Remembering Katie

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))))))))))))

Pate's "Mimi" and the Dustin Pedroia baseball

Tuesday night Ranger Pate brought his mom “Mimi” over to meet us. I’m embarrassed to admit, that now that I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I never got her name… only “Mimi”. She was really excited to hear that I am a Mimi too. My mimikid - Taylor happened to call me while we were cooking dinner, she was looking for her first school fundraiser pledge from me (she's in kindergarten). As the evening went on it made me smile to hear Pate's mom refer to him as “Pat”. We only know him as Pate so it's odd to hear him called Pat. I remember that my mother never accepted my changing the spelling of the name she had given me…

Pate's Mimi flew up to Oregon from Winters, CA to spend the week visiting with Pate and his brother Tim. It was a delight to finally meet her. She is a charming eclectic city gal doing remarkably well at 80 and still living and traveling on her own.

We had a very enjoyable evening with bbq’d steaks and an avocado salad. Pate brought a yummy cherry cobbler for dessert. Paul joined us also. Who took the picture you ask??? I have a time delay button on my camera. This is one of like 6 pictures. They were all good sports to keep smiling.

My #15 Dustin Pedroia surprise

Those of you who know me well, know that I'm a huge Boston Red Sox fan. Being raised on Cape Cod, it was in my genes... I remember my mother going to bed every game night with a transistor radio under her pillow. When I was in school cable wasn't an option, and there weren't many baseball games that were televised on TV. But the few that were, I can still hear my mother yelling at the TV and the Sox coaching staff.

The last couple of years I have been especially excited about Jacoby Ellsbury, from podunk Madras Oregon who went through the Red Sox farm system. Last year Jacoby was called up and I started listening to the Sox games on the internet. Pate stopped by one time while I was either watching a game on TV or listening, and in my excitement a conversation came up about Jacoby... and he told me that he was interested to watch Red Sox rookie #15, Dustin Pedroia, since he knew Dustin's family in CA. Pedroia had a really rough start in April 2007, but got the bugs out and began shining in May and never slowed down... as the season progressed, when ever Dustin had great game, I'd let Pate know about it... and soon enough I was a Pedroia fan too. It was amazing watching these two rookies make such a difference in this historic team. Then they were in the Playoffs and the World Series, with both Ellsbury and Pedroia as integral players in each game. With these young fire crackers astounding us each game, the Sox won the 2007 World Series and Dustin Pedroia was named Rookie of the Year.

So it turns out that Pate's mom knows Dustin's grandmother real well... they are neighbors in Winters, CA. I think I also remember Pate saying that he went to school with Debbie, Dustin's mom. Anyway, Pate cooked up a surprise for me and had his mom shop for and find an official MBL baseball (made in the USA, she said this wasn't an easy feat, as most of them she found were made in China), she gave it to Dustin's grandmother, who to carried it back to Boston a few weeks ago to have Dustin sign it just for me at the Red Sox home opener at Fenway Park. How cool is this !!! I am so honored to have the momento. I smiled and thought of Velma, (my mother) when I saw that he signed it "to Cindy" and his autograph and #15.

Thanks Pate and Mimi !!!! I love it and will treasure it !!!!

%%%

Janey Kitty

Many years ago in Burns, like 1993, I got a feisty little Manx kitten from Todd and Debbie Titus, who were living at the Sand Hill feedlot. At the time I was living at the first place on Hutchenson Rd., 11 miles SE of Burns near Lawen. At the end of 1994, we made a deal to sell our place, and Eric and I would move into “the barn” (80 ac down the road, with an apartment built inside a barn) which came with two huge feral tom cats. One of my best friends, Cindi, had lost her pet cat tragically, and she had vowed to never ever have another… With my impending move, I talked her into adopting Janey, since I was afraid the feral tom cats at the barn would either kill her or run her off.

