Danny just turned 13 last month, and Saturday he shot his first elk at about 300 yards first thing in the morning! At first he thought he missed, but then he and Carrie, with whom he was hiding by the meadow, decided to go have a look. And Danny had gotten one!
The family at home readying to go hunting. They pull the trailer as far as the mountain road will let them, and then drop the trailer and drive the 4-wheelers up a ways further to where they camp with friends.
The day before they left, a neighbor got permission from another neighbor down the way a bit for the children and Jonathan to sight in their rifles at his little shooting range. Otherwise, they would have had to pay $10 each to go to a shooting range that is a big business, just to sight in.
Sam's turn was first.
Ear muffs and ear plugs were found and shared around. Jonathan's turn now (below).
Rose's turn. I had decided to get out of the house and go along for some fresh air, and it was great to get acquainted with some new neighbors. We even found out that David Beitzel, a builder friend Jonathan has known all his life, built this neighbor's house!
Several neighbors gathered that day to enjoy the fun and to visit.
Sam handing to Hannah the baby Carrie was babysitting. She is such a dear!
That evening, I couldn't help getting this silouette picture of the old fourwheelers on the trailer in the sunset against the distant mountains.
I also couldn't resist this picture of several of the puppies that Carrie is selling for somebody else.
They are so darling when they are all sprawled out on the deck!
The second batch of dishes after the rest of the family left to go hunting was not so darling.
I also cut the best cornstalks in the garden and decorated the mailbox. I know, this is not very great compared to Pennsylvania cornstalks, but this is all that grows at 7000 feet altitude on the high prairie!
Friday afternoon, to keep from getting too lonely, Hannah wanted to go to the birthday party of a friend, and so we did. Shelby had baked these delightful pretzels for one of the snacks.
I asked Hannah to get a snap of us ladies working on the quilt the family began at the party. Sorry I look a little weird here, but I am trying to show the strips of fabric we ladies cut out. The pattern has you cutting long strips and sewing them together, and then cutting them into certain size pieces. It was fun. I cut out about 19 dark blue strips. Then others cut other colors, and others sewed.
Danny and his daddy hauling the elk back to camp.
Jonathan texted me this unusual photo of the tree branches silouetted on the tent roof where they were camping.
Saturday Hannah and I ran errands in town and stopped at Smith Family Farms stand on our way home. Hundreds of cars had been parked along the road earlier, with thousands of people there at the special event that day. There had been a Largest Pumpkin contest. Hannah sitting on one.
The pickup in the distance is carrying one of those humongous pumpkins.
Back home that evening, Hannah and I made two pumpkin rolls. Carrie had asked if we could send a pumpkin roll down with Sam when he drove down to meet the hunters two days later. She said taking pumpkin rolls has been a tradition, but she and Rose didn't get to it. So we tried to help out.
Carrie had also forgotten to take her bull tag! But we sent that with Sam as well.
Then on Sunday afternoon, Hannah and I took plates of pumpkin roll slices to two of our neighbors and had a lovely visit both places. One elderly lady whom my children help almost every week is a retired "cop," as she calls herself, from Los Angeles. She said I have her number on my phone, and if I ever have any trouble while the family is away, she will come right away with g u n s blazing!! :) :)
The other neighbor regaled us with stories about the corgi pups and dogs she has raised in her life, and the horses she has trained. She told of how a corgi saved the life of a friend three times--once alerting her owner that her kitchen was on fire, the second time running to the neighbor for help when her mistress fell and knocked herself out in frigid weather. The third time, the corgi was almost killed by a German shepherd which attacked it, but it roused itself when the German shepherd then turned on the corgi's mistress. The corgi grabbed the attacking dog's leg and pulled it off the lady. Later the vet found two German shepherd fangs in the neck of the brave corgi!
Well, after all those exciting stories, Hannah and I came home to do chores and play a game of Bible Scrabble before going to bed. We didn't follow the rules this time, but we had fun. We even learned some things, such as that Ar is a word in the Bible. It is the name of a place that is mentioned several times. "Bell" is in the Bible about three times.
I had other hopes and plans for Sunday afternoon and evening, like reading the book Kisses for Katie,
or blogging or posting on Facebook some really neat thoughts I had.
Instead, I sat and listened to stories of one lonely lady, and the other lonely lady listened to stories from Hannah and me! I helped feed the horse and goat and other animals and made something to eat and then Hannah asked to play a game.
And that is how it goes
when the hunters are away! :)
