"THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY"
"The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." ~ J. C. Penney
THE JOHNSON PLACE
Rachel captured these scenes in the "Johnson Pasture" over west on the Lonetree Ranch. The pasture was named for an early homesteading family that left Dakota in the 1940's. We stayed in touch with Victor, one of the sons, until his death about five years ago. A wonderful Christian man with a great heart. He lived most of his life as an agriculture teacher in Wisconsin. He continued to farm there as well. He was a writer for his local newspaper and he penned a couple books of memories of life on the Dakota Plains.
COLORS
Lot of talk about "colors".... Around this place... The Rainbow is significant of God's promises and the American flag is significant of our duty as Americans.
AMBER WAVES...
The wheat is nearly ready to harvest. Harney Peak in the background... notice the mule deer ?
A MULE????
A first for sure...
The first mule born on the LONETREE RANCH
"Really kind of cute"
OLD BARNS & GERANIUMS
Old Barns and Geraniums...
JUST SOME NICE HORSE PHOTOS FROM THE RANCH
RAIN...
Our country sure needs some rain....
We are grateful for the nearly half inch we received on Sunday
RAPTOR ROOSTS
We set some "Raptor Roosts" to encourage Hawks and eagles in our battle against Prairie Dogs. We are thankful that we have seen some marked progress in reducing the population of these nuisance critter.
CALEB'S SIDEKICK
Do you remember Roy Roger's comical sidekick, Pat Brady? Do you recall his 1946 Willys Jeep named Nellybelle? Well now Caleb Reinhold has own version of Nellybelle.... and he sure has plenty of fun. His sidekick in this photo is Cody... Yes they both are somewhat comical.
MADE NEW FRIENDS
Made new friends.
Jumped a couple antelope fawns while out fencing the other day. After they ran over the hill I decided to walk over and see if they stopped. They did and when they saw me they came walking to me. They came within 6 yards about 10 different times. I could hear the doe from half a mile away and knew we were under her watchful eye. After about 10 minutes I turned to leave and so as not to scare them I walked around the hill back to the four wheeler, but before I got to it I looked up on the hill and they were both peeking over and on their way back to me.
Grandpa talked about when they were first fencing in the East side of the place, they would have a bunch of Antelope curiously come up to visit while taking a break for dinner under the hayrack. That was almost 100 years ago.
Thankful for where and how I grew up and the opportunities like these.
Big Brother and Little Sister
Big brother & little sister. Danny and Kiersten work together on numerous chores and projects. Does a Dad's heart good. And a Mom's heart as well.
I just thought I would let you know that they do not buy their jeans this way. Rather, after days of work and wear..."They just become fashion statements".
MAKING A MOVE
We did some more sorting today. We had four or five head of our arena cattle get out into the wrong pasture. Here Danny and his big gray horse, Hoss, make a move on one of them.
Our Lilacs
Yes... We enjoy our lilacs. This row was planted around forty years ago. The drought of the 2000 - 2007 really took a toll and the blizzards that followed nearly did them in. But after years of pruning and caring... They are beautiful.
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Lilac flowers belong to the Oleaceae family and is a genus of about 20 to 25 flowering species with over 1,000 varieties of lilac bushes.
Nearly a Dream
I have to admit... this is nearly a dream. A beautiful palomino quarter horse in the branding pen with a bunch of Hereford calves that will soon be wearing the Lonetree brand that has been part of family for generations.
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Dear God,
From my heart, I lift to You a prayer of gratitude...
NEARLY A DREAM
I have to admit... this is nearly a dream. A beautiful palomino quarter horse in the branding pen with a bunch of Hereford calves that will soon be wearing the Lonetree brand that has been part of family for generations.
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Dear God,
From my heart, I lift to You a prayer of gratitude...
COWBOY CHESS
As I have said before...."Cowboy Chess"
I love working and sorting cattle with the crew.
Caleb Reinhold's High School Graduation
I am starting to feel pretty small surrounded by Caleb's friends.
Danny, Rachel and Jacob prayed a special blessing upon Caleb on behalf of the family and all in attendance.
A new piece of art at RBR... "No wait... this is just a view out the window". We had a beautiful evening for Caleb's celebration.
So Much of Him is Still Here....
My Dad and I worked together for so may years in these corrals. And even when he was not able to be in the corrals, he would still come down and be a part of the "goin' ons". He so enjoyed the livestock... He so enjoyed his family. Yes, I miss having Dad around during these busy days. However, so much of him is still in place on the ranch.
The Prairie.... My Garden
When you can wander a garden that spreads across thousands of acres... One cannot help but relate to South Dakota's own, Artist Harvey Dunn, and his painting, "The Prairie is My Garden".
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Bouquets of sweetpeas and bluebells grace our tables and sideboards and even the dash of the pickup for weeks every spring here on the ranch. The aroma is amazing...