A Perfect Day
A rare super-bloom in the desert just a few miles away from our home brings us a special surprise.
Wall-to-wall sunshine, a hint of a breeze, and desert hills carpeted in Buckwheat and Sunrays with an occasional pop of Paintbrush. A few hillsides look like patchwork quilts of yellow and a delicate greenish-white flower that mimics Paintbrush. We bump along well-tracked roads, fording places where snowmelt washed the them to stones. Jeff straddles the roller coaster ruts and berms, some sandy enough to threaten getting stuck. I wonder if this first outing will exhaust him before we get back home, but he has this grin slashed across his face. At each crossroads, he chooses the road-less-taken leading deeper into the unknown.
We are looking for horses among the super-bloom. Dirt bikes and 4 by 4's race past us. This noise and clamor has forced the bands to retreat far from the Big Meadow where they often gather in a sort of wild horse rendezvous. They seek the solitude and safety of pine nut and juniper groves in the folds between the hills. Though disappointed, we have been amply rewarded with the splendor of this rare spring bloom.
The drought is vanquished.
At last, we spot a pair of odd-shaped humps in the sage. I gasp in delight, recognizing who it is. Blue and his Lady regard us with a glance as we slowly pass. They are quite used to humans as long as we mind our manners. I would love to take a photo, but my cell phone camera is wonky today. I'veĀ pointed and shot and hoped for a decent composition which is easy with wide-angle panoramas.
But this is Blue.
A magnificent roan, my favorite among all the stallions. He is a dream man, standing tall and silent against any challenger, even at his advanced age. The arc of his muscled neck and his bearing intimidate without bravado. These days, he no longer fights to keep his harem. He is quite satisfied with his most loyal mare by his side, away from the soap opera dramas that unfold on the range. Even in retirement, he is now and always will be King of the Range.
So, I won't bother to click and hope for a photo worthy his majesty. I will hold him in my memory as part of this perfect day
Magnificent Blue standing up to Dante. (Photo by John T. Humphrey, Photography).