Saddles & Sawdust

This is a true story about the adventures of the author and her family on their cattle ranch and sawmill in the early 1950’s. It is compelling because this family left an opulent lifestyle in Vancouver, B.C. where the author’s parents were business and social leaders. On the ranch, they adapted to a life with no electricity, no telephones or any city conveniences. They learned that milk came from cows, not the grocery store; that lanterns actually gave light without plugging into the wall; that sometimes it was so cold, gasoline wouldn’t burn! The most compelling part of this story was the author’s mother, a glamorous lady who soon learned to swing an axe, rope cattle, milk cows, drive a lumber truck and become a sawyer on her husband’s sawmill....the ‘fancy lady from Vancouver’ who looked like a Vogue model and became a legend.
The story tells about a traumatic injury to the author’s mother, a missing child, an association with a wanted felon, cattle rustlers, marauding wildlife, forest fires, blizzards, and missing parents. Its also a love story (that began in England) between two people who gave their children simple values — to appreciate nature and respect wildlife; to value their ranch animals, especially the horses (who always brought them safely home) and to appreciate the devotion of their dog — a collie/wolf mix — an animal who thwarted danger more than once. Read and enjoy the incredible adventures of this amazing family.