Sunday Stills ~ Summertime

 

While many kids are being dragged back to school this month, kicking and screaming all the way, my family, including my homeschooled kids, are still enjoying summer….because it is still summer.

Summer Camp in the mountains for my kids. (That’s one of my sons up there on the stockade fence)

Summertime traditions and activities should not be relegated only to June and July. Two months is just too short to do Summertime right. Not sure whose crazy idea it was to force kids to trudge back to school in August, but it’s just too darn hot…and yes, it’s still Summer!

                     My daughter playing in the pool.

So, in the same manner that I traditionally went back to school as a child, my kids will be going back to our Homeschool routine starting the week after Labor Day……..as it should be. 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is to share photos of what Summertime means to me.

                          Traffic Jam Cattle Drives

                                        Lady Bug Hatchings

                                                 Hiking

                                                   Camping

              And yes, even playing in the wet, cool mud.

Summertime in the Southwest also means Fire Season, with 24/7 observation inside of Fire Towers. (Like this one near our house, where the Fire Watch was showing my sons how to use their most important tool: The Osborne Fire Finder.) 

 

And for me, Summertime just would not be complete without long trail rides with my horse, in the mountains.

 

And sometimes the best way to enjoy Summer is to just relax beside a beautiful lake with a refreshingly cold drink. (Margaritas are perfect for this past time.)

Sunday Stills ~ Fade to Black

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is a very special one, because it’s Ed’s last photo challenge. Thankfully this isn’t the end of Sunday Stills, as he and Linda will be passing on the torch (perfect pun for the Olympics going on right now, eh?) to someone new. But Ed’s creativity and cleverness will be very much missed each week.

The Fade to Black Challenge requires that you include the color black into either the subject or the background.

My Fade to Black Pups, Mustang Sally and Dobbie Girl

 

My Fade to Black Polish Hen, Pat Benatar.

 

My Fade to Black Telescope Reflection of Venus Traversing the Moon.

My Fade to Black Horse Ride through the Tree Tunnel

Sunday Stills ~ In the Sky

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is to share photos of subjects that you would see in the sky.

We often have airplanes and helicopters fly low and directly over our house.

Our roofline is on the lower left of photo.

 

I zoomed in a little bit with my Canon Powershot, but not much.

I take lots of photos of helicopters that fly over our house because they vibrate our house so much, I can’t help but run outside with my camera. haha!

That’s our house on the left side of the photo.

Mountain Sunset with interesting cloud formations.

And a sunset on clouds, with the moon.

While horseback riding on some nearby trails this week, I was enchanted by the beautiful cloud formations in our bright, blue New Mexico skies.

Sunday Stills ~ Winter Pics

 

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is to go back in our archives and pull out some winter photos to share, with the thought being that, since it’s summer, these photos will cool us off. That would have been true about a week ago, but our New Mexico Summer Monsoons have arrived and cooled us off, and now we’re enjoying glorious cooler temps in the lower 60s-upper 70’s up here in our mountains above 7,000 ft elevation.

But I’m a good sport and it’s always fun to look back and enjoy our memories through the photos we take. So, here’s my contribution:

My chickens checking out their new cold, white world.

My Apache mare, making her way through the deep, powdery snow.

 

 

 

Sunday Stills ~ Brown

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is to share photos of subjects that are the color brown.

A baby (cria) Bactrian Camel is brown.

 

And the Mother Bactrian camel is brown, too.

 

A Reticulated Giraffe’s spots are brown.

And an African’s Lion’s mane is brown.

Sunday Stills ~ Shades of Blue

 

The Sunday Stills Challenge this week is to take photos of subjects that include Shades of Blue. Here are my contributions:

My friend Shelley’s two birthday donkeys in San Acacia, NM.

 

My friend Shelley’s special cake to celebrate her birthday and a fun trail ride to watch the Annular “Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse in San Acacia, NM.

From my backyard: Sunset in smoke-filled skies, from the forest fires in southwest New Mexico in the Gila Wilderness….over 300 miles away.

 

Above my house: The Moon and Two Friends.

Sunday Stills ~ Reflections….of the Heart

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is Reflections. “For some this might mean a mirror image, others of you might want to just want to “reflect” on a certain subject.”

I’ve been feeling a little philosophical lately so I’m going to choose to reflect on a certain subject.

This is not a quick read post, so some of you may prefer to quickly leave and go visit other blogs with shorter posts containing only a few words and mostly photos. That’s ok with me. This is a post about reflection and I just can’t do it without words…lots of them.

Of course there are also a lot of photos, too.

