In no particular order, since that's how blogger.com likes it

This is Rambo's hunting season outfit. I think he looks extra cool.

Sarah and I went on a hike last weekend. Among other things, we found these cool I-don't-know-whats.

This is one of the other things that last thing was among. Cool sun coming through the trees. Love shooting into the sun.

Eva in her favorite spot.

Sarah and Eva by the Taghoouasdfnock river. (I've given up trying to remember how to spell it)

Sarah and Murph.

Shooting from the hip.

Under a cloudless sky.

Sarah and her Appaloosa Gelding (He'll have to due 'til we find her a Black Stallion)

This is my favorite photo of the bunch and the best one I think I've taken in awhile. See ya'll soon.

Still workin on the shed.

It's like government work in more than one way. Takin me firever and the quality is dubious at best. Anyway, it outta keep the rain an' snow off'n ma firewood.

I tried to get a picture of me in front of my roof. Note the safety glasses. I'm learning. Slowly, like maybe one of the more primitive species... a coelacanth perhaps, but learning.
(like that sentence structure? even Kerouac would have winced.)

Tried again

Gave up and just pointed the camera at what I wanted a picture of. Novel idea.

I have no idea how long Grandpa Cressman had this saw for, but it's still going strong. I've used it on several projects and, despite it's appearance, it hasn't turned on me yet.

It is an evil lookin' thing isn'it?

Thanks for the help with the plans and all the advice, Dad. Don't look too close at it, it ain't pretty, but I learned a lot and, for what I need, it'll do. Lookin forward to sittin under it this spring and sippin a beer.

Another weekend

Sarah took this on our ride this morning. I love it.

I took this one of Sarah. It looks a little washed out maybe. I like the contrast of her hair and the yellow leaves. Love the hand at her side, too. So casual



New toy. Happy boy.

Sarah mixed and poured a lot of mud. It's so great to work with her. I'd rather spend a day working on a project with her than do most anything else.

Will we make it. The sun is low and just one rafter is done.

That's a self portrait, thank you. Impressed even myself on that one.


Fortunately we left some of the wood so I could walk around on it. It was both inconvenient and precarious.

Below is a series of stupid faces I make while working. Sarah captured these for posterity.



The supervisor.

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle.

Sarah made an amazing harvest pie. She casually asked if I'd just peel the pumpkin real quick. She has a sick sense of humour that you can only appreciate if you've tried to peel a pumpkin before. Amazingly resilient, those.

Weeder and I gettin' a little cuddle time in by the wood stove.

Sarah and I are building a shelter for our fire wood so that we can really stock up in the summer and have it be good and dry by the time we need it. This means, of course, that I dug some more holes. 18" x 3.5' Jonas promptly fell in one. Amazing.

Talked to Dad about how to get everything parallel and perpendicular... Step one: unstack all the wood that we've been carefully stacking for 3 months. Of course. Sarah helped here, but took a break to document the Sisyphean effort.

With B's help, and that of all our dogs (note black tail center frame), perpendicular, plumb parallel looking posts up. We'll see whether they're all really parallel and in line this weekend when we attach the cross beams and the roof itself. Should be exciting. Bet on Murphy.

New stuff has come to light, man.

Sarah and Emily rode Rambo double. He was a pretty good sport about it.


I bought a lariat a couple weeks ago, and we have since come up with a game called Rope the Indy Dog. Here, Sarah demonstrates the basic precepts of the game. *Note that Indy ducks and runs when the lariat is swung. I assume this means she is enjoying her exercise.


Here Sarah demonstrates the inevitable second stage of the game... rope hits the ground.



Ever wonder how there are so many caterpillars and so many moths and yet you never see any chrysalises? Here's how; they're nearly invisible.


Look at those tiny little web-like connections to the log. Amazing. I set this one aside so that the chrysalis might "hatch" or whatever it's called.

Lastly, it's snowing tonight. What the heck?

Slicker Break a Bronco

When you're breakin' out a bronc,
better get him slicker broke

For you'll have to try it sometime
when it isn't any joke

When the wind begins a blowin'
till it snaps his mane and tail

And a big black cloud's a comin'
full o' lightnin', rain and hail

You know if you get off him
he will likely pull away

So you try it in the saddle
and you're hopin' that you stay

But your horse starts a buckin'
When you get it halfway on

While your arms and sleeves are tangled
then he throws you and he's gone

Your slicker's torn and busted
and the wind has took your hat
And you see your horse and saddle
go a-driftin' down the flat

Bout that time you get an idea
and you don't forget it, pal:

Better slicker-break a bronco
in a mighty good corral
-Bruce Kiskaddon-

Buck: Day 2

Sarah watchin'


Buck talkin' and gesticulatin'
New game to play: herding the cow... but with horses.

The Riding Clinic with Buck... Day 1

I haven't written any clarifying information in a long time, so I thought I would this time. First off, thanks to everyone for the birthday well wishes. I always feel a little weird about it; like I'm getting a pat on the back for being born... didn't do much of the work there, or for not dying... for which, I too am grateful. But still, I appreciate the thoughts and the gifts.

For Sarah's birthday we are in New Jersey... now wait, I know what you're thinking, and no, this isn't a joke. It just happens to be the closest that Buck Brannaman is coming to our little town. For those of you that don't know anything about him, having a chance to ride with him is akin to learning to play basketball from Michael Jordan. (I know he's like dead now or whatever, but I haven't been following sport in awhile and don't know any current players' names) We took two days off each and are here for the whole weekend with no dogs and no responsibilities (besides the stack of papers I have to grade and the lesson plans I have to write and the fact that Sarah's getting like 30 e-mails and 100 texts a day from work). Sarah is getting to ride in the clinic with Buck and a few other students, I am watching, and then there is another class in the afternoon that we are both auditing. Today was the first day and there was so much going on that I filled three pages in my notebook, and my head aches from thinking.

The lighting is terrible, but I present a few photos for documentation sake anyway.



Buck Brannaman rode his new filly for the morning class. He's only been working with her for 4 weeks. He considers her to be green broke, though I've seen people riding horses they've had for years that are more poorly trained than this little girl.

Artsy tack shot. This is the bridle that Sarah is using with Cassandra, her loaner horse while we're here. On a related note, if anyone has a three horse, goose neck trailer with included tack and bedroom that they're looking to unload on somebody, we're open to offers.

Buck riding his horse in figure eights at various speeds without the reins.


Big frickin' horse. That lady is about as tall as Sarah.

One good shot. If the light's not workin' for ya... silhouette.