Janey has spent most of her life as a barn cat, with occasional in-house privileges over the years. Janey has her own little quirks, like she adored my 88 Honda Civic and as soon as I would arrive home, she’d immediately hop on the bumper and walk up the middle of the hood and sit in front of my windshield meoyowling at me to get out. And when she heard my voice she would meoyowl and come to rub my legs. After I gave her to Cindi, every time I visited (which was often) she'd always came running for the Honda as soon as I parked, hop on the bumper and deliberately walk up the hood and sit in front of the windshield. If she wasn't there when I arrived, by the time I left she was sure to have left her paw prints, if she wasn't still sitting there on the car. It was as if she wanted to leave her little paw prints on the car, her own signature. Funny she never did do that to any of my pick ups, just that red Honda Civic. When Cindi moved to PDX in 2000, Janey moved too. After the advent of cell phones, Cindi would put the phone down for Janey and I to merowl at each other... For the past few years Janey had been living with Cindi’s horse James at her sister’s rural Corbett place that just sold… long story short, since she was going to have to move Janey, Cindi thought Ansel might enjoy having a pet cat of his own to hang out with him and call his own. (since I have Lucy)

So last weekend when I picked up the truck, I also picked up Janey from Cindi and brought her to Bend to give to Ansel.

When I started out, she was in a small cat carrier, and she cried and cried... when I got to I-5, I stopped and put her in Lucy's big crate thinking that would be more comfortable for her, but she yowled non stop and I made it about 15 miles and pulled over and let her out of the crate all together and gave her the free run of the pickup… and then she became a very nice traveling companion. (I had left Lucy in Bend)

When we got to Bend… she immediately bonded with Ansel and he with her. When I asked him what he thought of her, he said "she's a darling, she's a very sweet barn cat". He said that smiling, because I had insisted before I went to get her that she was not a house cat, she was a barn cat. She has made herself at home.
Although she hates Lucy… and I’m sure she thinks it’s an insult that she has to put up with another puppy. Lucy isn’t exactly thrilled with Janey’s arrival either, as it means more outside kennel time and inside crate time for her. Pre-Janey she had the run of the place, except at bed time she went in the crate. I've been trying to give Janey some space to adjust to the new surroundings by keeping Lucy out of her hair. The picture below is their first meeting, and Janey has just boxed Lucy's ears back, and poor Lucy thinks she just encountered the Tasmanian Devil and doesn't dare move. They both stayed in the position for about 5 minutes, Lucy is stiff as a board, with every muscle tensed and her nails dug in the couch. Lucy is sporting a muzzle just for insurance.
Janey is 15 years old, but you’d never know it, she is very spry and must be on her 7th or 8th life. She has a very unique personality and talks a lot and tells you about every thing. For a barn cat… she certainly has made herself at home inside. ;-) (referring to my declaration to Ansel that she would be a barn cat)

visit with Willy and Toni at Burns

Last week was a busy one. We went over to Burns on Wednesday and stayed with Will and Toni Brown. Will and Toni were married last June 21 in Lehi, UT. They met at a series Mountain Man Rendezvous events, and found that they have many things in common. Toni was ranch raised, a rodeo queen and loves camping and canoeing. Will had moved to Lehi in Feb 2007 to heal up after his heart attack. We had visited them during the summer of 2007 and I immediately bonded with Toni, it was like we had known each other for years. Last September Toni retired from her life long career of hairdressing and they moved to Burns. (Will and former wife Laurie raised their family on the ranch next to Ansel and Martina off of Foley Drive north of Burns. You met Laurie on the Oklahoma trip, when we went to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum)

Toni makes a terrific corned beef and cabbage, and we always get a special homemade cake for dessert. This last time, it was sort of an orange/pineapple pudding thing that was to die for. Ansel especially looks forward to her sour dough pancakes.

They had lots of time for visiting and catching up while I did my presentations at the high school.

Ranger Pate & The Indian that didn't go to Jail

Ranger Pate and Ansel @ The Saddle Shop

Ranger Pate stopped by for a visit Thursday. Pate works as a DJ at the Mountain radio station here in Bend. He's cowboy at heart... but broadcasting just happens to be his day job now... Pate puts together a pretty neat weekly radio show he calls "Ridin the Rough String". It's a mix of classic western music and a little bit of cowboy poetry.

Pate has helped Ansel start some of their horses over the years and stops by often to share some stories and well as listen to them. And as you can imagine, Ansel enjoys the visits.

