Notes from Camp

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Oscar in his Christmas costume

and Midnight in hers...

Although the weather is chilly and the sun shines bright

we've not had the rain, to dampen our night

Oscar came up to me and whispered in my ear

that he wanted to impress his new girlfriend this year

So we gathered our sleigh bells and donned Santa's hats

Filled our stockings with goodies for the dogs and the cats

When Oscar saw Midnight, he let out a neigh

But Midnight was busy munching all of her hay

As we strolled down the lane of this beautiful land

I swear, if he could, Oscar would hold Midnight's hand

The sounds of the bells were beautiful to hear

wishing all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Estate Sale

2011-08-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

ESTATE SALE, everything must go:

10777 Pine Hill Dr, Grass Valley, off hwy 174 next to Union Hill school

Time: Aug 27th (9-4) and Aug 28th (9-1)

Items for sale include:

Pine furniture, beds, Ralph Lauren bedding, horse tack, saddle blankets, jewelry, art, etc etc.

Also available is a fairly new stainless steel refrigerator, Jenn-Air stove range, thermapedic Queen size bed with bronze frame.

Hope to see you there,

Leslie Anne Webb

New One-of-a-kind "MINI" original paintings

2011-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

"MINI" original paintings.....

This one, titled "Blackie", is of a horse that was rescued and now lives at a sanctuary in NM. This one-of-a-kind original painting is 6"x6", with a custom made 5" frame, ready to hang.

Price: $295

Also offering "mini" commissioned pieces of YOUR horse or donkey at $395...

Call me for more info at: 530-272-3878

2011-04-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Save the Date!!!!

May 29th, during Memorial Day weekend and the Wine Trail celebration, will be "Art in the Vineyard" at Naggier Vineyard in Grass Valley, CA from 12-4........come see amazing art, taste some of the best wine in the county, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings!!!!

An event not to be missed!

In addition, I will be revealing almost all NEW original works, and a surprise NEW presentation!

For directions to the Vineyard: http://naggiarvineyards.com/

Recent Article in The Union

2011-03-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

Great Article in The Union paper yesterday, by Courtney Ferguson....about my ranch, paintings, the essence of what I call my "sanctuary".......well done, Courtney, thank you!

Click here to see the article

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T10:01:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR....from Oscar the Mud Monster!!!! (aka Pigpen)

For all of you who think your horses are dirty....this pic is for YOU!!!!

Wishing you all the best in 2011.......and a lifetime of blossoming...

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."---Anais Nin

Be prepared for many NEW IMAGES this year, for New Happenings at the Ranch, and the long awaited top secret item that I hope you will love and cherish........:-)

Subscribe to this blog to make sure you get first notice...

Until then, here's to gathering your friends around the watering hole and sharing your goals and dreams for 2011.......

Happy Trails,

Leslie Anne Webb

2010-12-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Fine Art Print SALE....

......from today through the end of 2010.

SMALL fine art prints will be available through phone or e-mail orders only and make EXCELLENT GIFTS for all your horse, donkey, bull and bison loving friends and family......

Prints are on 8.5x11 fine art paper, and the images range from (approx) 4x10(Guardian Angel) to 7x9(General at Play) depending on the painting size composition....

Prices are as follows:

1 for $42

2 for $75

3 for $90

4 or more= $25/each

Call now to place your order (530-272-3878)....or e-mail what you want and I'll get right back to you (lawebbart@gmail.com).

Visit www.lawebb.com to pic your desired images!!!

Happy Holidays and Happy Trails,

Leslie Anne Webb

RIP my sweet little Kato kitty....

2010-11-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

It is a sad day indeed, when a beloved animal that has blessed our lives leaves this earthly world...today was such a day for me when my beloved Kato kitty, who was my "dressed in black" sidekick and namesake from the "Pink Panther" Peter Sellers movies.....needed to leave this world. We had been together for 16 years......and my morning coffee while he lays snuggled, purring in my lap every single morning will never be the same....

Kato was my one and only, the only cat I've ever had, (but he was actually a dog in cat clothes)...and the love of everyone who knew him...

The things I will always remember about him:

-the day we met, I'd walked into a pet store in Seattle and heard this ear piercing screech....looking in the direction of the screaming kitty, I saw this tiny, black tiger clinging to the wall of a cage, wailing as loud as his voice could carry, and never stopping. I took him home immediately.

-he fell in love with Chief (my since passed, beloved Wolf hybrid), tormented him mercilessly, attacking and biting his neck, and when Chief fell ill, Kato curled up between his legs and kept vigil until Chief's last days....

-when I'd go for a run with Chief, he'd want to come, too, and he'd run just behind us, darting from parked car to parked car, hoping we wouldn't catch him following us....

