Gone, but Can't be Forgotten

She didn't miss to many on the first bounce!

When Brenda read the last blog entry she was surprised that I had not mentioned one word about Meg in it. Many of you know that Meg was our constant companion, both here at Dogpound as well as on our travels around the country with our RV. She has ridden more miles than most and ran along side our horses for hundreds more.

Many of our readers will have heard this story but early in May she and I took a ride on a sunny afternoon, just around the farm, but sadly it was to be our last. She came back into the yard and Matt threw her a couple of balls and then we headed down the field. When we got back she was laying in the barnyard in obvious distress. Last year she had been poisoned with strychnine and this year the symptoms were identical. I am not sure if last years incident had weakened her system or if this stuff accumulates in your system but by the time I ran and got the Jeep and we loaded her in it for a trip to the vet, she passed away. I am not sure where the poison came from but I have scoured our place and the surrounding area. I came up with a couple of dead magpie's and a hawk which had died and been scavenged, probably by those magpie's and possibly by Meg also.

Here at Dogpound North we have not used poison for probably 20 years and most of our neighbours are in the same boat. However like all farms we have a bunch of old buildings around the place that I thought might harbour some old cans or something. Matt and I hauled all of the old junk out of those buildings over the week or ten days following Meg's death and our plan is to demolish and burn all of those old buildings this summer. Our search however didn't turn up any hidden sources of poison.

This time of year in our county is the time when folks can actually buy strychnine from the county to enable them to poison gophers, or actually Richardson Ground Squirrels. A canvass of our neighbours came up with no locations where poison had been used within  a reasonable distance of our place but I guess if a hawk was to come upon a poisoned gopher a mile or two away it would take no time at all for it to get back onto our place. This poison acts quickly but quickly usually means within an hour or two, so lots of time for a swift flying bird to travel a long way.

Nevertheless what's done is done and nothing will bring back our friend and companion. I still don't ever pick up a stick without thinking of her and find myself looking around to see where she is watching from. She was always there when we were watering something and it is strange to set the water on and not see her watching it intently. I know she was Brenda's constant companion and faithful friend and she misses her with all her heart.

Rest In Peace old friend and we will be anxiously awaiting our reunion at the Rainbow Bridge when our own time comes. Till then keep gathering sticks, we'll be ready to throw a few when the time comes.

Meg was always there somewhere in the background and it will take a long time to come to terms with the fact that she is watching from a place we can't see anymore, but her antics still will bring smiles to our faces as we remember them.

Time is Slipping By

Well a few changes around Dogpound North, not the least of which is a new computer for me. I finally slid into the abyss and broke down and bought a MAC so this is my first visit back to the Blogger software in many years. I alway wrote my journal on LiveWriter in the past and only after I am finished this entry will I know whether things have improved here on the Blogger site or not. It has been over a month since my last journal entry and although we have been doing lots, not much of it is very exciting.

Last year we started moving all our medical stuff earlier in the summer so we can get that out of the way and jump through the hoops that allow us to travel south in the winters a little earlier. Other than a few final visits with our various docs we are getting close to the end of that process, so barring any late breaking news we should be good to go for next winter.

Our windmill and some interesting cloud formations off of our front porch last night.

One thing I do enjoy about being home is the Sundre Aquaplex, I swim there almost every weekday morning and unlike the pools in Arizona this one is a lot less crowded, in fact sometimes towards the end of my daily swim I get the whole thing to myself. Down in Arizona you are lucky if you get a lane to yourself at some point in the swim and it is unheard of to get an empty pool to swim in. I usually swim about 2500 metres each day but a few weeks ago the pool complex started tracking our swims and gave the lane swimmers as a group the goal of swimming from Victoria to Panama. Probably for some Pan-American Games or something. Well I figured if I was going to get out of here for winter I should kick up my contribution so at least the rest of them would be swimming in warm water once I headed south so I am now logging 3250 metres a day, or just a smidge over 2 miles. Takes me about an hour and twenty minutes to complete it so if I was really headed for Panama I think I would walk, bad knee and all, it would be quicker. But it is a good motivator anyway.

Sunrise in the morning on the way swimming

One more bit of exciting news that is being worked on here at Dogpound North is that my son, Matt, and his longtime girlfriend Michelle have decided to take the next step and tie the knot. Actually he proposed way back last winter while they were on a vacation in Cuba but just last week they set a date, so we are heading towards the Mexican Riviera next April to see them take their vows.

Michelle, Matt and Family

Yet another reason to keep swimming, so I don't embarrass everyone on the beach down there!

