Archives for February 2010

Spent all day on computer looking for more horse camps, in between did mega loads of laundry in preparation for our departure tomorrow. And, of course, watched the Super Bowl. 🙁 Sorry Peyton… Congrats, Saints, well done.

Spent pretty much all of the day watching movies. For some reason, we both felt tired today, like we’ve been going non-stop and just crashed today. A nice change. Did spend a little time trying to get a better signal on the satellite dish in advance of the Super Bowl tomorrow. Other than that, a nice restful day off.

As there was a huge storm forecast to reach us early this afternoon, Hubby and I got up and out early, taking another lovely two-hour ride through the forest. It’s wonderful to be able to change your route every time, and the way the roads criss cross here, it’s so easy to do. And even better, the roads aren’t all straight as an arrow for miles they way they were at Osceola, these have just enough curves to keep you guessing about what will be around the next corner. The pines are tall and the scrub palms are plentiful. Some areas have much older growth, so there some dense bushes as well. Really can’t say enough good things about this spot, a perfect accommodation. The only things that’s missing is an RV dump, but we’ll take care of that on the way out Monday.

Arrived back just about noon, left the horses out long enough to let them get a quick shower, then put them in the trailer before the really heavy stuff got started. That lasted less than an hour, so they were out again by late afternoon. By sunset the sky was beginning to clear and there was a beautiful gold sky. By nine, when we gave the horses their last ration of hay for the night, the stars were out, bright and clear, promising a beautiful day tomorrow!

Considering they’re having record a record snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic states, I was delighted to be sitting around in shorts this afternoon! SO glad we headed south when we did! Living the dream!

Spent the whole day working on my computer, doing business and making phone calls. All business, all the time. Hubby took a ride into Macclenny to do some shopping, other than that a blessedly uneventful day.

Today was the kind of day I hope we repeat a lot. Paperwork and phone calls in the morning, lunch, then a ride in the afternoon. Nice sunny day, though the wind was still a little cool. Just rode for about two hours, got in a few nice trots and a lovely canter. Did’t follow any particular trail today, just took the map and away we went! This is by far the best map and best marked roads we’ve seen yet. Virtually every intersection has a road sign on it, just like in a managed neighborhood. The roads are all hard sand, sometime on grass, just a bit of gravel in one or two places, and only one shallow, hard surface water hazard that is clearly marked. The blue trail is more of a trail between roads, but we haven’t gone on it because with all the rain, it’s way too sloppy.

Decided to stay here till Monday morning. Hubby wants to watch the Superbowl on Sunday, and to rest a few days before we head west. I’m a little concerned about waiting so long, but we do still have nearly 3 weeks to get to Austin, so I guess it will be all right. Looking forward to going west, but it takes us on a slightly more northern track, so we’re not in a hurry to get back into the cold!

Whew! What a day! Yesterday we worked with a client who flew in from California to meet us in Jacksonville, had an excellent session, she made many breakthroughs! (I love it when that happens!) Set the alarm for 7:45 am, had a good night sleep with the sound of rain regularly pattering on the roof. Once the coffee was made, we packed up, loaded up the horses and were ready to roll by just after 9:00. Problem was, I could only move forward about 3 feet when my wheels started spinning. Apparently, they had had a LOT of rain lately, and no one mentioned we were in a slippery spot. It was practically flat, and we had a good grass and sand base, so it never occurred to us that we would have a problem! First, we tried putting the Z-chains on the van tires, but that didn’t help (they work great in ice and snow, however). Then we unloaded the horses, dropped the horse trailer and tried to pull it out using the pickup with the Z-chains on it. That didn’t work either. Eventually we concluded we needed a wrecker, so we called around and found one. A few minutes after we called, the horse farm’s owner’s husband arrived with a dually diesel pickup, so we unhooked the RV, drove the van out, then used his dually to pull the RV out, and that finally worked! Cancelled the wrecker service, hooked up everything, loaded the horses again, and finally, muddy, wet (it had rained again during this event) and tired, we left about two hours late, at 11:00.

Meanwhile, we had an appointment at Miracle Motors for the work on the RV trailer. It was decided we needed new brakes and bearings all around. It was supposed to be at 10:00, we let them know we’d be late, and they said they could still take us, even through we couldn’t arrive before noon, which we did. We left the RV and took the rest of the family, first to Waffle House for breakfast (you can imagine how starved we were by this point!), then to a convenient Wal-Mart for shopping. Arrived back at the shop about 3:15, and the RV was parked out front waiting for us. Turns out, despite the fact the RV is six years old and Hubby’s never packed the bearings, they were like new, so they weren’t replaced. The brakes were another matter, apparently they were down to the barest nub, not working hardly at all, a disaster waiting to happen. I had mentioned to Hubby a few months ago that I thought the brakes needed adjusting, but apparently there isn’t an adjustment, they just need to be looked at periodically for wear and then replaced. Surprisingly, the drums were fine, too, which was a surprise to everyone, we all expected they might need turning, but evidently all was well there. So the bill was high, but nowhere near as high as it could have been, and all the work that needed doing was done. Considering the brakes are about the only mechanical device on the trailer, I figured it was well worth it. If you’re ever near Jacksonville (Macclenny, FL) and you need mechanical work done, these are the guys!

Made it back by 4:00, but we were so tired by this point we did the bare minimum, got the horses and dogs settled and fed, started cocktail hour, threw a load of laundry in, got ourselves a plate of crackers and cheese and vegged out in front of a movie. In bed by 9:00, lights out by 9:15!

Woke up to beautiful sunny skies and a bitter cold wind (relatively speaking, it was still a lot better than a few hundred miles north of us, which was getting an ice storm!) We decided not to let that deter us, so we bundled up and went riding in Cary State Forest. What a great ride! Almost eight miles on the Red Trail, mostly sand footing forest roads. Some of the roads were like islands, with water on both sides, some were grassy, perfect for long trots and canters. It was fabulous, albeit a bit chilly when we were heading into the wind. When our backs were to the wind, or we were in a clearing where the sun was full on us, it was very pleasant. Just under three hours later, we were arriving back at the camp. Another group of horses were just arriving at the trailhead, and they asked us some questions about camping in the forest, and a while later they rode down to see our setup. Nice folks, local people who came here regularly to ride.
Afterward, we started packing up again, to get to our next location, Skyway Farms. They were going to take care of our babies, as well as let us stay in our camper on their property for two nights. Met a delightful English fellow (well, he was born in America, but grew up in Birmingham, England) formerly a Cavalry soldier in the British Army (one of those spit-and-polish guys that did changing of the guard at Buckinham Palace!) who later joined the American army and now works here as a farmhand. Nice facility, but civilization is creeping up to it quickly. Just ten minutes from the airport, though, so very convenient. Big box stalls, reasonably priced, and at least I know the horses will be safe tomorrow!