I have mentioned in earlier posts, that Will and Laurie Brown used to neighbor Ansel and Martina's ranch north of the Indian reservation towards 5 mile dam. Their house was a mile beyond the gate in the picture above and then around to the left up the draw. Below is Ansel's barn. The County Rd ran between the house and the barn. The lane to Will and Laurie's home was just around the corner beyond the barn.
Ansel was reminiscing about the girls this morning. Martina was gone a lot and spent most of her time in Bend. Ansel enjoyed seeing the girls, Jesse and Katie most school days. Jesse and Katie, Will and Laurie’s youngest two girls used to ride their bikes down to Ansel and Martina’s and leave their bikes there to catch the school bus. They’d lean their bikes up against the yard fence. It was a good mile up a gravel road from the county to get to their house. Will and Laurie both had day jobs in town. Ansel said he might not see them in the morning, but most afternoons they'd hunt him up, if only to say Hi. He was usually around there someplace close, either in the barn or the house… If the weather was bad one way or the other, too hot, too cold, too windy or rainy… Ansel remembers distinctly that it was Katie who would come and find him and with her big round eyes look up with a gleam in her eyes and sheepish little grin and ask him, “Ansull [sic], do you think you could take us home” and Ansel would say "why sure, I think I might be able to take you home". Then he'd load up their bikes in the back of his old forest green pickup and drive them home. Sometimes they would come in for cookies or a piece of candy, he and Martina always had candy around.Ansel remembers the girls helping him move cattle and that Katie could ride like the wind and was fearless. She sometimes rode a speckled pony, and he remembers worrying about her when she rode Shorty… "cause Shorty was un-predictable"… Katie had big round eyes, round cheeks and was always laughing and smiling. Both girls were very sweet, and very very polite and were a big help when we moved cattle.
Katie was Will and Laurie's youngest, she died May 14, 1994 after falling from her horse at the Harney County fairgrounds following a 4-H event. She is loved and remembered, as are Will and Laurie... ((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))