In the pic below Ansel is showing off his "Left Lead"... when we were at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City Ansel picked out these slippers and showed them to me, and said thought them might be a good replacement for his others. I scooped them up and paid for them, without letting him see how much they cost... he'd have died if he knew. But he soooooo rarely asks for anything, and when I buy him a new shirt or jeans, he says he has a whole closet full and why would he need more??? ( mmm, maybe because they don't fit, he's gained a few pounds)

I tried to buy him some polyester dress slacks when we went to Salt Lake last summer, and he got upset with me and said he had plenty, I told him I didn't think he could fit into any of the ones he had... he told me I was very mistaken... so when we were packing for the Oklahoma trip, I asked him to try the slacks on and find a pair that fit... After trying on the 6 or 7 pair that he had... he conceded that they needed to go to the Goodwill.

So back to the slippers. He is very proud of them... they're very warm and comfy and they have an imprint of a horse shoe on the bottom of each, and one says Left Lead and the other Right Lead. Very cute.

Ansel's Kowboy Kickers

Ansel gives Pate a left lead

Story for the day: The Osage Indian that didn't go to jail that day

In the Oklahoma days... there was a time when his Dad was training race horses for a wealthy Osage Indian named John Kenworthy outside Fairfax, Oklahoma. Ansel remembers that he was quite wealthy, at least in a relative sense for the times. As a 5 or 6 year old boy, he enjoyed driving to town with John Kenworthy who's Osage Indian name was Hlu-ah-tsa-he. He was a really big/tall man with dark features and a long black braid down his back, for clothes he covered himself with a colorful indian blanket. He drove an auto car. One day he went into town for supplies and took Ansel with him. Ansel remembers coming out of a store and heading to the parked car. I envision it was dusty dirt streets with board walks. They were walking to the car and as Ansel started for the door, the indian gathered him around the shoulders and kept him walking right past the car without stopping... very confused, but assuming that they were going to another store Ansel walked with him... when they got aways from the car, John Kenworthy said to Ansel. Sheriff watch car, bottle of whiskey on floorboard, John Kenworthy no go jail today, tomorrow buy new car.

Ansel can't remember how they got home that day, but he remembers John having a shiny new car the next day. Ansel was thinking it was against the law for Indians to have alcohol, but prohibition started in 1920, and if he was 6 years old, then that might have been part of the story.

Ansel believed that he had gotten his money from oil. He had a big farm, and we lived in an apartment over his garage. He remembered another time they were going to have some kind of big show, and there was a big ornery bull outback. There was a power pole or something big and stout like that with huge horns, they put ropes on his horns and drug him up to the pole and snubbed him to the pole to put a ring in his nose. Pate asked if they roped him horseback... and Ansel said no, that was why he remembered it, cause of the fight the two guys had getting him up to the pole. Once they got him snubbed to the pole, then they stabbed his nose with an ice pick until they had a hole big enough to put the ring through.

Charlie the paint horse:

The Warm Springs Indians were gathering horses on the reservation... when Ansel got there, there was this good looking paint horse tied up, when he figured out who owned him, he asked him if he'd ride him, and said he would. So he put this hackamore rope around his neck, and then saddled him from the offside, circled him around and got on him rode out about a couple of hundred feet, brought him back and Ansel bought the paint for $40.00 dollars. He used him as a pony horse at the tracks and and the horse never offered to buck. Ansel had bought him, cause he had an order from San Luis Rey Stock Farm, at Bonsil, CA to find them a good pony horse that was a good looking paint horse, so he'd stand out from the other pony horses. They'd give up to $500.00 for a good one. So Ansel bought Charlie horse thinking he'd be able to fill his order. But he found out real quick that he was real bad about his feet. So he couldn't sell him to the San Luis Farm. He got along real well with Charlie as long as he didn't mess with his feet.

One time he was ponying a horse off of Charlie at Caliente and came he around the corner of the jocks room, they were making a movie or something and there was this big shiny thing made out of tin foil, a reflector he guessed, it would reflect the light or something, anyway that spooked them both and they whirled and run the other way on the track... the horse he was ponying got away from him. A horse running loose, seldom runs the wrong way of the race track very fast, then the loose horse turned around and was running the right way, he was on the outside rail, and Ansel got on the inside and started running the right way... Ansel cut across the track and got him run down and caught him within a quarter of a mile. He was that really fast, to catch the other horse in that short of distance was really fast.

