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 Ranch Cowgirl Cande Herding Cattle We had a friend/volunteer come spend a week on a working ranch vacation at the Double Circle – and we all had a great time! Cande flew in from Florida, rented a car, and drove to the ranch to work as a cowgirl – for free.
She wanted the ranch experience – we needed an extra set of hands. It worked out well all the way around. It didn’t take me long to see that Cande was experienced with both horses and cattle, so she got a lot of saddle time herding the Texas Longhorn steers. Even though these mountains, rocks, and cactus are totally different than Florida flatlands, Cande proved to be a very good hand. She took care of all the cattle herding by herself for two days while we were out of town, and looked like an old hand at it, too. Needless to say, she has an open invite here any time!
 Ranch Cowgirl Cande Herding Arizona Longhorns
 Ajo - A Good Horse for Herding Cattle I have been riding Ajo quite a bit lately. He is one of the old, reliable equine souls on the ranch. In my search for a personal horse, I keep coming back to Ajo. This old guy has more heart than 10 horses. He just keeps going. Plus he is sure footed- although a little stiff in the mornings- and extremely responsive. He is an absolute joy to ride. I want a younger Ajo for my personal horse. He has to be out there somewhere.
Anyone have a great ranch horse for sale?
 Choosing Good Ranch Horses
 Cowdog Pup Herding Longhorns Our cowdog pup, Belle Starr, has joined the ranch cow dog work crew here at the Double Circle Ranch. She’s still a pup and tends to overreact sometimes, but she has good instincts and loves to work cattle. Here she is herding longhorn steers off a hillside for me. I can’t get out of the cabin without her trailing behind me. She sure doesn’t want to be left behind. Thank goodness for cow dogs in this big country!
 Belle the Cowpup at Work
 Cowgirl on Horse by Ingrid Curry taken at the Cattle Ranch Photo Workshop This May, Double Circle Ranch hosted a photography workshop. Tom Whetten of Wildlife Photo Tours came to the ranch and put on a four-day intensive course using the ranch wildlife, livestock, and western scenery as models. We are very pleased that Tom chose the Double Circle Ranch to be the setting for his workshop. He offers photo tours around the world – including African photo safari trips, so just to have Tom Whetten at the ranch is an accomplishment for us.
We kept the class small so students would have individual attention for maximum learning potential. Carol Wien, lifelong rancher who runs a family ranch and refers to herself as CEO of a non-profit organization, made the drive up from Wilcox, Arizona to attend the workshop. Carol is a published author and photographer who is skilled in 35 mm photography and dark room development. Now she is switching to digital and needed some instruction on the new equipment and techniques. She currently uses an Olympus E-520. Ingrid Curry, originally from South Africa, is another professional photographer. She is a world traveler and even worked several years as a commercial fisherman in Alaska. She is always learning and improving on her photography skills – and is always up to an adventure seeing new country and having new subjects to photograph. She brought a Canon 5D MkII to the workshop. Our third student was Doug Dressler – and since he is my husband, I must admit to some bias. Doug shot most of the photos for our website using a point and shoot digital camera. For FIVE years, he has been planning to buy a better camera. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard him complain about the good shot he missed because he didn’t have a camera with a zoom lens. Well, he finally bought a Canon 7D. It arrived the day before the workshop. So Doug needed Tom’s advice on using a totally new (to him) type of camera. The workshop came at exactly the right time.
 Ranch Scene by Carol Wien I am not a photographer. I could mess up a good picture with a camera set on automatic. I just don’t have the touch. So I enjoyed being the behind-the-scenes person. My neighbor and business partner Clarice Holder and I cooked and kept the classroom ready. Early mornings were coffee and homemade sweet rolls before our photographers set out to shoot the scenes in the early morning light. They would return about 10:00 for a regular breakfast and head to the classroom for critiques of their photos and tips on how to improve them. They had a little free time before lunch. I could find them wandering around, cameras in tow, shooting hummingbirds and other birds at our feeders. Supper would be fairly early so they could get back out to photograph in the evening light. In the evenings, Tom would set up his projector and instruct. Most of the information Tom was sharing was way beyond my knowledge level, but our three students learned a lot. I just enjoyed the wonderful photos.
