Then we made it to the river and we stopped a little before the turn off to get to the shore. Trace took me up the other side and we saw a huge sandstone rock. When we walked up and around there were petroglyph's on one side. Trace had told me about these before. That not many people know they are there or dont' bother with them. And most say they are drawings of aliens... well, they are something... hard to say for sure what the artist was thinking but they don't look human. they both have tails, distinctly 4 fingers on every hand and foot, and and something sticking out of their heads. 3 on the small one and 2 on the big one. Interesting for sure!! When you look at them up close you can see remnants of color on some of the etching, the eyes and face, and the 2 horizontal lines at the top. on the middle right side, someone carved his name or cattle brand and dated it 7/11/38. you can tell it's a very different carving. there were also a few small deer carvings and what is propably a river. but the main figures are much larger than the other animal carvings. Crazy stuff.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Petroglyphs
Last weekend, 8/12-13, we went to the ranch to hang out and to collect some boxes we had stored out there. We left the house Saturday morning and about 20 minutes from the ranch Trace took me on a little detour to see more of the area. We were in Big Gypsum Valley heading to the Dolores river. He spent a lot of time there as a kid, riding his dirt bike out there, fishing in the river, family picnics, etc. Apparently there was a good rain the night before because there were puddles here and there... then there was a big one! we rounded a corner and came up to a wash area. Trace thought hmmm.... and we slowed a little, kicked in 4X4 and... got stuck. crap. our tires sank about 6-10 inches in wet clay mud. So Trace dug us out, backed up and punched it and we were back on our way. then we came up to another wash that looked pretty muddy and washed out. so we reved up and were ready to gun it and push thru. well it turns out this one wasn't soft and muddy. it was a solid dried lip so when we punched it we went flying and bouncing instead of sailing thru. Yeeee Haaaaa!!
Then we made it to the river and we stopped a little before the turn off to get to the shore. Trace took me up the other side and we saw a huge sandstone rock. When we walked up and around there were petroglyph's on one side. Trace had told me about these before. That not many people know they are there or dont' bother with them. And most say they are drawings of aliens... well, they are something... hard to say for sure what the artist was thinking but they don't look human. they both have tails, distinctly 4 fingers on every hand and foot, and and something sticking out of their heads. 3 on the small one and 2 on the big one. Interesting for sure!! When you look at them up close you can see remnants of color on some of the etching, the eyes and face, and the 2 horizontal lines at the top. on the middle right side, someone carved his name or cattle brand and dated it 7/11/38. you can tell it's a very different carving. there were also a few small deer carvings and what is propably a river. but the main figures are much larger than the other animal carvings. Crazy stuff.
Then we made it to the river and we stopped a little before the turn off to get to the shore. Trace took me up the other side and we saw a huge sandstone rock. When we walked up and around there were petroglyph's on one side. Trace had told me about these before. That not many people know they are there or dont' bother with them. And most say they are drawings of aliens... well, they are something... hard to say for sure what the artist was thinking but they don't look human. they both have tails, distinctly 4 fingers on every hand and foot, and and something sticking out of their heads. 3 on the small one and 2 on the big one. Interesting for sure!! When you look at them up close you can see remnants of color on some of the etching, the eyes and face, and the 2 horizontal lines at the top. on the middle right side, someone carved his name or cattle brand and dated it 7/11/38. you can tell it's a very different carving. there were also a few small deer carvings and what is propably a river. but the main figures are much larger than the other animal carvings. Crazy stuff.
Labor Day
I can't believe Summer is over already!! We decided to go camping at McPhee Reservoir for Labor Day weekend and get the boat in the water at least one more time. 
I went to Walmart and bought a little tent and two cheap sleeping bags and we went for it. it's been a while since either of us have been in a tent but it was nothing new. Both Trace's kids, Casey and Jessica, met us there with a few of their friends. We had a great time. All the fun camping stuff.
Casey brought whole tree trunks for fire wood, we took 3 hours to cook brats on the little Weber.
It was a stormy weekend any way and just about 10:00pm the fire was winding down and so were we when the sky opened up and the wind and rain sent us running to our tents just to sit inside our sleeping bags and watch our tent flap like crazy for the next 4 hours. i know i fell asleep eventually because around 2 we were woken up by the classic drug guy at the site next to us talking too loud about nonsense at his camp fire. so we chuckled at that and went back to sleep.
the next morning we all made it thru the storm and woke up to make an awesome campsite breakfast. then we loaded everyone and everything in the boat and headed for the water.
Casey's buddies had one of the double tubes so they all took turns being knocked around and thrown into the wake. 
