Pasture Sale Time... Just Around the Corner

Slowly but surely we are creeping in to one of our busier times of the year here at RHD. Believe it or not, we're already making plans and booking clients for the August magazines. Last year we sent over 100 pages of ads in to various livestock publications. We've had several people calling to "get on our list" and here we are - 3 months from August!

What made me think of the August magazines (besides the fact that we're booking projects for late summer) is that the pasture sales are already starting up. I just finished up a website for Bennett Shorthorns yesterday. Many of you probably remember their ad from last summer for their Pasture of Dreams sale with a grandfather, father, and son walking through a pasture together. That ad was one of our most popular ones we designed last year — and lots of people must have liked it, considering it was knocked off by several other designers.

This year, Charlie and Tricia Bennett once again came to us for help creating the advertising for their Pasture of Dreams sale. They also hired us to create a new website for them to go along with their new ad. It's always a pleasure to work with Charlie and Tricia. We've actually known Charlie for a long time from way back when he was at Rockdale Shorthorns. Be sure and check out their new site.

Full Bellies & South Texas

So as I was blogging earlier I just got back from Muhammed's. The actual name of this establishment is Primo's but the guys that owns it is from "overseas" and we did not know the name of the place when we started going there. So, Jim just started calling the owner Muhammed and the name stuck. Anyway my morning ritual involved checking recip cows at the Mullins and eating 1 egg, 2 pieces of bacon, and an order of wheat toast. I think that I remained pretty restrained when I ordered.

As our morning trip concluded Jim got a phone call from Mr. Cannon a close friend of the Williams'. First they started talking about a new web site for J-F Ranch that RHD is working on and it may be one of the best sites that we have ever done! I know that we all get excited about new web sites but this one has a format that is a little atypical and will really make it stand out. You will just have to wait until it goes online. As their conversation concluded they were talking about a trip that Jim needs to make to a new ranch in South Texas that Mr. Cannon recently purchased. I wish that I could go to South Texas every week just to piddle around. I would be going on this adventure but I have a cook out that one of my professors at school is having as an end of the year bash for his honors class. If you knew the teacher you would know that it is more of a "We’re here for the free food!" than a bash. So I am in quite the pickle now. I have talked to a few students and/or grad students (Blake Bloomberg) who said that I do not need to go, but I am not sure. It would be a 6 hour trip and a tank of gas for hot dogs and hamburgers when I could be getting piping hot plates of chalupas and tortillas the size of Blake's ego. Ha. So I will be blogging in the future with how everything turns out.

I need a clone

yep - i want a clone - of myself - only better

• LW#1 clone would be able to work 24 hours a day - never get tired - never make a mistake - and have excellent math skills. LW#1 would be able to do Dreamweaver and Go live.
• She would be 25 lbs lighter and have less wrinkles. LW#1 would be able to eat chips and salsa every meal and not gain weight.
• Having a clone would allow LW to attend Astros games, and Aggie games without any problems. LW#1 would be responsible for LW's work - therefore freeing up LW to do whatever she wants.
• LW likes her itunes too and sings at the top of her voice all day when working at the V8 office (nobody is around to hear me) ..... LW#1 would have a great voice.

I'm sure most of you wish for something. Really, all in all, being able to multi - task between RHD and V8 has been great. I love working with RHD. One of my tasks is quality control. I double check website updates for mistakes - typos - broken links, etc. I'm the one who finds mistakes - and tells the updaters. Sometime I feel badly about turning in corrections - but - it's what is best for RHD clients. Proof reading is a goofy thing - you can look at something several times and not catch mistakes.....then boom - the error jumps off the page.

Gotta run....the NFL college draft is on....I gotta watch for the Aggies who get drafted.
Enjoy the weekend.

From the web corner of RHD

I love putting up new web sites. We've got a lot of web sites in production now and several of them are close to being ready to go online to their final home. I just checked on my list and there are so many cool sites that I can't wait to get posted online and show everyone!

