Work continues...
The facing goes up!
Breaking bread together under a covered roof!
While Greg works on pipes...
...and sessions continue, as we get new veterans started.
With a break in the action we took to visit Cimarron and our friends the Mavericks, for their 3rd Annual WRCA Sanctioned & 1st Annual RCRA Sactioned Maverick Ranch Rodeo. The Mavericks are staunch supporters of our program and we were proud to be their honored guests! Thank you all!
Rick with program partner Mike Hobbs and Carrie of Express UU Bar.
It was a great day watching events like Bronc Riding, where you ride for 8 seconds in a standard working saddle...
...no PRCA rigging allowed, and the horse has to be saddled as he would be for everyday cowboy use.
Wild Cow Milking where each four man team ~ One man ropes the cow...
Two muggers get 'er still enough...
...for the milker to milk her and hand off to another team mate to run back to the circle where...
...the judge will allow 10 seconds for milk to leave a standard 12 oz longneck bottle ~ team with the fastest time wins!
Then after the rain storm the RCRA ~ Ranch Cowgirls Rodeo Association had their turn!
Boy could those women ride, rope, sort & mug!
This event was "Doctoring"~ one headed...
...the other healed...
...and one marked the head denoting doctoring was done!
"A cowgirl is a woman with guts and a horse."
Pipes!!!
Post digging ~ prep for the covered porches.
Got 'er done with the help of Cowboy Up! volunteer, First Gentleman, Chuck Franco ~ he wasn't shy of hard work, let me tell ya!
Then the next day we got to see Chuck's lovely wife, Governor Susana Martinez...
... to thank her for loaning us her husband...
...and to explain all the hard work Rick had put him through!
Santa Fe Youth Build came out once again and were of great help, as always!
Thanks you guys!
Electricity has been wired!!!
And final framing details addressed.
Plumbing ~ check!
Shower floor installed ~ Check!
And after a much need rain ~ a rainbow, which reminds me of a little story that I shared a couple years ago worth sharing once again...
We attended the 12th Annual Native American Veterans Wellness Symposium on November 5th. I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful veterans who took time to speak with us. One particular veteran told me about his personal experience with his own horses and how they help him to decompress. He went on to tell me that on one particular day he saddled up to just get away after having a day of being fed up. He went out riding into the canyon and after some time he encountered a storm. Thinking to himself he thought how he was trying to get away from home only to be faced with what mother nature had handed him. So he braced himself against the rain and traveled back home through the canyon. The rain began to lighten and then stopped all together. He turned around in his saddle for whatever reason and saw the most beautiful rainbow, his face even lit up as he was telling me and he asked me, "You know what I learned that day?" he continued to tell me how often he reminds even himself...
"No matter what, when you weather the storm there is a rainbow at the end".
Wise words!
"No matter what, when you weather the storm there is a rainbow at the end".
Wise words!
Windows were delivered yesterday, so today was quite a day of installing and wrapping!
Just envision a wrap around covered porch, soon to come...
Thank you all who have helped and continue to share their time and skills on this project ~
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
