Saturday, November 6, 2021

It's a Birthday !

Corona de Tucson

November 6, 2021



Joe had a birthday...we had a party !  Just the two of us with truffle cake and ice cream !




The rest of his week was not so much fun. Joe had 4 more MOHs surgeries...one on his shin (half way between his knee and ankle) and the other three on his neck.  

We've had to take a hiatus from morning walks and desert hikes.

All stitches come out on the 15th.  We can't wait !




This morning we drove about 20 miles south to Empire Ranch.  It's a historic ranch established in the 1860s as a homestead ranch of 160 acres.  We first visited the ranch site, located in the Las Cienegas Conservation Area, back in March 2017.  If you are interested in the history, you can read about it in the blog I wrote then...just click on the Featured Post - top right side bar.  Today's visit was all about cowboys and celebrating Arizona's western history and culture.


It's also an effort by the BLM and the ranch foundation to raise money to support the preservation of the ranch for future generations.  














The "main event" in the arena while we were there was a demonstration of how the Arizona Correctional Industries and the BLM, are working together to provide inmates with hands-on-training to care and train animals.  It also trains the wild horses and burrows that have "never been touched by human hands" to be working animals so that they can be adopted into a forever home.  It's a program called WHIP...Wild Horse Inmate Program.  A state of the art facility in Florence, AZ employs a staff of professional horse trainers and at any given time there are up to 30 wild horses and 20 wild burrows being trained.




As with most festivals, there were a variety of vendors. 

Maybe you are in the market to be personally fitted for a pair of handmade boots, about $800...

...or maybe a pair of slightly used, worn just enough to be comfortable pair of boots is what you need, best price offered accepted. 













There was fun music, BBQ, cowboy hats, a silversmith, a leatherworker, a potter, and little cowboys in training.   















And yes, I was all smiles... 






...even though I haven't found "just the right cowgirl hat" for me...yet.  


What a fun goal to have !







Back at the oasis, Jack has enjoyed the sunshine,













Sally and I have enjoyed the sunrise,













Joe enjoyed birthday cake,













and Dover sits close by.



That's a wrap.   So until next time, enjoy the day and...














HAPPY TRAILS !

12 comments:

  1. A fun time at your ranch and the Empire Ranch.
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE !!!

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  2. We will have to check out Empire Ranch. Happy Birthday Joe--you are just slightly behind the Cowboy in years. And poor Joe--these Mohs procedures have to be getting old!

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    1. Thank you Janna…I thought maybe Joe and the Cowboy were close in age. Empire Ranch is a beautiful drive and you can visit anytime of the year and take a self-guided tour.

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  3. Happy birthday Joe. You're still a young punk compared to my Jim. Our neighbor is having a ton of stuff done on his skin. Scraping and holes dug. So not fun. They bought him a special spf type shirt with long sleeves. The Ranch sounds like a great place. I love the idea of inmates learning how to be different people with the help of animals.

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    1. Thank you Sandie. I totally agree. I have a feeling the inmates are hand-picked for the training. It was easy to see the special connection between the animal and the inmate…

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  4. Happy Birthday Joe! My mouth is watering at that cake....and your birthday party had all the best guests! We enjoyed wandering around the Conservation area one year, it is quietly beautiful. Love the pup pictures, how did little Jack get up in that chair?

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    1. Thank you Sue. Quietly beautiful is a great description. Can you believe Jack jumped in the chair all by himself? I did manage to be at the right place at the right time to lift him out of the chair. He is still quite the little athlete at somewhere between 13-14 years old.

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  5. Looks like a tasty birthday - glad it was a happy day Joe! I love Empire Ranch and am bummed I didn't know about that fun event - I have to get better about watching for local events :-)

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    1. Thank you Jodee. The Cowboy Festival is an annual event in November. I heard someone say there is also a Christmas event, but I don’t have any details yet.

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  6. Sounds like my idea of a birthday party. Happy Birthday, Joe. Hope all goes well with these last MOHs surgeries. Love seeing all the Tan Clan. I don't believe I've seen Jack without his ball in a photo.

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    1. Thank you Pam. It’s a toss up as to which Jack loves the most...playing, sleeping or eating! He does love the warm sunshine this time of year, but usually on the patio in a chair w/cushions...

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