The Sign Is Finally Up!

In 2006 we purchased a custom-made sign from J. Dubbs in Ellensburg.  The sign was our "logo" of Shorthorse, our place here in Montana.  We'd decided that, instead of the traditional log arch over our driveway, we'd just find a big rock and face it with this J. Dubbs sign.

It didn't happen until today, four years later, but it's been worth the wait.  The "Shorthorse" rock at the end of our driveway is now in place.  It needs a little landscaping and spiffing up, but basically it's THERE now.

The rock fortuitously came from right across our road.  The neighbors, Jim and Kathy Hill, were gracious enough to let us dig it out of the embankment next to the road.  Actually, the guy who did the excavating was Jason Hill, who does it for a living and makes his home about a mile from our place.

Don didn't have any trouble drilling holes in the rock to mount the sign.

No one should have any trouble identifying our driveway anymore!

Night at Gem Peak Lookout

Continuing our new summer tradition (started in '09), we spent a full-moon night at another Forest Service lookout in the neighborhood in late July.  This year we went to Gem Peak, about 25 miles from home (as the crow flies), northwest of our place.  Like so many others, the lookout is no longer manned but is available for nightly rentals by the public.

We made our reservations on-line with the Forest Service back in February (you have to make them at least  180 days out), reserving a mid-week night with a full moon in July.  We packed our bags, a cooler, and one dog (we took Lizzie and left Angus with a housesitter) and headed up the mountain.

The weather upon arrival was mixed.  Within an hour of getting unpacked in our home three stories up, the storm hit.  The clouds swirled around us up there on the mountaintop, blowing mist in and out.  We got some thunder and lightning and a bit of rain.  Then it cleared up enough to see the full moon rise over the Clark Fork River far below.

We slept well, and awoke with glaring sun in our eyes (sunrise comes early on a mountaintop).  After breakfast, we headed back to civilization, stopping along the way to pick some huckleberries.

Hooked on Agility

Lizzie and I have taken the plunge from casual agility competitors to serious, hardcore agility athletes.  Not sure when it happened, but I discovered my little pit bull's amazing talent to work with me (or in spite of me) in this sport, and we've suddenly gotten serious.  Agility now shapes our days here, from working with the Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club, to training the 4-H kids for the fair, to pursuing our own competitive highs in trials around Montana and eastern Washington.  The camper we bought last fall has gotten some good workouts, since it's the home away from home for Lizzie and me when we travel to weekend trials.

I'm actually considering going to Yakima for the three-day agility trial there in October.  There's not much else that could get me back to Yakima, but the thought of competing on the old home turf of Fullbright Park (in Union Gap) once again is somewhat appealing.  If we go, I'll also swing by our old neighborhood out in the Ahtanum, and see if I can glean some apples off  "Uncle" Kenny Bates' trees.

Thus far this year, Lizzie and I have gone to agility trials in Spokane (twice), Lolo (twice), and Moscow, Idaho, and we've done well at all of them.  We have a trial coming up in early October in Helena, followed by Yakima two weeks later.

Visitors!

We have been blessed with lots of company this spring and summer.
 Among our visitors:

Barb Madsen (Yakima), Kate & Fred Riebe (Ellensburg), Bob Sears (Clinton, MT), Dusty Rosenthal (Yakima), Rollie Taylor (Yakima), Larry & Kathy DeMoss (Yakima), Christine Canter (Kennewick), Bob Rains, finally (Yakima), Jim and Jeannie Cassatt (Yakima), Teresa Bron (Granger), Jacki Cacchiotti (Yakima), Jim Pearson (Yakima), Tom Moore (Yakima), Dusty Rosenthal (Yakima), John Jay (Milton-Freewater), Jim Reddick (Yakima), Charlie Reddick (Yakima), Bob and Shirleen Jones (Grandview), Dale and Sheila Fosjord (Billings).

We've been delighted to see our old friends and share our new home, and we hope to see many more this fall and winter! 

The guest room is always ready and the pantry and bar are stocked!