He ended up selling him to Emery Fisk for $75.00. Emery was a good cowboy, [he was the one with a bull whip in an earlier story] and Emery knew all bout the horse's feet problems. Emery used him for a time and ended up selling him to a cowboy who was a real good calf roper. whose Dad was the Governor of Nevada at the time, an he had a big ranch right out of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas rodeo was coming up, it was a big one, not the finals like they have today, but it was one of the biggest in the west. He decided he'd rope on him at it an so he told his crew to put shoes on him. They got shoes on him but he didn't know how, cause Charlie broke two arms an a leg. But he roped on him and won the roping. But he never roped on him again, cause the next morning, he loaded him up in the trailer and drove him out to a waterhole on the ranch and turned him loose. He told him "Charlie no one is ever going to bother you again" and watched him trot off.

Ansel said he found out later from Louie LaClaire (a warm springs indian that was a stunt man) that Charlie had bucked an indian boy off on the reservation, the boy had gotten hung up, dragged and it killed him... Ansel said he heard that the indians would tie a horse down and beat the bottom of their hooves with rocks to make them so sore that they wouldn't buck. That's probably what had happened to old Charlie to make him so bad to shoe. Ansel said he had trimmed him a time or two while he had him, but it was probably pounding the nails that had upset him when they tried to shoe him. He said he was real broke everybody rode him, his sister rode him and Martina rode him.

Course Charlie had never been in a barn before I took down to Caliente... when winter came he got long hair cause that's what he was used to needing in Oregon. So Ansel decided he would clip him, cause he got so over heated when he ponied horses on him. Every one chided him that they wanted to see him clip him... he was so bad about his feet, they couldn't imagine he'd stand for being clipped. So said you just watch... an Ansel saddled him, an climbed on him, and then used the electric clippers and clipped him every where he could reach. Charlie never moved a muscle and let him do it cause he trusted me and I'd never tried to tie him down or take his feet away.

He said he heard that if the indians couldn't get a horse to stay in the herd. They'd run him in and whip him with a rope and chase him around until he wanted to stay in the herd.

Good for another 3000 miles

Ansel had his monthly check up and visit with Dr. Dan McCleery of McCleery Chiropractic, Bend Oregon. Ansel has been going to Dr. Dan for over 20 years. Ansel signs in with Lagene

He tells that years ago Dr. Dan did a miracle cure on his back that hospitalization, traction, and typical medical practices weren't helping.

Dr. Dan, Ansel, and Anita

Now Ansel goes once a month, more for sort of a "well check" visit. It's been great to have someone tracking and watching his health from the inside out. The staff is like family to us. Lagene, Samantha, (Dr's wife) and Anita are terrific. So our recommendation to you is if you have anything health wise going on that is amiss... from the normal things you'd seek chiropractic care for, to nutritional needs and holistic care - make an appointment with Dr. Dan. ( for those of you coming from Burns, the office is super easy in and out. It's right on Greenwood on the right, just before the Arco station at the jct of 97)

Small world... Anita overheard us talking of San Ysidro, CA... and that Ansel's mother and father had a house there that is now a parking lot for the border crossing, anyway she said her family lived there too and that her father was the grounds keeper for "a" race track named Aqua Caliente... This was probably the track that Ansel raced the most at in his career. Her Dad and Ansel, unbeknownst to each other, were probably there at the same time in the 30's and 40's.

Hmmm, isn't it a small world. Next time I'll take our Caliente book in for her to see pictures of the track.

Lunch with Paul

Paul tries to come most Wednesdays for a visit and to have lunch with Ansel. Paul has been very helpful around the place here. He and friend Pate have hauled many a bale of hay for Ansel since he stopped driving. This week Ansel was telling Paul about Emery Fiske...

Emery Fisk: was a cowboy who was know to always use a bull whip to herd cattle and wrangle horses. He said one time Emery was up in the badlands of North Dakota and when this fellow came to pick him up, he found that the fellow had loaded his saddle and gear into his truck, and had removed Emery's bull whip from his saddle and had thrown it up on the porch... When Emery came out and saw that, he started to get his saddle out of the truck, the fellow said what are you doing??? Emery said, if my whip doesn't go, I don't go... So the fellow hustled around and got Emery's bull whip and put it back on his saddle.

Emery told of moving 300 head of steers and 76 saddle horses by himself in the badlands country. It took him 5 days and 5 nights, to move them the 100 miles and he never saw another soul and did it all by himself with his bull rope and the 76 head of saddle horses. (the horses traveled loose in amongst the herd of cattle) When Emery got to where he was going with those 300 head, he still had three hundred head with just himself, his horse and his bull whip and no dogs. He said he might ride five head of horses each day. He said as he rode along, if he wanted the lead to go to right, he'd just ride up on the left and pop his whip and they'd move right where he wanted them to. He made sure every night when he bedded down, that one horse was hobbled and saddled, so he'd be sure to not be left a foot.

