Drowsy Water Guest Ranch | Granby, Colorado

Submit a photo! New Calendar, For You, From You

Happy New Year! Did you just switch your calendar? Don't you wish you had a calendar with pictures of horses, smiling kids, sunsets over mountain tops and red-trimmed cabins set along a peaceful creek? Something that takes you away to Colorado, to a family get-a-way, to a place where you spend most days free of the crazy world and most technology, just relaxing outside, enjoying the sounds of horses, the creek, the wind in the trees.

Too bad there is not a calendar like that in circulation.

Maybe you could make one. Maybe you have some really great photos of this place you went to once and maybe you could get them all together and then, maybe, you could have them sent to Shutterfly and correspond certain pictures to certain months, and, viola!, you'd have a really, really, special calendar.

Or maybe we could do it for you.

Yep, that sounds better, don't you think? But we need your help. We need your best photo of Drowsy Water Ranch.

Submit your best DWR photo either via email or on facebook. We will pick our top 12 and then when 2013 rolls around, you can have that calendar you've always wanted.

If you want to email it, please send it to dwr@drowsywater.com

Winners will receive a free calendar!

Contest Ends January 31

Labels: Colorado dude ranch, Drowsy Water Ranch, Family Ranch Vacation, photography

A Two-fer from a Dude Ranch Kid Christmas

Growing up on a Colorado dude ranch our Drowsy Water kids have a slightly different spin on life. Christmastime is no exception. As we go though all of the traditional holiday stories and events, we've had some interesting conversations spurred by questions only a dude ranch kid would ask.

Here are 10 dude ranch kid questions about Christmas.

And you'll notice the photos do not correspond to the questions.

The photos are their own separate story of our family hunting down this year's Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Enjoy!

Does Santa have elf-wranglers for his reindeer?

Which mountain around our house does the Grinch live on?

Does Santa have kitchen elves to make him pancakes?

We have a barn. Why wasn't my brother born in there?

Does Santa feed his reindeer round hay bales or square?

Why don't Joseph and Mary ride horses instead of that donkey?

What color tractor do elves drive?

I see a lots and lots of stars in the sky. How did the wise men know which one was special?

Are reindeer and horses friends?

How does Santa keep the reindeer on the roof? There is no corral up there.

Happy Holidays from Drowsy Water Ranch!

Labels: Colorado dude ranch, Drowsy Water Ranch, Holidays in Colorado

Winter Weight Check

Worried about gaining weight over the winter? Those holiday pounds already stacking up? Feeling a little bit like a breakfast sausage in those jeans you bought last month? Well don't you fret, don't you frown, you are not alone. And, by-golly, you might as well use the same reason for your recent plumping as our four-legged friends at Drowsy Water Ranch: It's stinking cold out.

After we finish cutting the hay on the meadows at the Walden ranch, we pasture a handful (okay, maybe more like a few trailer-fulls) of our horses for the fall. Their manes get tangled. Their feet get dirty. They run and kick and buck like wild horses. And, most importantly, they get free choice on plenty of green grass.

We headed up to check on the herd last week. Generally, we like it when they are clearly a little round in the middle. We also like to see some nice fuzz growing over their sleek, shiny, summer coats.

Soon, as the snow starts flying and the temperatures start dropping, those extra pounds and fuzz will come in handy. Most of our herd stays at Drowsy Water Ranch for the winter where we feed them hay daily. Some stay at a neighbor's ranch in Walden where they are also fed hay daily.

So, if you, like our horses, might have a few extra pounds heading into winter, just tell your friends (and yourself) that you need it as protection from the cold. Tell them you are just supporting your horse friends in Colorado.

Labels: Drowsy Water Ranch, Horses, Walden, Winter

Thank you to our 2011 staff!

Every year around Thanksgiving we are reminded of people for whom we are grateful. These people make you smile, they make you laugh, and they keep you going. They make your life more meaningful.

Every year around Thanksgiving we like to take a moment to thank our staff. Our 2011 staff made the summer a success. They kept us and our guests laughing and smiling and make our Drowsy Water Ranch Family complete.

