Snow

There was just enough snow yesterday for Ryan to make a really dirty snowman. Poor yucky snowman! He's all melted away now.

But it's snowing again, so maybe Ryan will build another one.

November 2008.

My first pony

I don't even remember him (her?). 1970.

How to saddle a horse

The competent wranglers of the Don K Ranch staff of 1989 really knew how to saddle horses. Each saddle was carefully matched to the size of the horse.

It's never too early to start saddling babies.

Be sure to leave the cinch nice and loose.
Sometimes it takes two people to saddle a horse properly.Gina and Debbie are working hard to get Diablo's saddle just right.

Tada! A perfect fit!

For those who care about these things, the horses in the pictures are Maestro (chestnut butt), Peanut Butter (red dun kiddy horse), Pee Wee (buckskin yearling filly who was saddled but not ridden), Sioux (possibly the stupidest horse ever) and Diablo (who could be counted on to colic if she was ridden two days in a row.)

Bowling

Erin and Franco introduced Ryan and James to the joy of bowling when they visited in 2006. It is now one of James' favorite activities!Ryan likes bowling, too. The gutter bumpers really help out. There are no gutter balls for the Buxton men!

Little bowling shoes. Erin Bray, amateur bowler extraordinaire!

Thanksgiving art by James

Just remember

If you eat too much turkey, you may end up feeling the way Ryan did in 2006... It looks painful!

Karley's coming

My friend Karley, her husband Ed, and her daughter Mia are going to be staying at Ed's sister's house in Longmont this year for Christmas. That's only an hour's drive from Aurora so of course we've made plans to see each other. The last time I saw Karley was 1994!

That was the year Karley and her friend Amber flew from Seattle to New Orleans. They rented a convertible and drove it to Memphis for a short visit.

The next picture is blurry, but I still like it. It's funny to me that of all the famous things Karley and Amber visited while in Memphis (Beale Street, the Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, the river),Corky's BarBQ was the only place commemorated with a photograph. That's some darn fine Barbeque!

More Jock

That last picture of Jock made me sad so I had to scan some from when he was a lot less pitiful. The caption on the back of this one says Erin is feeding Jock a special birthday meal in 1984.Jock was an outdoor dog. He did not get to come in the house, but he still knew how to visit me when I was holed up in my bedroom.This picture is also from 1984.

Jock

This is the very last picture I have of Jock. It's undated, but I think it's from 1988 or 1989.

Ryan at two

2002 was a very busy year for Ryan. His days were spent working on art projects,
participating in neighborhood watch,

talking on the telephone,

helping Dada with home improvement projects,

and taking care of his baby brother.

Old pictures of me

I have hardly any pictures of myself as a kid and the few I have are all looking pretty old and faded. I've been trying to fix them up a bit in Photoshop. I'm learning, but I wish I was a more skilled photo editor. Still, this one looks much better on the screen than it does in person. This was taken in Fall 1975. This is me on my ninth birthday in 1978. I still have that book!

Seth in a suit

I've always liked these pictures of Seth "looking fancy" (that's how James describes it) back in January 1996.

Pictures from Dad's 80th Birthday Party

Dad celebrated his eightieth birthday on June 27, 2008. Colleen, Erin and I organized a party in his honor. In this picture, he does not appear to be properly appreciative of our efforts.The guest list included friends, family and neighbors.There were also two dogs in attendance.While the grown ups socialized, the kids played croquet. James needs lessons. Dad leads everyone in singing "Happy Birthday".Cutting the cake.

More car pictures

I bought my first car in August 1993. It was brand spanking new with eleven miles on the odometer.

I have no doubt that I'd still be driving that car if some idiot hadn't run a red light and totalled it four years ago...

the mighty mini

Colleen stayed with us for a couple days in Fall 2004 during her long cross country trek. She let the boys go for a ride in the mini. Ryan told me that the best part was when she made the tires squeal!