first hunting success

well, friday evening scott and i went out to look for an antelope, and found that one, and we went back out to look for him yesterday. we didn't really ever see him again for sure, but found another nice one after driving around looking at all the goats in the highway pasture for several hours. in the process of trying to get him, we crawled on hands and knees, bounced across sage brush, hopped out and took a shot, went careening down a two-track and bounced over more sagebrush. to no avail, and by that time all the antelope in that area were so stirred up we headed for the house.

after a quick snack we headed out again, this time north of the ranch house, in the north fish creek pasture. we saw one that was ok, but he and his does were pretty skittish and left the country, so then we drove back around by a place called eagle's gap, where there's a reservoir, and there was a whole herd back there, mostly does. (eagle's gap is the same area we went through the evening scott proposed to me out at the ranch several weeks ago).

so we got out our field glasses and looked them over, and this guy i've got here in the photo was the best of the lot, so i decided i might as well take a shot at him. after the blantant miss on the first one at 10 yards - practically - i had taken a few shots at a rock and hit it consistently, so i figured i'd try another shot at a buck.

i hit him with my first shot, but he didn't go down. the next went to high, and the third too low. :-) thankfully i had hit him well enough that he didn't run off in that process. and the process of a bullet getting jammed in the gun and scott saying from inside the pickup 'calm down. don't break my gun!' he came out and helped me get it straightened out, i loaded it again, and took my time with the last shot and he went down.

and, i might add, this was all from a lot farther away than the one at the water tank!

i shot him up on a side hill, so we put scott's new little white mazda 'snowflake' through is paces and got up to him for the cleaning process. it was pretty hot out, esp for the end of september, so scott was anxious to get him cleaned as soon as possible.

this is the side view of him. antelope are scored for their size based on how tall their horns are, and how long the cutters are - the smaller hooks that stick out the front. mine measures 13.5 inches tall, with four inch cutters, which is pretty average. what makes them pretty, i think, is if the horns curve clear out in a wide arc, and if they curl over a lot at the top. mine isn't very wide, but he does curl over pretty nicely.

back in the ranch yard bob and becky came out to look him over, and becky took this photo of me and my wonderful guide. the goat looks like he's not feeling too well, with his mouth hanging open and tongue out. foxy and lucy were very curious as to what we had brought back for them.

then we backed the truck in the shed so we could hanging him from the rafters to finish the cleaning process. i did save the head to be mounted as my first success in hunting, and we took the meat to friend jamie's, who has a friend that wants it. scott absolutely refuses to eat antelope. i've never tasted it, but judging from the smell of them, i don't really want to. a buck antelope smells worse than a buck barnyard goat.

so that was pretty much my sunday, now back to work as usual in the office today.

a drive to greybull

well, just made it back to town from the journey to greybull, which took four hours each way. on the way up we went the usual way through shoshoni and thermopolis, and on the way back we went through ten sleep and over the big horns to buffalo. while we were up there - publisher dennis and i - we stopped to take some photos of the aspens, which are in full color these days.

i met dennis at 6:30, and now it's six, so that took just about 12 hours. the funeral and lunch lasted two, and it was good that we went. now i'm headed to gather up some hunting clothes and head back to the ranch tonight. just talked to becky, and the guys are still working calves, so they're all going to be in great moods. :-) to put that in perspective, becky was told to have dinner ready at three....

but, becky says lucy worked great for scott today while gathering cows! i was very happy to hear that.

friday night

if i knew where my little red camera was right about now. i'd share the gorgeous autumn sunset that i shared with scott tonight up at the ranch. we were out hunting antelope, and found one just as it was too dark to shoot him. hopefully friend marvin from cody doesn't get him before i get back up there sunday! i told marvin i'd tied a red ribbon on him, so he was clearly market.

