Silver, Silver Everywhere

Thursday's ride for Rebecca and me was the same one we did the first day - Deer Ridge. Since we had originally planned to take Thursday off, we hadn't signed up for a ride and this was the only one that normally wasn't limited to a certain number of riders. However, some of the horses were out of commission due to lost shoes or injuries (it is nearing the end of the riding season and they are starting to show some wear and tear). So, I almost didn't get to ride but another nice mom volunteered to stay behind so I could ride with Rebecca. Rebecca got Bonnie again, I got Cheyenne, and they found a horse for the other mom so we all got to ride a very pleasant ride to a beautiful vista.

Ali decided to ride to Johnny Park and told us he would be back by noon but don't worry until 1pm. He was back when we got back from riding - he rode to the the area right about Johnny Park and saw that it was a very technical, rocky ride down to the actual Park. He thought it might take longer than expected so he came back to the ranch. He saw his first snake and assures me he took some photos, which I'll share when we're back home.

Thursday afternoon, Rebecca and I did the silversmithing class again. She enjoyed it so much on Tuesday, she wanted to do it again, and for some reason, Ali didn't want to do it with her. So, I did it again too. She made a Bighorn Sheep out of copper with an amber stone - turned out very pretty after it was polished. I did a simple silver pendant with a white stone. We helped clean up again so this time I got a really pretty coyote and Rebecca got a Bighorn Sheep.

After dinner, we did some more silversmithing. This time, we did what Don called "Pine Needle Casting." He had a log where he placed an ounce of silver and heated it until it was liquid. Then, we poured it into a bundle of pine needles and he quickly took the bundle and put it in water to cool. When we unbundled the pine needles, the silver had formed around them making a unique piece they would turn into a pendant. It was a fun and different experience that we'll remember for a long time.

Next up - Loping and Rock Climbing