Visitors since 10/1/2010
Sounds like a bit of a country song, doesn't it?
These two worked together for 3+ years, and they were so happy to connect with Caesar and Cody at the new barn.
I took this yesterday (Sunday). We were at the barn again this evening, and Jordan brought her new saddle. Their teacher, Meg helped the girls put the saddle on Cody and then on Caesar. Both girls got to ride their own horses. They were very happy.
A week into horse ownership and so far, so good.
Sunday was the big day - we officially became horse owners.
All I can say is thank goodness Erica knows what she is doing, because the rest of us really have no idea what we've gotten ourselves into.
We board Caesar at a barn a mile away from his previous owners' location, and the previous owners have been so helpful and will continue to work with us and Caesar.
We're getting Caesar ready -
We watched Bonnie administer de-worming paste and we're glad we didn't have to!
Caesar received a haircut - his mane is really scraggly and looks better completely shaved off. Once that was done, he was ready to be transported:
Bonnie and Matt loaded him up in their trailer and drove the short mile to the new stable. Caesar took a walk around the new arena, his new stall and he settled right in.
The next day, we went over to visit:
Caesar seems happy and so does Erica.
After a few delays, I finally signed and submitted the horse boarding contract at the new stable. We thought we might go to another horse stable, but for now, this is it.
Erica's friend and her horse, Cody, are settling in. They brought Cody over on Monday, and I found them with him when I brought over the contract.
The girls still need to get their saddles and tack - until then, the horses get their exercise by a long lead rope in the arena.
Cody definitely wants to know what I'm doing - it's like he is interested in the camera! The girls claim he doesn't like them, and he's looking over to "keep an eye on the person with the camera"!
The question, "Oh, My, what have we gotten ourselves INTO?" crosses my mind quite frequently today. That, and "Are we really going to DO THIS?".
THIS:
It looks like we are going to become horse owners. Yikes. Writing that out scares me to death. But look how happy she is:
The lesson barn Erica has been with for the last 5 years is closing and as a result, they are selling all the lesson horses and slowly ceasing operations. We learned of the news two Fridays ago, and since then, Erica has been researching what it would take to buy one of the horses. Her first choice, Casey, was sold in one day. Then she started looking for horses on the internet (something I wasn't comfortable with at all). Finally, she said she wanted Caesar, a gentle Appaloosa from the lesson barn. Better yet, a boarding stall became open at the boarding farm one mile from the lesson barn, where her friend will be boarding another one of the lesson horses. We checked it out yesterday and put a deposit down on the spot.
So I guess it is inevitable. We don't know what we've gotten ourselves into, but I'm sure it will be a great adventure.
As a last parting activity, we watched the horses come down from the meadow this morning. They came booking down the hill, and a couple horses bucked. I stationed myself near a big tree, and I hid behind it as one of the horses spotted me and ran in my direction. [human vs horse - the horse will win]
Ben and Binet rounded up the horses this morning - we think they did a great job.
I haven't dabbled that much in B&W and simply used a preset in PSE. The colored version showed some noise, but with the B&W, I thought it gave the picture an old fashioned feel. [now, to figure out how to convert it to sepia - that's my next trick]
We said goodbye to our gracious hosts -
Teresa, Bob, Stephanie, Tiffany and Ben.
We drove away, leaving the Culebra range behind, onward through desolate Eastern Colorado and into Kansas.
This month's 12 on 12 is coming to you from Colorado. Not quite the depiction of a "normal" day in our lives, but certainly a fun one.
As usual, I woke early today, and headed out to the woods to find something beautiful to capture in the golden morning light. Of course, this was an easy-easy task. I took pictures of stately Aspen trees, wandering fence lines before coming upon a group of deer, one that was particularly curious of me and my camera:
I ran into Chantal (Ged's wife) and she reminded me that the horses would be coming down from the meadow soon. The horses spend the night in the vast meadow and are brought down to the stables each morning by the wranglers. The group galloping out of the woods is quite a sight:
And into the stable area:
After breakfast, Erica and Scott mounted up for another trail ride - Scott is on Diamond this morning:
Erica is on Lightning:
While Erica and Scott are out riding, Brian and I went out and caught grasshoppers to be used as fishing bait. Neither of us had the guts to put the bugs on the hook, so we kept them in a baggie for Scott to deal with later (yuck!). Brian also played a game of Scrabble Slam with Marta:
The cute prairie dogs were peaking out of their holes to catch some warmth from today's copious sun:
After lunch, Scott tried fishing with those grasshoppers as bait.