it has been very busy around here. too busy. i'm headed to greybull tomorrow - four hours' drive - with publisher dennis for jody's mother's funeral. it means a lot to be there, i just wish it wasn't so far. the day will be over by the time we get back to town. i told scott i might not make it back to the ranch tomorrow night. they're all gathering cattle and preconditioning calves tomorrow, and were sitting around visiting when i left to head back to town. i wish i could have stayed. the association is one of my favorite places to be these days. a good place to get out into the darkness and quiet and just relax.

i'm going to try to not to worry about working on any more fall cattlemen's edition until monday. it's hard for me to not worry about the paper, even on weekends. and there are several other dramas going on that i'm also concerned about. i've had a nagging headache for two days.

here's hoping for a little relaxation before hitting it hard again on monday. cattlemen's deadline coming up october 1!

good things in the mail

my rug came yesterday! while i was in pendleton i found this one at a rug vendor for less than half of regular price, so i bought it, after assurances that it can stand up to dog traffic.

lucy approved. she immediately sat on it and started bringing dog bones over to enjoy. now the rug is downstairs so it'll hopefully uncurl and lie flat before i replace the green one in front of the couch.

the green one has served its purpose well, for the price of it - less than $20 at big lots here in town. before it's completely worn out i'll move it somewhere else and use the heavier bucking horse one in front of the couch.

i took this pictures late in the evening after we got back to town from the ranch. we were supposed to go antelope hunting, but *someone* forgot their license at the house and didn't realize it until we were halfway to the ranch.

fox loves to kick her back legs out behind her when she's focusing hard on chewing things up.

yesterday my necklace with my brand in it also came in the mail, which scott ordered for me at pendleton, and we also got a wedding card from my grandma. it was one of those good mail days. :-)

now i'm waiting for one more package of things i ordered in pendleton, and then i think that's it. i shopped more there than i have everywhere in the last year.

just working

well, it's another busy week with not much time for posting on my blog.

since jody's mother passed away last week, she went to greybull to be with her family yesterday. the service is on saturday, and i'm making the journey up there with publisher dennis.

since she's out of the office, tracy and i are filling in for her, which means i built the classifieds. that would be fine, except i was already behind with spending all day tuesday on the road getting three more fall cattlemen's interviews for that special edition. i stayed a couple hours late at the office last night, intending to start building the classifieds at home last evening, but i forgot the run sheet on the printer. that's a very important part, because it's what tells me which display ads are going in the classifieds this week, and where they go. so instead, i sent tracy some more editorial things and called it a night.

that's about all i have time to write for now... just finishing the paper in a full day today, and hopefully going antelope hunting tonight. i don't know, though, i've been saying that for three evenings now.

the photo is a yearling i found in fremont county on my first trip over there a couple weeks ago.

the short go

just a couple photos of the short go in pendleton that i picked out of the many, many in my file. the above photo is jason miller of lance creek in steer wrestling. he was the first to go, and set a pretty good time, but it was quickly beaten by a series of good runs by a few of the other contestants.

needless to say, this guy did not post a good time. since the arena is grass, there's a lot of slipping and falling that goes on, as the horses aren't used to the slick footing. they do shoe them specially, with more traction, but some of them still lose their balance. the turf is just a part of the tradition and challenge of competing at the round-up. that's the way they've always done it, and they've been doing it  for 100 years, so they're not going to stop now.

and i had another photo of kelly timberman on his victory lap for bareback riding, but i cannot get it to load, so maybe later.

scott and i got back into town sunday evening around six, and by the time we finished with everything we needed to - cleaning the office included, it was late enough that we went straight to bed upon getting home.

yesterday i spent in the office getting this week's paper going - already the last one in september, how did that happen? - and today i'm headed back to fremont county. first i go to jeffrey city at 9, then on to crowheart for a noon interview. hopefully i will get at least one more before coming back to casper. this is the first cattlemen's edition that has been so impossible for scheduling interviews. it feels like it's been a fight for every single one both heather and i have completed, and it's been that way since the start. thankfully, our deadline has been pushed back a week, from this friday to oct. 1, so we have a little more time to pick up a few more. and melissa is also working on a couple more, so that will also help, if she's able to get them done. at least, with this edition being the latest deadline since i've been at the roundup, we should be able to get some great fall color photos to include.

