It's been a really rough couple of weeks here on the ranch. Sadly, our North Camp man (he was just 36) passed away on the 13th and it's been all hands on deck trying to keep things afloat. First and foremost is supporting his wife through this as much as possible. The ranch was sold in June so we've been on a bit of a rollercoaster since February (although losing him had nothing to do with that). So I've been donning my ranch hand hat in an attempt to help DH navigate this season. We've been together for 39 years and I always knew he was a really good man, but his kind, thoughtful, recent actions have just brought me to my knees and I am overcome with overwhelming love for him and so incredibly grateful to God for bringing us together. I'm not going to go into detail because he is also very humble and amidst the current situation, we still have a ranch to run, but whew. Not much time to sit at Jesus' feet, but rest assured, He's riding shotgun with us every day.
We've got hundreds of miles of pipeline on these 128,000 acres so plumbing in new water troughs and repairing leaks on all of it means we're spending our days bouncing over ranch roads checking waters
putting out mineral
walking through cattle
fixing leaks
and monitoring timers on wells
This is a part of ranch life that rarely makes it to the screen. Even with the dirt and hard work and early mornings and heat (it was 97 today - September 29th - for crying out loud!), this is a good life. I will say that it makes one feel their age at the end of the day. I'm trying to convince DH that we're not 20 anymore and that 14 hour days, 7 days a week isn't necessary. He says he's not ready for the rocking chair just yet, but I'm hoping we can find a middle ground.
On a bit of a fun note, we've been chasing balloons lately. Well, really just one hot air balloon.
Town is 25 miles away and it's home to New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). They were working on the Alpha 5 Project to raise funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. They were attempting to break the World Record Formation HALO Skydive and on Thursday they jumped from 38067'. You can read more about the project here
They landed on the ranch at Adobe Basin last week while I was at work and then they made another run on Tuesday. DH was taking bulls to the sale barn (a different one from the one where I work) and when he saw the balloon he called and put me on notice - I first spotted it just over headquarters
He put me on notice because he had to unlock gates last time in order for the chase crew to reach the landing site. And sure enough!
They landed in our North Bull Pasture
Most of these photos of the balloon in flight aren't very clear, but we're miles away and my camera is at it's maximum zoom
This is the largest balloon ever manufactured in America - and the basket alone weighs 1100#
The helicopter was on hand to help keep things in check and you get a little bit of a sense of the balloon's size from this shot I captured
They made one more run on Thursday and we followed them while checking waters on the south side of the ranch. I had told them I would bake them cookies in case they landed on the ranch again, but they landed about a mile East of our fence line. We ran into a SUV filled with BLM (Bureau of Land Management) people and they were looking for a path to the balloon, but were running into locked gates so we contacted our neighbors who were busy processing cattle and we took them to the landing site, but we didn't see the need to get into the middle of it. It took a good 30 minutes to get them there and the balloon had already landed - locked gates and fences and lack of roads made it a little more challenging. So we just stopped at the manager's home and had a good visit with him - he's just had a knee replacement so he and his wife were the recipient of the cookies I had been carting around that morning. Grin.
When I took the crew to the balloon on Tuesday, they invited us to Thursday's launch in town, but alas, ranch duties take precedence, but they gave us a challenge coin to mark the occasion and it was neat to be on hand for this worthy endeavor. Supporting our military and veterans is a cause I will always stand behind and champion. I wish I had taken more pictures, but the commander and crew were visiting with me and I didn't want to be rude and walk around taking pictures. Lots of cogs in lots of wheels to make this a successful and safe project and thankfully, it was both!
8 comments:
Oh my gosh! 36?! Way too young. I know that was really hard for you guys. And you said a ranch was sold--not yours, I'm assuming. Or maybe it was and that's why all the 'extra' work?
Hope everything else is A-OK!!!
Too much excitement! That balloon experience was interesting. The comparison of the helicopter and balloon really puts it in perspective. But the sale of the ranch….that’s a tremendous change for you. Wow. No wonder you have been thinking about a nice piece of land large enough for everyone to build a home on separate corners and still have common areas in the middle for family gatherings. Maybe soon!! Your love for your DH is evident every time you write about him…loved the recent photos of the two of you from the wedding! What incredible role models for your “children”!
Ok, what ranch was sold? I am sort of figuring the North Camp ranch but does that mean you bought or sold?
Also how close are you to Las Cruces? That is where my grandson is going to college. Last summer he had an internship at Spaceport.
Wow, such a wonderful gift to have literally dropped in your neighborhood!
Back in the 1990s, in the Willamette Valley, there was an annual Lift Off (if the weather cooperated) of multiple balloons. A wonderful sight and amazingly silent but, although I thought them huge, they were nowhere the size of this one. So a double wow and I'm so grateful for you and your camera.
I have only been following you for a couple of months, so I am still learning about your ranch and life there. Thank you so much for writing about all of this. It's so important for people from other parts of the US to have a window into life in an area never lived in personally and maybe never even visited.
WOW! What a unique opportunity to see military operations up close.
I am so sorry about your ranch man - that is way to young, and so much to deal with for his family.
the balloon - that is pretty cool! Did they ask permissions to land on the ranch or is that just the way the wind blew? ( I guess I need to go read the link too) But how cool. And how LARGE!!!! the helo looks so tiny next to it!!!
That balloon is HUGE!! Thank you for showing us the size in comparison to the helicopter. Aw, you could have had the commander and crew stand all together with your husband perhaps and have taken a picture. They all would have liked it. Most men appreciate being noticed for their work. Although they may not speak it.
The cookies looked delicious. Take care, good luck with the discussions of how long to keep ranching.
Post a Comment