"Buckle-Berries"

Last Saturday we went up to Victor to Keith and Betty's homestead to pick huckleberries with Bart and Candice and the kids. Candice was kind enough to divulge one of her many favorite huckleberry picking sites and it proved to be a good one. It was located on national forest ground, so technically they are there for anyone to pick, but I still felt priviledged to be invited to pick on sacred huckleberry ground. Cameron, Maddy and I all started picking and worked as quick as we could to get a good amount. If you have ever seen a huckleberry, you know that they are pretty small, and only the biggest ones get to be about the size of a blueberry. So, with 2 1/2 people picking for an hour, we were able to aquire only about an eighth of a gallon. Still, it was worth it. You only need about a few tablespoons for a tasty huckleberry milkshake, which is what we usually use them for.
Maddy was in heaven, as we gave her own small bucket to fill. She followed Shaylee around, picking the berries at the top of the bushes, and kept yelling, "Shay Shay, I'm picking buckle-berries!" over and over. She did very well and didnt spill any. She happily picked the whole time we were there and had so much fun. I shouldn't have been surprised at her picking abilities, as she tries to pick every one of my green tomatos in our garden at home. I only wish I had remembered to bring our camera!
After we picked and called it good, we went back to the house and someone suggested we go to see the horses. Sage and Sadie were in the front pasture area and so they were pretty easy to catch. I was in the razor feeding Kaitlyn a bottle and watching Maddy. She was hesitant to pet Sadie, and looked stone-faced. I thought there was no way she was going to get up there and ride, but Bart hoisted her up and she settled onto Sadie's back, gripping a clump of her mane as tight as she could. There was a certain look of fear in her eyes, but when Shaylee sat behind her, she relaxed and they rode around for a while. I couldnt believe it! Maddy's first horse ride! She was so proud of herself and talked about it for days. Again, no picture, I keep kicking myself for this, and I am not going anywhere now without my camera. We made it home exausted but glowing from the fun we'd had.