Halloween with Grandkids!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE LAZY EL!

Phoenix and Kiyamani made our Halloween. LOVE having the grandkids with us. Phoenix was a hockey playing, fire-fighting, air gun carrying, Storm Trooper. Kiyamani was a vampire. Little Guy was not feeling the festivities. Instead he played cars. Go figure.

This year, one of our guests, Olivia, dressed up as Ceily, her favorite Cowgirl. We think she is a dead-ringer.

Her brother, Stephen, dressed up as his friend, Paul, the contractor. We can't comment on the similarities of Stephen to Paul, the New York Contractor.

I like to believe that we also influenced Caleb, another ranch visitor, in his striking costume of a Sheriff. Isaac is Al Capone.

Hope the rest of you had a great holiday!

Meet Eric Kvale! Our New Cook House Assistant Chef and Guitarist Extraordinaire!

*Hearty, Healthy, and Tasty meals are key to any buckaroo's handiness in the saddle! We take our meals very seriously, here at the ranch, and we're lucky to have an accomplished team of gourmet chefs cooking for us and our guests at the the Cook House every day. We'd like to introduce to you our newest addition to the Cook House Team, Assistant Chef and guitar extraordinaire (he plays a mean version of "Build Me Up, Buttercup"), Eric Kvale!

After raving culinary reviews and much demand, Eric wrote his auto-biographical debut for us:

I love to travel, and the experiences I've gathered have helped me put together a basket of recipes and flavor combinations that go beyond my mid-western roots. Last year, I had the chance to travel to Argentina to work in restaurants over there. I got to work first hand with their wonderful style of BBQ, called "Asado." You can't beat their beef; it's amazing drizzled in a chimi-churri sauce, accentuated with a glass of Malbec. I've been working in restaurants for quite a while now, and every time I get chance to learn something new or find a fresh new ingredient, I pounce on it. I've been lucky enough to visit Italy and Peru, as well. Both have absolutely drop-dead fantastic food. Peru has such a robust variety of vegetables and fruits that you could spend a lot of time simply eating what you will most likely never taste again. And Italy, well, I'm still developing an appreciation for it. It's practically a fad for Chefs to rave over Italian food, but that doesn't mean there isn't a good reason for it.


I haven't been at the Lazy E-L for very long, but I've worked with Sean Sherman (Cook House Head Chef) quite a few times before. He keeps adapting and throwing new flavors and textures together, always finding what's fresh around him and making it unique. Although, the first thing that strikes you about Sean's culinary style is the artistic nature of his presentation. Someone is constantly foraging for a camera while the meal is being served. It's wonderful to have all of these little ingredients and tedious prep work emerge into something so glamorous, and it really makes the whole affair worth while. It's also a fairly forceful reminder of why we love a great meal.

You know, a great meal to me, anyway, is one that is half rooted in the present and half lifting a forgotten nostalgia out of the past. It's the aroma of roasted vegetables reminding you of Grandma; her house, her cooking, and family, and it's the lit candle and half-empty glass of wine that helps spring rapport and conviviality along with each course. Often, it's just enough of a catalyst to create a concord between a new quiet introspection and a flowing conversation that allows for a new appreciation to be made between friends and family. I love great food, but what it can bring about as a social vehicle is often paramount.

I'm really excited about starting the Black Sheep Catering company with Sean. The dinners we've done have already gotten the creative juices flowing, and we've received some amazing responses. It's a terrific feeling when you hear the dining room laughing and enjoying themselves. That's when I loosen up a bit, and smile, because I know I've done a good job. Sean has a knack of finding really fresh ingredients, which is key in making really amazing food. The natural flavors come out with really little effort, and a simple ordinary dish is transformed into a thing of magic.

For more information about Black Sheep Catering, check out the website: blacksheepchefs.com

Why Guests Don't Tend to Visit in October....

For some reason, two feet of snow overnight seems to be a deal breaker for most vacationers. Go figure.

























The storm was forecast on Friday, October 2nd. On Saturday, in sunshine, we moved the heifers closer, brought the pairs back from Daly Basin to Sam Ike so we could feed and brought turned out horses back to Bill/Joyce also so we could feed. We then put plows on all equipment (skidsteer and tractor), hauled firewood to every porch along with a shovel and waited.



















On Sunday it started snowing lightly. We rested and kept close to the fireplace.




By Monday morning, the snow was here and our shuffling on Saturday paid off.




















Tomorrow morning, in whatever weather God brings us, we ship. 2,000 yearlings on at least 25 trucks. It is supposed to be a lull before the next storm.








My cattle contract is on the gain, so this storm means 20 days of gain could be lost overnight. But no one was lost in this storm and so far, we know where our cattle are. And it is a beautiful winter wonder land....

First Snow!

September 30th, and our first snow!





Ms. I-Used-To-Live-In-Bozeman was not impressed, but our fall addition, Ms. Michigan thought it was fantastic. All I can say is I'm glad we aren't preg-testing heifers or shipping 2,000 head....

The Latest Addition

Yes, we just finished preg-testing 2300 yearlings. Yes, we've pre-conditioned the calves. We're getting horses ready for fall sales, winding down the season with only two more weeks of guests... But the biggest news is ....