The Driving Clinic

Friesians....they're big, black, beautiful horses with thick flowing black manes and tails and  "feathers" on their legs.  You've seen them in movies, usually ridden by knights or mythical beings.

We were graced with three Friesians in our pasture back in July when my friends Teresa Bron and Jacki Cacchiotti (from central Washington) brought them over to present a three-day "driving clinic" to local horse enthusiasts.  Two of the horses belonged to Teresa, and one to Jacki.

They arrived on a Thursday evening.   Friday morning the three of us went for a two-hour trail ride on these massive yet graceful horses.  It was my first time on a Friesian; till then I'd only fantasized about riding (or owning) one.  "Durk," Teresa's nine-year-old, was my horse for the weekend.  Teresa rode "Micah," and Jacki rode her horse "Fabio."

Friday evening Teresa began the clinic at the local arena, with about seven eager students.  The clinic continued on Saturday and Sunday, offering everyone the chance to drive the Friesians behind a two-wheeled cart.  As frosting on the cake, many of us had another chance to ride them around the indoor arena.  These three huge black horses stirred up some dust and made the ground shake!

We hope to host Teresa and her husband Will, and hopefully Jacki too, some time next summer in another driving clinic.  Teresa and Will drive and exhibit all over the western U.S. and are gaining quite a reputation on the show circuit, so hopefully we'll be able to find a time when they can treat Sanders County to another weekend of Friesians!  Meanwhile, we extend a heartfelt "thank you" to Teresa and Jacki for giving us a wonderful and educational experience.

Huckleberry Festival 2010

Last year Don came up with the idea of a "Huckleberry Homesteader Pentathlon" for the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.  The festival features arts and crafts vendors from all over the west, and has been held every August for 31 years.  Don thought it would be good to offer an activity that involved everyone visiting the festival, so the "Pentathlon" was born.

It involves 5 timed/scored events:  pounding nails, pumping water, shooting an AirSoft pistol, casting a fishing line, and sawing a log.  The Homesteader Pentathlon booth was one of the most popular events at the Huckleberry Festival this year, so Don is probably hooked into doing this every year from now on.

Meanwhile, right next door to Don at the festival, our Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club hosted a "fun match" and public demo.  This was our third year to be invited to the event, which was great exposure for our sport of dog agility.

We had help at both our activities from friends from central Washington:  Bob Rains, Christine Canter, and Barb Madsen.

I tried my luck in the Huckleberry Dessert contest again this year, after taking second place two years ago.  But my recipe for huckleberry buckle didn't place, so Don and our guests got to eat the results.  If I do say so myself, this year's entry was even better than the last one I entered!

Weather was tremendous and everyone was happily exhausted at the end of the three-day event, held Aug. 13-15.

Angus grows

Here it is September 1, and little Angus isn't little anymore.  At just five months he's huge--tall and rangy--and due to be snipped on Sept. 22, his six-month birthday.

He is an exceptionally sweet boy with a strong will to please.  He doesn't do the things that so many Labs do...like dig, chew on siding, jump on people, play-bite, bark incessantly, chase shadows, eat rocks, etc....nor does he retrieve very much.  Hmmm.  He's improving in that category, however, as Don works with him.  He is not ball-obsessive, thank goodness...in fact, he doesn't have any obsessions at all, which is wonderful.  He will retrieve happily and obediently three or four times in a row, and then we quit before he gets bored with it.

He also loves to swim (finally).  I had to get in over my head to prove to him it was safe, but once he discovered his own buoyancy he was fine.  He's very good at retrieving from the water.

Angus did suffer a mishap that nearly cost him his tail back in July.  One of the horses went after him when he was sneaking a horse turd out of the corral.  The horse bit his tail so badly the vet was afraid he might lose it.  Fortunately the tail mended and Angus gained a healthy respect for the horses.

Lizzie and Angus get along famously.  Lizzie's a bit peaved Angus has gotten bigger than she is, since she can no longer boss him around as easily.  But they're bosom buddies.