Life on the Ranch: Branding

 We found out that a branding was happening, so I packed up and took the kids to it. We had missed some previous ones because I was out of town, and I enjoy seeing the cowboys in action.

Brandings usually occur when the cattle are moved off the winter range. The calves were born in March and need to be marked so that they can legally be sold next winter. It's possible to just process the calves through a chute, as I wrote about in 2009. However, the cowboys much prefer the old-fashioned method, which involves roping the calves, separating them from the rest, and then processing them. The roping allows the cowboys to hone their skills and also provides a social function, as friends and neighbors often come to help.

We watched some excellent young cowboys rope calves and bring them back.

Sometimes it can be tricky to keep the calf down, especially if the special gadget to keep them confined doesn't get attached. Once they're down, they're vaccinated and have their ears cut. Instead of branding with a red-hot iron, ear cutting is what the ranch uses (but the whole get-together is still often called branding). If it's a male calf, a rubber band is applied to his delicate parts to cut off blood flow (in effect castrating it, but without Rocky Mountain oysters flying all over).


Here's an overview of what the process looks like: the cowboy and horse pull the calf into position, while other cowboys move in to do all the tasks necessary.


Cowgirls are very much a part of the whole operation.


It takes a lot of skill and communication to make sure that the calf is held at just the right tension.


This little cowboy was one of the best ropers out there. He made it look easy. Yet when I try to lasso something that's not even moving, I have a hard time.

Now, for some of the details.

The lasso.

The spur, stirrup, and chap fringe.

The wannabe cowboy (aka Desert Boy).

Chaps are just way too cool.

Getting new eartags ready. These have insecticides on them to help keep the flies from bothering the cows.

My nephew. The mountains in the background are something we almost take for granted. 

The high desert of the Great Basin is such a breathtaking place.

It's time to rope!

The lasso goes out...

And makes contact! The calf is pulled.

A beautiful horse.

 One thing the photos don't quite show is how hot and dusty it can all be. My camera was coated with a dust layer (of course lying on the ground may have contributed to that!). When you're right up there with the animals, it's even dustier.

A well-warranted drink break. But only if you're wearing chaps.

 Lasso up...

Nice try!

This one's a keeper. This cowboy was a great roper, even with a broken arm.

The kids got worn out fast, but I was still glad to have the chance to watch for awhile. The skill these cowboys show is amazing, something that takes years to hone.

And if you'd like to see even more photos of ranch life, A Handful of Dust Documentary has some terrific ones.

A Night at the Circus

 We heard the circus was coming to town, and since the kids and my husband had never been and I hadn't been since I was a kid, we decided to go. We weren't sure what to expect, so we got there early. We found a three-ring circus in front of the grandstand. We could feel the excitement in the air! We splurged, letting the kids share a cotton candy that they really, really wanted (Desert Girl wondered why her stomach hurt after eating some of it--hmm). Desert Girl even got her face painted.

Soon it was time for the circus to begin. Some impressive tigers opened the show. I have to admit I was more impressed with the ability of the aerialists (and I also enjoyed seeing how they did the rigging).

I won't be doing this anytime soon!

Another memorable act was the man who climbed on this contraption as it was spinning around.

Before long he was jumping inside it.


And then he was on top of it, walking as it made a complete revolution, and even doing it once blindfolded.


There were various animal tricks.

The hula hoop tricks were pretty cool. I have trouble with just one!

The circus even had elephants.

Some of the performances were quite stunning. When we asked the kids what they liked the best, they both agreed they liked the clowns best.

It was a fun summer night. It was also fun watching the logistics of it all, as the traveling circus had been in Cedar City the night before and was headed to Spring Creek the next night. The tigers were all packed up and had left by intermission. It's quite an operation to put on a circus, as the number of semi trailers and RVs showed. They have nearly every night the whole summer booked, so I think the "rest day" is when they stay in the same city for two days in a row and don't have to travel anywhere.

I don't think I'll be running away to go join the circus anytime soon, but I might go back to watch another one!

Only Two Weeks Until Snake Valley Festival

It's less than two weeks until the Snake Valley Festival starts, and we're excited! We are ready to go to music workshops, concerts, the ice cream social, beer tasting (well, the kids will skip that part!), and the pageant and dance.

Last year Desert Boy won a crown for Mini Mr. Snake Valley. He was really happy. He's been practicing various talents for this year. No singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument is allowed, so he has to be creative.

Desert Girl also participated and was happy to be with her friends.

The kids were also glad to be in the parade the next day, where they rode their bikes. After the first lap they stopped so they could watch the parade go around again. (That's how you make a longer parade in a small town!)

The silent auction was a favorite place for negotiations. We found some really cool things there and also at the community yard sale.

We also enjoyed the free entertainment and kids' games out on Baker Hall lawn. This year there will be a bounce house. Fun!

Just when the afternoon was starting to feel really hot, it was time for the water fight. Anyone who ventured out on the playing field got soaked!

After cleaning up, we headed out to the Border Inn for a tasty BBQ dinner followed by the live auction.

We didn't stay up late, as the next morning it was time for Desert Boy's first 5k race: the Snake Valley Slither. He's planning to do it again this year, along with several of his friends.

This year there will be an afternoon concert at the Border Inn by Trotta & Ronstadt with Dalton, a great sounding folksy-blues style of music. They'll also be playing in Ely on Friday night at 7 pm.

For the full schedule, check out the Snake Valley Festival website. Looks like it will be another fun weekend!

A Little Fishing

 We decided one evening to go out for a little fishing trip to a nearby pond. The kids were so excited, they love to fish.

 We're not very good at fishing because we don't go often, but the fish were rising like crazy, so it didn't take long to catch our first trout.

 Desert Boy was rocking the flip flops. He thought it was pretty cool that we let him go to the other side of the pond all by himself.

 I thought it was cool that we had such beautiful light!

 Some birds kept us entertained, like the Brewer's Blackbird (above), as well as killdeer and common nighthawks.

In the end we caught two trout (we decided we needed different bait), which we ate the next evening. Yum. We'll be back!

What's your favorite fish to catch and eat?

Behind the Visitor Center: Birds and Solar Observing

 I got a tip the other day that some birds were nesting behind the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at Great Basin National Park. I went and took a look, and sure enough, there was a nest with two little mouths visible. We looked around and found the mama bird:

A Say's phoebe. Both males and females Say's phoebes look very similar, with gray backs, blush-colored abdomens, and black tails that they wag a lot. Say's phoebes are flycatchers that don't mind being around people, and they usually nest on buildings.

We also noticed another nest close by:

 This one was occupied by a barn swallow, with another barn swallow flying in frequently.

I took the kids up after work to check out the birds, and they thought they were pretty cool. 

They were also happy to participate in another activity behind the visitor center:

 Solar observing! We could see solar prominences around the sun, as well as a couple sun spots.

For their efforts, the kids received solar observer certificates, and we took a photo with the park volunteer, Tom.

After some browsing in the book store and cafe and gift shop, we went back out to watch the birds. The kids were much more patient than I expected, and it was pretty cool seeing what mama bird was bringing back to her babies. It looked like she was catching a lot of moths, but also grasshoppers and flies.

I knew the kids were having a good time when they asked me to be their mama bird and feed them. I hope they aren't picky eaters!