Dear Friends,We have sheep. This is our 6th year. This past week, Abby and Ethan closed a deal on 200 more. It looks like sheep are set to be in the future of Alderspring. There are jobs for them to do; the war on weeds is real; sheep like them. In addition, they are complementary grazers to cattle, …
We Are What We Eat
Dear Friends Caryl and I watched an indie movie last week that was filmed on location in Italy. Many scenes were shot in piazzas (plazas), bustling with people. Hundreds of ‘extras’ were captured in the background of the film, simply going about their business. And after seeing multitudes of …
100 Days, 600 Miles
Dear Friends “Are you sad that it’s almost over?†As we bumped our way on the 2-track out of the backcountry from our last cow camp, I was asking my 26-year-old Linnaea about coming off the range with the cattle in the next few days. She, along with our other daughters and some great crew …
Beeves in the Back of Beyond
The late August sun glinted through the trees along the ridgeline above. I was alone, putting together a remote stock water system in an essential wilderness, with a fire pump, 300 feet of surplus firehose and two 1000 gallon poly tanks. I had pulled the hose-lay on foot over my shoulder up a steep …
Wild Orchids & Wild Country
“I think I found an orchid,†I stated as I strode into the kitchen, back from a body-torturing 54 mile dirtbike ride across the high foothills of the Rockies. Don’t misunderstand—I am much more of a horseback guy than a dirtbike guy, although for a 62 year old, I can give most 20 somethings …
Ode to the Belle
Dear Friends Sometimes saying goodbye to an old friend is just the right thing. It was one of those winter afternoons where I was walking through the cattle earlier this week, and it had spit snow all day. The wind was up a little, and the breeze was sharpening, as the sun finally crept out …