9.21.23 A Day In The Studio
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
6M ago
I’ve been part of a group called the East Studio Art League for about 3 years now.  I found the painter Richard Alan Nichols online years ago and my sweet,  sweet husband gifted me a set of art group classes for Christmas back in 2019 or so.   “Rich” leads the group and is always the first one to the door with a cup of hot coffee and inevitably a good joke.  His laughter and that of the rest of class,  is audible from the beautifully gardened patio in front of the Blumenschein Museum. The Art class takes place in Blumie’s old home– so it’s small and condensed with ..read more
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9.14.23 Hibernatin’ Season is coming Quick!
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
7M ago
[Disclaimer: author has been binge-listening to the Lonesome Dove audiobook prior to this submission] [Pro-tip: to best enjoy this post, read it in your head as if it is Lonesome Dove] Mid-September now and it’s possible to get snow any time from now to December, depending on what the clouds and mountains and wind and sun decide to do when they get together. The shortening days are driving my instinctual prep-for-hibernation drive here ’round the ‘ranch’… I feel like that Virgo sun of mine is in full swing… hell, I even soap-washed the dust pans yesterday! And of course, all the daily chores c ..read more
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9.11.2023 Riding Lesson Review
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
7M ago
I’ve started teaching riding lessons on a very limited basis to a few folks I’ve selected as reasonable students. I asked one of my students to write a review upon the end of her time working with me and Tracker, and here’s what she had to say: “Darwin’s horseback lessons were just what I needed at a time in my life when I wanted to learn something new. I thought I knew how to ride horses from trail rides over the years, but I realized I don’t know much at all once I got in the corral! “Darwin’s lessons taught me how to properly engage all riding muscles that no one had ever brought to my atte ..read more
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10.15.2021 Poco Disco Dude
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
I will always count it amongst the biggest honors in my life to have been given the responsibility and humbling task of being Disco’s person for 19 years.  He came into my life fast and unexpected,  just as he always was. The interest with horses started in me at birth but grew into an undeniable obsession by the time I was 12. Growing up in the suburbs of the twin cities metro meant having a horse was never going to happen, but I persisted nonetheless.  I started to observe my parents and what worked best on them individually: my mom was a sucker for the emotional appeal but sh ..read more
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10.25.2020 Never Runnin’ Scared
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
The story of Nitro: how one South Dakotan colt ended up in my blossoming herd. Nitro. I can start the story where it starts, which would mean around 25 years ago with a myopically obsessed horse girl, or it could start about a year ago. For brevity’s sake, we’ll go with the latter. It has been nearly a year since I bought my 15.3 hand high Quarter Horse gelding Tracker (aka OSR Hickory Sam if you ask the American Quarter Horse Association). Boy do I LOVE that horse who I affectionately call Tall Boy. Tracker is a towering guy as solid as they come. His bones are thick and heavy like cement– it ..read more
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8.22.2020 Trail 85: High Altitude Heart Lake Loop
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
It seems reasonable to do a nice big hike to celebrate my sweetie’s birthday, and perfectly apt to do a loop that brings us by a lake named after, (and possibly shaped like?) a heart. Planning Phase 1) Step 1: Decide which hike, of the local multitudes, to try. We were originally going to hike Wheeler Peak via Bull of the Woods but were notified that this area was closed for Taos Pueblo tribal ceremonial purposes. 2) Step 2: Guesstimate how long the hike will take. Here’s where a real important nuance takes place: there’s more to milage than just the distance walked. Calculate elevation gain ..read more
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8.1.2020 Trail-less Riding
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
I consider myself one to take the road less traveled, and this meandering 7-mile “trail” ride epitomized the truth that not all who wander are lost. All I knew is that I wanted to get out. By the time I had the horse in the trailer, I still hadn’t even decided which cardinal direction I’d drive. North? Could be. South? Not a bad idea. East? The thought crossed my mind. West? Probably. Temperatures were rising out at the ranch and it wasn’t getting any cooler. The dog took a quick swim ‘in the pool’ to cool her jets, while I pontificated gratefully that literally any direction we’d go would ho ..read more
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7.26.2020 Sunshine Valley: Reelin’ n Ropin’ Rio Grande Style
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
“Essential workers” are, in general, coming apart at the seams by this time. It is July— 5 months in, and the pandemic is still blooming across America. The 24-7 news cycle seems to have been raised to the third power with the addition of social media, and its impossible for a busy worker to catch up with treatment recommendations, nonetheless to question and critically appraise any information presented by the CDC and other agencies. So when my dear friend, also a PA, asked if I’d like to go fly fishing in the Rio Grande with her and her sweetheart, I… bit the bait!!!! Haw haw haw!! Of cours ..read more
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Podcast Shoutout: Broken Record
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
Welcome to the second installation of Podcast Shoutout! Here I talk about what podcasts you might find worthy of your precious (or not?) time, and why. Broken Record is, as its title may imply, a music-focused podcast. One of the greatest benefits of receiving information through podcasts is that they’re less commercialized and often more focused on real content. Podcasters just wanna share all the cool stuff! And Broken Record has all the cool stuff. Each episode is about an hour long and is comprised of an interviewer, often famed-producer Rick Rubin, and a musical guest or guests. What I r ..read more
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The original 4WD: Hopewell Lake Weekend Horse Camping
Backcountry Cowgirl Blog
by darwinscreationisms
2y ago
About 3 months ago I was complaining to my sweetie about the lamented lost days of adventure. Ever since starting as a full-time family practice PA, the coveted Big Adventures have gone somewhere into deep hibernation and mostly are being replaced by Little Hikes and other underwhelming minutae. Riding out to T-bone ranch Also — my work requires me to put in requests for time off 3 MONTHS in advance! Just to give you a frame of reference for what a last-minute traveler I am, a few years ago I embarked on a 1400 mile cross country motorcycle trip to launch pad LA where I then flew 3 leg flight ..read more
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