Emery ended up working for Jackie Westrope's father grooming horses at Aqua Caliente. He eventually became a race horse trainer and that was where Ansel met him at the Aqua Caliente race track in Tijuana, Mexico in about 41.

Ansel taught Emery's son Bill to be a race rider (jockey) back in the early 40's. He was a real good rider and got good mounts to ride. The other boy he taught to ride was Doug Dodson from Burns. Doug did pretty good, he won the Preak Stakes, and he was second to Citation in the Derby [Kentucky] and he made the Jockey Hall of Fame. When he'd come home to Burns, he used come down to our Lawen place and hunt geese.

Emery ended up being a very well know deputy sheriff in San Bruno, CA. He solved a very prominent murder case, and was asked to become an agent with the FBI. He eventually retired from the FBI. His son, Bill was a very good jockey and did real well.

Then he told of prominent jockey, Jackie Westrope who is in the Jockey's Hall of Fame. Jackie Westrope was married to Hollywood actress Nan Grey. Nan eventually left him and married Frankie Lane.

2007 NCHA World Champion

CONGRATULATIONS Ron Davis and RD Bud Light

Ansel's long time friend Ron Davis, of Ron Davis Quarter Horses here in Tumalo, Oregon reached a milestone that many of us hope for and few ever achieve. Ron showed his home grown cutting horse, RD Bud Light last year to become the NCHA World Champion 3000 Novice Horse. Ron traveled all over the NW, CA, NV, AZ, NM, TX, OK, and LA (I'm sure there are more that I can't remember) to earn the most winnings in his class to beat out the Reserve Champion, Bobin Hood shown by Dan Hansen by just a few dollars relatively speaking.

Ansel followed Ron's progress all year and was very excited for Ron's win. When they went into the finals only a few hundred dollars separated 1st and 2nd place. Thanks to 2008 technology we were able to watch Ron's go rounds in the finals in Amarillo, TX, LIVE from the comfort of our living room here in Bend on my lap top. There was a production glitch and they didn't announce Ron's score after his work or during the broadcast, so we were in the dark as to whether he won the whole enchilada or not until he called.

Ansel had given Ron valuable advice earlier in the year when he stopped by to visit Ansel and give him an update... Ansel told him that "the most important secret to getting to the winners circle, was to keep the horse sound until the last show". Every time Liz would call with an update, Ansel would just beam. He was very proud of Ron.

Bud Light was out of Ron's great mare Misholena, the palomino in the picture that they are looking at in the picture below. Sadly she had to be put down last spring, and there will only be one more colt out of this great mare. They were able to harvest her eggs, and breed her posthumously via a donor mare.
Sunday afternoon Ron and Liz's daughters put together a congratulations party for Ron to celebrate his Championship. Ansel was determined that we be sure and get home from our road trip so that we could attend the party. He wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Ansel visits with Lisa Urbach at the party. He had lots of opportunities to tell his stories.
This is Bud Light. Daughter Laura brought him over to check out the festivities in his honor.

Not only did the cake tell the story, it was incredibly delicious... I need to find out where they got it !!!
Ron and Ansel above, Liz and Ansel below

The HC Museum didn't keep Ansel !!

The final stretch: Funny when we got to Burns I thought we were home... then came the realization that we still had 130 miles to go... but I needed some iced coffee and a break, so we made a quick stop. (quick ???)
The last time we were in Burns, we had tried to go the Harney County Museum but it was closed for the winter. So we thought we'd try again. This time it was open, and it was a neat surprise to see George and Hilda there. (Hilda is Martina's younger sister) When we stopped and visited Hilda at her home in Burns a few weeks ago, we had told her we had tried to go to the museum but is was closed and she said that they'd be opening it in April for the summer. For me, I had been through it 20 years ago, but at that time I didn't know very many people around the County. Now that I know more of the history and the Harney County folks, I knew I'd appreciate it more. I also wanted to see if there was anything we had of Ilda Mae Hayes stuff that might should go to the museum.



