Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

Fifty-seven years of married life. I’m pretty much in awe of my mom and dad, Nancy and Dave. 🙂

Mom Nancy on Gem, brother Jeff, Dad Dave on Hawk (Gem is actually Hawk’s big sister), Tracey Jo (aka TJ!) with Johnnie Jo.

I wasn’t on her because I had to run the tripod-set camera, and even with a timer, I didn’t have much time. Total stroke of luck (and possibly some nearby bovines) that we got the horses’ ears all up! This pic was taken in Texas a few years ago when they were blessed with autumn-copper oak leaves right when Jeff and I were both there for a visit.

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you both so very much! 🙂

This is a young mare who’s not usually on the blog, but something about this pic of her just stopped me as I was going through images … and I just decided that she needed to be shared.

It’s the quiet moments, not the big ones, that make spending time with the wild ones worth every second. Those are the ones we fight for.

Terra, so beautiful, doesn’t really relish being the object of attention. That doesn’t detract from her beauty, but it does make “capturing” her a challenge. 🙂

Two stallions, two profiles in wild dignity: Tenaz and Skywalker.

My dad, Dave, is now closer to 80 than he was to 70. Still works hard on tractors and fields. Still goes to church, takes my mom, Nancy, and friends to dinner, lunch. Still provides for a small cow herd, a not-so-small horse herd. Still calls and asks how the truck’s running. Still worries more about changing the tractor’s oil than I do (thankfully, the tractor benefits from his and my mom’s visits every time they visit). Tells me not to molest the bears (if ever there was an inside dad joke … :)).

Still takes responsibility for raising a little horse girl who never (thankfully) outgrew horses. 🙂

My daddy and me, building a stall, circa late 1972.

Serious business!

This is what my mom said of the pic:

“We were in Columbia Station, Ohio. (My parents grew up in neighboring Ohio counties and met showing horses as teenagers.) Only there, I think, 9 or 10 months. This was taken probably October or November of 1972 (I was a year and a couple of months old). You were walking. You & Dad were making a stall for Devil (Devil May Care, Quarter Horse my dad received as (partial?) payment while working for a trainer during college at Ohio State University). Dad went back to Fort Huachuca (Arizona) for combat intelligence school then we went to Fort Campbell (Kentucky, where my brother, Jeff, was born when I was almost 3). I listed & sold the house with him gone!! I guess he came back to haul Devil to Campbell??” (We had already been at Fort Huachuca (Mom said I had my first birthday there while my dad attended the basic MI (military intelligence) course.).

Thanks, Daddy, for giving me horses. 🙂 Happy birthday! I love you!