T-Bone, Gravy, Edgar Allen Pooh, and Roping Steers

This past weekend, Clint and I were childless. My mom took Blaze to visit his cousins in east Texas so for all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we really didn't know how to act. It was a nice break but I sure did miss my boy.

I took this very rare, scarce, hardly existent, unknown to Clint and Kaci Johnson weekend and made the most of it.

Friday after I got off of work, I went and took pictures of Replay (which you saw some of those already), the roping steers, tried to take pictures of the neighbors donkey (But she is shy and not ready to make her debut on camera quite just yet. Did I tell you that she was just wandering down the road? Homeless. Hungry. Sad. Obviously needing someone like me to love her. But the neighbors road was the first she went down or I would be introducing y'all to a new member of our fam right now.), our horse Gravy, Lizzie, Vegas and Charli.

If you are wondering what the heck I am talking about, here is a little background info. Clint, my husband, trains team roping horses and he works for Clay. Colleen is Clay's wife. They are pretty much a part of our family. Blaze calls them Uncle Clay Lo and Aunt Colleen. Lizzie is Clay and Colleen's very long, very characteristic basset hound child. And of course you know Vegas is our border collie pup and Charli is my Yorkie girl dog. I say "my" because I haven't quite convinced Clint to sign her adoption papers. I do however see them snuggled up on occassion. Clint will deny it though.

Clay's business is Logan Performance Horses. They train horses for the everyday hobby team roper, they show horses in AQHA horse shows all year to qualify horses for the World Show in October for people, and they even train horses for PRCA cowboys that make it to Las Vegas every year for the National Finals.

We call the ranch "the barn". Now you know what I'm talking about when I say, "we were at the barn" or "'so in so' came to the barn today" or "my husband lives at the barn."  

Ok, enough background for today.

I am really enjoying my new hobby of photography for a couple of reasons:

1. I have always had a passion for photography.

2. Photography doesn't clutter up my house like some of my other hobbies do. Like sewing, jewelry, etc, etc, etc. I say etc so many times because if you would ask my husband, I have a million hobbies. I have cut my hobbies down to photography and just some jewelry making. I feel lighter already!

3. It gives my brain such a wonderful creative outlet, without the clutter, but I guess we already covered that.

4. My walls need some decorating.

5. I like making lists.

So here I am sitting down in the front pasture where our horses and Clay and Colleen's horses live, hoping the horses would just act as they normally do so I could get some real life pictures. I sit there for a good 20 minutes. I make a few good snaps of the camera. I'm minding my own business, being very still and very quiet. When here they come!

Now most of the horses that are in team roping training here at the barn are not wild. They are broke, tame, and trained. They aren't like wild mustangs or young colts that act on instinct and stay as far away from humans as possible. Oh no! They think when they see us that they are about to get a treat, or about to get exercised, or especially when they see me coming, about to get a good rub down.

Before I know it, T-Bone (one of Clay and Colleen's horses) is trying to knock me over with his nose to get some lovin'. I try moving a little farther away and they all just follow me. So I had to share a couple of photos I got from this day of T-Bone, Gravy, Edgar Allen Pooh and the roping steers.

This is Edgar Allen Pooh closest to the camera
and Clint, mine and my Dad's horse, Gravy
in the background.

Look up "cow chewing cud" in the dictionary.
You'll find this picture.

This heifer was quite curious of the camera.
She really is a heifer. I'm not trying to insult
anybody here. This is a bully-free blog.

And then here is T-Bone trying to rub on me.

Rustic. I swear I didn't stage this photo! Ok! Fine! I did
find the horseshoe in the pasture and put it on the fence.
But hey, it made a nice picture. I sacrificed my integrity for
this photo. Hope you like it!

If looks could kill.

I warned you earlier that if you hated pictures of livestock then you were going to hate my blog while I'm sharing pictures. So if you hated this blog, you can't say I didn't warn you!

Now y'all come back now, you hear!
-Kaci