As promised, you are now headed into Part 2 of making the morning rounds of the range with Mark. It's still chilly out there but Mark's been working up some body warmth with his ax and shovel and the truck heater is being backed off incrementally as the morning progresses.
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This is work place scenery that both of us find easy to live with..
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This is stop number 5, the second to last. Another set of Slim's ladies anxiously mill around as Mark pokes a hole through the ice for them in an old stock tank. His cows really are lovely and well-mannered. Some out here on the range are not..
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Final stop! Unlock the gate and wander up the road into Slim's cow camp. I tried to get a photo of Slim's four horses with my ailing camera options. I had a great shot framed of all four and then the camera shut itself off. With the prospect of their breakfast at hand, you have to be quick with shutter. By the time I had reached into the truck for the other camera, all four had closed in on me tightly and the most congenial of them was snorting sweet nothings into my ear; giving me goosebumps and raising the hair on the back of my neck. At that point, all I could have photographed was a very large and friendly horse eyeball so I gave up.They were not interested in Mark's ice breaking at all but fell in behind him like kids chasing the Good Humor man when he headed to the trailer. The hay is kept behind an inner gate in the trailer. After his first day on the feed and water run, he learned to swing the outer trailer gate shut behind him. By not having done so on the first run, he turned around with the hay bale and ran into a solid wall of exuberant horse flesh which had followed right in behind him.
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Above and below are more views from up top as he went from one location to another..
He'll trade these work day views any day for one of smoggy skyscrapers in the distance. .
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Heads up: I might be somewhat sporadic in my postings over the next little while. I don't feel so good right now and the writing does not come easy. If I attempt to do forced production writing, it will lack that element of joy that this place holds for us. Part of that joy is in not feeling pressured to please anyone outside the canyon and, you, my blog buds, have been so good about understanding that pressure. I will certainly write updates when the good days are front and center - I just can't count on them - so please understand that I might disappear for longer than what has been normal up until now .
Heads up: I might be somewhat sporadic in my postings over the next little while. I don't feel so good right now and the writing does not come easy. If I attempt to do forced production writing, it will lack that element of joy that this place holds for us. Part of that joy is in not feeling pressured to please anyone outside the canyon and, you, my blog buds, have been so good about understanding that pressure. I will certainly write updates when the good days are front and center - I just can't count on them - so please understand that I might disappear for longer than what has been normal up until now .
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24 comments:
Yeah, great work scenery and the commute is a dream, eh? Thanks for the unobstructed images of Mark's hotness! WOOHOO!
Thanks, too, for the warning about possible protracted lapses of posting-- I'd hate to worry about you. Also, blogging needs to happen when it's a joy and a convenience for you. We'll be here when you check back in.
More great photos and animal tales to enjoy.
Sorry to hear that you are not feeling so good, hope that things change for you real soon.
Take as much time out as you need, we will miss your posts but you need to do what is best for you. And when you do come back it will spread a little NM goodness around the globe.
Oh, I love horse eyeballs! Pictures that is.
Great panorama shots Lin and you almost gave us a good face shot of Mark...handsome devil ain't he - not that I'd date him or anything!
It's pretty there but I'd miss my trees I suppose. But I must see it all one day.
Judy is interested in Jeff's offer and loved the views, so she has been talking it up. So...maybe one day soon!
Hey Phlegmmy! Well, sometimes the commute is a little rough or even a non-starter but it still beats sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.
I just knew a little positive reenforcement would help - notice that Mark didn't even censor these last photos? Thanks ... grin!
And thanks for the kind words about possible blog gaps. I will certainly kick butt when things are sunny and the flesh ain't weak.
dba, I sure wish I had started carrying a camera along much sooner but at least I can remember well enough to still recount some beauties later on.
Thanks for the well wishes; I'm not sure if a change would likely be for the better at this point but I'll keep plugging along on the power strokes for now. There is so much of that NM goodness to still share with you that I don't want to stop short now!
Mushy, I am SOOO glad that you clarified your like of horse eyeballs! Did you know (according to the locals at least) that eyeballs are the first thing that a buzzard will snack on? Then again, given their epicurean inclinations, I wouldn't take that as a menu recommendation either.
Yesh, we'll let you go back to your trees once you've been out here, promise. (Jeff, Jeff! Did you see that? Judy is the one we have to do the hard sell schmooze on!) If you like real trees (big conifers at least), there are parts of NM which we'll make sure you go see. NM even supplied the White House with their Christmas tree a couple of years back. This state will surprise the heck out of you!