I did get to do what I like best – ride a good horse and herd Texas Longhorn cattle. Our other business partner, Jim Holder, Chris our ranch hand, and myself brought a herd of longhorns down from high country and drove them though some beautiful rock formations and open rangeland. The photographers got to shoot big-horned Texas longhorn steers an arm’s length away. Plus Jim on Nick, his dependable mule, and Chris and I were models. It was great fun for us. We headed the steers right at the students – no one chickened out and headed for a tree – a big set of horns coming right at you can be an intimidating sight! Double Circle Ranch is one of the great American West ranches – and a big herd of Texas Longhorn steers is a scene from days gone by. It makes for great photographs.
But cowboys and longhorns weren’t the only models. The photographers took pictures of a variety of birds, a herd of over 40 elk, antelope including a new fawn, Javalina herds, white-tail and mule deer as well as blooming cactus, spring flowers, old line camps, and beautiful scenery without power lines to mar the open vistas. The photo opportunities are unlimited here at Double Circle Ranch, and Tom was able to teach about close-up and wide-angle shots.
 Deer from the Ranch Photography Workshop by Doug-Dressler Since I am one of the camera-challenged people of the world, I have asked Tom and our students to each send me a photo taken while here and a note about the workshop. Tom will be conducting photo workshops annually here at the Double Circle. We want comments and suggestions so we can make Tom Whetten’s class here a truly wonderful learning experience. Here is what they had to say.
 Herding Texas Longhorn Steers by Tom Whetten If you’re looking for a good time, peace and quiet, wildlife and fresh air, you owe it to yourself to visit the Double Circle Ranch on Upper Eagle Creek, Arizona. I just completed my four-day Photo Workshop there. My clients and I stayed in large walled tents with hot and cold running water, individual bathrooms and showers attached to each tent. Along with various species of wildlife, we photographed a Texas Longhorn Cattle Drive up close and personal. I will definitely put on another photo workshop there, hopefully as soon as this fall.
Tom Whetten
WildlifePhotoTour.com
 Butterfly Found on our Guest Ranch I am thrilled to learn that we have at least 15 species of butterflies here at the Double Circle Ranch. Two ladies from the Central Arizona Butterfly Association (CAZBA) came to the ranch recently to plan for our butterfly gardens. In one afternoon we spotted 15 different kinds of butterflies – and there are undoubtedly many more.
Having a butterfly garden at our classroom site gives our guests another thing to enjoy, provides a teaching tool, and gives another art and photography opportunity for students. I am really excited to have a butterfly garden. I expect we will be searching for volunteers when planting time gets here.
One of our CAZBA ladies is also an accomplished birder. She sighted and added eight species of birds to our ranch bird list. They were able to get some excellent photos too – fox, flowers, birds, and jackrabbits – as well as scenery. It is a small world – they know Tom Whetten and one of the women actually has been on his photography tours.
Many thanks to the Central Arizona Butterfly Association for sending such interesting and pleasant people here to plan for a butterfly garden. We had the neighbors over – actually 7 people total, which is half the entire population here on Eagle Creek – for a great butterfly presentation. I for one will never look at fields of flowers without looking for butterflies now. Fascinating!
 Cowgirl Herding Cattle at the Ranch Photo Workshop We had a wonderful Cattle Ranch Photography class here at the Double Circle Ranch this month. Tom Whetten is an excellent photography instructor with photo tours worldwide – including African safari photo shoots. We feel fortunate to attract such an accomplished photographer to the ranch. With only three students, there was quality, one-on-one instruction and everyone seemed well pleased with both the class and the ranch.
The wild animals certainly cooperated. Students got photos of at least three different javalina herds, both mule and white-tail deer, antelope including some new fawns, a herd of over 40 elk, and birds, especially the hummingbirds that make the ranch headquarters home in the summer. Plus the scenery is hard to beat here on Eagle Creek.