In our last couple of entries we showed you lots of pictures with the Anderson girls and since then we have actually had a visit with our grandson Kashton and his mother Rebecca, as well as our granddaughter Claire who was out to visit her Dad and sister Madison a couple of weekends ago. Both Kashton and Claire got the mandatory visit with the horses while they were here

Wink, Brenda, Kash, Becky, Claire and of course Mack

and Kash took one of our John Deere's for spin around the yard too.

Little Boys do Love Tractors

Of course those who have been here know that Dogpound North is an actual farm and we raise, or try to raise a crop here every year. Some years we are a lot more successful than others but most years we do manage to get something back from the land. We had a good spell of dry weather here during the last month and other than a few acres that will be sown to oats, for silage, and underseeded with timothy hay, the rest of the unseeded acreage is barley and we did manage to get that all seeded a few days ago.

Big Boys love Tractors too.

I have managed to give the fellow who farms here for us a hand from time to time this spring and at least run a set of harrows over what he has seeded.

Another couple of projects we have going on here include a little reno work in the house, kind of a makeover for the bathrooms and putting a new cooktop in the kitchen so Brenda has been busy picking out tiles and and countertops for that endeavour. We dragged our daughter Becky into that mix as she has a real good sense of what goes with what.

Rebecca and Brenda

So for the most part I was overruled and we will not be having a mauve bathroom, but they did let me pay!

The other project consists of a little rural renewal going on, we, like most old farmsteads, have a plethora of old buildings around, and it time to tear them down and reconvert them into greenhouse gases. Matt and I spent a couple of days hauling some old junk to the dump and sorting some other old junk into other spots where it will probably be stored untouched until the next generation discovers it all over again. So with all that and a few fencing projects around the yard we have been keeping busy here at Dogpound North.

As for the Blogger experience, all in all, not to bad, although some of the great functions of LiveWriter that I used a lot have escaped me here so I am, at least for now, having to resize each and every picture and was not able to subject you to an album full of pictures of the junk we removed from our buildings, but I will work on that for next time. Sure wish Rick over there on Vancouver Island would get a Mac so he could figure out some things for me. :)

They are GONE!

Well all good things have to come to an end I guess. Our guests have been returned to their parents so Dogpound North is a much quieter place tonight than it has been for a while. They climbed in the truck and Ella drove them out of the yard and off down the highway to Rocky this morning after we fed them breakfast.

Well even though Ella was driving, they were in her Dad’s truck and towing their boat home with them while the “Jeep Car” was riding in the back of the pickup. We had a great week with the girls and certainly came to know them a lot better over the 8 days they were here. Ella is a real big sister and is always looking out for Alle. Yep, like all big sisters a little bossy from time to time but as protective as a guard dog too. and Alle is just like most younger siblings, always trying to get into stuff and keeping her sis, and Grandma, busy keeping up with her.

The girls went on a shopping trip with Grandma and on a sleepover at Aunty Becky’s house for one night so they were pretty busy. And between trips they were going non-stop here so Grandma is pretty much exhausted. Ella was keen to get out and be around the horses every time it got even a slight bit warmer and we had a few heart warming moments with those equine pals of ours and her. She is fearless around them and like most animals they know that she wouldn’t hurt them so they are exceedingly gentle when they are her. Sometimes when folks are down visiting them they can crowd around and intimidate people but with Ella they each in turn came over and had a visit with her and then stepped back to let the next pony come up for some pets. Facebook friends of mine have been subjected to countless pictures and video’s of her and the horses but I will just try and stick one YouTube video in this journal. Coal is my son’s big Percheron/Quarter cross horse and is usually a little shy around folks but he was the first one to come over and introduce himself to Ella on her visit down in the pasture. Too bad the breeze was a little noisy, the questions she was asking are the same ones an old horseman would have been asking if he had been there. How old is he, broke, etc.

 

Just for the record Alle did get down to visit the horse but since she was being carried by the cameraman she never made any of the pictures, and while we were watching some training videos and the Buck film she was riveted to the screen every time the horses were on. As Brenda says I might get a barrel racing girl around the place yet.

Now that the girls have gone back to Rocky it is back to the real world for us, a busy week on the medical front, MRI’s, Dentists, Orthopaedic Surgeons, and tests, all to combat the ravages of old age I guess, well old age for me and the side effects of waiting on me hand and foot for my bride, but really just to get us ready for another year of travel. And God willing and the creek don’t rise we will actually bring the bus out of the barn and do a little RV’ing next weekend.

