Christmas 2009 Snow Storm

Caitlin has been wishing for a "White Christmas" and her wish came true....Christmas Eve it started with a cold rain that turned into sleet, then a mix and ended with a "whiteout" blowing snow! Cathlena was on her way to spend the night with us and it took her over an hour to get here.....we were getting worried when she finally pulled in the drive way.




Cathlena's car where she parked the night before!


Christmas morning....the sun was coming up and as we looked out the front door we had a winter wonderland.


The blowing wind left about an inch of snow on the back patio



Everything was covered in snow....








Papa went out on the 4 wheeler to check the cows and took these pictures of several spots on the property.

Creek behind the house


The pond in the front pasture




Pipeline pasture

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Deer Camp

Rifle season for deer in Oklahoma started on Saturday November 21st. In rural Oklahoma there is a tradition that school is on "Thanksgiving Break" the week before Thanksgiving but it really is so that all the "hunters" students and teachers a like can go to deer camp. This is the 15th deer camp at Copperhead Ranch. As the years have past it has become more of a time where "old" friends come to sit around the camp fire and reminisce about the "good ole days" rather than hunting. This year AJ was the only true hunter!

Deer camp accommodations have changed a lot through the years also. When the hunters went to the mountains they slept in tents and campers on the back of the trucks and cooked over a campfire. When they started hunting at Copperhead Ranch they slept in the shop and cooked on the camp stove. This year the accommodations were the motor home and breakfast was cooked and eaten in our kitchen. Times sure have changed.


John, Mike and Watts hanging out by the campfire. AJ was out hunting.


John Smith heading out to check the deer stands


Mike in front of the motor home. Notice it is parked right by the house!

Tulsa Fair

October 10th and 11th we were in Tulsa at the Fair. We arrived at the fair grounds Saturday about 2:00 pm. Lucy and Ethel (the goats) had to be bathed, blown dry and clipped so that they would be ready to show on Sunday. Each goat takes about 2 hours to get ready. Sunday morning we had to be back at the fair grounds at 7:00 along with the FFA teachers and several other students and parents to load all the horticulture entries up so we could all head home as soon as the goat show was over. Caitlin's goats were in 2 different classes. Lucy was in class 3 and Ethel class 5. Jessie and I went and sat in the stands and watched the shows while Papa helped Caitlin get ready. Lucy did not place but Ethel placed 8th in her class (there were 28 entries in class 5)...It was a long day and we were glad to head home.

Varsity Cheerleader

Jessie made varsity cheerleader this year. She really has a lot of fun cheering. This is the touch down dance they do while the band plays the school song.




Jessie is also a "flyier".......watch this next video and you will see what I mean.

Pontotc County Fair 2009

It is Fair time again and this year Caitlin had two show goats, named Lucy and Ethel. Lucy was in class 3 and Ethel was in class 4. As soon as Lucy finished showing, Caitlin had to run to the holding pen and get Ethel and was right back in the show pen. There was some very stiff competition this year. Lucy took 6th place in her class and Ethel took 3rd place in her class. Their next show is the Tulsa Fair October 10th and 11th.



Caitlin and Lucy being judged.




Papa and Ethel in the holding pen while Caitlin shows Lucy.


Caitlin and Ethel taking 3rd place

Stormy Weather

One evening a thunder storm came rolling through with some really amazing clouds.

Summer Visit

I'm really late in posting this....This summer Shuan, Danielle, Eva and Lily came to visit and we really enjoyed it. We swam, rode 4-wheelers, and just enjoyed spending time together. We sure hated to see them leave!


Papa, Lily & Eva watching TV



Eva getting ready to Swim


Eva, Shaun & Papa


Shaun, Danielle & Eva off on a ride


Shuan, Danielle, Eva & Lily visit Nana


Papa & Nanny, Eva & Lily

Youth Swim Party

The Allen 1st Baptist Church youth group came to the ranch for a swim party. There was music, swimming, eating, laughter and a lot of fun.

Trying to get a "major" whirl pool going


JB Nelson and Tyler cooking

Jessie, Conner and Beyla in the "chow line"

Allen First Baptist Church Youth Group

Quartz Moutain Trip

We spent a couple of days at Quartz Mountain in western Oklahoma. The temperature was 109. We tried to cool off in the lake but after about 45 minutes it was time to head back to the cabin and try and stay cool....the air conditioner had a hard time keeping up with the heat! We enjoyed visiting with the other Sanders family members.

