Harvesting Memories

Actually the fall harvest is over, but the holidays are just beginning, and it is a time to harvest memories.

In spite of the many trials and tribulations I have gone through, my life has been very blessed and there is a plethora of memories to look back on and make me happy and thankful.



The week started with one last hoorah including an overnight horse trip and trail riding.  And the week ended with a wonderful Thanksgiving get together and feast. 

Earlier this fall I knew our 2022 trailering (to trail ride) days were coming to an end because of the cold, and some places were closing over the winter.  So I wanted to get in one more overnight trip.  There are always more riding memories to be made.  And actually, when I had booked the overnight stay at East Fork Stables, it was 70° out, and perfect fall riding weather. 

Saturday 11/19 - My day started too early, with trailering anxieties and dread of being too cold.  It was going to be a COLD weekend for riding, but at least it was supposed to be sunny with no rain. 





Kevin and Dave were out at the ranch by 9am to install our new water heater.  The old one was getting rusty and seeping moisture occasionally.  We didn't want to wait for a worse leak. 

I packed my overnight bag, food bag, and cooler and also grabbed layers of coat, jacket, sweat shirt, gloves, and various head coverings to keep me warm.  I was ready to go ahead of schedule.  Jean and Joe were also ready before our designated time.  It was a good thing we started early with the loading process.  As usual, Robbie went right on.  But as feared, Amiga did NOT want to load.




It took 30 minutes of patience on our part, and really working Amiga when she was off the trailer, but letting her rest when she was making progress on walking up the ramp and into it.  Jean and I both worked with her, and got too hot and had to shed a layer of clothing.  Amiga had also worked up a sweat. 
Once she was loaded, we did not delay driving off, and were right on time now.  But, we kept feeling odd swaying of the trailer and finally stopped on Peavine to access if there was a problem.  Well, the center door to the tack room (seen in this internet photo) was swinging open and closed.  So it must have been scaring (maybe even hitting) the horses, whose heads are right in front of it.  So they were probably shifting their weight back away from it.  Once we got the door latched (which apparently I hadn't done), and continued, the odd swaying problem had stopped.  Phew. 

We got to East Fork Stables with no further incident.  I was not surprised when Amiga came flying off the trailer once given the cue to step back.  But due to time and energy limitations, I didn't try 'schooling' her with more off-loading practice.  She does so well on the ground, tied to the trailer, under saddle, and in most other situations, that I am so proud of and happy with her. 

The heat of the day was running out (I believe the high was 37°) so we needed to keep moving. 

Once we were tacked up, Joe took a couple of photos and we headed out, in search of trailhead B. 

In this photo Jean took, you can see our cute little cabin in the background.  The barn we had two stalls in, was up the hill behind the cabin. 

We rode through campgrounds E, D, C, A and then B to get to trailhead B (video). 




We took trail B with the intention of making it to Base of the Rock and then turning around and riding back to camp. 


These photos give you an idea of the trails and scenery.

We had no idea what to expect or what lay ahead around the next corner.  Both our horses were very willing and we took turns leading. 





We were up on a ridge and in some spots could see the bluff across the way from the gorge that lay between us and the other side. 


Camera wars.

 



I added light to this photo so you can see Amiga's face better.  I like how it made the background kind of fade away.








We got a closer look at the gorge when we rode behind an uninhabited cabin out in the middle of the woods. 

The sun was getting lower in the sky and the temperature was dropping as the wind seemed to be picking up, and we both were getting cold.  We had no idea how much longer it was to get to Base of The Rock, but were guessing it was at the bottom of the gorge and that we would have to ride down a tough trail and then back up to get home.  So we turned around. 

In the above photo, I took a picture of Jean trying to get a photo of this field of weeds that looked really pretty in the fading light. 

She got Robbie's head in this shot and below is a cool picture she captured. 











It continued to get darker and colder as we were nearing the campground.  We did not meet any riders out on the trail and only saw a few riders in the campgrounds.  One camper had a fire going and I couldn't wait to get to the warmth of our cabin.  Joe had gotten us moved into the cabin, hiked, and hot tubed while we were riding.  

It had been about 37° when we rode out from the campground, and was around 35° when we returned.  But there was no warm sunshine and the wind had picked up.  We were only gone two hours, and had ridden seven miles. 