-he'd climb the curtains, perch on the top of the rod, and when he thought I'd fallen asleep, he'd body slam me and then take off through the house, "laughing" the whole way...

-he raised three more dogs, ruling like a king and keeping them in line when they played just a little too rough...

-he let Bear, one of his dogs, gnaw on his head, paw him until he rolled him over, and then Bear would flip him in the air with his nose.....(very tolerant kitty)

- he came when I called, always calling back, and loved doggy biscuits more than the actual dogs....

He was, as far as I know, one of the most amazing kitties ever to have graced this planet....

He brought so much joy to me and the rest of the critters around here, as well as family and visitors........he will sorely be missed......RIP my little friend...

...his weak little purr was still going until his last breath...

Winning Bid for "All about Charlie"

2010-11-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

And the winner is.....Julie Bridge......yipee....the highest bidder of "All About Charlie" with all funds going to Saddle Pals.......THANK YOU, JULIE!!!!

The event was a success, and my boys, Sam and Oscar, did a good job of representing the PMU foals and United Pegasus Foundation.......here's "carrots" to you, boys.....now you can go roll in the mud....:-)

2010-10-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

This Saturday at the Pumpkins and Ponies Fundraising event to benefit Saddle Pals Therapeutic Riding Program, the painted pony "one of a kind" statue called "All about Charlie" will be auctioned off and all money will go to the Saddle Pals program. Silent bidders are calling in their highest bids, so come take part in this amazing fundraiser, see the results of the program in real time, and enjoy a wonderful day at Blue Fountain Farm. Festivities begin at 9am..........

Crazy storm leads to Slumber Party!!!

2010-10-06T08:51:00.001-07:00

What began as a calm evening, ended up in a crazy all night bed hopping party....Okay, time to explain. The calm is the "calm before the storm".....Last night, the silence of nature was almost deafening, no crickets, no coyote, no birds spoke a word.....and then, as if on instant cue, all my dogs (of which there are 3) were anxiously, frantically clawing at the doors, the screens, the windows to get inside the house. I thought, perhaps, they were hearing distant gunshot, which always drives them crazy, so I listened, and heard nothing, but let them in for whatever reason disturbed their minds. Within 10 minutes, wild winds picked up, torrential rain pelted the rooftop, followed by an all night lightning, thunder and hail storm. Rosie and Max were already upstairs in my bedroom, but Bear, my 120lb Malamute/Shepherd/wolf cross, is terrified of climbing my floating staircase. Claw marks on the wood tread half way up show evidence of his last attempt, ending in falling off the edge. He wasn't hurt (as he is virtually indestructible), but he was shook to the core. Last night, however, he managed to overcome his fear of the staircase because fear of the rolling and crashing thunder was far greater.

The last time Bear ever jumped in bed was about 5 years ago when I was living in a tipi and temps dropped to 15 degrees. Bear, Kato and I huddled under a mountain of blankets, trying to stay warm. I think there was even a lizard that had joined that party.

But last night, Bear, very uncharacteristically, climbed onto my bed and buried his head under the blankets, wanting to shut out the sounds of thunder that shook him so. It was what they call a "three dog night", all dogs vying for a pillow and coverage for their heads, panting wildly with fear over the booming sounds outside. The party finally broke up when the lightning and thunder timing told me the storm was less than half a mile away. I jumped out of bed, raced over to my office and unplugged all my computers, printers and electronic equipment. My house has been hit by lightning before, and destroyed my computers, even though I had the "safety" of a surge protector. When all was safe, the storm had passed, I urged the dogs to a safe spot on the floor, and finally got about an hours sleep.

This morning, however, as the sun peeked through the crevice in the curtains, I had the task of getting my big Bear, terrified of the stairs, down to the 1st floor and out into the yard. Let's just say, as I half carried him backward down the stairs, there are a few more claw marks commemorating last nights slumber party......

Keep your eye on the ball

2010-10-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Longtime friends came to visit the ranch this last weekend, bringing kids and lots of great energy. My dogs were in heaven with their new best friends, but in order to get Max to follow, check out what occupies both hands of the eldest boy...

With complete obsession and single focus (something which at times comes in handy), Max will always keep his eye on the ball......

Nevada County Studio Tour

2010-10-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Nevada County Studio Tour is coming soon, so don't miss seeing my good friend, Lesley Deutsch of Blue Fountain Farm and Photography!!! Her photos are amazing and should not be missed....

24th Annual Draft Horse Classic

2010-09-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again, the 24th Annual Draft Horse Classic.

September 23-26, Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA.

Come by my booth in the Main Art building and check out the newest, never before seen painting,

called "The Great Draft Race"........

Hope to see you all there, and until then,

Happy Trails!

