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Tag Archives: Savery

Yearling ewes, and Solano, from Badwater to the Forest

Alejandro on the trail with the yearlings

After lambing, we trail the ewes and lambs to grazing allotments on the Routt and Medicine Bow National Forests, where they find green grass, fresh water, and bears and coyotes. The on-date is the first of July, and we stage the trailing, one day apart–one bunch after another. When the ewes, lambs and herders and settled on their summer grazing grounds,  it is time for the yearling ewes to start on the trail. They have been grazing in the high desert Badwater pasture since shearing in late April. They follow the traditional trails, including the Savery Stock Driveway, to their high mountain allotment in the Medicine Bow.

Solano with his backpack

The yearling herder Alejandro likes to keep an orphan lamb each year, and raise it as a pet. This summer he has two bum lambs, including one which was lost on the trail and picked up by our neighbor, Jock–an avid bicyclist. Alejandro still has his pet from two years ago, Solano. I was startled to see that Alejandro had “repurposed” a dog food bag into a backpack for Solano. I’m not quite sure what he was meant to carry. Solano is quite the sheep. Sometimes he follows Alejandro on his horse, and sometimes he hangs out with the dogs or the sheep. I like to say that Solano is “no ordinary sheep.”

Jock bringing me the lost lamb on his bicycle

Tiarnan with Alejandro’s pet lamb

lamb and Tiarnan

midday break at Loco Creek

Guard dog mom and pups catching a ride

yearlings on the march

 

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Snake River Community Barbeque and Fun Day

Has anyone else noticed the prevalence of “Fun Day” to describe gatherings in our community–and it’s true. We in the Little Snake River Valley really know how to have fun! Right after Labor Day, we have an end-of-summer, about to plunge-into-fall-work, guess-it-will-be snowing-soon celebration. This year the Community Barbeque included a barbeque (go figure), bouncy big toys for the kids and some grown-ups, live music, an arts and crafts display, and, of course, The Mostly Peruvian Soccer Tournament. One of our neighbors donates the use of his hayfield, next to the museum, as a soccer venue. Most years, the hay is put up, and the stubble is a little stiff. This year, due to generous (some might say overabundant) rains, the field featured somewhat soggy windrows, some of which had been raked aside to allow for clear soccer fields. This year, eleven teams played. A few were turned away, after being deemed to be too far afield and too semi-pro to participate. This gives you an idea of how many Peruvians are employed in agriculture in our area and surrounding communities. This is a day that the players look forward to all year. Even though several of our sheepherders left their flocks for the day to play for our team, the Osos de Ladder Ranch, alas,  our guys did not prevail. Still, a good time was had by all–truly Fun Days!

Peruvian soccer game in the hayfield next to the Little Snake River Museaum

Peruvian soccer game in the hayfield next to the Little Snake River Museum

Sundog, entertaining the crowd

Sundog, entertaining the crowd

A fabulous quilt by Aggie Stocks on display.

A fabulous quilt by Aggie Stocks on display.

Rainbow over the swingset and museum

Rainbow over the swingset and museum

Oso Antonio with Rhen

Oso Antonio with Rhen

Kids in line for the bouncy toy, with their shoes off

Kids in line for the bouncy toy, with their shoes off

Eamon on the bungee pull, with Brenden

Eamon on the bungee pull, with Brenden

Museum Director Leila Emmons with McCoy , Tiarnan, and the garden planted with the kids on Pioneer Day

Museum Director Leila Emmons with McCoy , Tiarnan, and the garden planted with the kids on Pioneer Day

Sally Martinez supervises the roasting of the lamb, beef and pork

Sally Martinez supervises the roasting of the lamb, beef and pork

Peruvain soccer players check out the Strobridge House

Peruvain soccer players check out the Strobridge House

Rhen at the top of the slide which has terrified generations of children

Rhen at the top of the slide which has terrified generations of children

Museum scarecrow

Museum scarecrow

Tiarnan and Siobhan under the sunflowers

Tiarnan and Siobhan under the sunflowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The All-Peruvian soccer tournament, Savery Museum

2012 Osos de Ladder Ranch
and ardent supporters

2012 marked the Third Annual Peruvian Soccer Tournament near the Little Snake River Museum in Savery.   Quite a few Peruvians work on the ranches in our Valley, and for years, they have gotten together for pickup “futbol” games.  In 2012, some local folks decided that it would be fun to hold a tournament during the community’s fall barbeque.

Faithful blog readers may recall that our team, the Osos de Ladder Ranch, were the 2011 champions. This year eleven teams showed up to play, including one from Utah and one from Meeker, Colorado.  (This prompted some discussion as to how local the teams should be, as there are some teams in places like Salt Lake and Denver who are much more “professional” than our local teams.  The local guys literally come in from sheep camp and cow camp and hay fields to play.)

The last minute appearance of three teams necessitated the reworking of the brackets.  Luckily, local rancher and tournament co-organizer Jack Cobb also helps coach the local high school football team, so he had the skills to create new brackets on the spot.

Our guys played valiantly, and ended up in the championship game (their fourth of the day), but alas, lost by one goal to another local team–let’s call them the Adams Ranch “Hombres de Baggs”.

Pat broke his pelvis in late July.  We spent six weeks in Denver while he recovered, but he made it his goal to be home to cheer on the Osos.  We made it by one day.

Soccer ball flying high

Waiting in the wings with cowboy hats

Osos on the run

Osos cheering section: Brian, McCoy, Megan, Eamon and Trish

McCoy and Tiarnan: suited up and ready to play

McCoy’s got the ball

Tiarnan headed into the game, Meghan coaching

Yet another willing sub

Fall foliage

El Patron, watching in comfort

Proud fans at the end of the day

 
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Posted by on September 22, 2012 in Events, Family, Folks, Peruvian sheepherders

 

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