We got the horses situated with hay and water and then went into the cabin to warm up.  Jean took this photo from her bedroom window of the cabin.





Our two horses were in the end stalls.  We went back out to feed them their 'dinner' and give each a Previcox. 

During libations, Jean enjoyed the hot tub.  I was too cold to even think about putting on a swimsuit and going out in the cold to get to the hot tub.

We ate dinner at a little family diner a few miles down the road and then Joe hit the hot tub when we got home.  We were going to do a campfire, but it was just too cold out. 

Sunday 11/20 - I had taken a pain/sleep aid, so got a good night's rest.  It was 20° out when we got up at day break (6amish).  Jean was ahead of me so was out doing chores (adding hot water to frozen buckets and giving the horses hay) when I was starting my tea. 

We sat in our warm cozy cabin, in no hurry to start our day's ride, waiting for it to warm up.  We sipped our hot beverages, ate breakfast, worked puzzles, chit chatted, and planned our ride.  We were going to go out trail C, go to Racoon Gap and try again to see Base of the Rock.  And return back to the campground on trail A.  There was a large topographic map hanging in the living room, so we could see that the Base of the Rock was at the top of the bluff.  We weren't sure about Racoon Gap.  
 

Finally about 10:00 we got up the nerve to get going.  It was still quite cold, but the sun was making a good effort to warm things up. 

Trail A quickly took us out in the open across a few very large fields.  The sun was warm but couldn't compete with the cold wind, and Jean and I were COLD. 

  

But the beauty of the earth, nature, and day warmed our souls.  We did flush one deer getting a little jump from both our horses. 






We were thankful to get back into the woods where we were better blocked from the wind, but the warming sun rays were partially blocked also. 







About half way into our ride Robbie started acting sore when stepping (or pushing off) on her front right leg (you can see her head bob in Jean's (video).  So we stopped to check her feet.  I grabbed the hoof pick out of my saddle bag. 






There were no rocks or visible problems, and she was only mildly favoring it, so we continued on.  Plus, we had planned to stick to the 'easy' trails.

When we arrived at the turn-off to Racoon Gap, we were to take trail F (a moderate rating) and this sign (I got off Facebook) was posted.  The trail was headed down into the gorge.  We decided against taking it. 

So we turned and headed over to trail B in search of Base of the Rock.  I later saw this (video) of riders going to York Gap and thought what we skipped doing would have been similar.  Smart decision on our part.     

We made it to Base of the Rock, which was a big area with two vistas looking out over the gorge.  And we took several photos of the scenery and area. 

Right photo, my view through Amiga's ears of the first vista.




And a close-up of the cliff across the way. 








There were picnic tables and pick lines where riders could tie up their horse and eat lunch or walk out to the cliff's edge. 





It was a little breezy out in the open, but more sunlight was hitting us, so it wasn't too bad. 






Around the edge of the cliff, on a different side of the picnic area, there was another vista with an even bigger drop off. 


Jean was not keen on taking Robbie close to this edge because Robbie had been a bit fidgety and unpredictable. 











I on the other hand, could trust Amiga and wanted to get a little closer. 

I slowly moved her towards the edge and then we just stood and looked out over God's creation.

On the way back to the campground, we did see some other scenic things. 






The other side of this little creek had cool rock formations.  I had to add light to the second photo to be able to see the rocks. 

And we did end up crossing the creek again.  It seems if Robbie thinks she can avoid walking in the water, she tries jumping over it, but if the crossing is too wide, she walks right through it, rushing a little, but not trying to jump.  Silly horse. 

We arrived back at camp almost three hours after we had left.  We had only gone eight miles, so it was a slower pace and we had stopped several times.  Thankfully the sun had been shining, but with the temperature around 32°, and with the wind, we were both quite cold.

I was dreading trying to get Amiga on the trailer, and was cold and hungry, so we went into the cabin and had a quick lunch and warmed up some.  Thankfully Amiga loaded on the third try, not taking much more than five minutes. 

It was an uneventful trip home.  When we arrived, Patty and Susan had kicked Zorro and Cowboy out of the corral, and were raking it in preparation for over nighters.

It was my chore night, but since none of our horses had been up in our dry lot (Zorro had stayed out in the front pasture with Cowboy) I didn't have to do any mucking. 




