their horses. 

This was followed by the Moldy Oldie Lead Line where the kids led the parents on the horses. 

Then my favorite – the Stick Pony Class.

Everyone got a First Place Blue Ribbon in the above classes – too hard to judge.
Here are pictures from the judged classes.

Everyone had a good time but were happy if they took home one of the ribbons.

  

A good day for all.

Monday Video–Go American Kids

A couple of weeks ago I shared a video of North Korean kids playing the classical guitar.  Watch these American kids play some great Bluegrass music.  The banjo player is only eight years old.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflection–Kids and Horses and Love

As you probably know, Betty and I volunteer at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch where kids can come and ride horses (and scoop poop) for free.  The mission of GGYR is “to bring pure joy to children.”  We enjoy it because we love both kids and horses.

Another activity we support in Corrales is the Ditch Pony Promenade.  It’s a kid’s horse show – every thing from little bitties riding stick ponies all the way up to 16 and 18 year olds riding in English and Western classes.  Betty helps with registration and I’m the official photographer.  Again, kids and horses.

That’s where we are today so my reflection for today is very short…

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
— C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

That’s a lot to chew on.

PS: I’ll have some pictures from Ditch Pony probably on Tuesday.

Saturday with Maritsa and Evan

Maritsa and Evan, our friends from down the street, came up this morning and rode Sugar and Morgunn again.  They have improved quite a bit since they first started.  I’ll let the video tell the story.

Friday Funny–Jill & Kevins Wedding

Two Friday’s ago I shared a video of the entrance of the wedding party for the Royal Wedding.  It was a take off of an actual wedding.

Here’s the entrance of that wedding party for Jill & Kevin.  It has to be a good marriage with this kind of fun.

Enjoy.

Gaited Horse Training

Our blogger friend Breathe asked the following question on yesterday’s post about training our gaited horses:

“I'm curious what a gaited trainer does differently in your experience. I know a few gaited horses, but don't know much about their training.”

From our experience there is a not lot of difference between smooth gaited horse training and traditional gaited horse training.  Rather it’s a difference of emphasis in the training.

Smooth gaited horses need to use their rear end to step under themselves to enable their genetic gait to come out successfully.  To do this they need to be flexible in their vertebra from their head to their tail – i.e., have a rounded top line.  This is a basic principle in collection and is common to all horses, but it’s critical for smooth gaited horses.  If their muscles are not developed adequately and their mind trained to get their impulsion from the hindquarters they will tend to pace (equal lateral movement on same side – very rough) or trot (diagonal leg movement on opposite sides – not as smooth).  Smooth gaited horse training emphasizes this development of the hindquarters and flexible, rounded top line to enable the horse to step under himself to do the gait.

Here is a short video of the various gaits of a Rocky Mountain Horse.  The impulsion is coming from the hindquarters.  The horse is stepping very lightly with his front feet and legs.

Equally important is relaxation and balance.  Smooth gaits are variations of the four beat movement all horses have in the walk – only faster.  To do the necessary step under and allow the head movement to keep the horse in balance, the horse needs to be as relaxed as possible.  The energy flows from the hindquarters and out of the head movement.

Here’s a short video of an Icelandic Horse gaiting (called a ‘tolt’).  This horse looks very close to Betty’s horse Morgunn and moves just like he does.  A quarter horse often has to canter to keep up with a tolting Icelandic Horse.

In both of the above videos the riders are as still as possible in their bodies and especially in their hands.  This is very important in riding smooth gaited horses.  Unnecessary body/hand movements can cause the horse to tighten their muscles, lose their balance, interrupt the flow of energy from the hindquarters to the head and cause problems with the gait.

So, the emphasis on hindquarter impulsion, flexibility, rounded top line, collection, relaxation and balance is important in all horse training, but it’s critical in smooth gaited horse training.

We’re still learning so if anyone has anything to add feel free.

PS:  I had my three months follow up check with my urologist this morning.  My PSA blood test was 0.03.  That’s low, but there are still some proteins in my blood.  He had hoped it would be 0.00.  It’s not high enough to be concerned and consider radiation.  We’re going to continue doing three month blood checks to make sure it doesn’t rise.  Overall, that’s still good news.

Choices, Choices, Choices

If you’re serious about learning to work with your horse and train him/her to reach his/her potential, there are a lot of resources out there.  Over the years Betty and I have read, watched or attended clinics of Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox, Mark Rashid, Julie Goodnight, Dennis Reis, Pat Parelli, John Lyons, Lynn Palm, Chris Irwin, Brenda Imus, Larry Whitesell, Mark Lane and I’m sure there are a few I’ve missed.

We’ve learned something from each trainer that’s been helpful but there are some things where they contradict each other – or they put different emphasis on how important some thing is or is not.  And, for our simple minds that’s been confusing.

So, we’ve decided to narrow down who we’re going to watch and read.  We’ve worked with our horses long enough to have a pretty good idea of what works for them and what doesn’t – and what fits our personalities.

For general horsemanship we are comfortable with Mark Rashid, Chris Cox and Julie Goodnight.  They are similar in their approaches and their approaches fit our style and personalities.

Since our horses are smooth gaited horses (Icelandic Horse and Rocky Mountain Horse) we’ve discovered a gaited horse trainer out of Tennessee named Larry Whitesell.  His basic horsemanship principles are similar to Rashid, Cox and Goodnight, and his gaited horse principles are simple, focused on what’s best for the horse and make a lot of sense to us.  We’re going through his training DVDs now, both ground work and in the saddle, and we’re learning a lot that fits us and our horses.  We’re even hoping to attend one of his week long clinics next year to get real hands on experience.

