Rodeo

We had a week-long break from the wee one as she was whisked away to Wyoming to spend time with her awesome aunts, cousins, and uncle. We got a LOT done while she was gone, and soaked up the one-on-one time with each other. It was like we were dating again! In fact, we went on a date pretty much every single night.

One date we went on was to a rodeo because we stumbled across free tickets...yee-haw! Note to self: tiny yellow shorts equals unintentional bum photo-bombing. Never wear.

My brother and delight of a sister-in-law doubled with us, and together we watched quite the show of raw red-neckedness. We ate the local fare, and were awed by the all-encompassing culture. I hadn't been to a rodeo since I was a kid, so it was interesting to look at it with my adult perspective. Plus, the rodeo royalty kept throwing Kirk prizes, which I can only assume is because he is a hottie. He came away with a free T-shirt, which is his favorite kind of shirt.

The most entertaining event was watching the wild cow milking contest. Yes, it's a real thing. Here's how it goes: teams of 3 chase wild cows around the ring until they corner and catch one long enough to milk it. Whoever can get a set volume to the judges first wins. Wild cows are pretty funny, but I think the guys who think it would be a good idea to chase them are even funnier: "Hey Chuck, how'd ya break yer face?" "Well, ya know, just tryin' ter milk a wild cow with my buddies." I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of three grown men being dragged along the ground by a bewildered and well-endowed bovine.

(Also, sidenote, I totally forgot I'm allergic to horses, so the experience got a little unbearable by the end with all the dust, hair, hay and poop kicked up into my face. If I ever go back to a rodeo, please remind me to take allergy medication beforehand so that I can actually see what's going on.)

Have you been to a rodeo? What was the most memorable part for you?

Hike to the G

This is one of my most frequented trails because it is pretty close to my place of employment. Every time I kick it on this trail, the lighting is different and I notice something new from my mountainside perch:

This time, there was some gross haze that actually made the evening light quite heavenly. Just trying to see the good in all that mucky muck.

What have you done lately to find the good through the haze? Do tell.

A Fresh Coat

I know things have been quiet around this ol' blog lately, but that just means that we are far cry from doing nothing. We've been a little caught up in living lately that there has hardly been time for anything but that.

Something I've been itching to show for a while has been our front room facelift. Before:


...and after:

I loved our awesome orange and bronze walls, but I was needing a little breezy freshness in my life. Although I loved how cozy and warm our front room felt, I was ready for a change and opted for a robin's egg option for this lover of light. I love how the wood floors and furniture stand out now.

 

I've also been trying to find ways to display my nature finds, and this color scheme lent itself nicely to effortlessly displaying the odds and ends I pick up on my hikes. This space is a living and breathing space now, and is constantly evolving and being added to. I'm pretty sure I've added 3 more plants and 12 more feathers since these photos were taken.

The photo above of my growing feather collection sits on one of my pianos. Fret not, no birds were killed for these lovely plumes. I (and some kind friends who know my heart) have found all of these on the ground.

The basket of huge pinecones by the sofa is filled with gorgeous beauties I harvested from my parents' yard and accented with bronze glitter. (If you decide to bring nature into your home in the form of pinecones, always make sure you bake them first to rid them of any pesky varmints.)

The shelf above the barn owl painting is filled with knick-knacks from hikes and walks, such as pinecones, dried mushrooms, wasps' nests, shells, rocks, leaves, and interesting sticks. Love it. This is always changing. My precious Pimienta likes to give me her finds to add there too.

I love that this room invites change and exploration. There's an ebb and flow to this living space. Do you have a room or special place in your house that changes along with you? I'd love to hear about it.