last night i went up to the ranch with scott to pick up the pups and show a friend of *my sister-in-law's* - penny's - where to go to bow hunt for elk. i think that's the area we showed them. :-) i was going to visit with becky at the house while scott did that, but she was in town. it's good to have the dogs back in the house! although somewhat (alot) more chaotic.

hello there!

sorry, it's been a busy few days, and i haven't taken the time to post anything on here. currently i'm back in the denver airport, waiting with scott for our flight back to casper, which was delayed about an hour.

on friday we got married! as you can imagine, it was a simple ceremony, and we were only accompanied by our meeteetse friends buck and shelly.

this photo is in mckay park in pendleton. we thought it would be neat to be married in pendleton, oregon at the 100th anniversary of the pendleton roundup, and that's what led to this idea that's been ongoing since the end of july, when it was hatched as a very tentative plan. following that, we contacted the umatilla county courthouse in pendleton, exchanged some letters back and forth, including a waiver of the three-day waiting period for a marriage license in oregon, and scott's speaking to my dad about marriage when my parents were in wyoming on their visit - that was a big component.

the tuesday night after i got to pendleton i went and visited with the minister and his wife to go over the ceremony and pick out our vows, so that's exactly what took place on friday afternoon. it was a nice little affair, in a pretty park under a willow in the sunshine. buck took photos for us afterward, and there was this neat bridge going over mckay creek.

following the ceremony scott and i went back to the courthouse to finish up the paperwork. we'd gone there first thing in the morning - during the parade featuring 1,500-plus horses - to get the initial paperwork done. buck and shelly went to the rodeo with the media passes that afternoon while we finished up our business, then scott and i went a few places like the pendleton woolen mill outlet store. christmas shopping! :-)

saturday we went back to pendleton in the morning after eating breakfast with buck and shelly before they left to drive back to wyoming. in pendleton we went to an old saddle shop outside of town, then went back in for the rodeo performance - the short go that determined the champions. kelly timberman of mills, which is connected to casper, tied for champion in bareback riding. after the rodeo we headed back to pasco instead of walla walla so we could be right next door to the airport this morning. we returned the rental car, went through security, flew over several states, and here we are, still hoping to get on the plane. initially they had told us take-off at 4:44, but it looks doubtful, if not impossible, that will happen....

mid-week happenings

let 'er buck!

as the slogan in pendleton so frequently says.

yesterday i headed down to pendleton mid-morning in the expectation of meeting up with wyoming competitors, but apparently they felt like snubbing me, as they never returned my phone calls, so instead i watched part of the early afternoon performance and did a little shopping. much more fun use of time, anyway!

the things i picked up were a large brown leather bag with a gold felt bucking horse stitched on the side - makes for a little more glamorous camera bag when i'm traveling light. i also picked up a gift for scott, which we will pick up this evening after i get him from the airport, it had to be custom-made. and then i found a living room-sized rug! now, these are usually pretty pricey, and i wasn't planning on purchasing one, but turns out the one i liked best was marked down over 50 percent off, so i went for it. the green rug in front of my couch won't last forever, as the dogs are dethreading it gradually - so the new, higher quality rug will go in that place. it's being shipped to casper.

then i hit the hall of fame gift shop, picking up a pendleton roundup cap and assortment of goodies to bring back to my fellow coworkers. at another booth i was tempted by a framed print that, instead of saying 'let 'er buck,' said 'better luck' and had a drawing of the pendleton cowboy on the ground beneath his bucking horse. i might still have to go back and get that one.... i haven't gone to the woolen mills yet, as i was waiting for scott to make that trip, and also to visit the 'world famous' let 'er buck room beneath the grandstands.