Rosie and her Kookaburra

2010-09-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

A year ago, my aunt and uncle from Australia

came to visit the Circle Seven Ranch here, which

was such a treat....had a GREAT time, and they

brought me a small stuffed Kookaburra. This

toy represents the Australian bird, you know,

the one we used to sing about as kids....goes

something like "kookaburra sits in the old

gum tree, blah blah blah blah yada yada ya-ya"

(inside joke between me and my brother when

we can't remember the words to a song....:-)

Anyway, Rosie adopted this Kookaburra as her own

and carries it everywhere she goes......

2010-09-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Pat Coe.......

Pat is the winner of the contest and

will have a portrait painted of her

horses......Yippeee-kai-ayyy!!!!

2010-06-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

2 Days Left...........

The contest ends June 30th.....the drawing takes place July 1st.

Purchase a print ($98) before June 30th and your name will be entered in the drawing to win an original oil painting of your horse ($4500), or buy a large print ($300) and your name will be entered 3 times to increase your chances of winning....

Whoever wins the contest will be notified via phone and e-mail and the process of creating the painting of the winner's horse will be shown on my blog as well as Facebook. Now's the time to enter.......go to my website at:

www.lawebb.com and choose the print(s) of your choice.....

my website shopping cart is now fully functioning....

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited to paint the winner's horse......

Happy Trails, and good luck to you all

Leslie Anne Webb

WIN AN ORIGINAL PAINTING

2010-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

From May 19 through June 30, anyone who buys a print for $98 gets their name in the drawing to WIN AN ORIGINAL PAINTING ($4500) of either their horse/animal or from my available originals of equal value. If you purchase the larger print ($300+), your name will be entered 3 times in the drawing. Don't wait...only 43 days left...click on the link to enter my website and view the prints...prints of new work are also available, just call to order by phone...... http://www.lawebb.com/Home_Page.html

Please pass this contest to anyone you think might be interested....

Happy Trails,

Leslie Anne Webb

530-272-3878

Easter's brewing storm

2010-04-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Easter morning started with some seriously bitter wind, chilling me to the bone, but making my horses ultimately happy....rolling in the mud, bucking, kicking and playing "bite face"....

they were having a ball.......

After playing all morning, Sunny, Charlie and Smokey decided to have a conference and chat about current strategies to antagonize the dogs, who was going to open the gate so they could raid the next pasture, and who was going to turn on the water again and flood the barn...:-)

Rosie's treasures

2010-04-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Rosie perches on her favorite rock, looking over the pasture to make sure all is right with the world....I don't have screens on certain windows so that I can catch life outside without the screen getting in the way......

Rosie was a rescue pup who's mama had taken a tour of the neighborhood and later given birth to 11 pups, 5 very distinctly different breeds (red heads like Rosie, Rottweilers, Shepherds, golden retrievers, and blond labs)....I don't know what breed she is or what mix, but she is a true hunter, nonetheless, and has a habit of bringing me back found treasure.....

Rosie is always so proud of her findings......she takes them with her wherever she goes.....unfortunately, that includes moles and birds and anything else she catches.......

What a smile.........:-)

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

photo by: Lesley Deutsch

Trails and Vistas- The beautiful environmental experience through art in nature, that has become a once a year production in Lake Tahoe, CA, was called (last September), "Terra Caeli", in which horses were also involved with the artists and dancers.....copy and paste this link to the You Tube site and check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oMz7azb3Rw)........I know many of you may not recognize the VERY WHITE HORSE, but truly, it IS Oscar........only he is CLEAN in the video....not his norm, given his nickname is Pigpen......or "he who loves to wallow in mud puddles".....it took 7 bathes with purple shampoo to get him that clean, and every morning before the event, he needed a refresher as he'd be coated again with fresh horse poop and mud........:-)

In search of an egg....

2010-01-06T12:18:00.001-08:00

In search of an egg......for a great recipe that could not go without one....I called around the neighborhood and thankfully, my sweet friend and neighbor 2 miles up the road said I could go and fetch one, even though she wasn't at home....

So, I asked Sam, my 18hh Draft horse, if he wanted to go on an adventure, and without halter or lead, he came out of the pasture and stood while I put on his bridle and climbed the highest fence onto his back.......off we went, me riding bareback on a HOT percheron I hadn't ridden in over a month, up the road to get that egg. Along the way, 2 of my dogs joined us as I have yet to find the hole under the fence by which they like to escape. As we traveled up the gravel road, Rosey, my little treasure finding mutt, was flushing bird and deer out into the road, making my big "baby Huey horse" a quivering pile of nerves. Thankfully, his spinning to flee is in rather large, slow motion by horse standards, so I was still glued to him after every one of his attempts. Random neighborhood dogs that like to jump out of bushes, a white Egret who decides to take flight, and the "too fast driving" young neighbors along the way made for a very adventurous ride..........but, as it went, all was well as I approached home base, sidled up to a fence post, placed 2 eggs (had to borrow an extra one, just in case) very gingerly on the top of the post, took Sam back out to pasture with a big hug and proceeded indoors to tackle the evening........my thought for the day was how GREAT it was that I could ride out my front door to the neighbors by horseback to borrow an egg..........Happy Trails

Winter Storm

2009-12-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's so unusual to get so much snow at the elevation here at the ranch...but then again, I heard that storm brought snow to Sacramento and parts of the Bay Area.....

