Women Who Weld! Learning Something New!

In this blog post, Maurrie Sussman, co-founder of Sisters on the fly, writes about the most recent SOTF event she hosted near her home in Montana.

Putting Pieces Together

Ever see a metal bucket and just know that this is a perfect fit to another piece of metal, and if we could just melt them together we could make a doo-dad that would be perfect on our gate or trailer?Well, we thought the same thing so decided to organize a welding class. Oh my! Now, we know how to do that after this very special class held in a welding shop in beautiful Absarokee, Montana!

A New SOTF Event Created

At this two-day session, we truly had the time of our lives. Talk about "Girl Power-" you could feel it in the air. We indeed did it. Not a problem here, not with our team of Go Get Em Girls. No slackers here for sure.

The Plan & Scope

The girls arrived on a Tuesday and brought their trailers and tents. I saw visions of circling around the fire pit but, no, we have independent thinkers, and it looked like someone dropped trailers from the sky. Kerplunk. Done. (That gives you an idea of the mindset of our new crew. No one decorated- just got out, put awnings and chairs up and were ready to get to know each other. No fuss, no frills women. I loved it.

Wednesday morning class started. We had more gear than we needed. Girls brought extra stuff and shared. My job was taking care of the group, cater lunches & breakfasts, run around in the ATV, and be jealous of the progress and the welding taking place.

Scott, the owner of Infinite Machine Metal Working & Welding, and his friend Bob taught girls the basics and then Wanda and Kaarin, who had learned from Bob, stepped in and helped with the simple stuff. Mandi took over who, with her whirlwind personality, learned every tool and every possible configuration in a day. Sherry stood firm and helped with all the quiet stuff. It really looked to me like girls in a NASCAR pit: everyone running full blast in different directions while learning, sharing, laughing and praising each other and their designs.

Horseshoes & Helmets

Horseshoes were the favorite go to and learn…Horseshoe bowls, trivets, boot pulls, gate décor, stakes in the earth, showing off your Sister number cut in steel… Me? Still jealous I didn't get to create anything being the hostess & go-fer for everyone.

The next day though, I got in the fray of activity and became one who zipped and zapped, learned to weld a pretty ugly bead line. But I did it, learned how to remove the splats of weld with a sanding machine with steel pad…and it polish it too. Mandi and I learned how to color steel and how to cut designs free hand. Oh what fun we had… It is great and women can handle this with no problem, just that the steel is heavy and very oily and dirty. But who cares about a little grease!

More Welding to Be Had

Next year we will have two classes, Welding 101 and Welding 201. More control over projects and teams working together with a purpose. We took up a lot of time and used a lot of steel that we did not order. But we had a wonderful time learning to weld.

For the other activities, we had tickets for a tour to Tippet Rise and 5 ATVs headed to the Beartooth Mountains and had the most fabulous day..

The story does not end…. Come next year.

A SOTF Cowgirl College Wrap-Up

Here is SOTF #1 Maurrie Sussman's recap of this year's Cowgirl College held recently near Kaycee, WY, on the Willow Creek Ranch:

Giddy Up and sing to the cows!

What a memory our Sister Cowgirls experienced on our latest “GO” get um adventure. A fabulous group of women pulled together and attacked this event like they knew what they were doing. Never once did anyone get left behind, nor was a snitty remark made and never any hurt feelings. It was just plain ole western manners. Be nice is a SOTF rule and nice we ALL were.

Round Up of Women

I was not as attentive as I should have been since this was the 13th year and I assumed some of the loyal followers, dedicated cowgirls from years past would attend. Wrong! A gathering of newbies led by an assertive problem solver, Linda Webb appeared. She bugged and haunted me for answers and we pulled it off. We did have one return person- do you remember the photographs from two years ago, of a beautiful girl with long hair, cuddling a bum lamb? That is Melisse, and this year she was the social director.