Since I was off the hook on mucking, I helped Patty and Susan haul leaves.  I also did a few other neatening up chores around the barn.  Jean offered to feed for me, so I could head home early.  I took a hot shower, did several household chores and then relaxed and tried to catch up here at my computer.  It had been a fun, adventuresome weekend... but boy did it wear me out.
 

Monday 11/21 - I was still feeling exhausted and cold, maybe a little run down, so decided to skip the gym.  I had been advised (by a few people) to give my elbow a complete rest (for at least a few weeks) to allow the sore area to heal.  So maybe this was the time to layoff on my weight workouts since I hadn't done any since last Thursday anyway. 

Styx in one of the cat carriers I had pulled out of storage in perpetration for a trip to the vet Tuesday.

I went to the ranch to clean up the corral after the over nighter, but he had done it.  So all I had to do was wash the 30 gallon water tub with soap, rinse, and refill it.  It was beautiful out, with the warm sunshine, so I lingered, chatting with Bonnie. 







I arrived home a little after 3pm with the plan to blog all afternoon, to catch up from a weekend of no computer, and to go through the 87 photos taken by Jean, Joe and I.  Well, my computer was completely locked up.  I couldn't even get it to shut down.  I was SO MAD!  This memory was best left forgotten. 

Joe was off playing poker, but I sent him photos of what my stupid computer was doing, and got advice from him.  It took over four hours to finally have it back to 'normal.'  While waiting on it at different steps in the process (which included shutting it down several times) I did two loads of laundry, fed our fur babies, ate dinner, and walked the dog two times.

By the time my computer was finally working again, I was too tired (and not in the right frame of mind) to blog.  I went to bed early and read.

Tuesday 11/22 - I had a 10am dentist appointment, so had no extra time to catch up on blogging.  No cavities (or cracked teeth) so that was good news. 

Then I did my 'big' in town shopping trip.  Walmart has not had any of my (Friskies Filets) canned cat food for weeks!  And today, their canned cat food shelves were even emptier.  I also didn't buy any produce because their salad stuff didn't look great. 




I was home for a late lunch, organized and stashed away store goods, and then was off to the vet with Stevie and Monita.  I met the new vet, both cats got checked over, and each weighed in at 10 pounds.  Once they were vaccinated with their over due rabies shot, we returned home. 




I took Maggie on a long walk, going up Library Trail and back home on part of the golf course.  At dusk, this single deer was down back, playing in the pond. 

I finished a load of laundry and started the packing process for Thursday's over night at Daniel's. 

Joe and I started the mini series 'Dead To Me,' watching two episodes before I hit the hay. 

Wednesday 11/23 - A great way to hang onto all our good memories, is to take lots of photos, which I tend to do.  Blogging also archives them.

This is a photo Patty had sent when Maggie was staying at her house during our overnight horse adventure.  Maggie is so loved by most cats, and seems to love them back usually. 




Two of my cats and the dog enjoying the sun coming into the living room.  Babe was thinking about pestering Maggie.

After getting mostly caught up on this blog,  I just couldn't stay away from the gym. 

I went to do an aerobic workout, but decided I better at least do weights for a leg and ab workout.  And I tried a few light, short lifts with arm machines in an attempt to keep those muscles in condition.  Anything that hurt my elbow I stopped doing. 

I hit Food City on the way home, and man was it crowded.  But they had lots of check out lanes open, so it really wasn't bad at all.

I got out to the ranch by 12:30 where I joined Jean and Patty for a ride.  Here they are leading Robbie and Zorro down to the barn. 

Of course we had to have a photo moment before hitting the trail.  The only way to get all three of us and our horses in one photo, is this one Jean took with her and Robbie's shadow. 

Each of our horses were feeling good with the cool weather, and were all rather high spirited, thus we had problems getting them to stand still and cooperate. 








Our facial expressions tell it all... Whoo, Stop, Knock it off, What the heck, Stand still, Quit it... etc. 




Out on the trail our horses had a lot of get-up-and-go.  This action shot is a bit out of focus.  It was beautiful riding weather and we enjoyed our horses and nature.   

Getting our horses to stop for photos out on the trail did not go too well either. 

We only rode for 45 minutes going just a couple of miles. 

Once back to the ranch, Jean got going with chores and Patty and I headed to our homes. 

