Duck Pond Under Construction

Here's Hank sealing the liner of the duck pond. We have to wait for a
week for the sealant to fully dry and then the concrete will be poured.

Tessi & Her Roomate Darma

Seven New Little Pullets

We were down to two hens due to a series of unfortunate events - Crush drowned in a bucked of water, Broody jumped into the neighbors' yard and was mauled by their dogs.  So we went to the feed store and got 7 little pullet chicks - 2 Aurcanas, 2 Giant Blacks, 2 Buff Orpingtons and a white one.  It will take about 6 months before they begin laying eggs.

Camping at Point Reyes - Rained Out

Hank & I went camping at Point Reyes with our horse buddies. Hank
tripped and hurt his foot so he couldn't ride. I rode Nora and ponied
Zazu. Nora was super charged and was doing some crazy speed walk the
whole time. No more grain for her...then it rained on Sunday and
Hank's car battery was dead and had to be jump started. Not the best
trip ever but we made it home safely.

2010 Gold-N-Grand

I just received this photo of Zu and I competing at the Gold-N-Grand. I love this photo because it shows Zazu concentrating on picking her way through the obstacle. You can see the judge and the scribe sitting behind us on the deck.

Enclosure for Duck Oasis

Here are the fence building crew putting together the enclosure for the Duck Oasis.  When completed it will have a little pond, some fruit trees and a lot of other greenery.  Looks like I'm going to be doing a whole lot of digging...

Hank Aboard Zazu

After visiting Tessi at her trail school, Hank and I went for a ride
by the lake. We rode for about an hour and a half because it was very
hot and Hank wanted to get home in time to see the Oregon Ducks
playing Stanford.

Night Rider

Riding Zazu in the cool of the night.

Nora is Blossoming w/o Tessi

I think Nora is enjoying getting a break from Tessi. She's been
Tessi's surrogate mom for 4 years now. I guess she was due for a
break. I've always struggled to keep her weight on - but now that
Tessi's at school I've had to actually cut her food back a little! I
think Tessi was worrying the weight off her - darned kids!

Trail School Is Getting Better for Tess

Hank and I visited Tessi today at her school. She seemed much happier
and more relaxed than she was last week. We were relieved. Next
Tuesday she is getting a new room mate - all part of the socialization
process. The picture attached is of me riding her in the arena when I
was just getting her started under saddle.

Tessi Doesn't Like Trail School

Tessi is having a hard time adjusting to her new school. She doesn't
like her neighbor and she misses home real badly and she is angry
about the whole situation in general. I told her this wasn't meant to
be punishment but an opportunity to learn new stuff. I'm not sure she
believes me. I've been worrying about her a good deal. If things
haven't improved by the week, I'm bringing her home.

Snoozin' in the Manger

Nora knows how to get comfortable for the long trip home from Point
Reyes.

Tomales Point

Hank & I are celebrating our 5 year anniversary at Point Reyes. Today
we rode Nora and Zazu almost all the way to the end of Tomales Point.
Here's my freeform haiku about it:
Tomales Point
Trail
Cliffs
Virtigo
Ocean left and right
Elk herds calling
Snakelette crossing
Expansive

My New Favorite Belt and Hat

Hank took this picture of me wearing my Gold-N-Grand belt and my new
favorite hat knitted by my sister-in-law Nancy, using mohair yarn from
our goats - Ennis, Bubba and Shasta. By my side is our faithful dog Uma.

Getting Ready to Compete

Just moments before we go into the arena to compete, Zazu stands tied to the trailer ready to do her best.

Gold-N-Grand Trail Arena

The Gold-N-Grand is a very large show. There where over 700 horses
participating. You must compete for 3 cosecutive days in each division
entered. The overall high point winner for the three days is the
champion for that division. Here is a picture of the trail arena taken
during a break.

Champions!

Here's the buckle we won at the Gold-N-Grand. Zazu was a great partner.
What a high!

Back in the Blogg Saddle Again

It's been a long time since I posted something on my blog - about 8 months.  I was using Facebook instead.  Then I forgot my password and getting another one was a big hassle.  Then I remembered it.  As may be expected a lot has happened since the last posting.  In August Zazu and I were champions at the Gold-N-Grand competition in Rancho Murieta in one of the two divisions we competed in - Show Trail - Amateur Select - Walk/Jog.  I'll post photos and tell more about that soon.  Also, we got lights for the area so I can ride in the winter when I get home from work and its dark - and in the summer when the heat of the day is sweltering.  Little Tessi, now 4 years old, went to an endurance trainer yesterday to have some trail miles put on her.

Self Portrait at Camp Far West

I took this picture of Nora and I moments before a loose herd of horses came thundering at us out of nowhere.  I reached out and tapped one of them and they all took off at a full gallop disappearing just as suddenly as they had arrived.  Nora acted as though she had been expecting them.

A Visit to Parelli School for Tessi

I visited my friend Sherrill's Parelli Natural Horsemanship Group. The group meets on Friday nights to play together with our horses in Sherrill's lit arena.   Little Tessi and I went for the first time yesterday and met up with 7 other participants. It was a totally new experience for Tessi. Her eyes were bugging out for the first hour because she is not used to having so many horses around her. She also got to meet Sherrill's two adorable little donkeys - "Oakie" and "Dokie". Even though they were trying to be friendly she was very scared of them and tried to strike them with her front legs. Luckily, she missed and they scooted away none the worse for the experience... Later in the evening, Tessi also kicked out at a horse she felt was too close. Fortunately, the Parelli folks in this group are really nice and understanding. They even gave us an opportunity to practice walking through a sort of corridor of horses to build Tessi's confidence. This is a great opportunity to socialize my youngster in a fun, friendly and safe environment - and get her ready for group activities such as trail rides.

Happy New Year Ride!

We participated in our traditional New Year ride with friends and acquaintances. The ride was organized by Sherrill and her Parelli students. Nora and I led the group (We are the 3rd in from the left). We managed to just squeeze a ride in before the rain started coming down. Then we gathered under canopies for delicious hot dogs, chili and other goodies. A great way to start the year!