Amanda: taking time

I have been on the set of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Next, Humphrey Bogart will rear his cute head.

We came down to earth a little yesterday, working the trialling dogs in the afternoon, in what Haley called the “Cove”, on the southwest corner of the less wild part of the ranch.

We gathered back and forth, five hundred yards or so. Haley has a new weapon in her Cy dog, a grandson of her Diona, and a son of my Monty. Very stylish, more so than Monty, great feel for his sheep, giving everything he has, which is considerable. Maybe with any luck, Blair will keep her tied up here at the ranch and she won’t come out trialling with the beautiful dog.

We worked dogs in a different field closer to the ranch action. I took one end and Haley the other. a hundred horses gathered around the fence to watch the sheep dog work at my end, and at hers, as many or more cattle, whose calves had been shipped a couple of days before. It obscured the sheep and we both sorted out some outrun difficulties, problems, not as smooth, but good work.

I drove up to the Dayton Oasis. and Mary Minor and i took sheep to a surprising good work field, big and green, alongside a Cotton wood lined river. We went back and forth to the enjoyment of the dogs and their hands.

If you hadn’t been a local, you never would have known about the good little Italian bistro in Dayton.

Today I go to my western home away from home in Sonoma, California. It was a long drive through Tahoe, but beautiful.