Ranch Duties & Work

Barry our boss, Ord our chief Wrangler and Olin our main "go-to" were in heaven with beautiful women and eager learners. Two of our regular Wranglers from Kentucky could not attend but Clint, in his southern way, took those girls on like he was made for it. Taught us how to "mug" (which is their word for wrestling calves down), to put tents up and take them down, to brand, and for some, to hold those cattle down for shots, branding and banding. That is all under "bull dogging."

What a stunning place

The camping overnight was inspiring- the moon, the stars, the fire, the singing... and two stepping! This was the first year for dance lessons! That went along with sharing moonshine and whiskey, telling stories and tons of laughter. Also Ord took the girls to a secret location to find old Indian seed beads in the ant piles and the girls found about 4 or 5 of them.

We also had wonderful photographers going to Adam Jahiel's amazing class.
They took spectacular photos of us, Willow Creek Ranch, the branding, the family, the world as we experienced it. A lovely lovely time captured forever. Jessica, our newest Sister member, took a fabulous shot of Black Beauty (my truck) covered in red dirt with the Hole in the Wall behind us. Simply breathtaking!

Laugh a lot

So I guess this year was summed up as:
Eat, ride, eat, laugh, ride, eat, drink...drink...laugh, ride, pass a cigar, two step, laugh, laugh, laugh, drink, rope a dummy, eat, sleep and do it again the next day.

Thank you to Kristen, Barry, Lilly and Caroline, Susie our cook, and Olin our go-to person, dishwasher and bbq cook.

Sisters on the fly has more fun than anyone, especially on this bucket list trip.

Next year, same place, about the same time. Look for this event in 2019 coming soon to our website.

Love from Maurrie

Getting BOLDER & Letting It Shine!

Go Camping, naturally!

June is National Camping Month and can you think of anything more wonderful to do than getting yourself out in nature during the perfect month of the year?

School is out so the kids and grandkids can enjoy learning new skills and follow in your camping footsteps. They may not seem terribly enthusiastic, but you’re planting a seed...and that’s a good thing. As with most of these “National Holidays”, National Camping Month was the marketing brainchild of The North Face, makers of excellent camping gear. That’s not to say observing this “holiday” is without merit.

Amazing Outdoor Events R Us!

Sisters on the fly members love joining up with other Sisters and finding something wonderful to do and the summer months are prime camping season. Just take one look at the June calendar on the Sisters on the Fly event page for members and you’ll find some pretty amazing opportunities for gathering around that campfire and enjoying yourself. (Be logged into the SOTF member portal and view all events HERE.)

How about the Annual "Sister Swarm" Event held in conjunction with the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY? There are many things to do in the area besides the Fair, but if you’ve never been to one, you really should try to attend. Seriously, it’s like walking into the pages of Country Living Magazine.

Or, you could go to the Synchronized Fireflies SOTF event in the Great Smoky Mountains. This is certainly on MY bucket list. There are only a handful of places where these synchronous fireflies can be seen. Normally, you can find fireflies (more commonly referred to as lightning bugs) all over the mid-Atlantic states from late May through June. They seem to twinkle...one here, another there...giving fields and woods a sparkling look just after sunset. Synchronous fireflies, as their name implies, light up “en masse”...all on, all off. It is a sight to see!

We are A-OK with OK! and in a KOA

Oklahoma is where you’ll find Sisters gathering for the Trailer Trash III at Natural Falls State Park in West Siloam Springs. This event offers campers the opportunity to spend some time out on the water at the Kayak Park. You can bring your vintage wares to sell or barter, too. Who can pass up a good tag sale when you’re looking for that perfect tchotchke for your vintage camper? Can you say “Plaid” or “Pyrex”?

One of the BIG bucket list trips you might be yearning for is held at Willow Creek Ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming. The 3rd Annual Cowgirl College Rendezvous is being held in June. This is a "GO Sister" Trip where you can learn cowgirling skills on a working ranch. And, work you will do! Riding, roping, wrangling...whatever needs to be done, you’ll be pitching in and doing it. They work hard and play hard and I hear it’s not to be missed. One word of caution, however. This event is for horse riders that are intermediate or above and limited to ten Sisters plus Maurrie and Becky, so it is something you need to plan for well in advance.

