Windswept~

A morning of beautiful sunshine, temperatures climbing into the low 70's, but humid.  Humid enough, I worked up my first really good sweat of the season!  After lunch I finished up some planting & drove out to the farm.

Farah see's something~

Farah was waiting, the evenings Butch is away, we usually go on longer rides.  I'd no more than saddled up - when the clouds moved in & along with them - wind.  Somewhat eerie, how fast the weather can change.  Farah is getting her annual series of Adequan injections.  I'd thought about not doing it this year.  The price hasn't gone down & it's expensive.  But the miles keep adding up & the mare has stayed incredibly sound. 

As my retirement ride - I want to keep her going down the trail for as long as she's able.  God willing, we'll travel through our golden years together & when she's done, I will be too.  After this mare, none other could ever come close.

We spook a small herd of seven deer!

As we rounded the corner from one field to the next, Farah stopped to watch as the white tail deer took off from a small ravine.  They're so fast & I had to get my camera, but still managed to get a shot of them.

Haze moving in~

The longer we were out, the more the haze moved in.  The wind was absolutely relentless - especially on the hilltops.  We were heading back when our friend Bill came driving by.  He stopped & motioned us over, introducing his friend Marty.  Marty boards her horse on Bills' farm.  We exchanged phone numbers to make future ride plans.

The road west~

We moved over to the edge of a newly disked field to get off the rock & move a little faster.  Farah is almost the color of the soil!

On our run today, we reached another speed milestone.  A real thrill - especially - since a dust devil blew directly across the road just in front of us.  Her color was once described to me as;  "Arena dirt brown."  Now I can say it's Loess Hills brown :-)