He'll trade these work day views any day for one of smoggy skyscrapers in the distance.
Generally agreed. But I DO miss the... um...views from street-level when I went downstairs and outside for a smoke, back in the day. SFO has some of the finest-looking women on the planet, and a great number of them happen to congregate in the Financial District. Or: Happy happy, joy joy. Beats cows or horses any day, IM(not so)HO. Speaking strictly about the "looking" experience, of course.
I hear ya about the blogging, Lin. Like everyone else, I'll be around when you are! Take your time.
Ah-hah-hah, Buck, I can see what you mean. W-A-A-Y back when, I was one of those lunch time sights in the financial district with a mini skirt just short of my buttocks. In having to work beside those of the noted appreciative lunch time audience, I developed a much greater appreciation for jack rabbits and coyotes ... in the wild.
You almost got a "butt-shot" in that one pic! If you'd only been a second or so sooner...?
Yeah, I know all about those good-and-bad days, as well. Even the "crapper" seems to be getting farther away each week for me! If it continues, I'll have to install a porta-potty at the halfway point, to make my "trip" safely!!!
YOU hang in THERE, and WE will hang out HERE, for when you "feel the urge" again.....!
I hope you feel better soon.....
Thank you for sharing the times, and views. It's a good change from here sometimes.......
Magnificent shots Lin. That horizon just goes on forever.
You take good care of yourself. I'll be here.
Bruno, that's the problem with these digital cameras of mine - I can't wait for just the right moment or the cameras might shut down without notice. The charger, battery, usage experiments are still ongoing (gaaghhh!).
I certainly figured that you would empathize with 'good and bad days' - you had more than your share of them lately. And those mad potty dashes get old real quick, don't they?
I'll try to hang in there if you try to as well!
Thanks, Carteach! Today was darned decent (touch wood) but I am learning that this doesn't mean I'm suddenly bullet-proof again. That's been the hard part.
You know, I really like the idea that even if someone can't make the big break themselves, they can come over here and get away from it for just a few minutes at least. I've sure done that in the past myself.
Good to see you back again! BTW I really like your new avatar photo.
Moose, I know you'd just love this place - the vastness just keeps giving you goosebumps.
And thanks - I know you'll always be there if you can help in any way. That's a great feeling, too.
Sorry to hear you are not feeling so well. Is it a flare up from the previous problem?
As I eye those beautiful horses I can't help but wonder in better weather does anyone ever get a chance to ride them. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the scenery than on horseback. And you could truly ride "free".
I suppose you could call it a flare-up ... it's the heart matter the doc wanted to send me directly to the hospital for before we moved. Not an option now. Yes, it sucks.
Slim will use the horses when he has to drive cattle from one pasture to another. I'd love to see the countryside from horseback but that's not going to happen any time soon.
We shall await with baited breathes. That last photo is wonderful to.
PopeT, just wondering what kind of bait you're using.
That last one is my favorite view, too. To me, it looks like the Ice King's realm hovering in the far distance.
Hi Lin, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. You never cry and complain like some of us do. Take care my friend.
Well, it sounds like we're makin' progress. Once the Dragons decide to come, the knights will trail in after them. Now i need to go to Mom and make sure i can get that condo whenever. It'll be a hoot.
Beautiful views, as usual, and don't feel any pressure to post. Take care of yourself and we'll be here whenever. Heal up big sis.
Hey, Babzy, it's perfectly okay to cry and complain ... don't ever forget that. Beats holding it all in. Hell, it's probably just a long bout of heartburn in my case since I still believe I'm bullet-proof for a speck yet.
You take care of yourself, too, okay?
FHB, definitely find out from Mom when it will be a good time to head up there. Hopefully it won't be during our monsoons but we can finger something out because it would be too much of a good time to pass up just due to a little bit of mud. I can always hire Slim to drag you folks in on a skid behind his horses or something.
First of all...I just LOVE the pictures. Yearning for New Mexico as I am doing now .... your pictures give me a sense of "home." That means so much to me...
I am sorry you are not feeling well. Don't feel pressured to keep up the blog posts until you are ready.....we are always here.
Towanda, once you get here, you will start to feel like you never really lived any where else. I found it quite amazing myself.
Thanks, I am holding up pretty well at the moment and kind of hoping that my following posts will maybe help improve things a little.
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