Alas, still no bites.
What to do on a "hot" afternoon (it's almost 90, but really only feels like 75 because of the low humidity)? Play around in Duling Stream:
Erica and Olivia:
Most of the kids strike a silly pose!
And after dinner, the kids divided into teams for a scavenger hunt. The girls from Boston / the Netherlands - Julia, Doris and Eva - won, but everyone had a fun time gathering items like "Horse toe nails", "horse hair" and "dung" -
Fun stuff!
Note - I took way more than 12 pictures today. To view the rest of my pictures from today, check out my August 12 Flickr set.
Some of the pictures from today's Trail Ride up to the top of Stonewall:
Brian gets to ride Sampson:
Erica is on Lightning, Scott is on Dusty and I am on Godiva.
We walked through a vast meadow area before ascending up trails which previously served as logging routes. You build an appreciation for the horses, as the trails are steep and rocky. The view at the top is spectacular:
The Culebra peaks serve as the beautiful backdrop.
On the way back through the meadow, the two Spanish Peaks can be seen in the very far distance:
A great way to spend the entire morning.
Meet Pete, the Riding Stable's owner's trail horse. We often see Pete leisurely grazing in the fields as we pull into the stable. Today was no different, even with the inclement weather (thunderstorms and lots of rain).
I walked over to get closer vantage point and Pete must have heard me:
He kept his eye on me as he trotted closer to the stable - do you think he doesn't trust me?
Wednesday means horse riding.
We hoped Erica's class would ride outside today, but with the hot, humid weather, it was more comfortable in the indoor arena. I also hoped to get a shot of Erica riding, but cameras are not allowed inside the arena. This is the best I could do today, one of the horse themed wind vanes on the barn.
I bought Erica a pair of half chaps so she could start riding English style. The English saddle is much smaller than a Western one, and the rider has a closer feel with the horse. With her new riding gear, Erica was very excited and really enjoyed today's new riding experience.
Here are a sampling of pictures from our Spring Break adventure in warm, sunny Florida.
Scott waves as he and Erica embark on the Sheikra coaster in Busch Gardens (note - it's a GREAT ride). Erica rode on it 5 times, 2 times with Scott and 3 times with me.
Thrill seekers on the Montu Coaster.
Brian steers boat number 6 (while Mommy and Daddy enjoy some Budweiser beer from the Hospitality House).
Back in Fort Myers, we went horseback riding.
You can't go to Florida without playing a round (or two) of Mini-Golf. Our favorite place is Castle Golf.
We hit Fort Myers beach on Thursday - a storm threatened the day's planned activities, but it blew inland and soon it was sunny and warm again. We waited an extra hour on the beach while the storm past, and Erica dipped her toes into the gulf waters.
Then we were off para sailing. This year, Brian was brave enough to experience 1200 feet in the air (but he was a little nervous when he started up). Everyone on the boat gave him a High-5 when he completed his flight. 
Hanging out on the beach chair:
Erica and Daddy along the water's edge (that's the Fort Myers Beach pier way in the background).
More pictures to come.....
It's still a little chilly in the morning as I drop off the kids at school, but the sun casts a warm glow across the prairie landscape.
After the kids are in school, I head to the dentist for a routine cleaning. Here are the "party favors" from the dentist, in front of the cup of coffee waiting for me and my freshly polished teeth. Even though I made the coffee at 7:30, it is still hot at 8:45, thanks to my awesome vacuum isolated Bodum Thermal travel mug.
As I roll into work 30 minutes later, one of my favorite songs comes up on my iPod. Actually, most anything from Sara Bareilles can be considered a favorite for me.
In the afternoon, warm temperatures lure the kids outside to play....
Cosmic Catch Ball
Scooter
Volleyball
But a remnant of snow remains. Hopefully, it will be gone tomorrow....
Then it is off to Erica's horse riding lessons. Today she rides Toes and is seen here cantering. 
After dinner, Brian plays a game off Club Penguin, the kids' latest internet obsession: 
And a little bit more volleyball in the backyard as darkness falls.
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