Horsin' Around

We meandered to breakfast at the sound of the bell. After a hearty meal, we waited at the horse corral for our first ride. The wranglers said they let pregnant women up to 7 mos ride the horses, so... I decided to give it a go! My horse's name was Bob. He was super old for a horse—the same age as me (32)! He often wandered a bit out of line and off the beaten path to make his own way. I didn't really argue with him.

Waiting to load onto horses 

Saddled up!

Uncle Justin

Grammy

One of the wranglers, Garrett

The rides were really peaceful and relaxing. It was so nice being out in nature with the beautiful panoramic views of the ranch and surrounding hills. We never did afternoon rides, thinking the mornings were the best time to go, heat-wise. 

Pop-Pop plays the harmonica

After our first ride, we relaxed around the ranch until lunchtime. I did a little reading. I believe that day lunch was outside in the BBQ area.

After lunch, we headed down to the pool for a rather chilly swim. At this point in our trip, the Texas heat hadn't ramped up enough to make the cool water inviting.

Our after-dinner entertainment that night was Vegas. As in, Vegas, the 2,300-lb (and growing) longhorn steer! We all took a turn sitting atop him for photo ops.

The rest of the evening we spent at the playground where Ada started befriending an older little girl named Lucy, from the one other family staying at the ranch (the first two days were just us and said super-nice family—then strangers started movin' in on 'our' territory!). I think Christy also noticed fireflies that night. Sooo cool! My first time seeing fireflies.

When did she become a big girl?!

These adorable goats and their babies would roam around our cabin after dinner! So fun to watch. The ranch's ubiquitous barn swallows were another sight to see, making their home above us as we chilled on our porch in the cooler (but still humid) evening air.