My journey through life on South Dakota Ranch
Friday I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph a 6 week old baby! I have never gotten to do that before so I honestly had no idea what to expect. It was great fun! Babies have the cutest fingers and toes, and this baby was especially agreeable. I’m going to share with you a few of my favorites from the day!
Happy Monday and Happy Trails!
[ad#amazon outdoor gear]
Easter Weekend I got to photograph a lovely family! We had a great time, and since he’s a cousin of Zach and the family it was nice to get to visit with them. So without further ado, I’m going to show you what an absolutely gorgeous day it was and how photogenic this family was!
Happy Trails!
[ad#Kindle Banner]
My parents were nice enough, or rather I twisted their arm, er um, talked them into doing some portraits while I was “home”. They haven’t had any photos of just the two of them in several years and last year was their 35th wedding anniversary. My dad still looks at my mom with love in his eyes and she does the same to him. It’s sickeningly sweet in a good way of course, because who wouldn’t desire to have what they have? They still sit on the couch and hold hands.
The following are some of my favorite shots from the afternoon.
I don’t know what dad said here and mom said I didn’t want to know. Yeah, she’s probably right!
I was giving mom a hard time about something here:
Yes, they’re still in love. Ain’t Life Grand?
Happy Trails!
XO
[ad#Google Banner]
I mentioned, Sunday, that I got to take some photographs of a couple cute kids. We’ve already seen one of them- Annabelle and her mare Tequila. But this time, we added her little brother to the mix, and I have to say- he’s got to be one of the most photogenic little boys ever. And he’s fun to be around.
I should say, I’m glad I’m not their mom and have to choose through the photos to pick the ones I want, because honestly, I had a hard time narrowing it down too. There are so many great photos that either I’m getting better as a photographer, or these kids are just uber photogenic, or both, I suppose. That’s a possibility too!
Without further ado, enjoy these shots. I know I enjoyed taking them!
Happy Hump Day and Happy Trails!
[ad#Google Banner]
I had a lot of photos from San Antonio to sort through and it took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to share the experience. I decided that slide-shows of each of the things/places we went might be easiest. I’ll do my best to recap before you look through them. As always, click on one photo to scroll through them all in a larger size. Enjoy!
Our first visit Friday, was to visit the historic Alamo. I had been when I was about 11, and don’t remember being that impressed but this time was different. I enjoyed taking photos, looking around at the grounds, and really remembering my Texas History, which is taught 3 times to Texas kids while growing up. There is a nearly 140 year old live oak at the Alamo that was exceptionally spectacular, and of course, anyone that knows me realizes that I love, love, love, love, love cacti, and there were plenty on the grounds to photograph. My sister was with us as well and was nice enough to snap a photo of Zach and I when we completed our tour.
Then we were off to the Spanish Governor’s Palace, Circa 1722. I had a whole paragraph written on this, but it got deleted and I don’t want to rewrite it. Sorry!
We spent plenty of time on the River Walk, which is just cool. I didn’t take as many photos as I would have liked, because frankly I wasn’t into packing the camera bag, and my purse around. But my new Epiphanie Bag is going to solve that problem. We ate, and ate some more, and I enjoyed my fair share of the best beer ever- and of course it’s courtesy of the Shiner Brewery in Shiner, Texas. If you love beer and you’ve never had a Shiner Bock, you’re missing out. I promise. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, I probably made you dizzy with all my check-ins! Needless to say we had a GREAT time!
Saturday we headed to New Braunfels, Tx to hang out with my kid brother, my sister-in-law and my niece and new nephew. After a lovely morning at the Jumpy Place (where we made an attempt to wear my almost 3 year old niece, Tatum, out), we headed to Gruene, Tx (in Texas, it’s just simply pronounced Green- if you’re German and you read this, please forgive us!) to have lunch at one of my all-time favorite places to eat- The Gristmill. It’s right on the Guadalupe River, in an old Cotton Gin and the place has so much character it’s just not even funny. Dining on the Guadalupe doesn’t get better, y’all! It screams Texas Hill Country, rustic, and everything else I love about where I grew up. Not only is Gruene home of The Gristmill, it’s also the home to Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest Dance Hall. They had a band playing that afternoon and Tatum, was all about dancing with Aunt Jenn. I have to say, all that dancing with that adorable child is BAD for the baby fever occasionally creeps up on me. There must have been an old car show going on somewhere around there because the parking lot was full of classic cars. I took photos of two of my favorites.
