Reno and the New Saddle

On Thursday afternoon last week, we drove to Reno. It is about a 4 1/2 hour drive, and we had business Friday morning, so we went down Thursday night and stayed the night. For all of you who love Reno, all I can say is "really?". I think I have completely become what my dad would call an old fuddy duddy.

We stayed in one of the hotel casinos downtown. We should have known it wasn't a good thing when we had to park in a parking garage....Brian had sworn off parking garages, and we were in our F250 quad cab diesel, which isn't the easiest vehicle to maneuver in small spaces (all the way up to the 8th floor). I had made our hotel reservations online through a 3rd party, and when we went to check in our reservations were wrong, we ended up paying for a room we didn't get, with every one's apologies of course, and a promise to upgrade us the next time we stay (which is highly unlikely). We had asked for a hotel with Internet, which they had, for $10 a day....its been a very long time since I've stayed in a hotel that charged you for wireless Internet access.

Something about the casino itself was incredibly unappealing, and although we had thought previously we might play a few slots, we walked right through without wanting to even stop and look. Once outside the hotel, looking for a place to eat (because the restaurants in the hotel just weren't appealing) there were very few people, but plenty of taxis, all advertising the whorehouses they could take you too. Didn't I say I was an old fuddy duddy?

Although we had television at our fingertips, nothing there seemed worth our time, so we watched a DVD of Bravehart on our laptop (we happened to have it with us). That may have been the best part of the hotel stay. The next morning we were going to have breakfast at the hotel buffet before leaving (even though it didn't open until 8, and we'd been awake since 5) , but that was before the security guards decided that Brian, the guy in the cowboy hat, boots, and button up working shirt, was the guy they wanted to profile that morning while he was returning from taking bags out to the truck. They ran him through the paces. After locking out all the elevators in the hotel, confronting him in front of several people, threatening him with Jail, then calling up to the room to ask me if I knew who this guy was, he returned only long enough to gather me and the rest of our things and get out!

The memorable, and valuable event of the trip though, was the new saddle and bridle set. We went to a great western store called DbarM. They were super friendly, and remembered us from when we had been in a month ago. Brian sat on several saddles, and picked one that is pretty great. And, as a bonus they threw in a couple sweatshirts! (I'm pretty excited about my new sweatshirt).

When we returned to the ranch, everybody found out pretty quick that he had a new saddle, and they all went to check it out. Kind of like when you show up to work the first day with a new car...people usually want to admire it with you. Jokingly, they said they were surprised he was leaving it in the barn overnight.....apparently cowboys often keep brand new saddles pretty close by for the first several months. Brian didn't really think there was room though to put it to bed in the trailer.

A few pictures of this mornings wrangle and ride out. The horses are usually all grazing in a

field (these are not stabled horses) and each morning someone goes out on a quad and brings them all into the corral where its a little easier to get a halter on the one you are going to ride for the day and take it into the barn to saddle. The guys are heading out to move cows again today, then likely Brian may head back out to the well project I talked about a few weeks ago. The pump is in the well, wired, and works. The concrete has been poured in the center of the troughs, and drainage pipes are in place to take the overflow into the ponds. I think all that's left to do is spread the loads of gravel we took out there on Saturday around the troughs so the ground doesn't turn into mud bogs, and put the fences back up.

This final pictures is from yesterday. I had been laying out in the yard reading, and left my blanket (sleeping bag) unattended for a while. When I returned, I found knuckle right there in my spot, with her tennis ball (of course). Apparently, she's knows exactly what a blanket in the lawn on a sunny day is for!

One final note...last night everyone on the ranch got together for dinner and a game of scategories. In the game, the category was "things you find in a souvenir shop", and the letter was "K". Brian said "kelp ball" and I challenged him. He says kelp balls are in the shops on the Oregon Coast, and they make lamps out of them (?). Everyone else believed him, but I need some convincing (I think he's just a good bluffer). So, I'm open to votes on whether or not kelp balls are souvenir items. Anyone?