On February 9th and 10th, Pat made his last visits to the sheep camps. On February 9th, Pat and I attended the junior high basketball games to watch our grandson McCoy play ball. McCoy’s other grandparents,Jeff and Georgia Stocklin, came down from Ten Sleep to enjoy the games. Since it was a while between the morning game and the afternoon game, we four grandparents decided to run out to Powder Flat, about 45 minutes away, to see how the preparations for lambing were going. We raise our own rams, and our Hampshire and purebred Rambouillet ewes lamb in March at Powder Flat. We have a winter crew who tend the one band of ewes who winter in the Powder Wash country. Things were in good order and the boys won their basketball game.
The next morning, Pat, Seamus and I headed for the Red Desert to visit with the sheepherders there and to bring home a trailer full of rams. They have completed their task of breeding the ewes so that we’ll have lambs in May and June. We were happy to see that, in utter contrast to last winter, conditions are great, with lots of dry feed which grew up last summer, and just the right amount of snow. It’s a “Goldilocks Winter”–not too much and not too little. We had a great day.
It is with a heavy heart that I report that these were Pat’s last visits to the sheep and the sheep camps. One February 13th, he had a severe stroke, and he died on February 25th. I will post more on this later. Here’s some photos from those visits.











Martha Kennedy
March 9, 2024 at 9:55 PM
I was thinking this morning of your winter last year. These are great photos. To all of you, I’m sorry for the loss of Pat. This post is a beautiful testament.
john Dofflemyer
March 10, 2024 at 4:55 AM
Our most sincere condolences, Sharon, he will be missed. He was a mainstay for this lifestyle and culture, a bright, bright man.
murisopsis
March 10, 2024 at 10:27 PM
Sharon I’m so sorry to hear this sad news. Your are all in my prayers.
Oogie McGuire
April 1, 2024 at 6:38 PM
I am so sorry. My condolences. A lovely last visit to the sheep though.