Home......

The journey began Monday morning....

It ended last night....very late....

And Dorothy knows what she is talking about when she said...

"There really is no place like home."

Leaving Utah was sad....we weren't quite ready to go.

But it was time.

We packed up our "summer life" into the trailer.....said alot of good-byes,

(and cried alot....) and hit the road.

The Farmer is always looking for trucks for the farm workers...and this trip it was a truck and a

trailer that will be used to test the potatoes in the field.

The Boy...who is still a young buck....was assigned to drive the truck and trailer....

It is a 4x4 disel truck, which thrilled The Boy.....The Farmer called it a

"young man's ride" and that he was too old to enjoy it ;)

The Mom....(me)....thought that The Boy was a little young for this type of task. After all

we weren't traveling a short distance....it would be hours until we reached our destination. The Farmer assured The Mom that The Boy was plenty capable and that it was a "right of passage." And then we heard stories of when the The Farmer was a teenager he had to pull peach wagons loaded down with freshly picked peaches....to the local

co-op for packing. Some of his stories are just flat out disturbing....anyway....he lived,

and that was his "right of passage." We drove and drove...through rain, engine trouble and we finally arrived in Mesa....in the middle of the night. After parking the vehicles....The Farmer

met The Boy with a fatherly hug and announced..."Boy, you have done a man's job"

And it happened....he became a little more of a man.

(The Boy....searching for cell signal at Yellowstone....just one more text....)


The "manly" Boy.

After spending a few days in Mesa.....and some extremely yummy Mac-n-Cheese at ZTejas....

with some pretty amazing men that I call "Brothers"....

we hit the road again. This time we headed to The Thorn Ranch. The Thorn is the home

of scout camp this year as well as the anual round-up, which is also going on at the moment.

It was just beautiful!

Many wonderful memories have been made at The Thorn Ranch.

The Farmer's Father loved that ranch, and he especially loved it when the whole family would gather there. Our gatherings were usually because of a round-up and everyone was needed. Whether it be for cooking or gathering cattle, there was a job for everyone.

He was also a fan of an evening trip...after a long hot day....to the local DQ,

which was about 20 miles away, at the end of a dirt road.

He also loved a good Pawn shop....and was known to purchase something for everyone at the Pawn Shop in Silver City. We really did have some great finds there!

He was one of the last real cowboys around.

Back to The Thorn Ranch/scout camp.....We headed down the dirt road, leading

to the ranch house.....to drop off The Rooster....when we came upon a wash...

that had completely "washed out" the road. And so we parked on one side of the wash, and The Rooster carried his gear to the otherside and waited for Uncle D. and Aunt M. to give

him a ride to the ranch house. They arrived...we talked...we hugged.....we said good-bye...and

we hit the road again. This time we headed to Deming....to change cars....and then we said

good-bye to The Manly Boy....who returned to AZ to work for the next few weeks.

We then purchased a little food....afterall we have been away from home for over a month....and then we hit the road again....this time headed for The Border.

We were met by a few of the things that we have NOT missed at all.....

The border agents called Aduanas...and the soldier check points....but we successfully arrived

home very late in the night. We were met by our loyal beasts....all three thrilled to see us!

(don't you just love dogs??!!)

Kitty Meow Meow found PreShie, they hugged, and he drank two bowls of milk.

Oh, it is good to be home!




The Rooster....crossing the washed out wash.....with a suitcase on his head

This morning....before the unloading began.....I walked through the yard to make

sure everything was in order. The Farmer had called ahead to make sure everything was clean

and weeded before we arrived. He knows that I don't like an unkept yard.....

and that if it is in bad shape....I complain alot. So although he did a kind thing for me....he also

did a kind thing for himself ;) Everything is beautiful! The rains have begun and that means that

everything is green! The afternoons cloud up....and it rains...often that means phone service and electricity is lost....but that makes it even more fun!



The only thing bad about Monsoon season....is my hair!

Can you say curly?????

These guys look great! They have really grown .....when we left they were chicks and now

they are teenagers.....They seemed happy that we were home too.

The cousins...that haven't seen each other for over a month....spent the day catching up....

we have tasted the fruits of our garden....okra and squash....it has been a great day!

There is no place like home!!!