Ansel reminisces while looking at the Harney County Centennial saddle. Ansel was the Harney County Grand Marshall during the Centennial in 1989 and he rode in the saddle during the parade and festivities. The saddle was made especially for the Harney County Centennial Celebration by John and Jeanne Bennett of Bennett's Saddlery, Burns, Oregon with the donations of many sponsors. It was a reproduction of an 1889 Visalia Saddle.

We did manage to get out of the museum with Ansel... he loves to tell everyone how Bob Meck teases him that he should never go inside one, as they may keep him for an antique and hang him on the wall.

After we left the museum, I was getting my iced coffee fix before setting out across the desert, and I saw Kyle Osborn drive by in his dodge flatbed... (good thing he's still driving the same pickup :0) so we ran him down, so Ansel could say Hi. Kyle is a 2nd or 3rd or 4th ??? cousin to Martina... and had lived and apprenticed with Ansel in the early 80's at their ranch north of Burns Paiute Reservation for a time.
Ansel remembered a time when they, (he and Kyle) were shoeing a horse in the barn there at the home place on Foley Dr (now West Loop Rd)... Kyle's younger brother Byron had been splashing around in the Silvies, which was right behind the barn, and he came running in with fish in a bucket. Carp, big carp were prevalent and they didn't pay any attention to him, and just assumed that he had caught a big carp. He kept saying "I caught Walter ! I caught Walter ! The movie On Golden Pond, had just come out, and Walter was the elusive grand daddy trout that was mentioned through out the movie. When they finally got done with the horse and looked at the fish in the five gallon bucket they had assumed was a carp... they were bowled over to see a huge 18-20 inch or so beautiful rainbow trout.

On the road again... we finally did set out for Deschutes County... I had to keep slapping myself to slow down... Pretty much every where we had been, the speeds are 75 mph on the two lane highways like the one between Burns and Bend. It wasn't a problem when we were going along the Malheur River, but once we got outside of Burns on the straight stretch... I had to keep extracting my foot out of the floor board. I did manage to make it home to Bend without getting a speeding ticket... whew... don't need to chance messing with the insurance premiums.

After 3100 miles... from St. Louis, to Iowa, Mo, KS, OK, KS, CO, WY, ID, OR... we finally we made to our driveway...




Ansel was excited to be home to his electric blanket, and I was looking forward to a long soak in my hot tub under the stars.

Vale to Burns...

Tutu (Jill) with Shanny and Courtney
Ansel and Seb discuss rabbits and turtles.. (that's what Seb has in his hands and what's in the aquarium)

Should be in Bend this afternoon... funny the last 250 miles are the longest...

We left Ontario much later than I had planned... Imagine that ????? We stopped on the way out of town to visit with Courtney, Sebastian and Shan. (Jason was working) They had moved from Bend to Ontario last summer, so we hadn't seen the baby in several months. They are doing very well, Jason has a good job with a HVAC company over there. We finally got on the road again... Saw this new sign on some silos just outside of Vale. I lived in Vale for several years in the early 80's.

I'd forgotten they (Vale) have their very own "Bates Motel", so since I had made reference to it so many times during the trip, I couldn't resist snapping a picture for the blog.

Finally on down the river, we went as we made our way across the high desert... it had been a long time since I had driven between Vale and Burns. There was a time when I had all the corners named. It's a pretty drive. I was surprised to see that they still had snow on Cottonwood. And then as we made our way to Harney County, I was even more surprised to see snow still on Drinkwater and Stinkingwater.

Yup, back in Harney County... (Hwy 20 going up the grade just before Pine Creek)

Almost there.. 134 miles to Bend, but of course we have to stop in Burns... April 11 and there is still snow on Burns Butte.

from 20 degrees to 60 ahhhhhh

April 10 ??? 2008 Spring any one ???

Started out in Cokeville, Wyoming... another vintage 1950's Motor Court. Woke up to 20 degrees and snow all around... (not on the pavement, just around) Odd that it's almost April 15, and it's still winter here.

Love the retro-mint green tile... Nope, that's not right, this is ORIGINAL mint green tile !!! Just like my childhood bathroom... I can remember standing over the "in-floor" heat register that was outside the bathroom door waiting our turn to use the one bathroom (for 6 of us) that wasn't much bigger than this one. The floor register was probably 2'x3', and I can remember straddling it, to enjoy the heat in the morning. My short (5yr old) legs would barely reach the sides and it was too hot to stand on top of.