For any of our local (Wharton) area readers... we're working on a really cool site for the Bright Minds Scholarship Fund. This neat organization is headed up by several community leaders in the Wharton area. We're happy to be involved with the good work that is being done by the Bright Minds group and I hope to have their web site up soon for all of you to look at! Don't get me wrong — livestock sites are our bread and butter (which just made me think of — for any of you pig people who are reading this — the ad we designed last fall for Mills Brothers... Poland Chinas are their bread and butter!) but it is a nice break to get to do some non-agriculture designs. We've got quite a few non-ag sites and designs on our list, so be sure to watch for these.

More updates on Rach's injury. Today we went to lunch at (where else?) Larry's. I am happy to report that Rachel is walking with no crutches. I use the term "walking" quite loosely. She is kinda hobbling around. When she walks her arms naturally raise up (for balance, we think.) I told her today that when she walks she flaps her arms like a spooked bird. I mean that in the most loving way possible! Who cares how she looks walking though — we are pumped that she is back on her foot... or feet... whatever.

Rach said one of the things she missed most about being out of the RHD office for the better half of a month was iTunes. We listen to our music in the office every single day. Usually about half the day we listen to my music and the other half we listen to Rach's. One thing we both agree on of recent music is the new George Strait CD. We have listened to it on repeat for several afternoons and it doesn't ever seem to get old. Tricia is a big George Strait fan and reported that she went and saw him in concert several times before he was famous. Such a groupie!

Have a good Friday and a fun weekend!

Surfing other sites...

Well, when you are spending extended amounts of time on a couch, you find a lot of places to surf around on the Internet. I have tons of friends who are addicted to checking Showsteers.com multiple times daily, but up until now I've never really been one who was a repeat visitor. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE showsteers and I LOVE Becky but I just never really had the time to surf the Internet much before. So, I have to admit....I can see how people can really get into it. I find myself wanting to check it nightly, see who's got updated sites (other than the ones we've updated ourselves) and then discuss all the new photos, calves and updates with my friends on the phone.

Speaking of some cool recent updates....Has everyone seen the smokin' hot Monopoly calf that is on Matt Lautner's web site? Awesome. If you haven't seen it be sure to check Matt's site out.

Then what about the text message buzz on Habeger's site? What do people think about that? I think it's pretty cool too, and definitely something different. I'm pretty sure that's the first ad that deals with a text message. Wonder how many people will copy that now.

Granted I realize we did all these updates but still I think they are cool.

Another first for me today - I ventured into the online posting on SteerPlanet.com. I have some friends who really like this site better than some other message boards so I tried it out. I love this format and I love the fact that there is some type of accountability on here. So my topic I posted under was "Dream Matings" which suprisingly, no one posted me x Brad Pitt. Anyway, I did make a post and stated that my dream mating was Heat Wave x my sister's CF Myrtle Bo cow. My perfect mix of club calf and Shorthorns. I think Cat might go for it, and honestly I think John might go for it. Phil would like it. BUT.....convincing Jim would be a whole different story! But can't you picture those cute blue roans???

collecting stickers

i'm not sure who reads this blog so for what it's worth...here's my 2cents

after a devastating tax day, Jim and I have driven to Jim Wells County - deep south Texas for a couple of days rest and business. We are staying in the trailer and outside my window is mesquite mots, cactus (dead and alive) and dirt....and stickers. Any walking outside results in stickers on your pants. Sam is suffering the most. He needs cowboy boots if this becomes a regular thing. We are 20 miles from Kingsville's flour tortillas and 20 miles from Falfurias hot Mexican plate and salsa. We ate the Kingsville tortillas last night and they were so big they hung over the plate. Which is exactly what will happen if I continue to eat flour tortillas - my gut will be hung over my jeans.

Jim busted out early to drive the 3000 acres - he saw deer, snakes, buffalo, etc. When he came back to the trailer mid morning - he came in - with his 'hunting whisper voice" wanting me to look outside - there were 3 buffalo grazing right by the trailer. I didn't even know it.

It's very very dry here. Not much pasture grass available. They need rain badly - but again - this is part of the Wild Horse Desert. There is no city noise here. Nothing but nature - birds and the sound of the wind blowing through the mesquite trees.

This place is surrounded by a deer proof fence - so we will be able to see alot of deer this afternoon. The bucks have already shed their horns.

OK- that's my 2cents. what say you?