Three Years on the Ranch

Believe it or not, we are getting ready to celebrate the third birthday of our little cowgirl. What a life this girl has growing up on a Colorado dude ranch; she gets horses, cows, chickens, ducks, and dogs, room to run and grow, and extended family close to teach her and love her. She has taken to the life beautifully. She loves the horses--Patches, Bobby Sox and Apple are her favorites; she hollers and blows her whistle at the deer and elk milling in the sagebrush just off our deck ("HEEEEEEYYYYY YOOOOUUUU ELKKKK GEEETT OUUTTA HEEEERE!), and she watches the birds at the feeders [...]

Three Years on the Ranch2011-04-22T19:05:00+00:00

First Signs of Spring

Slowly, slowly, the snow is melting away! Spring is finally on the way. We have our staff hired for the summer (well, pretty much), we have our spring ranch projects rolling (kind-of), and the cows will start calving any day now (maybe).Soon, flowers will start just popping up all over the place. Look at these beautiful tulips that sprang up just right outside my front door.I love orange flowers.How beautiful.Okay, maybe, just maybe. . .I am getting a little ahead of myself here.

First Signs of Spring2011-03-30T21:37:00+00:00

Cowboy Take Me Away

My "Indian" Cowboy is finally home. He enjoyed his fair share of tours, Indian food, local hosts and entertainment on the other side of the world. He has pictures of elephants, trains, boats, towns, cities, tea and many, many, faces.As the saying goes: absence make the heart grow fonder. Justin's month-long excursion to a different world has me thinking how lucky I am to have him and how this whole living on a ranch with a cowboy thing is just one big dream come true. In fact, just this summer a high school classmate and I were laughing about how, in our senior yearbook, [...]

Cowboy Take Me Away2011-03-08T21:35:00+00:00

Ranch in Winter

While a lot of the country starts to think about spring, we still worry about winter up here in the Rockies. Here are a few shots of Drowsy Water Ranch in the winter.

Ranch in Winter2011-02-22T22:18:00+00:00

Mug Shots in Black and White

We have a mob of black and whites around here. They are our beloved border collies. You can't go anywhere without seeing a whole gang of them together running, jumping, digging, chasing animals, and generally causing trouble. Each of the gang has a very unique personality. If the mob ever got arrested by the dog catcher, I could tell you how the wanted posters would read:Name: DukeAge: 9 yearsMob name: "The Old Man"Wanted for: Excessive loyalty to Randy Sue, Dependability for finding lost cows in the backcountry, Caretaker and babysitter for sick or lost animalsName: BuddyAge: 5 yearsMob name: "Where's Ian"Wanted for: Excessive loyalty [...]

Mug Shots in Black and White2011-02-15T21:56:00+00:00

Cowboy in India

In a few short days, Cowboy Justin is headed off to India as part of a Rotary International Exchange. He'll be, more or less, a Colorado Ambassador traveling in the southwest region of India for the entire month of February and some of March.Justin was selected to join a team of four individuals aged 25-40 years from Colorado that will travel and present to Indian Rotary clubs in the region about Colorado's geography, industry, and agriculture. Justin is excited to experience a part of the world that he has yet to see. Usually, the group will split up to stay with host families so [...]

Cowboy in India2011-01-17T21:22:00+00:00

Bobby Sox Love

One of our horses received some extra special lovin' last week. And if there was ever a horse that needed and deserved a few extra X's and O's, it's this guy, Bobby Sox. Bobby Sox is not exactly our best-looking steed, nor is he our fastest mount but you'll have a hard time finding a rock, bush, stump, plastic sack, cow, bird or dog that can spook this dude. He is what we call "bomb-proof" in the horse industry. He is friendly and easy-going and he takes great care of his riders.One such rider just couldn't stand to be away from him until next [...]

Bobby Sox Love2011-01-06T22:13:00+00:00

A Thanksgiving-ish story from DWR

It's no secret that the food at Drowsy Water is a hearty affair. Something about the mountain air, the horses, the people, and the creek make you hungry here, really hungry. It's magical. That's why we get the week at DWR kicked off with a classic Thanksgiving Dinner.Every Sunday, Randy Sue starts the turkeys in the morning and Calvin (the chef) and the cooks come in and start on the rolls, stuffing, pies, etc. The day has a nice, familiar routine about it. Randy Sue has the meal down to a science: while Calvin and the cooks get the turkey carved, the pie sliced, [...]

A Thanksgiving-ish story from DWR2010-11-14T19:30:00+00:00

Falling for Drowsy Water Ranch

"Sigh!" "Yee-Haw!""Phew!" "At last!"Those are the sounds we've been hearing around the ranch lately. We just finished up the last week of our 2010 season and, gee whiz, was it a fun-filled, exhausting, beautiful, magical few weeks or what?We wound down our season nicely with three adult-only weeks. The first we had 25 guests, the second 15, and the third only four. We included an art week in there too, which was a first for everyone involved and a ton of fun for both the folks who came to the ranch to paint and for the folks that came to the ranch to ride [...]

Falling for Drowsy Water Ranch2010-09-22T22:20:00+00:00

The Famous and Delicious DWR Cowboy Cookie

Note: Due to popular demand, we're re-posting this famous recipe which we posted originally last January! Today, we're going to discuss a very serious Drowsy Water Ranch topic.It's something that Drowsy Water Ranch guests go home talking about and something that the staff worships. It's big. Really big. It's round, it's crunchy and gooey, it's full of chocolate, and, a few hours into an all-day trip atop your trusty, four-hoofed steed, it's all you can think about. Those of you that have been a guest with us or have worked with us know what I'm referring to: The Famous and Delicious Drowsy Water Ranch [...]

The Famous and Delicious DWR Cowboy Cookie2010-09-14T21:40:00+00:00