i came back to walla walla before the performance was over, as i wanted to get to work on some things for the weekly paper, and today i've also spent working on the paper, getting things together for fall cattlemen's edition, which is due next friday.

but, for now, i'm off to pasco to get scott at the airport! friends buck and shelly will arrive later this evening. it will be very fun to have company to wander around with!

and... justin johnson just called me back, and i told him he was sol, as i couldn't get down there to talk to him in time to get it in the paper. rodeo cowboys, anyway. and team ropers, no less!

hamley's for dinner

this is hamley, where we ate last night after the meeting. or part of it, rather. it takes up half a city block in downtown, between the tack shop, bar and steakhouse. the sign says, 'purveyors of fine saddles, fine food and fine whisky.'

following the meeting's conclusion i had about an hour extra, so i drove downtown and walked around a little bit. the street bands were setting up, about one for each block on a main street running through downtown. i went into hamley's to browse and a few other shops, but didn't find anything terribly irresistible. at least not yet. there was some really nice artwork in hamley's, some special for the 100th roundup, but it was pretty pricey.

after my wandering around i headed back up to the 'slickfork saloon,' a large space in the upstairs of hamley, which was reserved for the plc gathering. there was an elaborate bar, a pretty red tin ceiling and advertisements from days past hanging on the walls. i once again met up with the wyoming group, and we visited and ate together. we had a buffet for dinner, with delicious beef, as well as the basic green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.

i left shortly after i finished eating, as i needed to make it up to my room in walla walla - and find the hotel! - and try to get a little work done. turns out, by the time i made it back up to washington and found the place, i just went to bed instead of trying to write. writing when my brain is tired and worn out just doesn't work.

this morning i awoke bright and early, ironed another shirt and headed back to pendleton, where i found the starbucks and got a couple articles hammered out before coming back to the meeting, where i'm at now. they're talking about the most newsworthy part of the whole meeting, but it's a closed discussion and i'm not allowed to report. at least they trust the roundup enough to still let me listen in.

this afternoon i probably won't come back to the meeting, but rather find a place to finish up writing a few more articles - some large holes recently opened up in the paper this week - and i need to figure out still what the feature will be on the cover this week. i also need to find the rodeo press office and make sure i've got that all squared away.

what i do when i'm out of the office, but at work

since 8 this morning i've been in the public lands council meeting, listening in on all the issues and discussion, which mostly related to onerous federal regulations these days. so far i count eight people in attendance from wyoming, which is a good number, considering the distance. i knew them all previously, and have visited with all of them and shared lunch with most.

i've also visited with a ranch wife from north dakota, who drove 17 hours with her husband, a past president of plc, to get here. on my way in this morning i chatted with an oregon cattleman, who was here for the oregon cattlemen's meeting this morning. he'd never been to wyoming, but is going to the afton area to hunt elk in a few weeks.

topics of discussion today, straight off the agenda, have been: Legislative/Administrative Issues, U.S. Forest Service Briefing, Wild Horse & Burro, Washington Update, and Lunch! can't forget that one. this afternoon we have Wolf Issues, Sage Grouse Initiative and others. the topic titles might sound dry, but really, they're not bad, and some of them are downright interesting. it's interesting to hear what's different from wyoming, and what's the same. right now he's talking about sage grouse in oregon. sound familiar? i think they're also more interesting, since most of them i know pretty detailed background on, so i understand why they're important. it's my job.

tonight we're all going to hamley steakhouse for dinner, which is a new addition to the hamley saddlery, a historic saddlemaker here in pendleton. so i'm going to tool around a little bit in downtown, scoping out the place, then head to my hotel in walla walla, where i will stay the rest of the week. hopefully it's easier to find than pasco's holiday inn express!

oh, the artwork above is a 3-D wood wall hanging in pendleton's red lion hotel, where the meeting is being held. it's probably 12 feet wide, but i like it, and i'd hang it in my house if my house was big enough.