The annual Buckeye Bash Event is being held at the KOA in Dayton, Ohio at the end of the month. As is the Northwest Gathering, celebrating their Lucky #13 this year! So, as you can see there’s plenty to do. The larger events are already full by this time of the year, but careful planning for next year could see you starting a new tradition. In the meantime, there are still plenty of events open in the month of June and beyond.

If you aren’t finding what you would like to do, or if there aren’t any events scheduled near you, plan your own! It doesn’t have to be elaborate. You can do a fee free gathering at a local campground or camp in your own backyard if you have the room. The possibilities are endless!

There were three in the bed & the little one said... ROLL OVER

I didn’t camp as a child. My first camping experience was when I was seventeen. I went with my first boyfriend and his family. We slept in a musty-smelling canvas hunting tent with side walls in North Bend State Park in West Virginia. His dad had an elaborate, homemade camp kitchen cabinet that intrigued me. His mom slept on the cot between my boyfriend and me to keep things...appropriate. It was my first taste of the good life in the great outdoors.

It was many years before I had the opportunity to camp again, but at that point, if my daughter couldn’t plug in her blow dryer, she wasn’t interested. I took my second child a couple of times when she was younger, but she never really liked it either.

I didn’t really get into camping on a regular basis until I became a widow five years ago. Now, it’s my happy place. You all know the feeling...when you can’t camp, you sleep in your camper in the driveway. I actually lived in my camper pretty much full time for about three years after I lost my husband and that was the very best thing I could have done for myself.

Shine On, Summer Sunshine

Summer Solstice occurs at 6:07am on Thursday, June 21st this summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the day... the perfect day for camping. The most hours of daylight gives you ample opportunity to cram in as many activities as you can... or float in an inner tube down a lazy river... or lie in a hammock under a shade tree with a good book sipping sweet tea. Whatever floats your boat, get out there this month and have a blast. Save up all that sunshine and all those memories so you can sit inside in January and look at the pictures. Make new friends. Meet up with old ones. And... Have more fun than anyone!

With much love,
Ginny

Post contributed by blogger, Positive Aging Expert & Motivational Speaker,
Ginny McKinney, SOTF #3537
Marshmallow Ranch Blog

Where (and who) is Tiffany?

Wonderful Women in Waxahachie

Sister #1, SOTF Founder Maurrie Sussman and I had the pleasure to represent our Sisterhood at this event within an event. The big event being the Crossroads Film & Music Festival put on by the Waxahachie Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Texas Draw

It was an over the top event and drew so many "Wonderful Women" campers & attendees to it. I fell in love with the Texas Sisters I met, the locals, the town, the history and local tastes and color. The blue bells were still in bloom for us and the weather was kind of classic for Texas- gorgeous until the flash flood downpour hit! If my husband's ex wasn't from Texas, I would've make a seriously hard pitch to relocate from Boise there and may have had a chance! C'est la vie, y'all...

The Stories

There are so many great stories to tell from this event but there was a first-time camper there who tells hers so well and when we asked if we could share her blog article about her experience this was her reply:

"Thank you. I wish I had more time to spend with everyone as well. I hope our paths cross again and we get a chance to camp out or hangout. I enjoyed my time hanging out with so many likeminded people. I walked away with a whole new perspective and love for camping. Yes, please share. I created the blog to inspire, encourage and give hope to those that dream of traveling or traveling solo. Thank you for reading my story. Part 2 will be up on May 13."

Her Story

Tiffany attended this event as a tent camper having not camped much and wanting a sense of what women campers were all about. Here is the link to Tiffany's blog article. Enjoy her story and her amazing photos:

BEST FIRST CAMPING TRIP EVER

Sister #1 Gets Knee Deep in Sheep

A SOTF blog post contribution by founder Maurrie Sussman, Sister #1

Oh my gosh, ladies, I just had the most wonderful adventure! Some ranchers here in Absarokee, Montana, asked me if I would like to come help with the shearing of the sheep this past Saturday.