We headed back to camp for lunch and we had more friends show up. Two of them were going to stay the night and two just came for the afternoon. so we finished our lunch and headed back to the water. What a great way to wrap up the summer.
I went to Walmart and bought a little tent and two cheap sleeping bags and we went for it. it's been a while since either of us have been in a tent but it was nothing new. Both Trace's kids, Casey and Jessica, met us there with a few of their friends. We had a great time. All the fun camping stuff.Casey brought whole tree trunks for fire wood, we took 3 hours to cook brats on the little Weber.
It was a stormy weekend any way and just about 10:00pm the fire was winding down and so were we when the sky opened up and the wind and rain sent us running to our tents just to sit inside our sleeping bags and watch our tent flap like crazy for the next 4 hours. i know i fell asleep eventually because around 2 we were woken up by the classic drug guy at the site next to us talking too loud about nonsense at his camp fire. so we chuckled at that and went back to sleep.the next morning we all made it thru the storm and woke up to make an awesome campsite breakfast. then we loaded everyone and everything in the boat and headed for the water.
Casey's buddies had one of the double tubes so they all took turns being knocked around and thrown into the wake. 
We headed back to camp for lunch and we had more friends show up. Two of them were going to stay the night and two just came for the afternoon. so we finished our lunch and headed back to the water. What a great way to wrap up the summer.
trip to MO
Seems like we slowed down for most of July and August and there wasn't much to blog about. So I'll fill you in on a little... We were keeping our schedule pretty light because we had a trip to Missouri planned. Trace's brother, Ash, lives there in Fulton. It's pretty close to I-70 between St. Louis & Kansas City. Trace's parents and son went with us. So they came down to Gallup for a day or two before to check out the town and then we all loaded up in the Suburban and head out from Gallup on 8/13. it's about 16 hours each way so we did it in two days. There was plenty of room for everyone and snacks and A/C so the drive was just fine. just long! we stopped in Oklahoma city for the first night then got in to Fulton around 5 on Friday.
Ash is married to Lori and they have two kids, Miranda in 8th grade, and Gage is 7...1st grade i think? they had been building a new house on their property for the last year or two and it's done!! so we wanted to see them and the new house. it's awesome. perfect size for a family of 4 and beautiful! Of course i hardly took any pictures of anything so you'll have to take my word for it. Friday night we hung out at their house and had enchiladas and visited before we headed out to our hotel to crash.
Saturday we had a BBQ at Lori's dad's house. John has a cool old house, late 1800s early 1900s out in the country. They took us for a little tour around the country side and showed us where a lot of John's hayfields are and some great old houses. Just a day or two before John found a camp set up in the trees behind one of his fields. it was abandoned but the guys just had to get in there and snoop around. I was trying desperately to avoid chiggers so I stayed out. Chiggers by the way are AWFUL and very prevalent out there. they are a might, look like tiny fleas or ticks and they live in the tall grasses and will latch on and bite you for a few days even if you don't get them off. not to mention the mosquitoes and biting gnats. oh did I mention it was 85 and 85% humidity the whole time. I was a hot sweaty mess. so nice when you're meeting your new family! but I did some research on Chiggers so i did everything I could to avoid them. everyone else thought i was crazy. I'm happy to report I didn't get one chigger bite and the rest of the family was scratching and crying for a month!!
Sunday was a mellow day back at Ash's house. we went out for pizza and it POURED rain on us for a good hour. it's no wonder everything there is green and lush. it was beautiful! but i take the dry colorado air anyday. i thought it got humid at the beach! i was wrong. this was a whole new level of humid! Monday morning we loaded up and headed home. It was a quick trip with more driving that visiting but we all had a good time and i'm glad we went.
Monday, August 3, 2009
4th of July
We talked Crystal, Bear, & CJ into staying in Gallup for a few days so they could spend 4th of July with us. We took the ski boat to McPhee reservoir in Dolores, CO for the day. It took about 3 hours. We met Trace's son, Casey there with 2 of his buddies to join us for boating. It was beautiful day! Warm but not hot just enough cloud cover to come and go and give us relief from the heat.
The 3 boys did most of the water activities; knee boarding, wake-boarding, and tubing. We did get Bear and Crystal out on a tube too though! CJ was willing to jump in the water and swim but didn't want anything to do with the tubing! I'm with you CJ, I've seen people go flying off those! But everyone had a great time. we came home a little tired and sunburned but it was worth it. we got home in time to see the fireworks going off all over town. we stopped on the way into town and Bear bought some of his own too. CJ got sparklers and Bear had a few roman candles and shooting ones. We set up the lawn chairs in the back yard and there was plenty to see all around. Happy Birthday America!!