The dogs loved it, the tipi was cozy and............

the horses were nestled into the barn......of course, they got extra carrots, apples and yummy grain..........

Before the winter storm

2009-12-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

As we neared December this year, the weather was incredible, the fall colors amazing. The horses enjoyed lazy days grazing on new buds of grass.......almost looked like Spring.....

Sam and I with the fall colors blazing........

photo by Lesley Deutsch.

New Work

2009-12-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

Into the Wind.......

my latest painting that is not yet online.

Prints and limited editions will be available soon.

Visit www.lawebb.com for all my latest work, and as always, as we head into the New Year, I wish you all

Many Happy Trails,

Leslie Anne Webb

Oscar baby

2009-12-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Baby Oscar growing up to be a big boy.....

this photo collage was taken at Blue Fountain Farm by my good friend and amazing horsewoman and photographer named

Lesley Deutsch. You can find more of her great photos at Blue Fountain Farm Photography.

Check out her work.........

catch up THREE

2009-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

In the Summer of 2008, I had such amazing experiences raising and training my ever growing big boy Oscar...... we participated in clinics, played with cows, rode the mountains of the Sierras in Tahoe...

(photos by Melanie North)

This big spotted horse was a Draft/Appy cross....stunning and I thought he was huge until Oscar rode up next to him.....:-) Perspective is a funny thing sometimes..........giddy-up!!!!!!!!!!

catch up TWO

2009-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

Good times on horseback........having family and friend gatherings and giving pony rides to all the kids.....Oscar being the 2000lb. Draft horse "pony"........summers at the ranch are the best....a virtual kids playground, BIG kids included.....

This coming Spring/Summer has much in store as far as events, open studio tours, etc....if you'd like to be added to the e-mail mailing list of events, please drop a line and I'll add you to the list........

catch up ONE

2009-12-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Howdy to all who might visit my new website and to those who have e-mailed, wondering why I have not kept up to date on my blog entries.......so, here goes.....I'll play a bit of catch up here, starting with the amazing storm that blew through these parts 2 years ago, wreaking havoc on tipi living, which, thankfully, I was not doing at the moment, having finally finished building my studio.........

.........as I watched the storm from inside my little abode, I saw the wind rip my smaller tipi into tiny little pieces that littered the yard, while the wind picked up the larger tipi and launched it into a huge oak tree, collapsing it as it came crashing down upon all the interior furnishings....leaving nothing salvageable. As that was happening, an enormous oak, nearly 200+ years old, fell crashing onto the ground and all the surrounding fences.......my dogs, I'm certain, enjoyed the results immensely, as they got to live in my art studio for over 6 weeks, until I could remove the tree and repair the fences.

I renamed my studio "doggy day care" for the rest of the winter........

Max Waits for a Ride

2008-08-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

So here I was, painting long hours in my studio, and as I looked out the window, I saw Max, one of my 3 pups, waiting patiently in the passenger seat of my Landcruiser to go on the next ride (even though we'd already gone into town that morning and stopped by the pond for a swim on the way back to the ranch)....such a silly boy....

A Bit of History

2008-08-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

A bit of History here, since this is my attempt to gravitate into the ever-growing world of internet communications....About 4+ years ago, I had one of those moments that brings you back to childhood. As a kid, when you are playing a game of tag or some other athletic endeavor, and it begins to go awry, one person or other will call out "DO OVER", and thus, the game begins again. That was what happened in my life at the age of 38. I found myself going through divorce with 5 horses, a dog and cat in my care and no where to live and no money in the bank. I yelled out as loud as I could...."DO OVER"!!!!!! With a small loan in hand, I purchased a plot of land in the middle of nowhere (as visitors often tell me), erected a 28 foot diameter tipi, set up a large corral for my horses and lived like a pioneer for over 2 years....no cell phone, no electricity, and no bathroom (other than a shovel), with only a pocket full of hope and a huge commitment to my beloved animals that I would always keep them by my side and be their only caretaker.

It's been over 4 years now and the stories are ready to tell. Life on the range with livestock and wild critters, funny stories and all the trials and tribulations....stay tuned and please visit my website at www.lawebb.com

Happy Trails,

Leslie Anne Webb