We got home last week from our increasing-long annual vacation to Montana. This year it was three weeks, and still went by too fast. We do a lot of hiking, driving around looking at stuff, taking photos, visiting with family, reading ... relaxin' in general. We often talk about going up there for the whole summer, but only if we could take some horses. The ranch is wonderful riding country -- in the Smith River Valley (actually the ranch we stay on is in the Castle Mountains overlooking the valley) is known for being Charlie Russell country. When you see the scenery in a Russell painting, that's what it looks like.

I don't miss riding for the first week or two (except for those long uphill portions of the hiking ...) but as the third week passed I was wistful for a few hours horseback. And with the hay meadow below the cabin being about hip deep in grass, I could only imagine what Blue would think if we turned him loose out there. Of course that would be turning him loose on about 2000 acres, but somehow I think he would be right there in the morning anyway. Blue likes his company.

Even though I am not horseback during our vacation, I think about it. I tend to return home with plans and renewed interest. Absence makes the heart grow ....

Of course we would not be able to leave without the wonderful help of our support team! We have had, over the last few years, great reliable young people who do the daily chores of feeding and cleaning and opening/closing gates and our horses look as good when we get home as they did the day we left. And, it's especially nice to have someone to turnout, groom and lunge Blue -- thank you Anne!

Here's a few pictures, to show where we were ...


The view from the deck of the cabin - that tan dot in the middle of the meadow is an antelope.


Here's John on the deck, with the view to the east. We could ride all over everything you see here!


Looking from the meadow to the cabin - that's our truck heading in (yes I am running behind taking photos)