After years of trying on different sizes and colors of training, we’re comfortable with the size and color that fits us and our horses.  We’ll still continue to learn every chance we get from all trainers, but we’re measuring it now against what we know about us and our horses.

That’s one of the things we love about our horses – there’s still so much to learn and they have taught us a lot about ourselves.

Monday Video–Amazing Pilots

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I’m fascinated by flying.  I have the greatest respect for pilots.  Here are a couple of videos that show what it’s like in the cockpit.

First, here’s a commercial airliner making a night landing at night – viewed from within the cockpit.

That’s great, but the best of the best are Naval pilots who land a 52,000 pound jet on board an aircraft carrier that’s moving into the wind and pitching seas at 30 knots per hour – and often at night.  The pilot is flying at about 150 knots and must land his aircraft in a space about 200 feet in length and catch one of four wires.  When his plane touches the deck he pushes the throttle to full power so that he will take off again if he misses the wire.  Incredible.

Here’s what that looks like from the cockpit on a pitch dark night.  Remember, the deck he is looking at is pitching in the sea.

Sunday Reflection–Happy Mothers Day

When I was a kid we always wore a Rose bud on our collar when we went to church.  If you wore a white Rose bud that meant your mother was still alive. If the Rose bud was red then your mother was no longer alive.

I don’t think anyone does that any more.  I’m kind of sorry some of those old traditions have gone away.  In their own small way they added something to our lives.

But, we still honor our mothers on this day.  My Mom passed away years ago so my Rose bud would be red if I wore one today.  Betty’s mother died from cancer in 1964 when Betty was 20.  We have all been blessed by Betty’s stepmother, Nita, who has been in our family since 1967.  She is the only grandmother our kids have known in Betty’s family and we all think of her as family – without question.

God tells us to honor our mothers (and fathers) --

"Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."  (Ephesians 6:2-3)

Jesus obviously honored and loved his mother Mary.  Even in the midst of his death on the cross, he made sure she was taken care of by his disciple John.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"  and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26-27)

So, to Betty who has been a great mother to our two sons, and to all of you women who have born the honored title of “mother,” I wish you all…

Happy Mothers Day!

Birthday Road Trip

As you remember, Wednesday was Betty’s birthday.  Since we went out to volunteer at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch we were a little tired on Wednesday afternoon and evening.  So, we didn’t do anything special that day.

Betty’s suggestion was to wait until the next day, Thursday, and make a road trip to Jemez Springs in the Jemez Mountains.

Thursday morning we took the top down on the Mustang and drove up to Jemez Springs.  We ate lunch at the Laughing Lizard Café, a neat little café in the Springs. 

After lunch we drove up to the Soda Dam.  There are some hot springs in that area and over the thousands of years a dam was created on the Jemez River.  At some point in the past the river broke through the dam on the far side and it’s a neat place to visit.

It turned out to be a beautiful day for our trip in the convertible and we had a great time.

Here’s a short video that gives an overview of our day.

Words Can Not Say

Today is Betty’s birthday.

It’s hard to put into words all that she has meant and still means to me.

I found the poem below and it says some things I wish I had said first, but I will give credit to the poet, Joanna Fuchs.

Happy Birthday to the person who has been a Special Treasure in my life.

 

Happy Birthday, Special Treasure

God gave a gift to the world when you were born—

A person who loves, who cares,
who sees a person’s need and fills it,
who encourages and lifts people up,
who spends energy on others
rather than herself,
someone who touches each life she enters,
and makes a difference in the world,
because ripples of kindness flow outward
as each person you have touched, touches others.

Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,
because you are a special treasure
for all that you’ve done.

May the love you have shown to others
return to you, multiplied.

I wish you the happiest of birthdays,
and many, many more,
so that others have time to appreciate you
as much as I do.

By Joanna Fuchs

Watermelon Sculptures

When I was a kid, my Aunt Katherine shared my birthday, August 16.  She and my Uncle Van would drive to our house and bring a huge watermelon.  We would put candles in it and that would be my birthday watermelon as I blew out the candles.  I never had a birthday cake as a kid, but I’m not sorry.

I love watermelons.

So, it was fascinating to run across a web site of an artist, Takashi Itoh, who carves beautiful works of art in watermelons (http://watermelon-sculpture.com/CarvingGallery.html).

This is art that has a very limited life as watermelons, like most fruits, will decay and rot after a short time.

But in that short time Mr. Itoh has created wonderful piece of art.  Here are just a few of his pieces.  There are many, many more on his web site.

A flower…


A horse…

A flower…


A crane and tortoise…


A flower…


A flower…


A flower…


And finally my favorite, The Pieta…

Monday Video–Puddles

Every kid loves to play in rain puddles.  Watch this young elk as he/she enjoys a rain puddle in the midst of the woods.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflection–How Great Thou Art

I have a great affection for rodeo participants because I love watching horses at work, the courage of the riders, the way they support each other, their support for our military, and their love for our country.  I am always touched by the fact that so many cowboys are Christians and very open about their faith.

I love country and western music.  The real stuff.  It speaks of home, family, friends, horses, faith, and love of country.  I also like the fact that so many singers and musicians are Christians and open about their faith.

God is great and Carrie Underwood, along with Vince Gill, make it clear that it’s not just a song to them.  It’s something they believe.

I’ll let her singing finish this reflection.  It speaks what I believe.