Foal Photos: Cleo

Two (?) weeks ago, Gaby had her foal (by Desert Party). It's a bay filly whose name will hopefully be Desert Passion (JC approval pending). We are calling her Cleo. This means you guys get spammed with foal photos (not that I think anyone is complaining).

No Frills 2019

The next endurance ride of the season was Old Dominion's No Frills in Virginia. At Foxcatcher, Jen told me she needed to chat with Paul and figure out what horses they would be bringing for which days. She'd let me know what distance(s) I'd be riding and on who.

When Jen texted me to tell me I'd be doing the 55 on Lunar on Saturday, I just about did a cartwheel. Lunar and Maddie are Jen's top horses. Maddie just got her 3000 miles and Lunar was one completion away from getting his as well (no pressure). 

Lunar's accomplishments include winning the OD 100, three Triple Crowns, nine 100 mile completions, and an 11th place finish at Tevis. He has 29 top tens, seven wins, three BC's, and has an 85% completion rate. 

Needless to say, it was an incredible honor to be invited to ride this horse. 

"Bring gloves," Jen texted me. "He pulls."

I spent the week leading up to the ride pep-talking myself. "This horse knows his job better than you do. Just get out of his way and let him do it." 

Photo by Becky Pearman, used with purchase.

Desperado Breezing

I have a whole slew of photo posts and a ride recap coming up, but I have a lesson in half an hour so I'll just leave you with some pictures of Desperado breezing on The Hill this morning. The track just opened for training last weekend and some of the horses headed down to live there, so the barn is pretty quiet. Racing opens in a couple weeks and the bosses are already planning who is going in what race and when.

Juli is my hero.

Hiking: Bearfort Ridge to Surprise Lake

Another weekend, another hike!

Getting my money's worth out of these boots. Love them.

Foxcatcher 2019

Ride season is in full swing and I couldn't be happier. Last weekend I did another ride on another gray. This time I was entered in the Foxcatcher LD on Ally, the little mare I rode that time we found that girl overdosed on the trail. I was excited to ride Ally because I knew she would be level-headed and well behaved, which is a definite bonus when tackling the down hill, slippery start-of-death.

Jetty Photos (And Why Ulcer Treatment is a Life Saver)

I think I have to backtrack and tell the abridged version of Jetty's story to get you all up to date.

Hiking Glen Onoko Falls

Last weekend, Mike and I pulled out the AllTrails app to figure out a place to go hiking on the first truly springlike day of the season. After a moment of scrolling, we landed on Glen Onoko Falls in Pennsylvania, in the tiny city of Jim Thorpe, which has made several lists of great places to visit in the country.

I tried to do some research about the trail and the park, but because the falls are technically in the Gamelands and not in the Lehigh Gorge State Park, there wasn't a lot of information available. The trail was marked on the app, but the longest loop I could find was only about three miles. The falls and overlook appeared promising, but I was worried we'd make the hour and a half drive for nothing.

I needn't have worried! It wound up being a great day.

Passing through Jim Thorpe was delightful in and of itself. I am hoping we can take a ride on the scenic railroad some time!

With the popularity of the hike, I was worried we'd have trouble finding parking, especially since it was the first really beautiful day of the year. People would be out in droves. I was right that there would be a lot of people in the park, but there was plenty of parking, and Mike and I found a spot on the first drive by. Excellent!

First, we headed down to the shoreline to explore the Lehigh River. I saw a few people with kayaks on their cars, and I'm surprised. I don't think I'd be kayaking in this current without a lot more experience, and there were signs posted about recommending helmets for "whitewater kayaking" in the area. So... you know... the Walmart kayaks on the minivans were a little unsettling for me.

March Photos

March was a very busy month (and it's looking like it's only going to get busier from here...) I cannot believe it's several days into April already. Yikes! March was also a somewhat bizarre month. I have several drafts that I'm working on right this second, but I know I have to prioritize the photo recaps if I'm ever going to stay remotely up to date, so here it is!

March 18th was one year since I put Ozzy down, and Mike brought these beautiful flowers home.
I still miss Ozzy so, so much, and sometimes it hits me harder than others. I still scan the pasture for him to see what he's up to, and I talk about him constantly. I finally, as of recently, feel like I could open my heart to another horse of my own if the right one came along, but I am 100% not in the market.
The anniversary was a strange day full of mixed news, some of which I'll cover in this post.
Extra sadly, Kim put Gali down that day. I knew it was coming and that we would share this date forever, but that didn't stop me from crying for Kim's loss. 

In other, happier news, Mike and I discovered these amazing cajun butter steak bites  that we've been eating every week with a variety of sides. My favorite side so far has been this caprese asparagus recipe.