Gardner Canyon

My friend Brett and I had a GREAT ride the other day down in Gardner Canyon.  The weather was perfect, not too hot, but still sunny with a nice little breeze blowing.  And the views go on forever... 

Brett, although she doesn't claim to be a cowgirl, loves riding and I can put her on any horse and not really have to worry about her.  Here she is with our big guy, Chini.

And me with our little girl, Sassy.

Gardner Canyon is a beautiful and relaxing place to ride with it's rolling hills and wide open spaces.  We are so lucky to live only 14 miles down the road from it.  The Arizona Trail, which is a hiking/horseback trail, runs from the Mexican border up through the middle of the state and ends near the border with Utah (I believe) and it runs right through the Canyon.   

We came across this little meadow that was just full of wild sunflowers.  There were all kinds of butterflies and bees flitting around.  Photo op!

It was a perfect day on horseback, riding and chatting and catching up on things with an old friend and enjoying the beautiful scenery.  We never saw another person the entire day!  What could be better?  Days like that just don't come often enough. 

And Now the Fun Begins!

Piper's training has been going very well. She saddles up with no problems (other than reaching around to chew on the stirrups!) and she really looks like a big horse when she is under saddle. I remember when I first brought her home, she came up to my shoulder at the withers and I could easily put my arm around her neck. That's not happening anymore! And I have now officially had 2 rides on her in the round pen! The first day was last Sunday, Valentine's Day. She did great! All we did was walk around, stopping and starting. I did manage to get her to back up a few steps, too. I mainly wanted her to get used to walking around with my weight on her.

She was very calm and I'm happy to report --- so was I. All of the ground work and round pen work is really paying off with her. This was just the next step and she handled it in typical Piper fashion. No big deal. :)

I'm pretty proud of my little girl!

Birthday Ride to Kentucky Camp

Happy 2010! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and successful New Year! It has been a treat getting to know you all through your blogs and sharing a little of my life with you.

All I wanted for my birthday yesterday was to go riding and spend some time outdoors with my horse and my hubby. The weather definitely cooperated -- it was sunny without a cloud in the sky. Although, by our standards it was a little cool, only about 50 degrees. I'm not complaining, though, especially since parts of the country are bitter cold and covered in snow right now.

Even though Phoenix is 32, he still has plenty of get up and go. Well, at least enough for a leisurely trail ride. Just when I start to think that I'll need to stop riding him soon, he shows me that he still can and still wants to get out. My oldie...

Lee checking to see if we're still behind him. :)It's open range on the way down to Kentucky Camp. We came across these cows and their babies sunning themselves on a hill.I wanted to bring this little red one home! So darn cute.Kentucky Camp was a gold mining camp in the late 1800s. Later it became a cattle ranch and in 1989 the land was acquired by the National Forest Service.There are still some buildings at the camp. Some in better shape than others. This was an adobe barn that is in the process of being preserved by the Forest Service.

The camp is down in a canyon and surrounded by low hills. We stopped and found a spot under some trees to tie the horses and have our picnic lunch.We brought along some french bread, salami, cheese and fruit. We shared the apple slices with the horses. But the best part was the homemade chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmmmmmmm....

For me, it was the perfect birthday. Time spent riding in beautiful scenery with the ones you love is good for the soul. Simple things really do bring the most joy.

Where has the week gone?

Wow, it has been a busy couple of days since my friend Marj arrived from Maine on Wednesday. We have been non-stop getting ready for Art in the Park tomorrow, but did manage to squeeze in some riding. The weather has been in the mid 80s and nothin' but sun. Here is Marj on Bandit, riding the trail:We're going for a mercantile feel in our booth. We decided to whip up a few batches of Giddyup Caramel Corn to package up and sell. Good "bait" to get those husbands to stop at our booth for something yummy to munch on while the women shop. :)

Marj mixing up the caramel corn before putting it in the oven to bake.

We packaged these up in coffee bags with a cute cowgirl label (which I forgot to get a picture of -- oops!) If anyone is interested in the recipe, just drop me a line. This stuff is deadly!And here are some of the embellished cowgirl aprons we will have in our booth:
Nothing says cowgirl like an apron with a belt and buckle! The show starts at 9am tomorrow and runs all day. If you just "happen" to be in the area (Central Park in Artesia, N.M.) be sure to stop by and say hi!

Silent Sunday (Aunt and her Buddy Boy)