Branding 2008

One weekend each year in May is the family branding on my dad's side of the family. Paul and I really enjoy the experience and this was our 4th year there together. I'm the photographer, as my dad loves to send the picture to other family members and friends. I took well over a hundred pictures, but I'll share a few of the highlights. These are a few of the branders going to round up the cattle from the east pasture. I think there were about 15 people that rode out to get them. Everything is done by horse here, NO 4-wheelers allowed.

Off they go to round them up. This was about 11 AM on Sunday. Had it not rained they would have left Sat. morning at 7AM, but we've been getting rain for the last 5 days or so, and it was raining Sat. morning, so it was postponed.

Here's an awesome picture of Paul. I'm still trying to get down the in's and out's of this camera. It's a ton better than the old one. He's waiting while they vaccinate the cows and put the fly pour on them.

Here's the fire pit for the branding irons. They use propane and wood to keep the fire nice and hot throughout the day.

Here's a picture of them branding. Jim (my brother) and Paul have wrestled the calf after it was roped and pulled out of the pen. Then these guys bring the branding irons over to brand. Cousin T. is in the red shirt and chaps. A lot of these are his cattle. Ohh I feel so Pioneer Womanish!



My cousin V. just roped this calf and brought it out. Here I am holding the head while my bro Jim holds the back leg. I let my FMIL take the picture, so you could see that I did really wrestle one! Three years ago my SIL called me miss acrylic nails and didn't think I could wrestle, but I did that year and every year since I've done at least one. Cousin T's wife A. is cutting the bull calf, which takes extra time so I could pose for a picture.

Here's Cowboy B. teaching my FMIL Leslie how to wrestle the calf and hold the back legs. She had never been at a branding, so she came down to watch and he convince her she could do it. She was having a blast! His wife was the one that helped Paul learn the first year we went to the branding.

Here's my dad and his brother Tom. They were using the branding irons, but there was a slow part when we didn't do them as fast, so they had time for a break. They almost look identical, but Tom's three years older.
It was a beautiful day on Sunday and we got done branding about 5 and then my aunt had a lot of really good food prepared, so we had a feast. I would say there were probably close to 30 people there for the day.