The 3 boys did most of the water activities; knee boarding, wake-boarding, and tubing. We did get Bear and Crystal out on a tube too though! CJ was willing to jump in the water and swim but didn't want anything to do with the tubing! I'm with you CJ, I've seen people go flying off those! But everyone had a great time. we came home a little tired and sunburned but it was worth it. we got home in time to see the fireworks going off all over town. we stopped on the way into town and Bear bought some of his own too. CJ got sparklers and Bear had a few roman candles and shooting ones. We set up the lawn chairs in the back yard and there was plenty to see all around. Happy Birthday America!!
Trip to CA
I stayed at G-ma's Shari's house in Lomita while I was in LA for the week. It was perfect. Max and I were and happy there. G-ma and I have lived together before so we moved about with out any trouble. Her 3 cat's weren't thrilled to have Max there but they were incredibly hospitable too. Once I had a home base I was free to run around and catch up with as many people as I could.
Wednesday evening, Lisa stopped by Grandma's on her way home from work so we could visit. She got to meet Max and we got to catch up on what's new with each other. Later that night, I had desert at BJ's with Kathy, Angela, & Rebecca. I was introduced to the famous BJ's Pazookie (cookie sundae) very good stuff! We caught up on hugs and baby stories.
Thursday I had lunch with my aunt Laurie at Red Onion in PV. Yum!! We ate for 10 minutes and talked for an hour. So great to catch up! That night Shannell & I went to an event in San Pedro for an organization she works with, Operation Progress, that helps inner city kids with scholarships and work opportunities. A ton of people from the Boston PD were there and some were performing Irish Drinking songs for the crowd. That was cool.
Friday, my mom's friend Janet cut and colored my hair. Just cleaned it up and added some dark auburn low lights to play up my color. Still look great. Thanks Janet! Then I met up with Kathy for the afternoon. We had dinner at Chipotle and then hung out at her mom's for a while and watched the kids play in the great summer beach weather. Then headed back to her house to catch up and visit. I didn't get home until after 1:AM. We are such party animals. :)Saturday I took Max to the dog park and he had a ball. He was nervous when my mom and I took him earlier in the week but he was ready to run and play this time. We got to see adult Westies and i talked to their owners for a few minutes. So far, everyone has only good things to say about westies and i agree! that night Mom, G-ma, & I had a movie night at Grandma's; we made dinner and watched Confessions if a Shopaholic. Such a cute movie!
Sunday morning mom and I took Max to the cove in PV to hike around. He wasn't sure what to do with that but it was sure cute to see him all wet out in the water. After that I just hung around the house with Grandma. Reading, napping, relaxing, wonderful! That evening I met Kathy and the rest of the gang at Life Covenant church. Then several of us went to Pat & Oscars for dinner. After dinner I went to visit Grandma Edie, Grandpa Larry, & Jeremy. They had just got home from my cousin Alex's wedding in Visalia, CA. I brought some pictures from CO/NM so they could see what I've been up to over here.
Monday evening I went to Crystal's for a going away party. She was getting married to Bear in Vegas Tuesday and moving to Kansas! So I got to meet him and wish them a happy life together. Turns out they were going to be driving through Gallup on their way to Kansas so I hauled some of their stuff back with me to make a little more room in the car for part of the trip. That also meant that Crystal and I would get to see each other one more time. :)
Tuesday morning I got up early and hit the road. I couldn't wait to get home to my hubby. I was soooooo homesick by the end of my trip. It was great to catch up but it's always great to be home. Next time I'll pack Trace in my suite case!!