Stay tuned for the next report from a VERY quiet little spot just down the road from Dogpound.

In a Land just North of Summer

Really, since we have got back north of the Medicine Line we have enjoyed an extended period of winter like weather. I guess maybe wintering at Dogpound South has made us soft but even though the temps have not been terribly cold it seems like it has snowed every day since we got home. But the forecast is for warmer weather and maybe even some of those mystical April showers. That should get the snow knocked down and make it a little more spring like here down the road from Dogpound. I haven’t done much riding but the horses are enjoying their time off and making the most of their freedom.

We kept them in for a couple of days and then turned them out with the rest of the remuda, so it is time for them to just be horses and do a little pawing through that snow for their fed. Don’t worry those that were here all winter are much fatter than our hand fed southern ponies so I am sure they are doing just fine, and I do walk down every day just to make sure all is well. And now that the weather is turning around I will be able to start working with some of our northern horses, to start getting them in shape for the summer.

Turned Out VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

But we didn’t head home just to make sure we got a little snow and salt all over our vehicles. Our, daughter and son-in-law, Lacey and Clayton, were heading to Cuba to celebrate Lace’s 30th birthday so a couple of little girls were looking for a place to hang out till their parents came home and Grandma and I are glad to have them here. Although looking after two kids under 4 is keeping us hopping I have to say. Well, really, Brenda is hopping, and I am just trying to stay out of the way for the most part.

The Anderson Girls VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We are having a riot with the girls and should have them well and properly spoiled by the time their parents get home.

On other fronts I am back at my regular pool and doing 2500 meters (~a mile and a half) five days a week, and both Brenda and I are heading into battery of tests and doctors appointments over the next couple of weeks so we can get that out of the way before it is time to head back to Dogpound South.

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Down the Road to Dogpound North

Just a quick blurb to let folks know that we made it safe and sound back north of the Medicine Line. It got a little warm down at DPS so we thought we knew a place that offered cooler temps.

We got an early start on Thursday and pulled out of Dogpound South about 5:15AM. That made the traffic in Phoenix not to bad, and we took I-10 then I-17 up to the Carefree Highway and then across to Wickenberg. No issues at all and a lot less stop and go than the other way on the 303 Loop. With only stops for fuel it was not to long until we crossed into Utah and headed up into the high desert to overnight in Fillmore. When we got there the guys on the Sheriff’s work crew, a chain gang with no chains, were mucking out the stalls and gave us some tips on where the best places to eat were.

We put the horses up and headed off to Costa Vida for dinner. Looked like a fast food place but everything appeared to be made from scratch to order and it tasted pretty good.

Not much to do hanging around the stable at night so we were early to bed and early to rise the next morning. We had the horses loaded by 4:15 and hit the road north. Slid through the Salt Lake City smozzle before the traffic got to bad and then let the big old Ford run across those foggy flatlands of Idaho heading for the hills of Montana. Mid-afternoon we arrived at the rodeo grounds in Great Falls and once again got our stock settled then headed out to eat. Once we were fed we came back and took the ponies for a walk about to stretch their legs, all evening the fairgrounds were filling up with kids and horses for a weekend High School Rodeo, so I kept going around making sure no one was blocking our exit as it appears we have developed a habit of getting out of town before the authorities figure out we are there. It was another early start and we were again on the road soon after 4AM.

We crossed the Medicine Line about 6AM and other than a quick chastisement from the Border folks about having no receipts we were on our way north. I unloaded here at Dogpound North about 10:30 this morning and the unpacking began, hurried along by the sleet and wind. Oh well, spring is in the air and by all reports it should be here before we head south in 6 months.

Took the shot above as we rolled up the Beaverhead River valley in Montana thinking the place looked empty without Mike and Janna.

As I finish this up I notice a nice little spring snow blizzard working up outside, so our quest for cooler temps has been fulfilled.

AZBCR & Old Friends

Last weekend we headed off to Lake Pleasant to enjoy a weekend around the fire and on the trails with a group of folks who began us on our Arizona trail riding experience. The Arizona Back Country Riders website is run by a young woman, Tishri, who has facilitated many long lasting friendships amongst horsefolk here in the Southwest. Each year about this time we all get together to do a lot of socializing and little fund raising to keep this site running.

Unlike most of our weekend adventures this one started with the potluck on Friday night, because on Saturday we were eating a catered dinner are part of the reward for contributing I guess. As usual the food was great and the company better. Both evening were beautiful Arizona evenings with an almost full moon and clear skies. I stood around with my Sky Scout both nights enjoying the night skies and actually learning what the names of many of those stars are. I have it rigged up with an external speaker so others can listen in the descriptions of what we are looking at.