I had lots to do to get ready for Thanksgiving at Dan and Vales.  But I had gotten very sleepy driving home, so took an hour nap.  Sheesh.  Then after dinner I proceeded to waste time playing games on my computer.  Getting sleepy again, I got up and packed my bag, Maggie's bag, some of the food, and cold weather clothes (to leave with Courtney) for Britney when she comes in December.  Even with the nap, I ended up in bed at 8:30.

Thursday 11/24 - Happy Thanksgiving!
Once finished doing some things here at my computer, and the sun was up, I got to work in the kitchen.  I cleaned veggies for dip, tossed together lettuce for a salad, and mixed up a bowl of fruit.  Everything got packed in the cooler and soon Jean arrived.  We picked up Patty and headed to Nashville right at 9:30. 






Yaneth and Valencia were hard at work in the kitchen when we arrived.  Here Yaneth is making her lasagna.  This was in addition to turkey and spiral ham. 


It was a gorgeous 70° day with beautiful sunshine. 












While walking the dogs (Maggie had come with us also) we got too hot and I had to take off a long sleeve layer. 

There was time spent playing in the back yard. 














And I took a moment to brush Maggie who just keeps shedding all the time. 

 
Fluffy kitty was wanting to join us, but Dan and Vale's other two cats stayed in hiding. 

Courtney had picked up Recardo at the airport and they arrived close to 1:00. 

Avia thought Titi Courtney's purse was marvelous. 

 












She spent much time taking things out of it, investigating each item, and putting them back in. 

Ava managed to go through Courtney's purse several different times throughout the two days. 













We ended up spending quite a bit of time outside because it was just too nice a day not to. 

We snacked on veggies, dip, and deviled eggs. 

Other activities included coloring. 











Ava, Dan, and Jean on one picture. 





Courtney and I on another. 

And there was dancing.

Ava loves to do cheer leading moves. 

 

Fluffy Kitty was never far from the action. 

By 4:00 Yaneth and Vale put the finishing touches on the the main dishes (turkey, ham, and lasagna) and we were ready to eat. 












Side dishes included sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans, rice and corn, potato salad, lettuce salad, fruit salad and of course gravy and bread. 

Oh my gosh, what a feast!
And such a blessing to spend it with this beautiful family. 

 

I am pretty sure we all over ate.


Jean and Patty did most of the clean-up.  I was a real slacker.

To aid digestion and burn a few of the way too many calories, Jean and I took Ava for a walk. 










One of the houses at the other end of the cul-de-sac on Dan's street was all decked out for Christmas.  Ava and I were enthralled with all the lights. 

The evening ended with several of us watching a movie 'The Proposal,' a cute romantic comedy. 

Patty went home with Courtney and I think the rest of us were in bed before they even got home.

 

Friday 11/25 - Jean and I were up before any of the others, and sat up in the bonus room sipping our hot, caffeinated beverages, working puzzles, and chatting.  Tango and Fluffy were chillaxing. 








All of us were up by 8am and partaking of deserts for breakfast along with the danish and donuts.  Patty and Courtney joined us a little latter. 



Ricardo, Joe, Jean, Ava, Tango, Maggie and I took our after breakfast (too much sugar and caffeine) walk.  It was again another beautiful sunny day, although a tad bit colder. 


(Oops, I just noticed, this second photo was from our walk the day before.)

Our main activity of the morning was cookie decorating. 










Patty had baked five dozen sugar cookies and we both brought stuff to decorate them with. 


Just about everyone participated.




And we each did some taste testing as we worked. 







There were some real works of art going on. 

Ooh la la! 











Oh, and there was plenty of coaching, praising, and even slight copying (the best complement of all).

Ta da!








Cheer leader Ava roots for us.















And then she starts hammin' it up. 

Little Ava has gotten so big and was constantly exploring.  She also did great playing in her room by herself.  We ate leftovers for lunch. 





I think we wore out both dogs with all the festivities, activities, and walks. 

Alas, it was time to head home so Jean could get chores done before dark. 




The trip home was uneventful and I had just enough energy to do all my household chores and get everything unpacked before sitting down here to blog.

We had harvested yet a ton more of fond memories and I had a bunch of photos to capture them.  Thanks to Jean, Patty, Courtney, Valencia, and Yaneth for sharing photos, and to everybody for contributing to another bountiful feast and Happy Thanksgiving.