Sun-up, sun-down

I was running the trails this morning in the frigid

 cold as I anxiously watched the sun pop up above Mt. Taylor.

It immediately warmed me up and cast a beautiful light on the ranch.

 Later this evening, I was sitting behind Mr. Nielson, who was driving a 4-wheeler

 and I watched (and felt!) the sun disappear behind the Mesa.

I felt privileged to have been able to welcome the sun and
say farewell when it was finished for the day.

This evening Mr. Nielson took us up on another beautiful 

canyon on the ranch, where we hiked up the rugged riverbed

and made hundreds of new discoveries.

It was beautiful, and everything smelled fresh and woodsy.

The boys followed what they thought were elk tracks, and the girls

and I stayed back, talking about where we wanted to put a Christmas tree

inside the ranch house, boys, and the new Albion line.

The elk tracks happened to be those of an escaped cow, 

and Angus started to whimper, and we knew it was time to go home.

We stopped to check several water tanks to be sure everything was 

working properly and to let Angus get a drink of water.

When we pulled up to the ranch house and before we

made out way in, I snapped a few photos of my

darling children so I could remember these lovely days
of all of us together, just us.

We went inside, cleaned up, made dinner, had FHE, and now

as I type this, Mr. Nielson is upstairs kissing children goodnight and
will be waiting patiently for me- or he could be fast asleep.
It's always a gamble.

I can tell the days are getting shorter, and fall has officially begun.