2011 Old Sheepherders' Party

Last weekend we were fortunate to be able to attend the 2011 Sheepherders' Party, celebrating a way-of-life that is fascinating to me. It was held at the Border Inn and attracted a full house. Friday evening was open mike, and we heard some great stories of life out on the range, some risque jokes, super singing, and much more.

The next day we missed the sourdough pancake breakfast and range tour, but we were able to make it to the afternoon program featuring Sid Hausman.

Sid Hausman is a real treat. A talented musician, songwriter, and artist, he had something for everyone in the program. I was in awe of his musical ability, he made it seem so easy!

He switched to a banjo, giving a perfect twang for his Southwest-themed music.

Emma was having a ball. She loves music, and she spent nearly the entire program on her feet, wiggling along to the beat. Here she graces Denys with some of her moves.

Little Desert Girl could really move!

She took a liking to the gentleman sitting across the row from us and took her first step on her own without coaxing to go over to him. I didn't get a chance to tell him afterwards what a momentous occasion it was.

Ukelele? You bet. He made it sound good, too!

Then it was time to get the kids to Grandma and Grandpa's so my hubby and I could go enjoy the Basque-style dinner. It was wonderful not trying to entertain kids for two hours and just be able to enjoy conversing with our tablemates.

The food was delicious: soup, salad, lamb, beef, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, wine, punch, and ice cream and cookie for dessert.

The cafe was packed, and everyone was having a good time.

I love this photo of Sam rushing off to do something important. He looks great in his cowboy hat!

Afterwards it was time to visit with friends and then get the kids so they could enjoy some dancing to the music of the Silver Sage Band. What a great party. We can't wait till next year!

(If you want to see more about sheep on this blog, click the little blue word sheep below.)

Really?!?

I was flabbergasted when I came down the road yesterday and saw this sight.

Flabbergasted.

I don't use that word lightly.

Actually, who could use that word lightly? It's a big, bulky, odd word. I like using strange words occasionally. It makes me think that studying for the SAT all those years ago actually had a benefit besides a test score. And who knows when I will need some hoity-toity high-falutin' word to impress some dignitary.

But I digress. Do you see what is causing me so much consternation?

That blinking LED light above the stop light. We now have a stop light in our tiny community! A STOP LIGHT!

What is this world coming to?

Nativity Play Dress Rehearsal

Warning--this contains spoilers! Yes, you already know the story of the Nativity, but if you didn't know which kid had which part this year and don't want to know ahead of time, come back to this blog in a couple days.

Last Christmas Desert Boy had the chance to be a sheep in the Nativity Play. He played his role so well (Baaaa) that this year he is going to be a wise man. He even had to memorize a line, which was easier for him than for me. Ah, the flexibility of young brains!

We went to the dress rehearsal today, which is a much easier place to take photos than during the actual play. We could wander around and no one cared. We also had fun watching funnier moments of the practice, like the overly dramatic Joseph dreaming about the angel Gabriel informing him that his fiancee was with child, a child of God.

The very pregnant Mary was obviously uncomfortable, continually adjusting her giant bulge.

The angels always steal the show. They are so darn cute, and they have the funniest expressions.

For instance, get a look at the two angels' faces while the other one is saying her line.

Mary and Joseph were looking a little bored by the whole thing. I imagine that during performance night their adrenaline with a huge (by our standards) audience looking on will keep them looking peppier.

Here Desert Boy makes his visit to King Herod, perched high up on his throne, with the other wise men. He is carrying gold and is appropriately dressed in the same color. He looks so cute. Just wait, you'll see. My camera wasn't doing so great in the low light conditions, but they ran through the play twice, so I had two opportunities to photograph.

The shepherds, sans sheep today, look on as the action takes place.

They sang lots of songs, and it put everyone in the Christmas spirit!

Emma really liked bobbing to the music.

She managed to pay attention for short stretches, then got wiggly, especially when I wanted to take photos of Desert Boy.

