[Cordillera Cowboy]

Well, it's official. I sent in all the paperwork, and will retire at the end of April. We'll fly to the Philippines immediately and get started on fencing and the barn. We'll take a break in late May to visit our son and his fiancé in Tokyo, then back home to the ranch.

Here's the morning view from the ranch.



We'll be staying in town at the student boarding house the Goodewyfe and her sister own.



I'm just a tad excited. Can you tell?

 

[walkinthewalk]

Yay for you!!!? Just as long as you don't forget about your forum friends

They do have internet service?

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

Yay for you!!!? Just as long as you don't forget about your forum friends

They do have internet service?

Yes. Plenty of internet service! I'll still be here in Horse Forum. Maybe have more to add since I'll have my own stock, at last!

 

[waresbear]

I am so jealous but very happy for you!

 

[Smilie]

Congrats! Sounds very nice, all that sand and sunshine!

 

[JCnGrace]

Happy retirement! I promise it won't be long before you wonder how in the heck you ever had time to work. LOL Looks like a beautiful place to retire to, too.

 

[LoriF]

Yay for you!! I would be super excited too if I were in your shoes.

 

[egrogan]

Looks divine. Can't wait to follow along as you put everything together.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

The gang at the barn gave us a bon voyage party tonight. Among the gifts was a framed photo of Dusty, the animated little horse I've been working with lately.

image by Paul Mckee, on Flickr

 

[PoptartShop]

Ah, super super jealous! So happy for you. Sooo exciting!!!

 

[Woodhaven]

Very happy for you, retirement is grand, don't forget to keep us posted on your life in the Philippines.

 

[kewpalace]

Wow! I'm jealous! On retirement (I have a few more years, then I'm hitting the road out of crazy CA) and the ranch (hoping to hit my sister up for a spot on her ranch when her husband retires and they GET their ranch!).

Happy Retirement!!

Please keep us updated, especially with pix!!

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

We've been here 2 weeks now. Arrived to find our caretaker had been injured and couldn't keep up with the place. No crops in, save the few fruit trees planted a few years ago. Chest high tropical grass had taken over. Also the access road had been washed out, and was impassable by motor vehicles. We hired a crew to start clearing and fencing. They got to work immediately. But supplies had to be hauled up the mountain by carabao (water buffalo) sled, and in back packs.

We negotiated a deal with a contractor for an excavator to fix the road. That's done now, and the machine is leveling the barn site and a cattle sorting pen / horse training area. The orchard and grazing areas are emerging from the tall grass. It is inedible when mature, but can be grazed when young and short. We are on the hunt for bunch of weanling calves to keep it down, as well as some usable horses.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

Kitchen supplies for the work crew heading up to the ranch. Hats off to these hard working people and their hardy draft animals!

 

[Horsef]

What an amazing story! It looks like your retirement will be rather busy.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

Three weeks in. Here's some more photos. the place is starting to look more like a working farm than an overgrown, abandoned hillside.

This is our little Native style house. The cleared hillside will become rambutan orchard.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

Our eroded access road is repaired now. We've joined the modern world! This was our first trip up the mountain delivering supplies by truck.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

The Goodewyfe planting her citrus seedlings

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

The citrus orchard is almost all planted. This is calamansi, a small, very popular fruit here. The trees are barely in the ground, and the Goodwyfe already has a buyer for the first full crop.

 

[Cordillera Cowboy]

Neighbors came to visit the other day. The lady on the right is Pacita, the matriarch of the Ifugau community uphill from us. They brought gifts of papaya and camote (a type of yam). We gave them clothing, and school supplies.