Two fine horseman in the shot below, K Rogers and Bill Roberts.

Below is Lynette and her menagerie.

Saturday we took off on a ride over to the Lake and that was also where we decided to eat our lunch. I believe I got everyone in this panoramic shot but if you look closely this program added a couple of extra heads to folks and legs to their horses. Oh well tough to get forty mounted folks to stand still.

Sunday we had a clinic with K demonstrating getting your horse to ask for you to mount as well as a few tips from Bill about getting your horse to recognize you as the leader, then K worked with another persons Saddlebred who was not great around the trailer. By the time he was finished both the horse and its owner were a lot more comfortable with getting in and out of the trailer and the reports from the owner as the week goes on are that they are practicing daily and applying what they learned.

After the clinic wrapped up it was time for us to make our rounds and say our `catch you down the trails` as this was our last ride for Arizona this spring. We will be back in the fall cause we got a lot more of this state to see yet.

The last few days have been taking up with putting Dogpound South to bed for the summer, but today we had a visit from an old friend from back in the North Country. The first time I met Heather we were up in Tuktoyaktuk, on the Beaufort Sea, doing some work, and she was working for one of the other companies active up there. Over the years we crossed trails and eventually she came to work for Shell and when I retired back in 2007 she took over that Arctic portfolio. Now she is doing some stuff on SE Asia and is based in the Netherlands.

But the Netherlands is a little cool this winter so she jumped on a plane and headed for Palm Springs for a little R&R. So what brought her 5 hours over here to Dogpound South. Lunch, yep that`s right. 5 hours one way just a drop in the bucket for a girl from Old Crow, in the Yukon Territory, where it is five hours to the road and then another five to the nearest restaurant. But it was a great lunch and we really enjoyed seeing Heather and catching up on her new globetrotting portfolio and hearing about all those friends we left behind to follow the sun.

Tomorrow we head to a “land just north of summer” and just “down the road from Dogpound”.

Caballo del Sol

This past week we headed out with the folks we usually ride with and joined a bunch of other folks up near Cordes Junction, north of the valley, on a place called Arcosanti, in the photo below,

where a group from the Verde Valley was hosting their annual trailride. This was our first time there, but the ride was in its 21st year.

This ride is fully catered, so Brenda was off duty in the kitchen the whole week, a well deserved vacation. We left home here last Sunday and arrived there in time to get our camp set up and join the group for dinner, corned beef and cabbage, of course as it was St. Paddy’s day.

The camp was alongside the Aqua Fria River although as we have come to learn in this country just because they call it a River doesn’t mean it actually has any water in it. Surprisingly though this one did have sections that actually had water on the surface although in other sections it appeared that the flow was subterranean. There was signs of high water at certain times though as there was driftwood lodged high in the trees along the river bed. Many of the trails we rode followed along this picturesque valley for at least the start or the end of the rides.

Each day we headed out with a different ride leader and roamed across the high desert and down through some pretty creek valleys. Rumour has it that there are some antelope around the country but other than a few deer, a couple of rabbits and of course some horses and cattle we didn’t see a bunch of wildlife. Not surprisingly I guess seeing as how on any given day there was somewhere around 140 riders out and about in the countryside, and not all of them were catnapping along a creek bed.

The weather all week long was pretty good, a little windy, but shirtsleeve weather, although one day those clouds in the picture below did manage to work up one of those 3 inch rains that Arizona is famous for, you know the kind where the rain drops are about 3 inches apart.

Each evening there was music and dancing that went long into the night, well at least till 9:30PM or so before we all headed off to get a good nights sleep so we were ready for the next days adventure.

K & Teresa enjoying a dance in spite of her broken ankle

For those of you who like to pore over some maps here is a shot of our weeks riding, each day in a different colour. All tallied up it amounted to within a whisker of 60 miles of riding this week.

And don’t worry even though I only marked a couple of our lunch spots we enjoy lunch each and every day including one day when the catering folks came out and cooked us up some burgers for lunch along the trail.

It was a great ride, well organized, and the food was unbeatable, well except maybe by Brenda but we’ll let those other 138 folks think they were eating the best.

There was one sad note though, a fellow who I only met briefly on Day one, Cotton Voight, had a heart attack while playing his bass up on the stage. Cotton had enjoyed a great ride earlier in the day and was in great spirits when he was called away from us here.

Enjoy that great ride Cotton, RIP Cowboy