We'd like to proudly announce Angus Sutherland Mackay joined the Kampfe/Sherman household. At 12 weeks old, he still doesn't know that he's little. Doc and Huck find his existence rather irrelevant, but Angus doesn't seem to mind, except when they step on him.

While Doc and Huck earn their keep chasing cows, Angus finds that he's very good at getting the grandkids out of bed AND still in good moods. So I guess he's earning his keep.

Shooter-dooter; Brady-lala and Kimmie, Cowgirl Extraordinaire

Fall is in the air. Mornings are crisp. The younger staff have gone back to school and the grandkids have started first grade over at our little country school. Days are getting shorter and shipping seems to be right around the corner.

Shooter, the cutest little bad dog, made her virgin run chasing cattle out of Upper Summer. Part Jack Russell, part Blue Heeler, and part prairie dog, Shooter, according to Cliff, has turned out to be quite the cowdog. We are grateful for the prairie dog in her breeding as it gives her the ability to stand on her hind legs to see over the grass to find the cattle to chase.


Brady -lala, the great standing place for counting cattle, has been sold to greener pastures. He now has a personal "groomer", a private stall, and a whole new life far away from the rugged world of Montana winters let alone cattle drives.

Kimmie, Cowgirl Extraordinaire cried when Brady left.

Guest Blogger, Isaac Rose, age 9 1/2

12,000 Acres of Heaven: The Lazy E-L Ranch by Isaac Rose




The Lazy E-L Ranch is south of Billings, Montana in Roscoe (population 106). Your kids will have so much fun there. A typical day at the Ranch includes horseback riding, bear watching, 4-wheelers, feeding goats and chickens, and wonderful food. If you need a vacation here is the best place to go.



“5 stars” — Caleb Rose



“Two thumbs up” — Hannah (age 10), another Ranch guest



Here’s a little bit about the crew at the Ranch.
Jael Kampfe and Gerald Sherman — are married and run the Ranch together (more on Jael on page 2).



Thad and Cliff — Thad is the head cowboy and Cliff’s the head wrangler, and both are amazing riders. Cliff can flip backwards onto a bareback horse! Thad and Cliff win rodeos all the time.



Sean and Melissa — Sean is the head cook and married to Melissa. Sean is Gerald’s son and Melissa helps him in the cookhouse. (Ed. note: they’re really great at their jobs.)



Ceily and Kim (wranglers) — Kim and Ceily would pass as sisters if you asked me and are great riders.



Julia and Charlene — Julia (Jael’s aunt) runs the chicken and goat farm and the vegetable garden. Charlene is an assistant cook and a great bareback rider.



Luke and Jake — both are 15 years old. Luke is Gerald’s son. Jake loves horses. Both weed and cut grass and do many jobs around the ranch for the crew.





















Random Thoughts On A Lazy E-L Vacation by Pete Rose, father of Isaac


Things I thought about as I flew home from Montana on Saturday night:

...A pink cowboy hat and pink cowboy boots look really cute on a 2-year-old girl.
...There is something that just tastes different (read: better) about farm-fresh eggs, ribeye steaks from cattle raised on the ranch, and beets that get roasted an hour after they were pulled from the ground.
...There’s a lot to be said for a vacation in a place where you turn on your Blackberry and see the words, “No Service.”...I dare you to ride a horse for two hours and not have the Bonanza theme song running through your head.

...It’s kind of cool to hear things like “loosen the reins” or “get back on the horse” and realize people aren’t using figures of speech.
...It’s nice to be awakened not by alarm clocks, but by roosters and sunshine.
...I was seconds away from convincing Isaac to try Rocky Mountain Oysters (if you don’t know, ask). Maybe next time...
...People rush around way too fast in Los Angeles.
...You feel a great deal of pride when you watch your kids do stuff you wouldn’t have had the guts to do at their age, like ride horses or go looking for bears.

...The next time I think I’ve had a busy day, I’m going to remember how hard people work at the Lazy E-L Ranch.

Up Close and Personal by Isaac Rose

Jael Kampfe, the proud director of the Lazy E-L Ranch, has run it for seven years; her family has owned if for over 100 years.
She mostly teaches little kids but still is an excellent horseback rider. She is 39, and with Gerald she has 6 happy grandchildren, some of whom live and help out around the ranch. She has 2 dogs, Huck and Doc. The ranch has around 7 dogs.She is very energetic and is one of the nicest people you will meet. She is the boss of the Crew and they move cattle for a living (she’s also the boss of that).





















Ride Em' Cowboy: A Night at the Cody Night Rodeo by Isaac Rose




The Cody Nite Rodeo goes 7 nights a week with roping, steer wrestling, under-age-12 rodeo and much more. Sometimes the Lazy E-L Ranch cowboys enter.
When I went there on Wednesday night, Billy Buchanan, a Wrangler for the Ranch, entered and won fourth place.







During the rodeo, 100 assorted kids (including myself) got to chase three steers that had ribbons tied to their tails. The kids who got the ribbons won prizes.The Rodeo is located in Cody, Wyoming.