Sharing

Sharing is an important part of our life and life's experiences. When its cold and snowy in Montana there is not a lot of vegetation for the animals to eat. The rancher takes hay to his livestock but ignores the wildlife. This pony is sharing and the 2 deer I am sure appreciate the opportunity. Everybodys happy.

It started when grandson John saw my ostrich cowboy boots, if he could have figured out how to take them off my feet and put them on his, I would have lost a pair of boots. Later, I was holding him and you can tell he was not only intrigued by my hat but he also wanted to be a cowboy. I decided to share just like the pony and the deer.

Grandpa did share, what a happy boy. The fit could have been better but the expression on John's face tells it all. For those of you who follow our blog, you may remember about 6 weeks ago John had his tongue out as a result of unhappiness. I didn't want to see the tongue, and look what I got. He's coming to Montana this summer. I'll have to find him a pony to ride and perhaps we can find a baby deer in the pasture.

John Robert Houser, I'm sorry

I traveled to Columbus, Ohio the weekend of February 19th for my grandson's baptism. I just received a picture from his mother and my daughter, Jennifer that she said reflects his feelings about all of the pictures I took and that he hasn't seen or heard mention of from the blog. John, Grandpa Clint is sorry and I will try to get you in a good mood before I arrive in Columbus again this weekend.
I did go to the church and I did take a picture during the ceremony when your mother, dad, Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Elizabeth were with you. This was when you were in a good mood. I will not share the pictures I took when you were pouting.
We did have a good time, if was fun being with you, and I'm sure you will approve of this picture that I took soon after you had eaten and you were in a great mood. I am putting this on the blog in black and white as that is your mothers favorite colors of recent family pictures. Hope you enjoy it. As I looked at your picture, you remind me of your Grandfather Houser.
We look forward to your trip to Montana in June. We will have several horses awaiting your arrival and if you're interested you may want to join your mother for a ride. You can start choosing which one is your favorite.

Could it be Star who is standing alone, posing for you?

Or it could be Tex, the white mare, or Star's brother Doc or his sister Sapphire.

And as the song goes, we'll see you in Montana, with that sparkle in your eyes.

Go to the July 29th post on the blog to see John soon after he was born.

Kayak Jack will be going to college this fall

This is our grandson, Jack Teegardin, a resident of Boulder, Colorado. Several years ago, after spending many years and hours on the ice in a hockey rink, he migrated to another water sport as illustrated in the picture. As you can see from these pictures, he loves the sport and has become a very accomplished "kayaker".

In the past month, we received an e-mail from him that he had been accepted at Montana State University in Bozeman and more recently his father, Jeff, advised me that he has been offered a fairly substantial scholarship as well. As the decision time for selecting a school draws near, he will be joined by his mother and father on a trip to Montana to visit Bozeman and determine if he is a fit with the "Bobcats".

As Marty and I have told our friends that there is a possibility of Jack being a student in our great state, each and everyone has started talking about the rivers where Jack could kayak, ski slopes where he could speed down the slopes, and have told us at length what a wonderful school MSU in Bozeman is. If you knew Jack, you know that Montana State is not his only option

We all know that this is the first big step in your future. The pressure to make the right decision may be overwhelming at times, but we can all assure Jack that there will be much more difficult decisions in his future. We have all been in his shoes, we have all survived, and the dedication that he has shown to those that he loves and the things that are important to him will prove that this next big decision is the correct one.

The youngest to venture west

DOUBLE CLICK ON PICTURE FOR A BETTER VIEW OF JOHN

Look carefully at the back of the covered wagon and you will see our newest grandson, John, hitch hiking a ride through Yellowstone National Park. He made it all the way to the confluence of the Lamar Valley and the Roosevelt Ranch. His great grandfather Frank would have been very impressed that he chose a wagon pulled by a team of Belgium draft horses. Great Grandpa Frank would have said, I can't wait until someday he's up front driving not just 2 but 6 Belgiums, just like his Great Grandfather.