third anniversary in wyoming

aug. 9 marks the close of year three in wyoming for me. as the date approaches i find myself reflecting on all that's changed in my life since i first drove west across nebraska. all the people and places i've come to know here and all the experiences and adventures i've had that i wouldn't miss for the world. if i had it to do over again, i definitely would. who would have thought i'd end up making a home for myself in casper, wyoming - a town i didn't even know existed until a couple months before i moved here. and yes, it has become a home. i'm comfortable. it suits me. i'm happy. but nuff said, i won't ramble too much about all that here.

on the house front, nothing's worked out yet. starting to feel impatient, but trying to be patient. i don't want to spend another winter in my apartment, but if i must, i must. i emailed my realtor about a couple more properties today, so we'll see.

so this third anniversary i will spend at pathfinder ranch about 40 miles southwest of casper, and i'm looking forward to it. the actual shindig is on aug. 8, and i've heard we're leaving to head down there at 7 a.m. so it really must be an all day affair. there are horse/cowboy competitions, food, band, dance and 300 people invited. sounds like a great time to me! i'm looking to get in on some of the contests and maybe take a horse down, esp since friend scotty tells me their ranch geldings won't ride double and won't get close to barrels. i better take one of my trusty mares. :-)

this is pathfinder, not the best photo, but it's a beautiful ranch with miles of flat sage country broken up by rocky outcroppings. one of those outcroppings (nearby, not on ranch land) is independence rock, of oregon trail fame.

it pays to get to know the locals, because this new owner of the pathfinder is throwing this deal to get to know the neighbors, and it's by invitation only, so i got in on the list of the rattlesnake grazing association. :-) but aside from that, i love getting out and meeting more people and hearing about where they live and getting to do things with them. ranching wyomingites are very social and there's always something going on, and even if it's work it's not really work, because it entails riding a horse around in big country following cows. granted, i've never done this in inclement weather - yet - but i imagine i still wouldn't mind so much. it's iconic. it's the stuff the west was built upon and it's just a part of being here.