Field Trip

On Saturday, the Farmer was in a rare, good mood...

...so he took the family to put out saltnmin'ral, and drain some water tanks for the winter.

(Maggie dressed herself. Nothing says "Farm Fashion" like animal print leggings, yellow mud boots, and Mom's John Deere sweatshirt. It's a blessing she's wearing warm clothes. Actually, it's just a blessing she's wearing ANY clothes...)

Another beautiful cow picture!

(The cows are beautiful, not necessarily the picture.)

Racing back to the pickup.

Do you see that little point on the butte behind the kids?

You'll get a closer look later in the post.

A good representation of the Class of '09! 

They really think we are crazy, and if they had digital cameras, they'd be taking pictures right back.

Ah, here we go; this is a sheepherder's monument.

Back when there weren't fences, sheepherders would go out with their bands of sheep and herd them to good grass and water.  Their days got really long, so they'd build these little towers of sandstone.  They range anywhere from 3 1/2-4 1/2 feet tall, usually, and they are stacked so meticulously and so well, that they are pretty much intact, even after 80-90 years.  You will usually see them near sources of water. 

As a child, I was always fascinated by these little monuments, and looked for them as landmarks in the pastures. 

Alright. What is wrong with this picture?

Yes, he dressed himself, as well, and the back pockets are in front.  What you can't see is that his t-shirt is inside out, under that jacket, and so are his big boy britches, under the backwards pants.

Here are some of the apples on the trees in the orchard at the Jacobson Place.  There are TONS! And they are wonderful eating, sort of sweet-tart and gloriously crisp.  They are little; only about the size of a hen's egg, at the largest, so it takes quite a few to make a meal.  The deer love them, and are getting fat and sassy.

Here are a couple little bucks we saw on our way home.  I couldn't tell if they were dumb or brave, but they let me take quite a few pictures of them, seeming to pose to show off their antlers.  This picture was taken about 75 yards or so, away, and out of a running pickup with two kids trying to climb through the window beside me. It's miraculous I was able to get anything SORT of clear...

We had such a fun time! It's always such a treat to get to go with Daddy, and the day was bright and cool, just like an October day should be.