Sunday morning arrived and we checked out of our hotel, and drove to Wimberly, Texas where we were going to visit my brother and his wife at their lovely home, and then we were scheduled to head to Driftwood, Texas to eat some of the world’s best bar-b-que at The Salt Lick. When we arrived, we were greeted by my brother and Tatum walking down the road- they’d just come from feeding the neighbor’s horses. We jumped on the trampoline and went to the river, as they live on the Blanco, and then headed to have some amazing BBQ. They’ve added a wine cellar since I was there last time, so Zach took me to my first wine tasting. It was splendid! He even participated and he’s not a wine drinker. It must be true love! I came back with two bottles! I wanted to come back with about 5, but I was afraid I’d run out of room in my suitcase. After all there was a slight packing debacle (more on that later)! Suffice it to say, I’m not allowed to pack unsupervised anymore. Zach jests, I think.
There’s more photos to come, but this is all the photos I have that I took! I hope you enjoyed seeing my trip to Texas as much as I enjoyed sharing it!
Happy Trails!
XO, TSDC
[ad#Google Banner]
Our vacation is officially over today, as we’re about to catch a flight back to South Dakota, also known as God’s Country. But I’m going to give you a sneak peek at what’s to come this week as far as trip recap is concerned. I had an absolute blast on this trip and it was great to get to see my family and spend time catching up, visiting and otherwise having a super time!
Happy Trails!
This was a fun-filled weekend full of feathers, family and friends!
Let me explain.
I made feather earrings- which are for sale in my shop:
And my friend, Kim, from Sargent Ranch Lodge, brought me pheasant feathers and a rooster- a rooster that I had to clean so that I could cook it- which I did (there’s a first time for everything!). More on that later. But the pheasant feathers, oh the feathers. They’re just beautiful. And they’re going to become earrings, Christmas garland embellishments as well as Christmas decorations. Who is excited about that besides me? Will the excited parties please stand up? And if you’re excited about it, know that when the decorations are available, they’ll be for sale in my jewelry shop!
On to the pheasant rooster- We did manage to save more feathers from it for my projects; and my helpers were sure enough awesome. That was the first time I’ve ever cleaned a bird, and the cowboy’s son, Ty, found us a 9 minute video on Youtube about skinning and cleaning a pheasant. Smart boy, that one. So the three of us- Ty, our niece Juju, and myself watched a “how to” video and then proceeded to clean the pheasant.
The kids really got in to helping; they even gutted it! And then asked to wash it in the kitchen sink. And I should add, they did a superb job.
Then it was time to cook it. I’ve never cooked pheasant before, so I asked my friend how she liked it. She said she likes it in a casserole type dish with wild rice. So that’s what I did. I have some fabulous wild rice, that I get from an Indian Tribe over in Minnesota and along with some portabella mushrooms made a dish that’s to die for.
And because I love you, I’ll share.
One pheasant rooster- this one was about 2 lbs.
4 c Water (roughly)
4 c Chicken Broth (roughly)
4TBS Olive Oil
Baby Carrots (optional)
Celery (optional)
2TBS Fresh thyme
6 oz Canned or fresh portabella mushrooms
3/4 c Wild Rice
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Bread Crumbs (optional)
To begin, boil the whole bird in a mixture of water and chicken broth- about a 50/50 mixture. Enough to just cover the bird. I added fresh thyme to the water and if I’d have had my thinking cap on, I’d have thrown some olive oil in there too- along with some baby carrots and celery if I’d have had some. I didn’t, but if you do, I recommend it! I let that cook, once it began to boil, for about 45-60 minutes on a low heat- until the meat started to fall off the bones.