With bells on my toes, I headed out, knowing nothing about sheep or their shearing! Years ago, my dad told me that he thought I should go into sheep ranching; that cattle were too big for me to wrestle! He had just met a woman in Wyoming who had a small sheep ranch and he was sure ranching was my destiny…well, of course life got in the way and THAT never happened but… here I am:

There I was headed to the ranch, clueless. When I arrived, I found a small group already knee deep in sheep! My helpful job consisted of encouraging (aka pushing!) the sheep up a ramp into the trailer’s little doors where four of New Zealand’s finest, shirtless, strong-bodied men were ready to wrestle the sheep into shearing position.

Now if you turn a sheep on its back, it goes into a trance and gets docile. The “wrangler” can grab it, turn it every which way but loose, holding it so that the sheep is not hurt, shearing every inch of fleece off its body. Stand the sheep upright now, then give it a little shove and out the back door. Then the sheep wrangler pushes the wool out of the trailer to some other help. Then he grabs another sheep and starts all over. Four men sheared 500 sheep in about 5 hours with one break. Two girls gathered and stuffed the fleece into two different piles- body fleece and belly fleece (inferior). They stuff and haul and stuff and jump in the bags, like stomping grapes! Awesome strength and I was so enamored with their strong bodies and their bright eyes and healthy laughter.

I was instructed to go and meet the girls on the other side of the trailer. Two strong-built women in their middle 20s greeting me and asked if I knew anything about shearing. I’ve told you all here- no, I did not. So Mariah introduced herself and told me all about herself and what she does along with her friend Margaret. For three months in the spring, the two of them head out with the team of four guys to a group of ranchers who have employed them in advance. Have any of you seen the parade of cutters coming down the back roads of North or South Dakota? They stop and cut the wheat for each rancher along a path. Then move on. It is amazing to watch. Well, it’s same thing with the sheep shearers.

There is a specific time for shearing. It is just before spring so that the ewe can be bred without being encumbered by layers of fleece. Being that I only have seen the cattle breed… cow or heifer by the bull. They keep both sexes apart until breeding season and then bring the bulls or rams into the female area and they then breed. The ranchers then separate the two groups once again.

After spending 5 hours with these girls, I told them what I do and they were just as tickled about my job as I was with theirs. Lots of questions both ways. Both of these girls are also fire fighters with the Forest Service. One builds trails for the Forest Service in Wyoming and the other trained and had the most accomplished team of all women fire fighters in Wyoming. Clear eyes, bright smiles, happy women being fulfilled in their lives. I loved it and them. I had goose bumps to be with them and to listen to their lives. No idea if either was married or anything personal about them. I did give each my card and told them to keep me posted if there was an adventure they were doing that we may attend with them. They assured me I would hear from them.

It was a magical day for certain. I met some of the local ranchers who wanted to know my family name. I laughed and said I was a stranger here, only been here for 11 years. Each woman talked to me about their history and family ranches. It was awesome. Next year I will learn more.

Tropical Turqs & Caicos Fly FIshing Adventure Endorsed & Loved by Sisters on the Fly

Come join us as we partner with Beyond the Blue the week of March 12-17, 2018. This fly fishing trip is open to all “Sisters on the Try (aka non-members),” spouses & partners. Come one, come all on this bucket-list trip of a lifetime.

Have you dreamed of fishing for beautiful bonefish surrounded by white sandy beaches and stunning blue waters? If the answer is YES, then we’ve got the trip for you! Join us for a SOTF “GO” Sister trip of a lifetime as we hit the waters in Turks & Caicos!

