Empire Ranch

Fun trip to Empire Ranch near Sonoita with friends Karen and Dawn! On our lazy way there through Box Canyon, we first visited Florida Canyon which my friend Brock and I had been to last Spring. It's somewhat of a birding place that I wanted Karen to see. I had the ladies pose for a picture, although only one of them is cooperating. Our trip through the Box Canyon had Dawn somewhat puckered, because at the steepest and most picturesque areas, it was one dirt lane. She was thankful to the Almighty that no one met us on a curve.

The ranch was a beehive of activity. After we got our maps and activity schedules we took off to take pictures (Karen and I); Dawn had already mapped out her agenda.

This picture is so much a part of my life in western Pennsylvania. It's a Youngstown kitchen. Fifteen miles from my birthplace in Sharon is Youngstown, Ohio, home to steel mills, not that Shenango Valley wasn't. This is what the kitchen that I was raised in on Stambaugh Avenue looked like. Haunting to think that they had something like this in a ranch house in southern Arizona.

I don't know what room this was but the view outside was so much more interesting. It was a wonderfully cool day with a stiff breeze blowing and lots of clouds racing across the sky. If I hadn't been so intent on the ranch, I would have been concentrating on the atmospheric conditions.

Another room with a great window. They tell so much about the architecture and time period; it's a story unto itself.

Same room, little different perspective.

This ranch house seemed to go on forever. There was more than one bathroom, but this was the one off of the master bedroom. There was a whole genealogy of who had inhabited the bedroom and when documented on the walls. It was all extremely interesting. We had a bath tub exactly like that on Stambaugh Avenue.

The event was well done and interesting to people of all ages. There were roping, branding, and riding demonstrations. and vendors of all kinds. This was for the kids: decorate your stick pony. This young man named Kevin agreed to pose for me; and "Yes", he had done the decorating.

This gentleman was allowing photographers to take pictures of his team, but I seemed to get in on the tail end of things as they were pulling away. Very spirited and handsome.

No event would be complete if there wasn't some reference to my wine-drinking. Karen took these two pictures of blurbs I'd never seen before, but definitely true.

Here's my new selfie! This is a motorcycle that was in the parking lot as we were leaving.

We had a great lunch in town at one of our favorite restaurants Overland Trout. Next door is a really great gift shop. Dawn is famous for spending money in gift shops, and she was no slouch here. I must admit that her purchases were awesome. Karen caught us as we were exiting.

This is another one of Karen's great pictures. I was driving, but stopped and insisted that Karen do what she's famous for. It has something to do with the angle of the sun and ice crystals. She posted this on Face Book with an explanation from one of her friends. Beautiful end to a great day!