Finale

We came back with only this one, as the older one is presently staying for her own week with her GrammaBon and Grandpa and cousins. We'll make the swap next weekend, so that Miri can go for the same on her own next week.

This was likely the last trip for the ol' Chev pickup to haul the trailer over east. 

It's clearly time for a new one, as we rolled over to 200K miles on the way home.  

Celebrating Birthdays

There was a dessert bar to help celebrate their birthdays. 

They always look forward to this every year. (Thank you, everyone!)

And it brought about a surprising effect on the way to fireworks in Ukiah -- sleep-inducing birthday cake!!

Lots of riding

When all the cousins came up, everyone took a pony ride.

And Miri got some quality time with ol' Shorty too.

  

It was Aleaha's job to walk him. Ground Work, we call it.

Later on, Quigly found an especially dusty place to roll. We went over with two bays and a roan and came home with two roans and a bay.

And we discovered that Shorty likes watermelon rind. :)

Riding on her own!

Aleaha had a fabulous time on Shorty!!! She really-really-really wanted to be able to go on a  trail ride without being on a leadrope, so we worked up to that. First, she had to show her chops riding independently, as a brush-up on skills learned last year. So with the other 2 boys in the corral, she walked around the pasture. I made her do this bareback, because it really builds good balance.

And then, our dreams were made true! All three of us went out for a ride together.

She was thrilled! And so were we.

The sound and the sight...aaaahhhhh!

It was heaven! All the horses were well-behaved, the dog as our "flusher" our front, and we had a marvelous time. This will be the favorite memory for me of the whole trip!

To town for the parade

We were headed into town early on parade day, and we had made plans to stop at a neighbor's house to pick up an extra horse, just to lighten their load a little (they were bringing 7 horses for the Mounted Band to ride, so we were happy to help). On the way, while came across this guy in the road.

It wasn't like he was all that menacing, but we had just watched PBR the night before. We know what they are capable of! So it was a smidgen uncomfortable to be out of the pick-up to knock on the door, with him swaggering up the driveway. (And yes, you can hear me explaining he's definitely a boy in the audio)

As we staged for the parade, we all promised we would not be there longer than we should.

Quigly was a total champ. Great boy with all the trains, giant flags, barking dogs, and whatnot. Like Chris said and Gramma knew, he's a winner!

The girls were ready for the parade!

We tightened cinches and sort of tuned up.

Aunt Jeannie took some amazing photos during the parade. Look at these cuties!

A bit pensive.

Mostly a ham.

Soooo much fun!

Yes, I'd like to keep doing this.

PBR

On a whim, we took in Professional Bull Riding one night. Wow, it was something else. It was loud, is what it was. Ay yi yi. But the girls seemed to enjoy it.

Until about 30 mins into it, when Miri conked out.

Aleaha, photobombing her sister.

Escape Eastward!

This is how we vacation....

First, we pack up all our jeans, t-shirts, shorts, tank tops, skivvies, long socks, short socks, riding boots, tennis shoes, flip flops, and swimsuits. We find the "little TV" and all its cords and headphones, plus a few DVDs, plus some other jimcracks and activities for the trip. We put all of this stuff into duffle bags -- approx. 3 per person. We try to be extremely organized, so that we know where everything is.

Then we go to the grocery store and buy lots of good food plus road snacks (not-so-good food). Find all the coolers. We forget to buy ice, so we put that on the Last-Minute List. We gas the rigs, check the tires and oil.

Then we pack up most of our saddles, pads, bridles, lead ropes, assorted halters, fencing supplies, sweet feed, gobs of fly spray, and the ever-lovin' tub of Bute. Also hafta check to be sure we have fishing poles and tackle box. Fortunately, most of this is already in the horse trailer, so that part is an easy chore.

On the day of, we load up most of the horses, plus the dog. Then we spend all morning trying to get out of Dodge. Just getting to the freeway seems to take forever. Must make several stops to complete the Last-Minute List.

And finally, we are on the road with our load.

I might have to break this up in a few posts.

Stopped at Burger King before getting on the freeway. Must make sure nobody is hangry. (Cuz man, if they are...)

Immediately upon arrival, we went for a bug-catching walk.

 

And we sampled the wild strawberries!!

Jodi helped give some exercise to Arby. (She was a Godsend!)

And then we were in good shape for pony rides!

She asked to take him on a lone ride, to help remind him of his manners. WOW. What a difference this made. He was good as gold!

She took him down the road a spell, and it was the best thing for him.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we had some serious chill-axin' to do.

And once properly rested, it was time for Daddy's first ride on his new mount, I Bee Quigly.

"He's a winner!"

In a later ride, Daddy was taking the all-appropriate selfie...

(Here's the shot he got.)

 

Lots and lots of riding.

It was awesome!!

Nice shot of the horses corrals and pasture.

 

Each day they would rest a bit. Arby was generally the appointed look-out while the other two snoozed.