Trip to CA (stop in AZ)
Monday June 22, Mom, Max, & I set off for California. I decided to drive my mom home instead of having her fly home on the ticket she already bought...sorry about that. :) But since I'm still looking for a job Trace and I thought it would be a good time for me to take a girls trip back to the beach to hang out and catch up with everyone for a few days. We stopped to see aunt Lu and the family in Cornville, AZ (near Sedona) Monday night. Max got to play with their dogs, Dukie and Roxie, and we got to hang out and stretch our legs and visit. We went to dinner at Pizza Hut and then went to watch my cousin play Softball after. Game was good, all was well...Till our family almost went to the dirt with the other side!! Seriously! The other team was losing badly and they weren't happy about it. So they were being snotty the whole time and I'll admit our side of the bleachers were a little rowdy but not really us. When the game was over the two teams slap hands, good game, good game, all that... Well the pitcher wouldn't shake hands, he just made a fist and walked by... so my sweet innocent 5'2" aunt (okay, maybe not so sweet and innocent) said "come on pitcher, don't be such a poor sport"... so after the game he walked over and started talking smack! Something like "say that to my face old lady!" so she just said he was showing poor sportsmanship. Seriously not cussing or being nasty. Well that exploded and as we were walking to the cars, their whole team started following us and yelling and then my family was getting pissed. I have 3 cousins, 18-21, and they weren't happy with they guys talking to their mom that way; but we were all trying to convince each other to get to the cars. So the rest of Adams team stepped in and we were able to go home with out throwing blows but holy moly, it was crazy!! Never a dull moment with Aunty Lu! :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mom's Week in Gallup
The next week mom and I hung out around the house a lot and cruised around town. Gallup is located on Historic Route 66 and there are lots of old shops and little museams with the old neon signs and lots and lots of Native american art & jewelry.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day they have Indian Dances in the Town Square every night so we made a point to check that out too. The dancers that night were from the Zuni tribe. Their reservation is about 45 minutes SouthWest of Gallup. The guys are doing the buffalo dance and the lady is doing the pottery dance. 
We also drove about an hour away to a wolf rescue and took the tour there. that was awesome. The taught us about the wolves as they walked around and we got to see most of them. There are 4 types of gray wolves: Arctic, Tundra, Timber and Mexican gray. they had the first 3 there at the rescue. the Mexican Gray is local to this area but endangered and trying to be restored. This is a picture of an Arctic Wolf. They live the farthest north and have long thin legs that help them get through the snow.
We went to the Lion's Rodeo at Red Rock State park in Gallup on Saturday, June 20th. Alpine Lumber was a sponsor so we went to check it out. It was really fun. They had two arena's side by side with alternating events happening at the same time. The ropers and barrel races on one side and the bucking broncos and bull riding on the other side. They also had the little kids riding sheep. they were soooooo cute!! The rodeo cowboy was a comedian with little skits and comments during the down time. We checked out the dance after but it was super crowded so we just hung out for a little bit while we were waiting for the parking lot to clear out.Instead of mom flying home as planned, I decided to driver her home and hang out in LA for a week. But I'll save that for the next post.
Taking mom to the Ranch
My mom came to visit us in Gallup for a week. She flew into Albuquerque on June 11.
We took her to the ranch to visit and help us do some projects. First on the list was to repair some fencing. There were several of us there to help. In our truck was Trace, his mom, my mom, & me. And with us was Trace's uncle Dave, his cousin Brandi, and Brandi's husband and son. I was mostly in charge of re-nailing wire to the posts that had come loose. Trace was re-stretching wire and reattaching sections that had broken from weather or elk. 
We worked on two sections and it was fun. The weather was good and we got a lot done. We did plenty of sight seeing and wondering around too. The wildflowers were beautiful and everything was green. We had a great time!
Sunday was time to brand the calves. We got then in the corral and separated from the mamas first thing. Then brought them down into the chute one by one. I think the first guy up was bandit. We named him that because of his white face and black patches on his eyes.
The process for a boy is the cut the bottom of his "sack" then Trace squeezed out the testicles and pulls the hell out of them. then they put pine tar which really just looks like tar but smells like pine to the cut and that part is done. then we put an ear tag in with what looks like a giant whole punch. I was in charge of giving them the antibiotics. a big-ole shot in the shoulder. Last on the list was to brand them. that part was worse than the castrating... it's a large cast iron branding iron that they heat up with a torch and then press into their sides.... they didn't like that part. 
But as soon as they were out of the chute and back with mama, they were pretty happy again. it took a day or two for the boys to walk normal but they took it surpisingly well!
We took her to the ranch to visit and help us do some projects. First on the list was to repair some fencing. There were several of us there to help. In our truck was Trace, his mom, my mom, & me. And with us was Trace's uncle Dave, his cousin Brandi, and Brandi's husband and son. I was mostly in charge of re-nailing wire to the posts that had come loose. Trace was re-stretching wire and reattaching sections that had broken from weather or elk. 
We worked on two sections and it was fun. The weather was good and we got a lot done. We did plenty of sight seeing and wondering around too. The wildflowers were beautiful and everything was green. We had a great time!Sunday was time to brand the calves. We got then in the corral and separated from the mamas first thing. Then brought them down into the chute one by one. I think the first guy up was bandit. We named him that because of his white face and black patches on his eyes.
The process for a boy is the cut the bottom of his "sack" then Trace squeezed out the testicles and pulls the hell out of them. then they put pine tar which really just looks like tar but smells like pine to the cut and that part is done. then we put an ear tag in with what looks like a giant whole punch. I was in charge of giving them the antibiotics. a big-ole shot in the shoulder. Last on the list was to brand them. that part was worse than the castrating... it's a large cast iron branding iron that they heat up with a torch and then press into their sides.... they didn't like that part. 
