Branding

Here is a list of things I'd never thought I'd be able to say:

I rode on the back of a calf and got thrown off into a pile of manure. 

I rassled a calf down to the ground.

I ear-tagged and gave cows shots.

I got kicked and pushed and thrown and bled on and stomped.

I took a branding iron and branded a cow.

I ate a cooked rocky mountain oyster.

This weekend was full of firsts. One of my good friends Tim asked a group of us to go up to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to help at his cousins' ranch. 

I. Loved. It. 

Quite the experience, definitely unforgettable. There is something really fulfilling about holding down a calf, feeling absolutely filthy, being covered with manure and smelling awful. You begin to feel like a real American. 

Hawaiian Cowboy Rob showing no mercy.

Uncle Jim showing me how to brand. 

Morgan loving that ear-tagger.

Legit. Admit it.

Andrus Ranch. Awesome. 

Tyler and Taylor. This was Tyler's favorite weekend of his life. 

Here is the second floor of the barn....

...where we may or may not have done some tai chi. 

Great view of the action downstairs.

Taylor looking downright pensive.

Sheeeeeeep! 

Someone said Taylor looked like a mixture of Indiana Jones and the man from snowy river with that hat.
I concur.

We worked at the ranch, we got in touch with our roots, we did things we never thought we'd do. We sang country songs, listened to people recite cowboy poetry, ate a hearty stew that had been thrown in a giant milk tin and cooked on a campfire. We slept in a lodge, told stories for hours, and played games. We sat on the porch, watched it rain, and played the guitar. We ate freshly baked bread, we played outside, we roasted hotdogs over a fire. We went to the hot springs, we went to church with all the Lava natives, we played with a bunch of little kids. All in all, it was an extremely successful weekend up in Lava.