The room was comfortable, and very inexpensive. No internet... but it did have a coffee pot and a note that we were welcome to use the BBQ near the office if we wanted to cook :0)

Then it was on to Idaho.
Got into another snow storm while heading over the pass between Wy and ID... It didn't make the pavement icy or slippery, but it was alot of snow coming down for a time. Once we got to Pocatello, it was truly spring ! warm and sunny and windy... the drive was actually harder since it was so sunshiney... I was pretty sleepy... I found Iwas driving into every micky D's for two medium iced coffees. That was usually enough to get me to the next one.

We're in the home stretch... I can see Oregon in my sights. Ahhhhhhhhhh

This is the overpass at Ontario, Oregon. They have this beautiful artwork as their welcome sign. It didn't come out very clear, but it is really nice.
We stopped in Ontario and stayed the night with our friend Jill, where we were treated to a nice Chinese dinner with Jill's oldest daughter Wendy and her grandchildren Cade and Megan. Woke up to warm sunshine... I remember living in the Treasure Valley in the early 80's and summer always came early. I see all the irrigation is turned on every where, and they'll be putting up their first cutting of hay soon.

While we were at Jill's, Ansel said "in his 93 and 3/4 years... he's never ever seen a Mule Cat... but he finally has... and his name is Bruce. They are rare and this is the only one known to be held in captivity... he has adapted to his surroundings quite nicely.

Today is the last day of our adventure. But there are many more stories than I have been able to post here. So my plan is to continue posting Ansel's stories on this blog after we get home. I have many of them, but didn't have the energy or a good enough internet connection to post them. So stay tuned...

Lyons, KS

Lyons, Kansas

Oh my, lots and lots of wind... as I was driving through Kansas and having to keep two hands on the steering wheel, I kept thinking of Dorothy and Toto and the classic quote... "Toto, we're not in Kansas any more" and began to understand why they chose Kansas as the hometown place of the movie.

I am amazed at the heart of rural America, as I drive through these little towns I am thoroughly intrigued by the architecture of the buildings, the condition of them and that they are still being used. I can see town squares and band stands much like I imagine were a part of River City USA, from The Music Man. I suppose I have traveled cross country many times, and seen many places, but I always fly and I realize on this trip that I have missed out seeing and experiencing these things, in the heartland of our great Country.

After leaving Jerry and Tom at Ponca City we made our way North and a little west to Lyons, KS to see my friends and former Pastor Don and Connie Strohmeyer. While some towns may lack the franchises that we have become accustomed to seeing every where like Micky D's, Denny's and IHOP... I've learned that they aren't every where ! but the one that is truly every where in rural America is the NAPA auto parts store. Even when I was going on and on about rural SE Iowa... they did have NAPA stores in each little burg. The more I think about it, I am convinced that those counties with out franchises probably have an ordinance forbidding them, as opposed to the franchises not wanting to be there. When I drove through Lyons, I found it interesting that the courthouse in there was very similar in structure to the one I was so excited about in Bloomfield, Iowa.

We met the Strohmeyers at a Mexican Restaurant for dinner and as soon as I heard Don's voice... as we began visiting... I got tears in my eyes, it was very soothing and comforting... kind of like coming home. Made me very melancholy. Don had been my Pastor for 11 years at the Harney Church of the Nazarene. Those years were very important years in my Christian growth. It's been too long since our last visit and the over night was just not enough time to really catch up... but none the less, the time spent was really nice. We ended up getting a pretty late start, as I ended up spending the whole morning, finishing up scoring the OYCC grants that I didn't get done on flight. It was very nice to be able to spread out on Connie's dining room table, and it was probably was more comfortable for Ansel to hang out there on the sofa while I finished up too. The scoring process I thought would take an hour... was more like four hours. I am on the State Advisory Comm for the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps.

Lyons Church of the Nazarene, there is another building to the right out of the picture that you can't see, that is where the fellowship hall/classrooms are. I really had it in the back of my mind that I had intended for us to land there (in Lyons) on either Sun or Wed so we could have attended their service but that didn't happen.

