It has been very quiet around the ranch over the past few months. There are just the two of us here now, weathering winter with the farm animals, the young horses and some mares. Most of the riding horses and all the cattle are at our lower place near Riverton. We have had very little snow which makes the daily chores easier for the moment; but we worry about moisture levels for irrigating next summer. On Christmas Day, for a change of scene, we set off hoping to view bighorn sheep above Trail Lake. There was a small family group which we had been observing and photographing for a time, when down the ridge came a young ram who passed about ten feet away, completely unconcerned. It was a lovely experience.
Richard is in Kenya helping guide horse safaris. He arrived there just in time to join Metian in the Masai ceremony signifying his transition to elderhood. Metian has been with us since the early days of running safaris in Kenya over 20 years ago, and we have shared some exciting times together. Richard will be back in February to help with the calving.
We will be spending nearly a month in India riding and viewing tigers with a great group of guests. The organization on these trips is always impeccable thanks to the efforts of Arun and Bonnie. The best thing about these rides is the wonderful friends one makes in other countries. We wish you all a prosperous 2005 and hope to share happy trails with some of you next summer.
