After a long, emotional day of riding with the PGR on Friday (to the funeral of SSG Christopher Green [I'll post the trip report sometime tomorrow] in Fredericksburg, TX), I was thankful for the nearly perfect Texas “winter” weather and time spent with my lovely wife, friends, and the dogs this weekend.

Saturday evening I joined my best friends Steve and Greg over at Greg’s house, where he had set up his television out in his greenbelt-backing yard and near the fire pit to watch the UT vs. Okie State football game.  A perfect afternoon lead to  chilly, but clear Halloween night where we made sausage wraps over the open flames while we watched the Longhorns dismantle the Cowboys on Halloween night.

Today’s weather was even more perfect than yesterdays — if that’s possible. Almost no humidity, perfectly sunny, just a light breeze and mid-70 temperatures. So we took the dogs out to Commons Ford Ranch, which is just a few miles from our house, to let the dogs run around in the sun.

Angus has shown a great love for the hunt, and was busy flushing dove out of the nearly-waist high grasses:

Wide open spaces --- check out that nearly perfect blue sky.

Jersey and Angus racing up and down the ranch road

While Angus was busy flushing doves, Otis and Jersey stayed out of the high grass

It’s what I love about where we live in west Austin — just a few miles from downtown, and we’re standing in 1000s of acres of wide open spaces, surrounded by lakes, hills, trees, and grassy fields full of wild-life.