Staying at a Ranch was pretty cool all by itself.  But my favorite thing to do while I was there was drive the gator down to the horses.   They had a barn at  a good distance from the house and their own Pasteur.   It was hard to walk there because of the cattle grid you had to go over, although Sadie and I did try and she almost broke her leg when she slipped through.  So we took the gator which was way more fun anyway!!!

I went to see them at sunset one night and got some great shots

A lot of time we would take treats to the horses, like shucked corn husks.  So when they heard the gator coming they would get excited and come to us. 

Griffin was sitting here and the horses were nuzzling him and he said, "Mom is this real or is this a dream?" 

"It sure does seem like a dream doesn't it?"

Hey there big fellow... lookin' for something??

 Then there were times they didn't want us to leave... So they would stand in front of the gator.  

They must have been lonely.  Poor things... 

So we would stay, because really what else did we have to do anyway??

They did not even mind if Sadie gave them kisses...  what great horses!!!

This beautiful boy is my favorite! 

Just look how handsome he looks all decked out....  This was after I got to ride him.. for a very short time.  These cowboys are funny about their horses. Even though I was trained in dressage since I was 10 years old, and worked in many a barns, I still may not able to ride their horses....  hummmm 

I told them, the next time I come for a visit I really wanted to herd some cattle...  I don't understand why they laughed when I said that...   Obviously they don't read The Pioneer Woman...  and not to mention that in my 20's I did a 10 hour cattle drive on horseback in Montana....( that was just the coolest thing I have ever done!! )

 So cowboys.... the next time I come for a visit,  I will ask again...  "Please can I herd some cattle with you??"       Maybe they won't laugh and they will say "Sure come on!!"    Some reason I bet I will hear laughter again.. but that is o.k. I was starting to get use to it.  

Speaking of The Pioneer Woman...  I did go to her her farm while I was in Oklahoma... found out she was just down the road!    I will post about that next time! 

Before I go back to Oklahoma stuff I wanted to share something that Dianne and I did...

When I was a kid my Mam-maw made Bread and Butter Pickles with the cucumbers she grew in her garden.  I have such wonderful memories of her house and all the food she cooked and I can still remember the way the kitchen smelled of sweet vinegar and the fresh cucumbers when she started the task of making her Bread and Butter Pickles.

So one day while Dianne and I were at the Farmers Market, we decided to make a large batch of pickles and can them.   Dianne and I have never made pickles or canned before so we thought it might be easier if we did it together... and the fact that I don't have a kitchen at the moment we had to do it at her house.   

So we looked up a few recipes and and decided on The 14 day Bread and Butter Pickle recipe.   I mean they would have to be good if it took 14 days to make right?? 

So we talked to a farmer at the farmer's market and he picked out a huge box of the best pickling cucumbers he could find.  We took them home and scrubbed them.

Just look at all those good looking cucumbers!

Then we started cutting... and chopping... and slicing...

Nice thick slices.

We chopped until we had 5 pounds of cut up cucumbers. 

Then we added boiling water with more salt than you can imagine into each bucket...

And they sat in a cool place for 7 days.... Yes 7 days!  

Here are the ingredients that were used after 7 days.

After adding all the ingredients in gallons of vinegar we wait for it all to boil. 

Everyday for another 7 days we waited on the vinegar to boil. We added boiling vinegar plus the spices and added sugar to the pickles everyday.   

On the 14th day they were ready to can...  Don't they look good?   We had to stuff the hot  jars full of pickles,

 then pour the boiling vinegar mixture into each jar and quickly put the lids on so they would seal. 

 Just like my Mam- maw used to make!!!

Finally a new post!   I know you have all been waiting for this moment... 

 After Camille and I got back from Camp Merri Mac I got a call from my Dad asking if the kids (this includes Sadie) and I wanted to take a road trip to Oklahoma... Well... I have never been to Oklahoma and I love road trips so sure we wanted to go!! 

Now my Dad and Step Mom Fran, have a pretty large RV. (Plenty of room for all of us)  But on this trip they chose to bring a smaller camper that fits in the back of the large truck.  Smaller? OK we can live with that...  After meeting them in Alabama, we begin our journey.  Three adults, two kids and a large dog all in a truck.  A large truck with back seats, but still a truck none the least!

The first day we made it all of two hours to a campground in Mississippi.   The second day we made it to Arkansas and finally on the third day we drove into the Strom Ranch in Oklahoma.  

 I thought I was going to die driving three days, sitting in the back seat between the kids and having Sadie at our feet, but as soon as we got there I knew suffering through the three days was going to be worth it!

The Ranch is owned by Fran's sister and brother in law.   And this visit was a family reunion so there were lots of people there upon arriving.  This was our first meeting so we had a lot of names to remember.   By the end of the 10 days I think I finally got everyone down.

The first thing we did was get on the gator and ride all over the place.

Griffin wanted so badly to drive the Gator.  Wanted to take Ella for a ride...

One of the first things we did was watch the tractor make hay bales.   I felt like I was The Pioneer Woman for a moment.... 

This was a great place for the kids.  They got to run around all day and explore the land.  They didn't have to be watched every two seconds because they were safe on this large ranch.   That was a lot of fun for all of them.    They found a few interesting things like:

A cow's skull.  This is Ella my step sister, Missy's daughter.  

They found a snapping turtle. Alexis did not think it was too cute! 

I thought he was pretty cute!!  Good thing he was so small! 

Griffin got to be all boy while we were there. 

With my supervision he got to shoot a BB gun.  He was so thrilled! 

My Dad brought his motorcycle which Griffin was  most fascinated.  All he could talk about was riding that bike!  

Then he got his chance!  I went on a long ride into town one morning.  It was fun, once I relaxed and realized Dad knew what he was doing..  

Of course we all got to go horse back riding.  

Thanks to Jason... a real cowboy... 

These horses are so good...  They work hard on this ranch..  even giving kiddie rides.. 

I even got to ride!!!   I could so do this all the time!!!!

Riding through the fields, the wind blowing through my hair, the smell of fresh cut hay....  HEAVEN!

More later.....