Her expressive eyebrows show a little worry. I'm not sure why.

Desert Boy continued his trek.

Desert Girl filled in for the sheep for a little while. She's not too good at sitting still, so she made the shepherds do some work.

Meanwhile the wise men are saying their lines, and Desert Boy, once encouraged to speak loudly enough, nailed his line.

Proud mama beams.

The final number is Joy to the World. It sure was a joy to watch them!

Good job, Sharon, for pulling it all together! And being so patient with the kids--not many people could do that.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Gingerbread House

We've been away for a bit, but before we get into those photos, here are some others more keeping with the Christmas theme. I've never made a gingerbread house before, so when one of our friends suggested a gingerbread house making party, that sounded like a lot of fun. It was held out at the Border Inn, which had the extra advantage that I wouldn't have to cook that night.

My husband volunteered to help with construction, which left me free to take photos.

They had plenty of ingredients to personalize their gingerbread houses. Ingredient was a new word for Desert Boy, and now he asks what the ingredients are for everything.

And I do mean everything.

Yesterday he wanted to know what the ingredients were for milk. That was a little tricky to answer.

And two days ago he wanted to know what the ingredients were for snow. I told him water and cold. My husband said two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, and then wanted to know if we should get a wall-sized copy of the periodic table for Desert Boy's room. I told him no.

The party was well-attended, with creativity (and sugar) freely-flowing.

Desert Boy and Daddy had the walls up and were ready for the roof.

Ashley and Aron sat across from us and made a cute house.

Desert Boy's gingerbread house started with symmetrical decorations.

The other houses were progressing nicely.

Even adults were getting in on the action.

Place that candy in just the right place!

I liked this unique gingerbread house.

Chandra had a neat chimney and fence for her daughter's gingerbread house. Wait--where's her daughter?

Nearby, watching!

When I got back to Desert Boy's house, I found that he had added a backyard and more decorations.

Then he went to work on making some shrubs.

The happy boy and his house. He wasn't quite finished, but fairly close.

People kept arriving to make their houses. Arlene gave it a try.

The table of finished houses. It was a good night! And the best part about gingerbread houses is that the fun isn't only the night you make them, but also the days afterwards when you eat them!

Halloween Hayride

Last year our community had a hayride for Halloween, and it was so fun that we decided to do it again this year. What's more fun than trick-or-treating? Trick-or-treating with your friends!

All ages were invited, and cute little Aron had the candy theme going right from the beginning.

Little Miss Emma was adorable as an ear of corn. She was also fairly immobile, so it was a good thing she was tired.

There were some great costumes.

I had my long underwear and coat on, but some of the trick-or-treaters didn't seem to feel the cold air.

Desert Boy was so happy to hang out with his cousins. He doesn't really know who Dumbo is, so he just told everyone he was an elephant. The costume was perfect for keeping him warm and letting him have plenty of mobility.

Some of the costumes were a little scary, while others were just so darn cute that you couldn't help but smile.

Our hayride was a little delayed, so we started walking to our first spot to go trick-or-treating.

Then the surprise hayride appeared--an old fire truck, lined with hay bales. It was a first for everyone!

In the community center the bright lights let everyone enjoy the costumes, and there were plenty of treats for everyone to start out the night with a sugar high. Yum.

The Halloween dessert before the ghosts and goblins dug in.

Carol did a great job getting into the spirit of things and having the center open for all trick-or-treaters. Because we have a lot of people who wanted to give out treats but live out of town, this was a place they could come to stay warm and enjoy the trick-or-treaters.


I love this costume!

It started getting dark. Everyone piled on top of the fire truck and off we went, visiting most of the houses with lights on in our community. Living in such a small place we don't have to decide what neighborhood to trick-or-treat in, we just go everywhere!

It was a fun evening, and the nice weather was very welcome. Hopefully we can do it again next year!