But as soon as they were out of the chute and back with mama, they were pretty happy again. it took a day or two for the boys to walk normal but they took it surpisingly well!
Milking a cow
May 30, 2009.
We were at the ranch for the weekend with the intention of branding the calves. But the weather wasn't great and one of the cows had just had a calf that was too young to brand. But we weren't off the hook just yet.
The cow that had just had the latest calf had a huge impacted milk bag. She was even having trouble walking because she was in so much pain. We could tell that the new calf was nursing the front two teets but not the back... and we weren't even sure if she was letting the calf at the front because she was kicking dirt and soar. 
So we got her in the corral and into the chute. We decided to milk her out to relieve the pressure and hope the calf would begin sucking on all four. Mama cow was not happy to be in there, that's for sure. Casey had her back leg tied up so we could get to her and we rubbed some vasoline on the nipples to soften them and then milked her.
Trace and I took turns while Casey watched that we didn't get kicked in the head. Thanks Casey!
By the time we switched sides, she didn't even need to be restrained. she was so happy to have the help. She was practically purring. So I felt like a real country girl that weekend and I was happy to help the mama cow. Turns out the calf did take to all four and mom and baby are happy.
We were at the ranch for the weekend with the intention of branding the calves. But the weather wasn't great and one of the cows had just had a calf that was too young to brand. But we weren't off the hook just yet.
The cow that had just had the latest calf had a huge impacted milk bag. She was even having trouble walking because she was in so much pain. We could tell that the new calf was nursing the front two teets but not the back... and we weren't even sure if she was letting the calf at the front because she was kicking dirt and soar. 
So we got her in the corral and into the chute. We decided to milk her out to relieve the pressure and hope the calf would begin sucking on all four. Mama cow was not happy to be in there, that's for sure. Casey had her back leg tied up so we could get to her and we rubbed some vasoline on the nipples to soften them and then milked her.
Trace and I took turns while Casey watched that we didn't get kicked in the head. Thanks Casey!
By the time we switched sides, she didn't even need to be restrained. she was so happy to have the help. She was practically purring. So I felt like a real country girl that weekend and I was happy to help the mama cow. Turns out the calf did take to all four and mom and baby are happy.
Monday, June 8, 2009
El Morro National Monument
Yesterday we took a drive to check out the area and we started by going to the Zuni Pueblo about 30 minutes away. Most of the town was very old brick buildings, I'm sure there were many older buildings, they have been there a long time. we couldn't take any pictures with out getting a permit so we just drove around and checked it out. Then we headed east from there to the town of Ramah. it wasn't Native American at all. Seemed like a very white town with farming and good size homes in the middle of what what we thought was the Navajo Reservation. We wondered around there and found a little lake in the canyon.
Then we continued East another 15 miles or so to El Morro National Monument. http://www.nps.gov/elmothat was very cool. There is a natural spring that is tucked back into the Sandstone bluff that travelers have been stopping to camp and water their horses for hundreds of years. There are petroglyphs on the sandstone and some time around the early 1600's the travelers began to etch their own names and messages along side the ancient drawings.
We did the 1/2 mile walk to the bluff and back to the visitor center or we could have continued walking the full 2 miles up to the top of the bluff where there are Native American ruins.
we'll do that next time when we're better prepared. It was awesome though. To think how many people passed by here... The Wild West.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Trace’s Birthday in Albuquerque
I took Trace to see Jeff Foxworthy for his birthday present on Sunday. We got to ALQ around 6 and stopped for dinner at the Texas Cattle & Ranch restaurant for a nice steak and headed to the Sandia Casino and Resort to see the show. It was an outdoor venue and the weather was awesome! It was a sunken bowl kind of amphitheater and all the seats would have been great. We were on the floor about 6 rows back dead center. Perfect. Jeff came out about 8:15 and did a great show for about an hour and a half. He mixed in new material with some classics and ended with a round of …you might be a redneck. He started out by saying how great the casino and that his wife just won $5000! We all cheered and clapped. Then he went on to say in his special twang, she won it at one of the automatic teller machines at the front door! Ha ha, you got us Jeff. We headed back for our room in town. It was a great day!