One of the neat things for me this visit was sitting there on their kitchen counter, was Don's special communion challis that he used in Burns to serve us communion... it summoned some very special memories for me. I was always fond of Easter Sunrise Service since it was the one family tradition I remember as a little girl on Cape Cod. We were not a "churched" family, but we did always go to the Easter Sunrise Service at Coast Guard Beach. (1/2 mile from my family home) They always timed the service so that the sun rose towards the end, over the surf and white sandy beach. I can smell the salty air and hear the surf and seagulls. I carried on that tradition with my boys, we always attended an Easter Sunrise service every year. The HC Nazarene Church always met for Easter Sunrise service at the foot of their rustic gigantic wooden cross on hill behind the church in the sage brush over looking Harney valley... the smell of the dew on the sage, the sun peaking over the valley, the mist rising from the flooded meadows, soft sweet guitar cords, the gentle voices lifting their praises carried over the desert as the sun rose over the valley... sometimes it was only 20 degrees, and there was frost on the sage brush, but we always met outside at the foot of that beautiful rugged cross. Any way... the challis has much more meaning than just the memory of the many poignant services... Easter of 2001, was especially memorable. As we gathered that morning in the sanctuary before we would all walk up the hill together to the foot of cross, Pastor Don had asked Sandy Carlson and myself if we would help to serve communion outside during the sunrise service. We hadn't done that before that I remembered, but it sounded sweet. At the foot of the cross, with the early sun shining through the mist rising across the flooded meadows of the Harney valley... sweet music coming from the acoustic guitars... one by one single file they came forward to Sandy who held the bread, and then to me where I held the challis. As each parishioner dipped their bread into the juice, "this is the blood of Christ..." and I blessed and prayed for each one. Then what a special surprise it was when I looked up and there was my son Tim and girlfriend Linsay coming up to me for communion. Knowing how much I treasured our tradition of Easter Sunrise Service, they had decided to surprise me. Little did I know that precious morning, that that would be Tim's last communion in this lifetime in his earthly body and the fact that I had had the honor of serving him that morning was very very special to me. God is pretty awesome !!! Anyway, seeing Don's challis there on the counter stopped me in my tracks and it was a very sweet memory. Connie told me that it's not normally there at their house, but Don had just brought it home to wash. I felt like it was there just for me to see that day... Sweet sweet memories, Thanks Pastor Don, bless you.

On the road again:
When I finished the grants, and faxed my results, then it was time to head for Colorado. We drove through lots and lots of corn stubble. Somewhere out there, actually I think it was in Hodgemen County, KS, I saw this sign... "Largest watershed district in the World"... I don't think so~!!! Being cyndy coleman;-), first this morning I emailed them and told them the bad news, that I didn't know where the biggest watershed district was, but that I did know the Harney County Watershed Council's basin in Eastern Oregon covered more than 6.1 million acres.

We saw lots and lots of horizon... I hate to say flat, cause I know it really isn't. It just is void of Mountains. There was the most beautiful sunset as we were driving... I looked for something to stop and take a picture of with it, like a barn or windmill, but nothing was handy, so I didn't stop to take picture of it. I don't see many sunsets on the horizon living in Bend... the trees are too tall.

Garden City, Kansas
When we got to Garden City... there wasn't anything left of the race track except this one piece of railing. If you look closely at the picture of the cement grandstands, there is a pipe railing in the foreground. That looked original from the old race track.

Ansel protects Mama: Ansel recalled a story of being there in Garden City when they were living in the horse drawn covered wagon. They were at the race track, his mother was in the lower seats of grandstands, and Ansel was playing up in the very top seats of the grandstands. They had a 22 rifle that his Dad had been using to kill jack rabbits to eat, and the last time he'd used it, the lead had jammed, and Papa wasn't able to dislodge it. So he'd given it to Ansel to play with. He had the rifle with him in the grandstands that day and was playing with it...

There was a man that was had put some pressure on Ansel's Mom to bet on his horse. In the process he had grabbed her money that was visible in her purse. Ansel heard the commotion and his mother demanding the man to return her money... Ansel came running down with his gun and leveled on the man, and said "Mister, you give my Mama back her money and git outta here and leave her alone or I'll shoot you!" The man scoffed at Ansel and said "oh what do you think you're gonna do with that pop gun???" Another man said... you better look closer, that aint no pop gun, and I seen him put shells in it, If I was you I do as he said !" So the man did and they never saw him again. I asked Ansel if the gun was really loaded and he said no, the lead was jammed in it or his Papa wouldn't have given it to him to play with.

On to Lamar...