About Dayphoto

My name is Linda Brown. I live on a farm on the western slope of Colorado, in the high mountain desert. I’ve lived here all my life, hailing back four generations on my father’s side. Today I blog about our farm, the everyday activities that keep the farm going. I also write about my thoughts and dreams and goals. On Friday’s I always write about TLC Cai-Cai. Our sweet kitty who helps keep the farm safe. And Boo Berry Betty, a breeder dog learning to be a Farm Dog! The lovely thing about blogging it opens the world up for all of us to reach out and meet people from many different cultures and different ways of life. You can find me every day (but Saturday) at https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/ Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm, Linda Brown

SURPRISE!!!!

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Dayphoto

An August born calf!

Unheard of!

(At least in our neck of the woods.)

When did it happen…DECEMBER!?

Come on we didn’t have a bull in with the late cows in December!

But here she is…born August 12, 2009 at 4:33 p.m. And to a first year heifer, which means … she wasn’t going to get bred until May, she is/was just too young!

What do we know?!

Those sneaky bulls or at least one of the bulls! Over there in the neighbor’s farm, has to be…. ours was two miles away. The only other cows on the place are/were mothers- in- waiting. And we never missed the heifer, ever! Nor did we see a bull hanging out! But it happened….here is the calf, all shiny and new! Surprise

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Dayphoto

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Getting to Know You

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Dayphoto

When I was in the third grade our teacher found for us pen pals from a faraway place in Washington D.C. It was something like her brother’s wife taught third grade at ?????? school. Each child/student got a ‘pen-pal’ and we were to write (print more like it—-that was a long, long time ago and we were still printing in 3^rd grade. Cursive didn’t begin until 5^th grade, way back when). To this ‘other student’ and let them know about life in Eckert, Colorado.

From that point on I was smitten. I loved pen pals, I have had many over the years as far away as Korea, and as close as the Indian Reservation in Arizona. But life always has a way of moving people on so pen pals come and go.

Blogging is so much like pen-pals but ever so much better. Blogs are full of those visual details called photos, and it is as instant as doing an internet search. Plus the best part of it all, many of my blogging pals have become fast and wonderful friends.

This weekend, Daryl and Kath and thier kids,

Zack, Seth, Clark, and Tessa, invited my DH and me to their HUGE farm in Wyoming. We went and were entertained with the best of home-style hospitality.

The-New-Wyoming-House

We got to see the new cabin they are building. (All the land as far as you can see is theirs)

Checking-the-Wyoming-Hay

DH and the guys all checked the hay to see if it was ready to rake — it was.

Best-Tubs

Played with Tubs…he loves to catch water bottles

We had an amazing time! Thanks Everyone!

Travel’n Man

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Dayphoto

The-Bull

Hi, I’m Sammy’O, Sam for short!

Pleased to meet cha!

I think we met some time back, back when life was a bit more easy. Just hang’n out with the guys, drinking beer and having a cigar now and then, talking politics, women just don’t understand politics.

Boy, does that get the girls all riled-up when I say that, but hey(!) we guys know! We see how there is a Boss Cow, shoot, she even bosses me around.

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But its summer now, and I’m a work’n feller, and I’m one of those lucky guys…I LOVE MY WORK! Man, I just love it!

Some of the boys, get all snorty and run and jump and butt heads together, but me? Well, I’ve got this whole thing figured out. You make it hard for ‘the people’ and you get the hard jobs. You make it easy, you get the cream. Heck, my days are full of guard duty, lots of green grass, and hang’n with the chicks. No beer, or smokes, but that can wait for winter. (Have to set a good example for the kids, ya know.)

My Mom, who is a cow, told me- if you don’t get carried away with yourself, (like butt around the feed trough, or stamp on the waterer), make friends with all the other cows, be a good security guard, and don’t get the human scared, the world will be your oyster.

AND SHE WAS RIGHT!!!

The other dudes, get loaded up and headed out, but I get to stay with the late bloomers, you know the ones who have kids later in the spring. I stay my required 42 days, sometimes more, give or take a week or so. Then my human shows up with the trailer, I wait right at the gate (I know what that means…more pastures, more girls) and as soon as the trailer gate is open and he opens the corral gate, I just walk right in.

AHHH! Life is Gooooood!

The-Bull

Crag Crest Trail

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Dayphoto

Sign

For all of you hikers out there, add this to your 100 trails you must hike before you die list. It is a 10 mile circular trail, traveling over a crest and looping back to the start point.

Through-the-Trees

When I was young, 11, 12, 13, and 14, we lived on Grand Mesa (Colorado) every summer due to my health.

Rock-Side

(It is just an hour away).

Up-the-Craig

Every week for the first two years, Momma, my brother and I would hike this trail.

Up-the-Crest

I don’t remember it being such a hard thing to do, but whew! It is!

Over-the-Top

(Pant, Pant, Wheeze…man the things I do to post on a blog!!! Whew!)

On the crest both sides of the path drop off steeply allowing the hiker to look into Mesa County on the right

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See the bookcliffs in the distance?

Land-of-the-Lakes

and Delta County on the left. Grand Mesa has 100’s of lakes.

Down-the-Trail

We gradually get back to tree line.

5-Miles-across

Walking along the lower edge

Around-the-Lake

Until we get back to the cars.

Down-the-Other-Side

There you have it, a top of the world tour from Grand Mesa, Colorado!

Tom Boy Mine

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Dayphoto

Tom-Boy-Sign

On the Telluride side is the remains of an old mining Town, not camp, but a true town. This town, called Tom Boy once had over 900 residents, complete with tennis courts. The town closed in 1927 when the ore at the Tom boy mine ran out.

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(This is the remains of the Bullion Tunnel Mine–on your way into Tomboy from the Telluride side)

More-and-More-Tom-Boy

You can only reach this site, about 2 -3 months out of the year, the rest of the time the road is closed because of weather.

More-Tom-Boy

This looks like it might have been a rooming house or hotel.

Rock-Cabin

Just for the record Imogene Pass is rated a 4 out of the possible 5 as far as 4-wheel drive difficulty and is the second highest pass in Colorado.

Cabin

Whenever I see old mining towns, camps and mines in these hills mountains I am reminded once more….living here is not for the faint hearted.

Surprise!

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Dayphoto

The canal ran over its bank last night! This is the road into our house. The nice part about this road is it is lower than where we live. My DH told me I can “just go slow, you can still make it to work!”

Our-Road

After many loads of dirt everything was under control again. It made for an interesting drive to the highway, at any rate.

Ouray to Telluride, Colorado by Way of Imogene Pass

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Dayphoto

Starting in Ouray, Colorado ( I took 239 photos, but you will only see a few of them, around 14) In the beginning Telluride was called To Hell You Ride, from this pass you can see why.

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The way is narrow and steep

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With a few four-wheeled drive vehicles, nothing like the Telluride side.

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For some reason the flys were thick

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This part of the road is pure rock

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That is an old Miner’s house

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We are headed to the top of Imogene at this point

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Almost there! I always feel like I can truly say I am in the middle of the Rocky Mountains when I get here. Nothing but peaks and peaks of other mountains.

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Looking down on Red Mountain. The major highway from Ouray to Durango goes through these mountains. Million Dollar Highway, Red Mountain, Molas, and Coalbank, all big passes and beautiful and dangerous in the winter.

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