But our specialty – and a real hit with our photographers – remains the Texas Longhorn steers and working cowboys. Where else can you photograph over 200 Texas Longhorns and walk right among them? I had fun helping drive the steers along bluffs and meadows. Plus I got to herd the cattle right at the photographers – and to their credit no one broke and ran! A big-horned longhorn steer coming right at you can be a scary sight. Of course, all our longhorns are gentle. It is perfectly safe to walk through the herd and take pictures of the ones that catch your eye.
 Tom Whetten (left) Leads the Cattle Herding Photo Workshop In August, I get to herd the steers for photos again. This time it will be for Jerry Deverse’s Western Cowboy art class. Texas Longhorn Steers, cowboys, cowdogs, and cowgirl (that’s me) will be the main subjects.
Anyone – beginner to professional – interested in painting or drawing needs to sign up now. We are only taking up to 6 students.
I can only hope the art students are as much fun as the photography students. It should be illegal to get paid to have that much fun!
*Keep checking our programs – Tom will be offering another class here at the Double Circle Ranch soon.
 April AWPF Erosion Control Workshop Looks like we will get to have another erosion control workshop on October 22, 23, and 24. We were able to save enough on our costs that the Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission (AWPF) will allow us to use the extra money to do a fourth workshop. Craig Sponholtz of Dryland Solutions, Inc. will teach again. This time we will be doing maintenance on some of the structures we built earlier, plus we will add new structures farther up and down the same drainages. I expect we will fill this workshop early – just like the others. I am grateful to AWPF for funding these useful and fun classes. We are making a difference here at the Double Circle Ranch.
 Late Snow on the Dude Ranch I just looked out the window today – April 30. The grass needs mowed and the wildflowers are blooming – and it’s SNOWING! I had to look twice to believe my eyes. All last week was in the 80’s. The apples, plum tree, and pears are in full bloom and today it snows at noon! I had to run get my clothes off the line to keep them from getting wet from snow.
I sent Chris out today horseback to move some horses. It was warm early this morning – hope he took a slicker and wool shirt. It is downright cold and the wind is rattling the roof at this cabin. You can’t tell by the feel of today that tomorrow is May 1. I hope it warms up soon – I was enjoying the spring temperatures.
 Apple Trees a Bloomin
 April AWPF Workshop We had a great erosion control workshop last weekend. This is the 3rd one funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission, and they just keep getting better. Craig Sponholtz of Dryland Solutions, Inc. was the instructor again and put on a good, hands-on class. We had volunteers from as close as next door and as far away as Albuquerque, San Diego, and Los Angeles. It was an interesting group and a bunch of WORKERS. You should see some of the boulders they moved. We built Zuni bowls, one-rock dams, rock-mulch rundowns, media lunas, and post and vane structures. Now we need a good rain to watch them work!
By the way, women aren’t always the weaker sex. These were some strong ladies. The guys had to hustle to keep up with these gals. Everyone had a great time, learned a lot, and hopefully will return here to the Double Circle.
 Former Owner's Family Visit and Share Ranch History We had the most wonderful visit 2 weeks ago with members of the Wilson family. Their relatives were members of the Double Circle Cattle Company which purchased this cattle ranch in the late 1920’s. They thought they purchased 20,000 head of cattle with the deal – but gathered 26,000. With a million acres of basically wilderness, they surely missed a bunch – probably at least 8000. Heck even today there are wild cattle here. These cattle have never been caught or branded. They are wild as deer and much more dangerous.
The family had lots of stories and old photographs from the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. We had a good time walking around the old headquarter site. We had a picnic lunch under the huge old cottonwoods where countless cowboys and their families probably rested in the shade. In the 1930’s there were a lot more people here at the Double Circle Ranch then there are today. Folks here were tough stock too – had to be to make it here. The Wilson descendants are no exception. Great people. I hope they come back soon.
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