We’ll Never Get “Over” these Rainbows!

        At last we’ve been getting a summer with more typical afternoon showers and that has things as green as we’ve ever seen them for early August. But we’re surrounded by something else we don’t remember seeing for years and years and it has everything to do with the great moisture as well—crazy amounts of wild berries! It’s truly a year for the taste buds of the bears (we haven’t seen them at the door of our freezer lately thank goodness) and we think it’s because of all these delicious berries in abundance EVERYwhere. “Organic pick-your-own” blueberries at every turn—fill your buckets! Not as sweet and quite a bit more seedy than your grocery store variety, but still a fun treat when you can grab a handful off horseback along the trail.  Unless there is a bear already present there. In which case we yield to the bears…

We love this. Just look at this precious photo depicting the strong bonds of friendship made and cherished here every week at the ranch. The only thing that could make it sweeter…..

                                                                …..is a photo bombing by Jerry.

 

 

                                                   

(Oh but maybe it wasn’t Jerry….maybe….it was his evil twin…)

        Another familiar face some of you old-schoolers may remember! “Sam” was a wrangler for us starting back in 2002 and again in 2003 and now lives in Missouri with her husband and son Alden. She and Alden have made visits out the past two years for a week and it’s been such a treat to see Alden bask in the magic of the ranch like all kids do. It brings something to life in them entirely different than any other place. Such a joy to see them both!

               

        Hmmm….can you guess what this is? We’re posing for your Christmas cards this year—with a few extra kids and dogs! (Easy right?)  Not sure yet how they turned out but…..you’ll find out at Christmas! (Torture I know.)

Head ‘em up and move ‘em out!

      There’s no wastin’ daylight around here!

       

        Another staff night to rejuvenate and laugh with the ranch family. We headed up to do some bowling and have you ever noticed how different everyone’s personal bowling style is? Perhaps it even reveals something about their personality. We have absolutely no single solitary idea what that might be. But uh—let’s just check it out…..

We have the high-leggers. The low-leggers. And the two-leggers. (Notice no boot-leggers. That’s good.)

        Aw yes. And of course: the Freddy Flinstoners. (This would be one of our line dancing superstars right here, so if you’ve done the Cotton Eyed Joe with us—you recognize the reference! The rest of you will just have to make it out so you can find out for yourselves! <evil laugh>)

Then you have the score calculators-- hmmm….wonder why that is…(Perhaps because she’s been a coach for 40 years…she’s all about playing fair… good sportsmanship… and her name is synonymous with really high scores….)

Gotta love the enthusiastic fist pumpers…

The “I’m gonna just turn around and smile no matter how I do"-ers….

There are always a few trash-talkers….

The celebratory dancers….

The spontaneous-but-actually-not-really-so-spontaneous line dancers….(Hmmm….just pointing out that “White” guy is totally off….)

And last but not least, we have the self-loathers. Bowling causes you to look deep within your soul….recognizing your imperfections….

But it’s so nice to know there are close friends nearby who love you just the way you are. Who would never laugh at you. Or make you feel any more foolish.

Oh and there is absolutely no gloating. Ever.

Cause that’s what family is for!

      

        We mentioned before the rain has kept things green and gorgeous and even the rain itself makes for some spectacular views. Here are just a handful of recent photos to show you what you’ve been missing!

(No, no—no gloating….ever. Don’t forget.)

Come join the fun!

Livin’ the High Life!

        Our views around here are pretty spectacular, but there’s one thing that can take any scene and make it even more extraordinary. And that? Is seeing it through the ears of your favorite horse….home, sweet home—Parshall, CO.

        And what a home it is for some very lucky pooches! Our guests always tell us, they want to “come back in their next lives” as a ranch dog—and we gotta admit, it would be tough to do much better. A backyard that goes for miles, hours of trails to discover every day, all the ground squirrels you can chase, dozens of guests who rush to give you belly rubs, delicious cookout leftovers, the Colorado River for a water bowl….yep. It’s the doggie lottery winners around here. Even a one-eyed dog can see that!

One of our talented guests makes a sketch of Remi. We think he actually posed for this….(Paparazzi is everywhere I tell ya!)

        Bear continues to settle into his new life here at the ranch. It’s obvious he’s finally figured out how good he has it! It took a few lessons from the other ranch dogs to learn all the ropes—like running up in front of a ride to catch a few minutes of rest and shade, entering the river downstream of the horses, and where to sit at the breakfast site in order to increase your chances of catching an accidental dropped piece of Eddie’s famous bacon!

A beautiful day for one of Jerry’s High Country rides!

And when we say high….

We mean Rocky Mountain high!

Lunch break!

Then back on the trail…. or in this case—there was NO trail.

We need “I survived Grouse Mountain” t-shirts! What a day of adventure and fantastic friends!

Fly-fishermen making the most of the last light of the day…

And our fly-fisherwomen sometimes show those boys how it’s done!  Cynthia Llewellyn of Aledo, Texas catches yet another nice Brown Trout from the Colorado River right outside her cabin! She was on a roll this week!

We gotta brag a bit.

Our wranglers do it all.

Drive teams…

 

Find some really big ground squirrels…

Problem solve…..

Potty train…..

Teach with love and patience….

Thwart off bad guys….

Make posters like these for guests who are missing their horses…

They retrieve lost hats off of sheer cliff sides….

Make great vet assistants…

and strategically tuck their guests into rock faces to keep them dry...

What else can we say except….

They are the absolute BEST!!

We’re fired up about line dancing! Guests and staff have been packin’ the house and kickin’ up dust and heels!

Best boot stompin’ in the Rockies!

        The summer is flying by and it’s hard to believe July is at an end. We’ve been having so much fun, we literally forget there are just a few more family weeks left. We still have a bit of availability left some weeks if you need a last minute get away. Your horse, your swing by the river, your cozy cabin, your seat at our dinner table, your waders, your spot at the campfire—they’re all waiting for YOU!

There’s no one else we’d rather share it with!