Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Captain Cavedweller’ Category

Rodeo Time

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, tagged , , on September 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Last week, Captain Cavedweller and I attended the Pendleton Round-Up.

Despite the insanely warm temperatures and the fact one of us got a sunburn, we had such a good time.

We also had great seats, close to the bucking chutes where I was able to take some photos.

BB1

Here’s a little action from the Bareback Riding.

BB2

The horses seemed to be enjoying it as much as the cowboys and the crowd.

BB3

Yeehaw!

SB3

I took a bunch of photos of the saddle bronc riders because The Christmas Cowboy (coming in mid-October) is about a saddle bronc rider. I’ve already been studying the photos, gleaning a few details I want to include in the story.

SB1

That, and it’s just fun to look at the images. I love this one.

I also took a bunch of photos of the steer wrestlers – but that’s for a future project you’ll just have to stay tuned to learn more about!

No rodeo is complete without a little bull riding.

Bullrider2

Although the bulls didn’t want to get very far away from the chutes to do their thing, I did snag a few photos. Love the dirt flying around the bull in this one.

If you love great rodeo action, the Pendleton Round-Up is well worth your time. Beginning in 1910, the event draws thousands of attendees every year and offers everything from top-name country music concerts, parades, and a Wild West show to the world-famous Rodeo.

I’m so glad we had the opportunity to attend this year because not just for my book research project (which happens to include the Round-Up) but also because it was just a lot of fun.

She Who Enjoys Going to the Rodeo

Read Full Post »

Happy Birthday, Captain Cavedweller!

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, tagged , on September 10, 2013| 2 Comments »

Scott off Swingset

Today is my beloved Captain Cavedweller’s birthday.

The above photo is one that makes my heart melt in about two seconds flat into a puddle around my feet.  I love the look on his face, the fact his mother gave this photo into my keeping, and that CC is stylishly pairing cowboy boots with his circa 1975 shirt. I also love that hair.

His mama made the hours-long trek to our house for his birthday and we’ve got a full day planned. Guns and targets, much laughter, and carrot cake will definitely be involved. And presents. CC likes his presents.

Looking through some old photographs, I can’t help but wonder if his mama knew when he was a boy, what a loving, caring, good man he’d grow up to be.

haircurt

Especially when he did things like give himself a haircut the day before school pictures.

 

1986football

Could she tell he’d be as obsessed (technically, more so) with football now than he was then?

 

waterskier

Or that he’d still enjoy learning something new and experiencing adventures.

hunters

Or that he wouldn’t outgrow his tendency to rarely be serious. Anyone who knows him well, knows he is all about teasing and joking. It is, in fact, a skill he has finely honed since his boyhood years.

He makes me laugh all the time. Even at times when I’m certain we should be serious – and that has been such a glorious blessing to me.

cowboy scott

I could tell from our first date that he was someone special, someone I wanted to get to know. A year later, we wed and life with him has been so sweet.

 

Today, I want to say thank you to his mama for raising a good, honest, kind boy who grew into a gentle, honorable, wonderful man.

Scott April 5I also want to say thank you to my husband – my most beloved Captain Cavedweller…

You not only encourage my dreams, but help me chase them.

You make my heart so very happy.

You melt me on a daily basis.

You know how to make even the most simple things so much fun.

You always have my back.

You give me a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold whenever I need it.

You like me when I’m ornery and love me unconditionally.

You make everything so much better, so much sweeter just by being you.

Love you always and forever!

Your girl

Read Full Post »

Happy Birthday, Grandma Nell!

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Family, tagged , , on September 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Captain Cavedweller and I drove many hours this weekend to be able to attend his grandmother’s 95th birthday party.

Grandma Nell balloonsThere were balloons, presents, cake, and much good cheer as we gathered to celebrate Grandma Nell’s special day.

It was an honor to be able to join with family to mark this milestone event. CC had the opportunity to visit with his two cousins, as well as a cousin from Texas enough times removed I can’t keep it straight, but she is a real hoot regardless of where the branches sprout in the family tree. I also finally got to meet CC’s uncle and his wife, which was fun (especially after waiting twenty years to do so!).

Grandma Nell 1lrI can only hope I’ll be half as “with-it” as she is if I should live to be her age. Other than needing the assistance of a walker, Grandma does really well, her mind is still sharp, and she is as feisty as ever.

It was just after her birthday twenty years ago that I first remember meeting her.

For many, many years, CC’s grandparents spent the summer months on a ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Grandma worked as the ranch cook during the busy guest season. CC and I had been seeing each other several months and it was the first time his grandparents had been home since we’d started dating seriously.

Grandma was so friendly and welcoming, she made me feel right at home. One thing that stuck with me, all these years, was how excited she was to show us a photograph taken on her birthday of her riding a horse. She was so proud that, at the tender age of 75, she’d still been able to get on one and ride. Even then, I recall thinking, “Wow, I want to be like her when I grow old!”

After meeting her that first time, she and I quickly discovered we both loved cookbooks and recipes. Over the years, Grandma has shared many of her favorites (both books and handwritten specialties) with me. The best chocolate bundt cake you’ll ever eat comes from Grandma Nell’s recipe.

There were many times I was convinced Grandma could run circles around both CC and me. She is a go-getter, determined, and full of sass. She’s also sweet and thoughtful, and very loving.

Thanks to CC’s cousin Robb, Grandma even has her own website where she shares her recipes and has her very own cookbooks available for purchase.

Every time I see her, I’m just amazed by Grandma Nell and her ability to live life so fully and so intently. She is truly an inspiration.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Grandma!

We love you!

CC and His Sidekick

Read Full Post »

The Corn Man

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Garden, Home and Garden, Musings, tagged , , , on August 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

sweetcorn

During the summer months, when fresh produce abounds, I try to buy as much as I can from local fruit stands. The other day I stopped at one I hadn’t tried before because I wanted some sweet corn and there were multiple signs advertising their selection.

Although there wasn’t an overwhelming about of produce to choose from, fragrant cantaloupes, lemony cucumbers, vibrant tomatoes and boxes of plums were set out in an appealing display.

Gathering up a few things, I looked around for the corn and didn’t see any. Asking the man running the stand if he had any, he smiled and nodded his head of white hair. At this point, all he needed was some funky sunglasses and a T-shirt to confirm he had not quite left behind the haze of the 1960s. Both his speech and laid-back body language assured me of this.

Turning around, he pointed to a huge barrel and removed the lid where sweet corn hid beneath a burlap covering. Pulling out a few ears, he showed them to me, describing his “beauties” as “elegant and lovely” before bagging a half dozen ears for me.

Seeing the corn man, along with those burlap bags took me hurtling back to the summer I was seventeen when my parents decided my divine torture for the summer would be helping them sell sweet corn. Although I’m sure it was probably just a few acres they planted, at the time it seemed more like hundreds. For a few weeks that summer, it seemed like all I did was pick corn (which caused my asthma to go into overdrive), shuck corn (which caused my whining to go into overdrive) and bag the shucked corn for customers. Some corn we delivered and others we sold right from the front yard, where huge piles of corn husks sat until yours truly got the privilege of hauling them off to the garbage.

To this day, I hate shucking corn although I do enjoy a good ear of sweet corn.

Thanking Mr. Corn Man for the produce, I begrudgingly shucked the corn for dinner that night.

Although I had my doubts, the corn man was right – those ears were not only sweet, but elegant and lovely, too.

She Who Needs to Go Back to the Fruit Stand

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »