Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

So, I leave Connecticut, spend one night in my own bed, then it's off to the ranch for a week and a half. I will continue to use over-scheduling as my excuse for not blogging, along with the fact that, while the stars at night are big and bright at the ranch, cell service is nearly non-existent. Enough excuse- making.

Mom and I returned to the hill country to spend our traditional week of summer with my niece Ashley. Love,love,love that girl! Despite living a fairly privileged life, she is happy with the simple things. We played dominoes, read books, road around the property in the Polaris looking at flora and fauna.

Ashley is now friends with the family that has the property adjacent to my brother's ranch. On a visit to Texas earlier this summer, she was invited to ride their horses, ride around in their golf cart, and just be a kid in the hill country of Texas. She immediately fell in love with their dog, Rosie, and Rosie loved her,too. One night on our most recent visit, she was invited to go with them to chase jackrabbits. Ashley admitted to feeling bad for the rabbit, but she thought the whole experience was quite fun.

Other highlights of the week included a visit to Inks Lake, running an antique mall, doing mixed media pictures of cactus plants, learning the cupid shuffle,and a boat ride on the Colorado river. Ashley has always been something of a rock collector, and she added to her collection by picking up interesting stones at the ranch, on a beach in the middle of the Colorado, and at a rock shop in downtown Bertram.

But, probably the most fun Ashley had was "doing Nana's hair." This event began several summers ago when we went to New Braunfels. Ashley brings in her bag of hair do-dads and creates some very avante garde styles, supplementing her hair accessories with anything else she can find - straws, string, you name it. Mom is an absolute trooper, giving Ash total creative freedom, and enduring several revisions of any style.

I love that my mom is so willing to play, and so gracious about the outcome. And, I love that Ashley will always have these memories of summers with Nana and Susie.