Summer Fun 2013

Since I'm behind on my blog this post is an unorganized scattering of pictures from the summer of 2013.

Steve and I were happy to go golfing with Crew a couple of times this summer.  He has a natural swing and can hit the ball pretty square. Crew and I ended up taking a few lessons in the fall.

 Steve planted corn this year and we had a pretty good batch,maybe 25 ears. It was delicious!

 I don't volunteer  at the Phoenix Zoo through the summer but the end of year dinner I was able to visit with Ali our Aldabra tortoise.

 Harlee's first horseback ride with G-Mama and Santannah. Someone asked me if her parents,Trey and Jenna, would be upset that I put her on the horse....heck no they love it!

 Montana trying to fill G-Mama's cowgirl boots.

 Had a night out at Denim and Diamonds with the girls I used to work with at the dental office.

 Cote graduated from the 6th grade. Congrats Cote!

 Montana ROCKS her pony!

 Nixin graduated from pre-school.  Congrats Nixin!

 Harlee hanging at G-Mama's and Montana getting ready to give her baby a bath with her bakers hat of course.

 Girls camp with the Boulder Mountain Ward was a great experience.

 Nixin gathering the eggs with Cutter and Piper close by.

 Steve played softball with Ryan and Brannon.  They won, 1st place!

Montana riding Santannah.  She thinks his name is Santannah Ride!

 I wasn't at Disneyland to see Gracie but I just had to post this picture because its one of the most adorable things I have ever seen.

 Harlee turned 1 year old and Presley was at the party.

 I wasn't with these two Princesses for their mani -pedi but once again I had to post this picture.

 Grandparents day at the Gunnel boy's school.  This was Cash's first Grandparents day and we loved being there with him......

 and Cole......

 and Crew!

 Nixin playing with my almost 50 year old Barbies.

 Snuggling with my girls on the couch.

Brexton putting together his Legos that Papa got for him.

 Nixin and Presley petting Little Red Riding Hood early in the morning.

 Build A Bear with Presley,Nixin and Brexton. Build A Bear is always a super fun time!

Giddy-Up Cutter

This is Cutter my awesome Australian Cattle Dog,Queensland Heeler or Blue Heeler (three names for the same breed). My boy has so much heart and energy. He loves life and wants to go,go,go! In the Fall of 2013 I decided it was time to take Cutter with me on my trail rides. I had been riding by myself more often and I feel better having Cutter come along. It is by far his favorite thing to do!

This picture was taken February 2014. I wanted to include a picture of Piper,my Australian Shepherd. She is the red and white on the left. She would love to go for rides but she isn't allowed. She is my huntress and she will take off after rabbits,squirrels,lizards and coyotes. We see a lot of wildlife in the areas where we ride. Since she can't control herself when faced with the temptation to hunt she gets left behind. The middle dog is Bella my friend and neighbor Teri's dog who happens to be Piper's good buddy.

In this picture we had just finished riding in Usery Park. Cutter likes to hang out with his buddy Santannah after we finish our rides. 

This was a great ride in Usery Park. I was riding my mare Psynna and Cutter was happy to take the lead. We came across two deer grazing. This was the first time Psynna had seen a deer out on the trail,she wasn't quite sure what to think. We stood there for a few minutes before Psynna was comfortable enough to ride by since the deer weren't leaving. 

The top picture is my friend Teri on her buckskin gelding Big Jim. We were riding at Coon Bluff which is a beautiful ride down to the Salt River. Most days you will see Salt River wild horses grazing. On this ride Cutter found a calf,affectionately called a calfer. He was pretty pleased with himself as you can see.

My friend Mary is on her Arabian gelding Cali. She is an endurance rider and competes in 50 mile races on Cali who just turned 20 years old. We rode to Bartlett Lake which is a 19 mile ride round trip. The top picture we are riding through Sycamore Creek on our way to Bartlett Lake.

Down by the lake I discovered Santannah likes to eat bamboo even more than the available grass.

This picture is of Santannah and I getting ready to do a moonlight ride with Mary and Cali to Bull Dog Canyon which is another beautiful ride to the Salt River. This was February 2014 and it was only my second moonlight ride with Santannah. Bull Dog Canyon is a 12 mile ride round trip. 

The morning after our moonlight ride I went back to Bull Dog Canyon with Psynna. Mary took her mare Starlight. This was Psynna's first ride where we trailered out. She really did awesome! Unfortunately she hates water and didn't appreciate the river. We will be working on that.

 We redid our horse pens February 2014. Steve brought in about 20 ton of quarter minus to fill the pens. We placed heavy rubber mats across the front of the pens extending 10 feet back and Steve placed wood around the bottom perimeter of all three corrals.  It looks so nice,keeps the dust down and is easier to clean. Thank you Steve!