Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2019

Remembering Cloverland Ranch

We often think back fondly of the farm life that we left behind when we left the Shore in our RV in 2014.  We had a fantastic run at Cloverland Ranch for almost 20 years.  Below we have assembled some of our favorite views from the farm.

The view up the long gravel driveway.  That was no fun to plow when we had heavy snow :-)  I see Max the rescue dog sniffing around the pasture fence frame right.

This is the 36'x36' concrete block barn we built around 1996.  We used reclaimed lumber from the old poultry house that was on the farm when we bought it.  That lumber built all the stalls inside the barn.

The back patio and deck.  Lindsey Murray Concrete poured all of our pads and walkways at Cloverland Ranch.  We had a 6-person hot tub on the patio, boy do we miss that!

Ocean City lawyer Hugh Cropper purchased the farm across the road for hunting.  He planted sunflowers several years to bring in the Mourning Doves for his September hunt.  They sure were pretty to look at.  We fashioned our mailbox to look like a 2-horse trailer.  Everything at Cloverland Ranch was horse themed, just our cup of tea.

The shot below shows the run in shed that we built one fall in what we called the Martin Pasture.  We had installed a Purple Martin house in that pasture for several years.  We finally got the Martins after a few years, but then they never came back after a couple of years so we removed the house.  We had plenty of Barn and Tree Swallows that ate all the bugs just fine.  There's Max still providing surveillance over the situation.

12'x12' stalls in the run-in shed with a 6'x12' secure dry storage.  Also constructed with reclaimed poultry house lumber.

We built the pole barn around 2005 to store our horse trailer and other supplies.  Delmarva Pole Building built it for us.  The crew leader's name was Lonny, so we named this building the Lonny Shed.  I believe that was a 40'x24'x14' high barn.

We noticed that there were a lot of Eastern Bluebirds on the property when we first bought it.  Once we got organized we hung between 10-15 Bluebird houses around the farm for probably 15 years or more.  I can't tell you how many clutches were born and raised there, but several houses produced two clutches each year.  Occasionally we saw a house produce three clutches in a single year.

We loved to watch the Bluebirds.  This one is feeding the hungry young-uns.

This was our barn pasture, the garden in front we call the Well Garden.... because the water well was in there.  We put that 325' x 4" well in with inheritance money that Grandma & Grandpa Fletcher left us.

Cloverland Ranch from the air 2007 with Pilot Mike Smo.  I see old Destiny in the Barn Pasture.

Gari clears the barn doors to let the horses out.  Silver waits patiently.

Destiny get out and takes a few laps in the snow 2010.

Steve and Max move snow with the Green Shovel 2010.

Buddies.  Destiny & Silver.

Backyard Hummer.

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all

Bryce Revisited

Had to go back to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah... What a place on this earth!
Steve, Gari & Cheryl marveling at Inspiration Point

Just wow for me. Inspiration indeed!

Gari on the trail.

A BC view

Zoom in a bit

Gari & Cheryl at an overlook.

An interesting optical illusion at our National Park.  The roof is absolutely flat, but the cedar shingles were laid in a pattern that generates a look of waviness.  Can you see it in the picture?

On the Queen's Garden Trail.  We spy a tunnel door ahead on the trail.

Steve & Cheryl have both ends of the tunnel covered.

Gari among balancing rocks.

Closer in.

More balancing acts.  Spectacular erosion patterns to be sure.

It looks like mud or dirt, but no it is solid rock.

Even the timber is sculpted.

What?!

Cheryl admires the canyon walls from the valley floor, as Gari photo-bombs in from the right.

Gari beginning the ascent out of the valley and up a narrow canyon.

The trail switchbacks go way up the narrow canyon.

Cheryl stands in the narrow canyon and sizes up the switchback trail up and out.

Tall Hoodoos surround the small canyon up and out.

Looking down the switchback trail.... Gari at the top Cheryl right behind.

We made it! That was a long steep way out!

Beauty by beauty.

Love the views at Bryce Canyon.  So many.  So magnificent!

Sinking Ship rock.  Hills sliced off in the background are a nice bonus to this view.

Steve stops to talk to a small elephant. He looks thirsty.

A lone Bristle Cone Pine atop a windowed wall.

Looks like a jester's hat.

 There is the Queen in the Garden, see her?

Now you do.  Might have to use your imagination a little.

And that is Bryce Canyon National Park revisited.  Probably going to have to do that again one day...