Monday was Trace’s 39th birthday and we woke up LATE… and had to boogie just to get ready for check out on time. We headed to Olive Garden for a birthday lunch. Guess who picked it?? I miss Olive Garden and it was goooooood! So while we were in ALQ, I took the opportunity to look for a puppy! I have wanted one FOREVER. And now seemed like a good time. We have a yard at the Gallup house. I’m off of work for the move and will have some time at home setting up while I look for a new job. I had been thinking about getting a Yorkie. Most of you know I’ve had 2 before that ended in tragedy. But I was willing to look at several small breeds: cocker spaniel, Westie, mini schnauzer, Brittney, etc. I printed the puppy ads from the ALQ paper the week before and had circled several ads. So after lunch we headed to the one pet store in the area that sold puppies as a starting place and called a few private ads and had to leave messages with them.
At the pet store there were soooo many to look at and play with. They had a French bulldog, I’ve always thought they were cute but I didn’t’ really want a short hair; I wanted something a little fluffier. So we played with a shi-poo, Westie, Cavalier King Charles, cocker spaniel, and cock-a-poo. They had a silkie terrier which is very similar to a Yorkie but he was sick and couldn’t come out. The shi-poo was cute but was just kinda a weird mix and color and shape. The Westie was very cute and playful. The King Charles was a sweet sweet little girl and so soft.
The cocker spaniel and Cockapoo where in the same kennel so we could see them at the same time. The spaniel was also very soft and sweet. But both those little ones shed all over me and tinkled as they played. I’ve always heard cocker spaniels were hard to potty train and Trace HATES dog hair. So those two were out. So it was between the king Charles and the Westie at that place. The king Charles was very expensive and the Westie was in our budget. So he was top of the list. We decided to think about it and spend some time in town seeing a few more. None of the Yorkie people called me back and the animal shelters were closed that day. So after a few hours of trying to find other options I decided I wanted the Westie, and we went back to get him and take him home. Meet Maximus!!
Monday was Trace’s 39th birthday and we woke up LATE… and had to boogie just to get ready for check out on time. We headed to Olive Garden for a birthday lunch. Guess who picked it?? I miss Olive Garden and it was goooooood! So while we were in ALQ, I took the opportunity to look for a puppy! I have wanted one FOREVER. And now seemed like a good time. We have a yard at the Gallup house. I’m off of work for the move and will have some time at home setting up while I look for a new job. I had been thinking about getting a Yorkie. Most of you know I’ve had 2 before that ended in tragedy. But I was willing to look at several small breeds: cocker spaniel, Westie, mini schnauzer, Brittney, etc. I printed the puppy ads from the ALQ paper the week before and had circled several ads. So after lunch we headed to the one pet store in the area that sold puppies as a starting place and called a few private ads and had to leave messages with them.
At the pet store there were soooo many to look at and play with. They had a French bulldog, I’ve always thought they were cute but I didn’t’ really want a short hair; I wanted something a little fluffier. So we played with a shi-poo, Westie, Cavalier King Charles, cocker spaniel, and cock-a-poo. They had a silkie terrier which is very similar to a Yorkie but he was sick and couldn’t come out. The shi-poo was cute but was just kinda a weird mix and color and shape. The Westie was very cute and playful. The King Charles was a sweet sweet little girl and so soft.
The cocker spaniel and Cockapoo where in the same kennel so we could see them at the same time. The spaniel was also very soft and sweet. But both those little ones shed all over me and tinkled as they played. I’ve always heard cocker spaniels were hard to potty train and Trace HATES dog hair. So those two were out. So it was between the king Charles and the Westie at that place. The king Charles was very expensive and the Westie was in our budget. So he was top of the list. We decided to think about it and spend some time in town seeing a few more. None of the Yorkie people called me back and the animal shelters were closed that day. So after a few hours of trying to find other options I decided I wanted the Westie, and we went back to get him and take him home. Meet Maximus!!
Saturday @ the Ranch
Saturday, May 16th we went to visit Trace’s parents. We took our time getting there and Trace took me a new way and we went to Groundhog Reservoir along the way. 
The trees are leafing out and the grasses are green. We were a little early for the most of the wildflowers but if you slowed down and paid attention, they were everywhere! Trace said Groundhog is an old reservoir and he remembers as a kid that’s where all the good fishing tales took place. That brought us through the head of Disappointment Valley which is beautiful. Very green and lots of trees, it winds around into the actual valley which can get very dry and not nearly so lush. That’s how it got it’s name, the settlers came in from Utah over a pass and they saw the dry dusty valley…Disappointment. But from the head of Disappointment, back where is was green and pretty and the water runs off into the valley, you can see North Mountain. At one time the Griffith’s owned the property on North Mountain and that’s how the family hunting business got it’s name. 
North Mountain hunting ranch. This will be the first year I get to help with that in October and November.