SOTF will be lead by Beyond the Blue on this 4 Day/ 5 Night adventure.
Beyond the Blue delivers an unmatched fishing experience as clients glide across the clear skinny water in a 24′ airboat, putting you on absolutely gorgeous, hard bottomed flats teeming with bonefish! Once the boat stops, you’ll either wade or paddle board as you stalk after the coveted gray ghosts of the Caicos Bank. On any given day, you might run into many small schools holding bonefish 7lbs and over or schools of several hundred bonefish ranging from 3-6 lbs. You might even get to stalk after a double-digit swimming solo or in small groups of two or three. Whatever the wind and tide bring, you will spend the day wading or paddle-boarding with miles of saltwater wilderness surrounding you and not another boat in sight!

Here’s a typical day with Beyond the Blue:
Load in the airboat around 8am and be at the edge of the flat system in as little as 5-10 minutes. Your guide, either Ganger or Bibo, will start scanning the flats for bonefish as the airboat soars across the water. Once they start seeing fish, they’ll stop the boat for you to begin wading or paddle-boarding the area. As you stalk the flat after bonefish, your guide can help you spot fish and give tips for casting, strip setting your hook, reeling in and then releasing your fish or you can try your own skill without the guide over your shoulder. If you wade far from the boat while stalking fish, the guide may periodically walk back and bring the airboat up so it is always within a short walk for his anglers. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch on the boat whenever you get hungry and then return to the lodge around 4pm. The novelty of wading and/or paddle boarding is that everyone fishes all day without having to take turns on the deck of a traditional poling skiff. We fish groups of up to 6 anglers (call Bibo for exceptions) so you’ll always have space in the boat and miles of uncrowded flats to wade the vast Caicos Bank.
RATES:
4 Day/5 Night- $3625/double occupancy or $4125/single occupancy
Rate includes all ground transportation on XSC (South Caicos), meals (except dinner in local/resort restaurant on 5th NIGHT), lodging and fishing logistics (including TCI fishing license). Not included is transportation to/from XSC, alcoholic beverages, travel/medical insurance (we recommend Global Rescue, if interested).

BOOK BY FEB. 28 BOOK HERE
This is all-inclusive, so Beyond the Blue will handle all ground transportation in South Caicos, meals (except 1 dinner out), lodging and fishing logistics once Sisters and/or spouses land in South Caicos. So the trip would look like this:

• MARCH 12: Fly into Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (PLS) in time to connect to South Caicos (XSC) on 20-min InterCaribbean flight (book PLS to XSC flight at www.intercaribbean.com); Beyond the Blue will transfer from XSC airport to lodge for (7pm) dinner and orientation. Cost of flights is not included in the prices reflected above.
• MARCH 13: (7am) Breakfast; (8-4pm) casting technique demo, if needed; airboat wading bonefishing with picnic lunch; (7pm) dinner
• MARCH 14: (7am) Breakfast; (8-4pm) paddleboard fishing demo; airboat wading/paddleboard* bonefishing with picnic lunch (8-4pm); (7pm) dinner
• MARCH 15: (7am) Breakfast; (8-4pm) airboat wading/paddleboard* bonefishing with picnic lunch w/ optional beach combing/snorkeling; (7pm) dinner
• MARCH 16: (7am) Breakfast; (8-4pm) airboat wading/paddleboard* bonefishing with picnic lunch; (7pm) dinner at local/resort restaurant (cost not included)
• MARCH 17: (7am) Breakfast; (8am) transfer to XSC airport for 9:10am(?) flight to PLS; make connecting PLS flight back to USA

*Paddleboard bonefishing is weather dependent
To view accommodations, click here: https://beyondtheblue.com/about/

For additional questions about the accommodations, logistics, and activities, please contact Beyond the Blue directly here:

Beyond the Blue contact:

Marian Jayne- 321-917-3301

marian@bonefishhippies.com

Note rate for double occupancy is per person. When booking double occupancy with a partner, friend, or spouse, choose “2” as quantity for that option.
A double occupancy space is $3,625.00
A single occupancy space is $4,125.00

Book through the Sisters on the Fly Shop HERE.