Then remove it from the pan- but don’t get too eager to throw out the liquid left in that pan. You’re about to use it because there’s all kinds of flavor in there!
Pull all the meat off the bones and throw it in a 9 x13 casserole pan. Then you want to add all but about 2 cups of the reduced broth mixture to that pan. If you had carrots and celery in that pan, add that too. Then throw in 3/4 to a cup of wild rice, a can of portabella mushrooms- or fresh if you have them, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. And more fresh thyme.
I cooked it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees- and then another 15 at 400 degrees.
Sprinkle with cheese or breadcrumbs or nothing, and enjoy it. It was really quite tasty!
I hope your weekend was as fun as ours, and that your Monday is better than average!
XO
[ad#Google Banner]
I’m going to do this again this year- because it worked so well for me last year, and I had so much fun in the process. Here’s how it works: I will list one thing each day this month that I’m thankful for. They aren’t necessarily in any particular order. It’s just whatever I found myself thinking of that day; in fact there might be more than one thing I’m thankful for. And instead of writing a new post everyday about what I’m thankful for- I’ll just keep updating this one.
1. I’m thankful for Zach, aka My Cowboy, The Cowboy. He loves me even if I’m covered in horse hair; or when I cry because I lost another hen; or when I say something silly; or when I haven’t put mascara on in a week (which by the way has NEVER happened. I’m just sayin’). I’m glad he picked me as his soul-mate for life.
2. I’m thankful for such an awesome family. Not just my own family, but Zach’s family as well. Better people you will not find anywhere.
3. Today I shipped calves for the neighbors, and I have to say that I’m very thankful that I can get up in the morning, saddle a horse, ride across a pasture and spend my day doing exactly what I want to do. Every. Single. Day.
4. I am thankful for my health. And as such, I should enjoy every day that I am granted with good health, to the best of my ability.
5. I’m thankful that I’m not left to keep house all by myself. I know that this might go hand in hand with #1 above, but honestly, how fortunate am I that I can come in from being gone last night (to Lakota class no less) to find that Zach has the kitchen cleaned and laundry put away? Yes, I am grateful beyond words for this!
And more on this- I’m thankful that there are people in this world that want to preserve the heritage and culture of Native Americans. I am exceptionally grateful that I am able to attend classes to learn to speak the language and preserve this part of heritage that is the place where I now reside. We’ll talk more on this later!
6. I am thankful for all my friends. Friends that are there if you haven’t talked to them in ages; or friends that are there if you just talked to them 5 minutes ago.
7. Horses. I could go on forever about this one but suffice it to say, I’m thankful to the Creator for giving us this magnificent beast. I love their eccentricities, their honesty, their faithfulness and their willingness to please you. I hope to never take them for-granted.
8. Today I was thankful for the sunshine and almost 70 degree temperatures that have graced us most of fall. It’s not often that it’s this nice, this late into the year here in the frozen north, but this year has been kind to us so far, and I LOVE it!
9. Change. Today it wasn’t warm outside- in fact a norther blew in this afternoon and you could see the cold in the air, but you know what, the Creator knew that we bored easily, and so gave us change. Change is good when it comes to the weather and paint colors!
10. I am thankful that I’m at a place in my life where I can be the best me I am able to be. I’m at a place where my creativity is nurtured, and loved and admired and encouraged. I feel like my growth as an individual is really taking shape!
11. I’m thankful that I live where I do- In America.
12. I’m super-extra-duper grateful for our newest appliance- the DISHWASHER! Oh how it makes my time in the kitchen all that more wonderful!
13. Today, I’m thankful for all the mistakes I have made in my life. Without those I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wouldn’t be as wise and those lessons that don’t kill you, only make you stronger.
14. Dogs. As I type this, I am surrounded by 4 dogs, that normally live outside. But tonight, they’re pretty sure they belong in the house. There’s nothing quite like dogs!