So we finally made it to the ranch and headed up country on their property to check everything out. There were lots of wild flowers there and I got several pictures.
It was still a little early there and there will be even more when we go back next weekend.
We checked on the cows. He has 3 steers (neutered males) that are going to be butchered in the next month that he’s going to give out the meet to the family. There are 2 little heifers (females) that were born last year; and 5 momma heifers. There are 4 calves so far and we’re waiting for the 5th. Then we got in the truck and drove up and down all the dirt roads and checked on the ponds and saw some other cows. 
It was a beautiful drive. Then we headed back to the house for some dinner and headed back to Durango.
The trees are leafing out and the grasses are green. We were a little early for the most of the wildflowers but if you slowed down and paid attention, they were everywhere! Trace said Groundhog is an old reservoir and he remembers as a kid that’s where all the good fishing tales took place. That brought us through the head of Disappointment Valley which is beautiful. Very green and lots of trees, it winds around into the actual valley which can get very dry and not nearly so lush. That’s how it got it’s name, the settlers came in from Utah over a pass and they saw the dry dusty valley…Disappointment. But from the head of Disappointment, back where is was green and pretty and the water runs off into the valley, you can see North Mountain. At one time the Griffith’s owned the property on North Mountain and that’s how the family hunting business got it’s name. 
North Mountain hunting ranch. This will be the first year I get to help with that in October and November. So we finally made it to the ranch and headed up country on their property to check everything out. There were lots of wild flowers there and I got several pictures.
It was still a little early there and there will be even more when we go back next weekend.
We checked on the cows. He has 3 steers (neutered males) that are going to be butchered in the next month that he’s going to give out the meet to the family. There are 2 little heifers (females) that were born last year; and 5 momma heifers. There are 4 calves so far and we’re waiting for the 5th. Then we got in the truck and drove up and down all the dirt roads and checked on the ponds and saw some other cows. 
It was a beautiful drive. Then we headed back to the house for some dinner and headed back to Durango.
The Ranch
Wow, so much fun stuff has happened since I’ve posted. I need to catch up! I’ve talked about “the ranch” before but let me tell you a little more. That is were Trace grew up. It’s in
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May Calendar
Hi everyone. I thought I would give you a preview of what's going on with us this month.
Tomorrow, 5/15 is my last day at Alpine Lumber.
Saturday, 5/16, we're going to "the ranch" to hang with Trace's parents
Sunday, 5/17, Trace & I are going to Albuquerque to see Jeff Foxworthy for Trace's B-day
Monday, 5/18, Trace's 39th Birthday!! I'm hoping to do some puppy shopping in Alb. :)
Thursday, 5/21, Jessica's last day of school and the move begins!
Saturday, 5/23, we pick up the U-Haul and head to Gallup!
Monday, 5/25, hopefully we're all moved and unloaded and we can do something.
Saturday, 5/30, this is a big day for me... this is calf day at the ranch. that's what i'm calling it anyway. we're going to brand, castrate, and immunize the 5 baby calves we had this spring. WOW! I bet you can't wait to see the pictures from this. It will be my first time and I'm a little nervous...
Sunday, 5/31, a Griffith family meeting at the Ranch with Trace's parents, siblings, uncle, & cousins to talk about the stuff at the ranch and what needs to be done for the year and beyond.
That's it for now. I'll keep you posted on how all of this turns out.
Tomorrow, 5/15 is my last day at Alpine Lumber.
Saturday, 5/16, we're going to "the ranch" to hang with Trace's parents
Sunday, 5/17, Trace & I are going to Albuquerque to see Jeff Foxworthy for Trace's B-day
Monday, 5/18, Trace's 39th Birthday!! I'm hoping to do some puppy shopping in Alb. :)
Thursday, 5/21, Jessica's last day of school and the move begins!
Saturday, 5/23, we pick up the U-Haul and head to Gallup!
Monday, 5/25, hopefully we're all moved and unloaded and we can do something.
Saturday, 5/30, this is a big day for me... this is calf day at the ranch. that's what i'm calling it anyway. we're going to brand, castrate, and immunize the 5 baby calves we had this spring. WOW! I bet you can't wait to see the pictures from this. It will be my first time and I'm a little nervous...
Sunday, 5/31, a Griffith family meeting at the Ranch with Trace's parents, siblings, uncle, & cousins to talk about the stuff at the ranch and what needs to be done for the year and beyond.
That's it for now. I'll keep you posted on how all of this turns out.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wedding
I couldn't help post a few wedding pics. Here's a quick recap even though I'm pretty sure everyone has heard already.
