Sheeniest, shiniest

12 11 2019

110419Winonatbmck1

Sweetest Winona ambles down a trail in search of greener pastures. … Well, *other* pastures, maybe. Not too green these days.

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Other than the horses ( 🙂 ), the best thing I saw from this past hunting season happened yesterday (the day after the end of third season). Strapped on the back of an ATV-trailer hauled by a truck (with Texas plates) leaving Disappointment Valley: Three large, clear bags full of aluminum cans! They were hauling out their recycling! One has to think they also had bags full of trash.

Thank you, hunters!





Next

11 11 2019

110419Killiantbmck1

We made it through another third season. 🙂

And on our very last day, we had another check-up visit by one of our excellent BLM law-enforcement rangers! And I found out that our other ranger was out not only the day before the season (when friend Pat and I talked to him) but a few other times, too.

Fourth rifle season starts Wednesday. It’s a short season, and it’s usually much quieter than third.

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To our veterans (including my dad, a retired Army officer; my uncle, formerly a Navy pilot; my cousin, a former Navy SEAL; *my grandpas on both sides of my family, who served as an engineer in the Army and as an aircraft gunner with the Army Air Corps during World War II), thank you for your service and your sacrifices. Your families know the costs.

(*Updated to note the service of my grandpas. I wasn’t sure whether to include them as veterans because they’ve both passed away. But as Karen S. noted below, our gratitude extends to our service members past *and* present!)





Red, sparkling

10 11 2019

110419Tesora1

Like fine wine, this little treasure gets better with time. (So I’ve heard; I don’t have a taste for alcohol.) 🙂





Sometimes, a little comfort

9 11 2019

102519AlegreMaia1

We all need a moment of comfort every now and then. 🙂





Lone, not alone

8 11 2019

110419stallion1

There were two other bachelors with the pictured bachelor, but from my vantage with another band, I couldn’t see them (I had seen them previously, from a different perspective). It struck me how small and also perfect he looked … one more shadow belonging to the land at almost-sunset.





Grey day

7 11 2019

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It’s never a dull day when Mariah graces my camera on the range of Spring Creek Basin.





The good browns

6 11 2019

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Not all brown is bad brown. 🙂

Tenaz and Madison make brown beautiful!





Not just brown

5 11 2019

110419Corazon1

A little shake-up with a black-and-white pinto boy in the sea of brown. 🙂

Corazon was checking out my Jeep, parked not too far away on the road. So far, things seem to be fairly quiet in Spring Creek Basin this hunting season. There are a couple of camps in the basin, and we’ve seen vehicles driving around and evidence of more (tire tracks on the dusty roads). The horses seem very calm.

The traffic up and down Disappointment Road (which passes along part of the basin’s southwestern boundary) is heavy before, during and after daylight.

One of our excellent BLM law-enforcement rangers was out in Disappointment Valley, making contact and checking on the goings-on. Our herd manager also was present for a few days.

Our wild ones are well watched, and we are grateful. 🙂





So much brown

4 11 2019

110319Combandtbmck1

During many visits to Spring Creek Basin, we see mustangs in the distance (at least initially) as “little white dots.” We have a lot of grey horses. 🙂

We also have a lot of brown in our views. Especially since it hasn’t rained in 487,329 days – give or take. 😦

That lovely snow we got was wonderful and welcome. … And we need more wet stuff. ANY wet stuff.





Glow undampened

3 11 2019

102819Gaia1

The sun finally conquered the clouds by the time I made it out to Storm’s band. While some of the horses grazed a bit, others, like Gaia, napped in the dreamy sunshine.

I had to go up and over a small hill to get to the other side of her (the rest of the band was down to the right) so I wouldn’t disturb her. (You can see her still eyeing me, wondering what the heck I was up to.) Her mane had icicles in it from the snow of the night before, and I was trying to get a pic of it.

It never did work out as well as I’d planned because it was much too nice to stop there and sit on a low boulder – cleared of snow – and soak in the rays that the horses were enjoying!