15. I am thankful to be asked to share about my life as it involves agriculture: check out the guest post I was asked to write!/
16. I love that my mother had me involved in so many things and encouraged me to take my interests and run with them. It makes my life more interesting and for that I am thankful!
17. Today I am thankful for Facebook. And before anyone laughs, there’s a story here. But I can’t tell it now.
18. I am thankful to be in a community of ranchers that will re-arrange their schedules and drop what they are doing to come help us when we’re short-handed. Good people are a blessing.
19. While I stood outside yesterday helping to preg check cattle, in what was less than a lovely day outside, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I am to have the ability to work outside, play with cattle and horses and otherwise work my tail off. Yes, I’m thankful that I am able to work hard, and enjoy what I do.
20. I’m thankful for central heat. Old Man Winter is gearing up, as evidenced by the colder temps. The high for Monday is a whopping 13 degrees!
21. My grandparents. They left a great legacy behind in their children- my aunts and uncles, and the family support system in place. More specifically I’m very thankful that my Grandma B had such a love for music. Thank you for instilling that love in your daughter, who instilled it in me.
22. This day I gave thanks for the fact that I don’t have to get up everyday and go to work. The weather conditions were, shall we say, less than desirable.
23. I am so thankful that Zach will wash clothes, clean the kitchen, and doesn’t complain about me making massive messes with jewelry and arts and crafts projects. And trust me, they’re everywhere. It looks like a few pheasants and a bead store threw up in our living room and kitchen. He just takes it all in stride and for that, I am eternally grateful!
24. I am thankful for Holidays!
25. I sat in bed this morning, as I was waking up, watching The Today Show. Which I never do- but I do love to wake up Thanksgiving Day and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s one of my favorite things to do- even though I’m all grown up now! But while I sat there, hearing the Weather Man talk about how cold it was outside and looking at the snow outside the window, a story came on about St. Jude Children’s hospital. A little girl, who a year ago was given only weeks to live, was able to go to St. Jude and received a treatment that now has her cancer in remission. Call me emotional or call me sappy, but I sat there sobbing because the poor girl had already beat leukemia once in her life and she was so upset to get it again. So this morning I am thankful that there are Doctors and Scientists who dedicate their lives to finding a cure to cancer. Not only for the little girl on TV that I don’t know but for two of my friends that are fighting this disease right now. My friend Anne, who I have known since high school has been through chemo and radiation, and is undergoing stem cell treatments, but is on a break for the holidays, and my friend Hilary who I’ve known for even longer than I’ve known Anne. Thank you again to the Doctors who work to save people so that their families can be complete.
Enough sappiness from me- Let the festivities begin!
26. I am so thankful that I love to cook, and bake, because that makes Thanksgiving day that much better. Yesterday I had no choice but to be thankful for all the food that we had to eat- because honestly- there are those in the world who didn’t have food to eat and we had food to spare. How was your Thanksgiving Day feast?
27. I am thankful that I am a sane, rational person, who has a sane rational man with which to share her life.
28. I’m grateful for parents that raised me in a sane, rational way, who gave me responsibility as I earned it instead of being sporadic and inconsistent. And I’m glad to know they love me whether or not they agree with my decisions.
29. Family get-togethers!
30. As this is the last day of November, it ends my Thirty Days of Thanksgiving. I’ve enjoyed it very much, and am grateful for the chance to have done it, and that y’all joined me. I have also learned to say thank you in Lakota, and as such, I’ll share: philámaya ye.
Coming tomorrow, we’ll begin Reverb10. You may have noticed the button on the top right side of the blog- we’ll be looking back on 2010 and looking toward 2011. It will encompass the entire month of December. But don’t fear, there will still be regularly scheduled programming as well.
[ad#Kindle Banner]
Here are some of my favorite shots from the portrait session that Kelsey and I had Sunday! She is just beautiful!
Happy Friday!
[ad#Google Banner]
I snapped this photo at a family wedding last weekend, and I am in love with it. I am the luckiest girl alive.
Are they not just ridiculously handsome?
[ad#Google Banner]