So, if you have some time, go grab some refreshments, have a potty break, then sit back and continue on……

 

One beautiful, quiet morning, while sitting outside with my horse, Apache, listening to her methodically munching her breakfast, my mind began day-dreaming and thinking deep thoughts and suddenly I was struck by an epiphany so strong it just about took my breath away. You all know what an epiphany is, right?

This is what the online dictionary says it is:

a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization:

For me, it was also a moment of clarity and understanding. Oh, and surprise.

Why surprise? Well, I was surprised that this thought had never occurred to me before, especially when it was right in front of my eyes every single day.

What was this epiphany, you ask? What am I reflecting on? Why won’t I get to the point already?

Ok, ok. Here goes. But first some history to help it all make sense.

Some of you may remember Rojo, and some may not. He was a handsome, gentle bay gelding that D, one of my neighbors, owned a couple years ago. Rojo was D’s money-making roping horse because Rojo was strong, willing and smart. And did I mention, handsome?

Rojo was not my horse, but I felt a closeness to him that I can’t completely explain. It goes so much deeper than words.

(My daughter, Jen, 6 yrs old, visiting Rojo during the summer of 2008. I saw it with my own eyes. Rojo truly had affection, gentleness and patience for my little girl)

   

Even though, Rojo did not belong to me, he was truly my heart horse. After the injury and subsequent surgery, caused by falling off my first horse Baby Doll, on Christmas Eve 2008, I spent many weeks in bed trying to rest and rehab my knee. The view I had from my bedroom window was of my neighbor’s backyard where he kept his two horses, Rojo and the Grey, whom I always referred to as Gandalf, because he also seemed like a wise old wizard to me. He was always a little more reserved and stand-offish, just watching and observing, while Rojo was outgoing and friendly, like a golden-boy, popular football jock.

But those two were inseparable.

They were always together.

Even in play.

Side by side.

Their peaceful, and oftentimes exuberant presence outside my window gave my life meaning and purpose during those long weeks of healing.

 

They got me out of bed every day hoping to capture their playful antics and peaceful moments with my camera.

They were truly reflections of each other.

So it broke my heart when one day, D hauled Gandalf away and sold him. To say Rojo was distraught was an understatement. He mourned for his grey friend every single day. He never did bond with the first horse, D brought home on a trial basis hoping the horse would work out for roping. That first horse was only here for a week, and Rojo mostly avoided him.

But the afternoon that D brought home another grey,  a much younger colt, about 4 yrs old, it seemed Rojo decided he’d had enough. Life just wasn’t worth living without his dear friend, Gandalf.

     

And that terrible night, I was awakened to desperate neighing and discovered Rojo fatally injured by the side of the road. I was there in his final moments of life.

I posted about that night and, if you’ve not seen that post, you can read about it here: My Heart is Painfully Broken

That post is not for the faint of heart. But if you have ever loved and have had to say goodbye to a special animal family member, especially a heart horse, you will understand what a sad and painful night that was.

Ok, so where does my epiphany come in, you ask?

Well, there I was sitting beside my mare Apache as she munched her hay, and I looked up and caught sight of her left shoulder. I paused for a moment thinking about how her white markings resemble a heart on a string, and how I have come to believe she is my heart horse.

Then all of a sudden I had a flashback of my other heart horse, Rojo. He also wore a heart on his left shoulder.

 

And then I had the epiphany.

Rojo was my heart horse because he taught me that a horse can be big and powerful, but also kind and gentle. He also taught me the importance of a loyal, honest and reliable friend. And although, he never knew it, Rojo was there for me when I needed him most. He, and his friend Gandalf, were key in my healing after the injury, not just for the photo ops, but for showing me that the love of horses was still in my heart and soul. Just because I had been injured by horses, was not a good enough reason to give up on them or my dreams. Rojo taught me that horses bring so much joy and beauty into our lives, and after I had learned that lesson and my body had healed, I believe it was Rojo’s time to go. He touched my heart so deeply and it broke my heart that he had to die so horribly. But he made a difference while he was on this earth, and I have so much to thank him for.

 

But then just 8 months later, a homely little pinto pony came into my life, and she, too, wore a heart on her shoulder.

This little mare came into my life when I was doubting my abilities and questioning my dream of continuing horse ownership.

My Apache mare helped rebuild my confidence and taught me to have patience and empathy.

And she helped me to become a stronger person and a better rider.

She brought the fun of riding back to me.

And allowed me to try new things.

And travel to new places….

To take on new challenges.

And even to fulfill dreams.

And as I sit here and reflect on these past two years, I realize that Apache has taught me many new things about horses, and about myself.

And I have discovered……that when I am with Apache I often see a reflection of me. (and my daughter, too)