Cow Branding

Last weekend our neighbors invited us to their parents ranch in Casper, WY to take part in the branding of their cows. Zack has always wanted to see this and Lily and I went along for the ride. It was so much fun! We learned so much and now Zack swears we are going to have cows of our own someday. Hmmm... Anyway, its a pretty strenuous process. They corral the cows into a holding line (our neighbor, Nate is the one doing this below-he looks like a real cowboy!), then they lock them one by one into a "squeeze shute" and give them vaccinations, tag their ears and brand them. They were very nice to let Zack's inquiring mind try all of these things-he didn't let any get loose! Lily even got to meet one up close. She wasn't the least bit phased by it. Zack also got to ride his first horse (he says it will also be his last). Afterwards, Lorraine's family hosted a huge lunch for everyone that helped out. Yummy! We felt like real Westerners...well, maybe Zack. Lily and I were totally overdressed for this and I ended up with cow poop all over me. Very fun experience though!