Trace and I got married on Catalina Island on March 31, 2009. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful ceremony.
from left to right: G-ma Shari, Crystal, Jessica (Trace's Daughter), Trace, Me, Mom, Kathy, Derrick, & Shannell
Trace and I got married on Catalina Island on March 31, 2009. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful ceremony.
from left to right: G-ma Shari, Crystal, Jessica (Trace's Daughter), Trace, Me, Mom, Kathy, Derrick, & Shannell
Step-Mother's Day
I had my first Step-Mother's Day yesterday. How fun!Trace and Jessica took me out to brunch and bought me a gift certificate for a massage.
We went to brunch at The Palace in Durango. it's cute nice resturant next to the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Depot.
We got there at 11:30 and we didn't have a reservation so they sat us in the bar area, which was just as nice as the rest of the place. They were packed. We ordered a baked brie as an appetizer, with honey and almond over the baked brie and a fresh fruit and toasted baguette slices. Yum! It's a good thing we did because we ate the whole thing before they even took our order... Jessica had an iced tea, I had a mimosa, and Trace had a crown and coke. it was noon by then :) and we gave our orders and we waited... then we had another round of drinks and we waited... 12:45 by the time our food was served...yikes. it was good. i had sweet crepes with an orange cream filling and blackberry syrup. good thing we weren't in a hurry.
In fact it was really nice to just hang out and relax. the place was full and the weather was great so there was a lot of good people watching to be had. in fact as we were finishing our meal. a couple outside our window on the patio proved to be very entertaining. They had two little boys, maybe 4 & 6. They're food came out not long after us and we had already been watching and noticing how good those boys were. to sit there for an hour and wait for food. they had 2 appetizers and plenty of crayons so mom and dad must have known what to expect. The little boy ordered chicken nuggets and was happy as a clam. the older boy ordered french toast and it was very frenchy. it was a diagonally sliced piece of very narrow french bread and was pretty toasty. we knew that already because Jessica ordered the same thing. it was good but the crust was so tough she asked for a steak knife. so this little boy gets his plate and his eyes grow 3 inches and his face twists a little wondering what the heck they brought him... but mom convinces him to give it a shot and we watch this little boy work the heck out of it with a butter knife. Good job kid! Then mom and dad both send their food back because it's cold and Jessica can see them talking about it. Trace and i had to turn to watch them so she had the best view. They get their food back, pretty quickly actually, and everyone gets to eating. Then the little one decides he's done and throws his chicken nugget across the table and almost smacks the dude sitting next to them. Mom wasn't pleased. by then it was 1:30 and we've finally paid our bill and head out. it was fun and tasty... but next time we'll probably go to Denny's. :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
House in Gallup
So I took the day off yesterday to meet Trace in Gallup to find a place to live. When we went down last week, there was 1 house for rent and 0 apartments. can you believe that!! and it was a dump and $1400/mo. I know most of you can't really appreciate the cost of housing here since LA is the most expensive place ever but $1400 is a lot for the middle of no where! so we left last week a little concerned about the lack of housing but decided to just give it some time and keep an open mind.
So a lady at the Gallup yard called Trace and said her cousin had a house he was renting. So Trace called him and checked it out on Monday. He liked it and I got to see it yesterday. Very nice. Well you know I can never just say yes. I need to think about it and weigh my options and check out every other possibility to be sure we're getting the best deal. I might get into the other house later but i'm not sure how long this will be.
So back to the house we actually rented...
3 bed, 1 bath, living, dining, brandnew kitchen, den, & office. Not bad at all! well the 1 bathroom will be a challenge but that's okay. The front and back are landscaped with rock witch is pretty common there. there is a small patch of dirt in the back that we will probably lay sod for my future puppy! No garage but there is a large shed/workshop to hold all our stuff and lots of driveway space.
Here are some pics. If anyone is traveling through I-40 come on by!!
So a lady at the Gallup yard called Trace and said her cousin had a house he was renting. So Trace called him and checked it out on Monday. He liked it and I got to see it yesterday. Very nice. Well you know I can never just say yes. I need to think about it and weigh my options and check out every other possibility to be sure we're getting the best deal. I might get into the other house later but i'm not sure how long this will be.
So back to the house we actually rented...3 bed, 1 bath, living, dining, brandnew kitchen, den, & office. Not bad at all! well the 1 bathroom will be a challenge but that's okay. The front and back are landscaped with rock witch is pretty common there. there is a small patch of dirt in the back that we will probably lay sod for my future puppy! No garage but there is a large shed/workshop to hold all our stuff and lots of driveway space.
Here are some pics. If anyone is traveling through I-40 come on by!!
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