We are grateful for each and every one of the great individuals that spend their summer helping families have one of the most memorable vacations of a lifetime here in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

In case you might be wondering where they are now, here's a quick update:

Ian and Ellen are living at the ranch. Ian is working at Drowsy Water and Ellen works for Power World in Granby.

Calvin, Beth, Tony, and Bryce are all working in Grand County for the Winter at the Winter Park Ski Resort.

Neil, Julie, and Jack are spending the winter working on a dude ranch in Arizona.

Elliott and Kelly are home in Michigan but will return to Grand Lake to work for a snowmobile guide and sales company.

Mandy is in mission training for a Youth With A Mission and will be living overseas.

Maria, Radmir, and Rita are back home in Mexico and Russia, respectively.

Lauren, Trish, Kia, and Rebecca are back in the classroom at different colleges and universities all over North America. Nell is back at school also and studying abroad in Italy for the semester.

Jeremiah made a successful ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro this fall with his sister.

Trisha and Laura are at home working on figuring out the next step in their education.

Labels: 2011 summer, Drowsy Water Ranch, Staff

Five Fundamentals for a Fosha

I love to take Peyton and Chase to the library in Hot Sulphur Springs for story time. The kids love to listen to the books, sing songs, and then pick out their own books to take home. The moms love a little interaction with someone that can actually spell her own name.

The other day, while talking with the other moms, one friend of mine—we’ll call her Mommy-number-one—turned to a woman I did not know—Mommy-number-two—and said, “This is Gretta. She’s a Fosha.”

I hesitated. I grinned. I stuttered.

“A Fosha?” I thought. “What is that supposed to mean: ‘She is a Fosha’?”

Did it mean I am supposed to be able to sing like Ken or ride a horse like Randy Sue or know hay equipment like Justin or fly airplanes like Ryan? What, exactly, was this Mommy-number-one meaning?

You could say it got me thinking. What is a Fosha?

Here’s what I can tell you.

So far, I’ve learned numerous lessons on being a Fosha. That is a good thing. I love learning. I can tell you that some of these lessons have come easily for me and others have been very, very hard. In the end, all of the lessons boil down to different applications of the same five, multi-faceted fundamentals.

Fosha Fundamental #1: Work.

Work hard. Work early. Work late. Work until dark. Work after dark. Work cows. Work horses. Work a room.

Fosha Fundamental #2: Save.

Save money. Save time. Save plastic sacks. Save tin foil. Save hurt animals. Save your attitude. Save a life.

Fosha Fundamental #3: Give.

Give time. Give money. Give gifts. Give food. Give love. Give a hand.

Fosha Fundamental #4: Share.

Share space. Share time. Share stuff. Share knowledge. Share laughs. Share enthusiasm.

Fosha Fundamental #5: Love.

Love the land. Love the mountains. Love animals. Love work. Love friends. Love family.

Maybe I am missing a fundamental or two but I am still learning. After all, I’ve only been around here a few years.

And, by the way, Mommy-number-two responded to Mommy-number-one by saying, “A Fosha? What’s that?”

I guess I get to show her.

Labels: Gretta Fosha, Justin Fosha, Ken Fosha, Randy Sue Fosha, Ryan Fosha

Snow Place Like Home

It is some sort of unwritten rule of nature that it will snow by Halloween at Drowsy Water Ranch. We've already enjoyed two storms of six to eight inches and it's barely even November. All I have to say about this transition from fall to the fluffy white stuff is this:

"BRRRR"!

Check out these photos from the ranch this morning. Then go get yourself some hot cocoa.

Labels: dogs, Drowsy Water Ranch, Family Ranch Vacation, Horses

Fall Colors at Drowsy Water Ranch

As we head into our long winter, we savor the last of these beautiful fall days. Actually, we cling to these days with all our might--our fists clenched as tight as possible on the coat-tails of these final warm, sunny hours.

The colors this year were phenomenal. Have a look!