Capture the True West with Vivid Images & Sisters on the Fly

This June will be our 3rd Annual Western Ranch Life Photography Workshop located at the Willow Creek Ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming- June 8-16, 2018, are the dates and if you have a love of the west and ranch life and you love photography you should try to come along! All levels of photography skills are welcome at this photo workshop and you do not need to be a member of Sisters on the Fly or even a woman, for that matter! Come one, come all!
We are excited to offer Adam Jahiel’s Willow Creek Ranch Photography Workshop once again. Adam is known for his vivid photo-documentation of the American West. Last year was such a success, we decided to offer the same experience. You will learn all types of tricks and techniques from Adam. This event coincides with the Sisters on the Fly Cowgirl College, whose attendees will be hard at work doing ranch hand chores and activities and may often be your photo subjects. Capture live action shots of these lady riders and the Willow Creek staff as well. For several years Kristen Crago, 0wner of Willow Creek Ranch, has tried to pair Sisters on the Fly and Adam together because it just makes sense. As she says, “Why photograph all the men when you girls are so beautiful and work just as hard?” Here we go!

A special note from Adam Jahiel-
Welcome Photographers of all skill types! I am excited to offer you this wonderful and unique Photography Workshop with some fun and energetic subjects. I have taken photos at Willow Creek Ranch for years now and have loved capturing the true nature and spirit of the Wild West that lives on at the ranch still today. I am very excited to partner with Sisters on the Fly. Not only do I get to work with such a fun group, but we get to document all of the Cowgirl College participants hard work throughout the week through our own personal camera lens. You will be together as one group, but the photo-folks will spend time with me learning about photography. Willow Creek Ranch has a new meeting place, which is perfect for us to gather, look at pictures, talk about photography and share. Having several days to work on photography gives everybody a chance to shoot pictures, look at results, learn from the successes, and go out and do it all over again the next day. Besides the cowboy-girl work, this ranch offers some of the most beautiful light and landscape I have seen in the West. It is a feast for the eyes (and camera). I have always been excited about helping people to see and to understand light and how to best capture and work with it. Our classes are always small enough, that I am able to tailor the class to the participants. I can help you whether you are a professional, or have never held a camera before. Any camera will do, digital is recommended. Doesn’t matter if it’s fancy or plain. I have even been seen using my iPhone now and again, and some of those images have been shown in museums and galleries!

Willow Creek Ranch Photo Workshop General Schedule for 2018:

June 8th or 9th- Arrive in Casper, WY – Food and accommodations at La Quinta Inn are not included and reservations will need to be made with the hotel directly. Maurrie and Becky will arrive on the 8th so if you’d like to come and explore Casper together, they’d love that.
June 10th- Head to Willow Creek Ranch. Breakfast and lunch are on your own. Dinner and all meals following will be provided by the ranch.
June 11th-15th- Photography workshop in full swing. Enjoying being surrounded by an authentic working ranch, the infamous Hole in the Wall, the Outlaw Canyon. Every day will bring a new experience and learning.
June 16th- Head for home… until next time, my friend!

Make sure you bring bedrolls, pillows, blow up mattresses, sleeping bags, fleece, jeans, boots, warm stuff, flashlights, handy wipes… As usual, we will each bring beer and all wine and whiskey, vodka etc. for around the campfire and on the dusty trail.

For more information, check out Adam’s website:
https://adamjahiel.com/WORKSHOPS/Willow-Creek-Ranch—Spring–2017/1/caption
Here’s a beautiful video of Adam’s workshop:

Cost of the Photography workshop is $1500

Payment Directions: To book the photography workshop, please do so directly on Adam’s website. You can do so by going here: https://adam-jahiel-photography.myshopify.com/pages/workshop-registration-and-details Register for the JUNE workshop to coincide with our Cowgirl College activity. OR contact him directly:
Contact Adam with any questions-
Adam Jahiel
307-751-8655 – cell
307-683-2862 – office
Web: www.adamjahiel.com
email: adam@adamjahiel.com