Papa and Jessie

Kim and her Puppy

Everyone trying to stay cool!

4th of July

It was a traditional 4th of July on the Ranch. Jason and Kayla drove up from Dallas Kevin, Jordan and Hunter came in from Oklahoma City and of course Caitlin, Jessie, Papa and I were here. During the day we enjoyed 4 wheeling, swimming and of course Papa cooked hamberges and hot dogs and we had potato salad and baked beans


Kayla and Jason

Jordan and Hunter

Kevin and Hunter 4 wheeling

The gang swimming

Papa cooking for us!

Caitlin, Kayla and Jessie getting ready to eat.


At the end of the day we enjoyed shooting fire works (I was to busy shooting fire crackers to take pictures). It was a great 4th!

Blog Update

It has been a couple of months since I've added anything to the blog, so tonight I am going to add several at once. It has been a busy summer!

Oklahoma Weather

You never know what the weather is going to be like here in Oklahoma, especially in the spring. It has been raining for more than a week and I've tried to put this on the blog but due to the weather we have not had any service until to day when the sun finally came out! Oklahoma is known for its stormy weather during this time of year and last Wednesday April the 29th the weather made a statement at our house. The day started out muggy and cloudy and by 8 am we were in a thunderstorm watch. As the morning progressed it started to rain heavily with lightning and thunder and strong winds and then the thunderstorm watch was changed to a tornado watch.

Papa was keeping a close eye on the weather, standing at the picture window in the den and suddenly the trees started whipping around and the rain started to swirl and he heard a sound like a jet engine! He headed to the closet under the stairs just as the electricity went out. You guessed it ….a small tornado… not big enough to rate…no damage to the house or animals but we lost trees, the swings in the back yard and the goat house are a total lost and several flower pots and plastic chairs were smashed in the back pasture.

Love this Oklahoma weather!



My porch swing that was in the back yard!


Trees down in the front pasture


Tree in the front of the house


Tress down in the back side pasture.

The forcase for the rest of the week is more rain but hopefully no storms!

Caitlin's First Car

Last summer Caitlin took driver's ed and got her permit. She turned 16 in October but had to wait until January to take her driver's test. In March she was ready. It was time for a car! Papa spent several weeks looking for the right car(and deal) and finally found the one he and Caitlin wanted.


Caitlin's 2009 Mustang


Can you tell by the smile....we have a very happy driver!

OU Red and White Game

We drove to Norman this morning to attend the OU Red and White game. We stood in line and visited with other OU fans while we waited for the gates to open so we could find the perfect seats to watch the game.


Caitlin & Jessie outside the OU stadium.

When the gates opened we joined more than 20,000 OU fans to watch a game of flag football played by OU football alumni and then the Red and White game. Our seats were on the 50 yard line 3rd and 4th row. It was a beautiful day, 70 degrees and a light breeze.


Caitlin, Jessie and Papa on the 50 yard line!


The main attraction for many of the OU fans was quarterback Sam Bradford # 14



During halftime the Heisman Trophy was officially presented to Sam Bradford.



It was a fun filled day! We are now ready for football season to start!

Cheerleader Try Outs

On April 6th 11 girls entered the high school gym for Allen's cheerleader try outs. There were 8 slots to be filled and the girls were excited and nervous. The judges were OU cheerleaders. The girls had been practicing for a week and now they had to perform a cheer and dance routine as a group, perform the cheer and dance by themselves, perform 3 jumps and an original cheer. After all the girls had competed, they had to wait about 30 minutes for the results. The results were posted on the gym door....there was a lot of squealing and jumping up and down as the girls read their names on the list. Jessie made the cheerleader squad!

Allen JR High Basketball

Jessie is in the 8th grade and has played point guard on the Allen Jr High Basketball team. She wears number 00. It has been a lot of fun to watch her improve. Most of the girls on the team have been playing together since they were in the 4th grade and they play really well together. Their last game was against one of their big rivals Tupelo. The teams were well matched and the score went back and forth, but in the end Allen won.
Coach giving last minute instructions.
Jessie on the court

Here is a video of Jessie and her team breaking the press and scoring!