Last week of work completed

Sadly, we have competed our last week on this project. This is a project I would love to stay at for another month, except we are already signed up for a project near Gainesville for February. The kids are the reason. It seems like we are just getting to know them, and know  their names, etc. This week we were invited to two of the cottages for dinner. Some of the boys knew about it before we even knew! At lunch time a couple of them said "you're coming  to our house for dinner!!" I said,  "We are?? Cool!!!" Several of the boys we already knew, lived in the first cottage we attended for dinner. We got a tour of their bedrooms, heard funny roommate stories, saw family photos and a glimpse into their personalities and interests. One of the boys was anxious to hear we were invited to his cottage the next night because he had just installed remote controlled lights in his room that he wanted to show us. Once there, the boy that seemed more quiet, talked the entire meal about his deep sea fishing expeditions he did with his uncle. I set next Kolby, the guy who I met while walking Allie that was doing detention work. He was talkative again and stayed at the table with us longer than any of the other guys. He had taken seconds on the food. I asked him if he was always the last to finish. He said he was concentrating on eating politely because we were there for dinner. One of the cottage parents told us that they go through a "manners" book each morning because most of the boys have no idea about the simple manners that we all taught our kids as young toddlers. I will say, most are being taught to say "yes ma'am" "no ma'am".  The best part is that a lot of them have heavy accents! I never thought of Floridians having accents, but wow!!  Some of these boys I would just like to take with me!  I wish I could take pics of some of the ranchers, but there is a no photo policy here. Most of the boys are between 16 and 18 and thinking about their futures and what they want to do in life.  The staff works hard to help them achieve their goals. One of the older boys has been applying to different colleges and had flown to California to check one out.

The riders continue to improve each week! It's really amazing to watch! Most have never even been on a horse, which makes it that much more impressive! Last week was a cold week here. Once the sun went down it was too cold to sit on the bleachers and watch the riders... Except for me. Hahaha. I loved it! The kids notice when you are there watching them and seem to really love it. They will wave and/or make a comment as they ride by. The next day at lunch I would comment about them really improving, and the boys that didn't recognize me with my warm hat on, would say "Was that you last night". We can't wait to go back next month for their performance.

The two boys in front have been riding 

for awhile so are the two leaders

The arena at sunset before the riders arrive. The barn, where they tack up the horses, is about a half mile from the arena, so they walk two by two in the dark. They have a truck out front and behind them so traffic doesn't hit them. I loved sitting in the dark on the bleachers, waiting and listening. I could hear them talking and laughing before I could see them. What an opportunity for troubled kids to feel the accomplishment of learning to ride and perform, building confidence in themselves.

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                                    Working on the routine.

Last day with  the kitchen crew. We had a great time with them!

There is a reason this town was named Live Oak.... There are Live Oaks everywhere, most with Spanish moss growing on them, giving an eerie look.

This Live Oak is at the edge of the ranch property. You can see a couple of the huge branches to the right, even touch the ground. I couldn't even get the whole tree in the pic but you can get a good idea of the size with Mark in the pic.

The day we arrived here, several very tall dead pine trees were cut down. Everything was cleaned up except for about 8 stumps, which will make it difficult for the next larger group of Sowers coming in this weekend. So to make it easier for them, Mark rented a stump grinder to take care of the problem. Another "toy" to play with. Hahaha.