Drifty

31 07 2017

Sundance

Ho hum. Just another gorgeous grey hunk of a wild  stallion.

🙂

Sundance in the wind.





Moments of magic

30 07 2017

Ty

For whatever reason, I love this image of Ty. Just an everyday motion to rub a fly off his leg or reach for a mouthful of grass, but there’s beauty in all those little movements of the task of living in the wild moment.





Little big man

29 07 2017

Maiku

Maiku is looking for love.

Advice to a young stallion: When targeting a mare, try not to pick a band that already has a lieutenant stallion.





In living color

28 07 2017

Rain over the La Sal Mountains at sunset.

Rain at sunset over Utah’s La Sal Mountains, looking to the northwestish – golden rain.

072717springcreekbasinsunset1

And looking to the eastish across Spring Creek Basin to McKenna Peak, Temple Butte, Brumley Point and beyond … pink rain.

Mother Nature has a pretty amazing palette out here in the wide, wild, beautiful world. 🙂





Grassy greeting

27 07 2017

Coming to say hello

How do ya’ll like that grass? 🙂

The horses look wet because they ARE wet; they’d been drinking and playing in a recently filled pond. They were headed (away) up a trail when I walked out to check the status of the pond. They stopped and looked back … and then I had to scramble to dump my backpack and fumble my camera out and get it turned on and hope the settings were any kind of decent when they ran down and circled around me.

Well, hello to you beautiful ponies, too!

 





Tiny dancers

26 07 2017

Friend and mustang lover Bebe June Mantooth created this AMAZING scale model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs, and my folks brought it to me during a visit from Texas (where they and Bebe live). It was the first time I’d seen it (not even pictures), and to say it was a “pleasant surprise” is the understatement of the year!

The photos really don’t do it justice. It’s simply spectacular. Specific mustangs in Spring Creek Basin – including horses in two bands and several bachelor stallions – are memorialized in this model (contained in a box that is painted inside – also by Bebe) that I will treasure forever.

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

This is the view through the looking glass (window) in one end of the box. Bachelors are in the foreground, and two bands are in the distance (middle ground and back). Can you identify anybody? 🙂

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

Looking straight into the box of beautiful. You can see the window at right. Not shown in any of the pictures is the lid, which is lined with tiny lights, so when the lid is closed, you can look in on the mustangs’ tiny little magical world. 🙂

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

Another view that shows some of the topographic detail. Don’t miss the grey mares under the juniper trees.

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

A closer view of the bands – and look! They’re going to water! Which is awesomely awesome because we’ve just had some more incredible rain, which was a pond-filling gift from heaven!

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

A better look at the bachelor boys. Surely readers will recognize some of the horses? 🙂

Model of Spring Creek Basin mustangs by Bebe June Mantooth, Troy, Texas.

Through the looking glass again. Below the window is the little plaque my mom and dad had made for it. 🙂

HUGE THANKS to artist Bebe for the skill and love that went into creating this one-of-a-kind mustang masterpiece! I can’t even begin to tell you all how meaningful and incredible this is!





Rain over paradise

25 07 2017

072417rainpic1

These screen captures of rain over Spring Creek Basin are almost as much fun to post as photos of the horses themselves! 🙂





The way it is

24 07 2017

Sundance, Filly Peak

Beauty.

Period.





Too beautiful to be bashful

23 07 2017

Sweet eye

Who doesn’t love a bay mustang??!!?





Dream day

22 07 2017

Hollywood

Have I mentioned how much I love the dreamy quality of backlighting?

Dreamy Hollywood models it to perfection. 🙂