Can we be Dudes? Arizona - State #2

Phoenix is a nasty sprawl of condos and golf courses so we rented a car and drove down to Tucson where the beautiful desert begins. Nothing can beat standing in the shadows of a 150 year old Saguaro Cactus. We're at the White Stallion Ranch and I can't wait to come back here in a couple of years when Doodle is 5. You have to be 5 years old to ride the horses, but there's still plenty to do if you're a tot. Peanut, Little Man and I had two morning rides, one with a cook-out breakfast. There are more birds here than I can keep track of and little rubber horses that poop goo in the gift shop.

This will come as no surprise to anyone with little boys, but between the pooping horse toy and the real horse endowments, the potty mouth conversation potential is endless here at the ranch. Check out the quote of the day for today!

Peanut started to crumple yesterday morning with a 101 fever. Poor baby. I anticipated the occasional break-downs, and came prepared with thermometer and some meds. She had a wild sleep with horse and critter dreams. I know this first hand since I (didn't) sleep beside her all night. Hopefully it'll wear off before it turns into something more significant.

Hey! I got to witness a most spectacular sight at my riding. A woman's cowboy hat flew off her head and spooked her horse which sent her flying into the air for what seemed like minutes. She was on a big gorgeous black Draft Horse and it literally turned sideways into my "lane". Good old Yankee bucked but I managed to stop her and back out of the way. We were all sitting there agape letting flies into our mouths. It was a stunning display to say the least. The poor woman was an experienced rider, too. She's out and about today in a wheelchair with no serious damage. The kids were pretty shaken up about it so we wrote her a get well card and took her some tulips and chocolate. That's how I found out there's a Safeway out here in the middle of nowhere! And a Starbucks inside to boot!

Little Man got to stay up late last night and wrangle with Loop Rawlins. It was a specialty show with lots of lassos and gun flingin' tricks. He got back to the room wired as hell and had to show me all his new cowboy tricks, like flipping his cowboy hat over and catching it. I guess he was the other star of the show, being the only 5.5 year old boy there. Grandma said he was a perfect prop!