Decided we needed to get some more clothes and other items, so we headed out to Eastview Mall again, as well as to Walmart where Hubby had to pick up a prescription.

Decided we needed to get some more clothes and other items, so we headed out to Eastview Mall again, as well as to Walmart where Hubby had to pick up a prescription.

Went to the local big mall, Eastview Mall in Victor, NY, and spent a good portion of the day getting some new clothes. We don’t shop often, but with all the weight we’ve been losing since our New Year’s Resolution in January, nothing fits anymore, so we had to bite the bullet and go shopping. Enjoyed it, though, we had a good time. Afterward, we met up with my friend Mary and her husband at the Wegman’s in Canandaigua. That’s a rather fancy grocery store that happens to feature a jazz quartet on Friday nights during the summer (I know, that sounds crazy, but it’s true!) Wegman’s is all the rage around town, apparently, with a special $6 dinner tray including main course and two sides. Unfortunately, the fish was served cold (it was pre-cooked, not sushi), which was odd, be we managed to find a microwave to heat it up. Not bad, though I can’t say it was really worth the money. Enjoyed the company and the music however, and that was the real reason we went!

Had hoped to go riding today, but we were both sore from our chiropractic appointments yesterday, and I’ve gotten behind on some paperwork, so we spent the day doing chores and paperwork.

In the last day or so, little Billy dog has suddenly had some serious pain in his back, so much so that he can hardly walk. We made an appointment with a local Vet (Pittsford Animal Hospital) and took him over there today. Doc says he thinks it might be a spine problem, something typical in a low, long dog. He also said it might be a soft tissue strain of some kind, which I think is more likely. Chances are he climbed up on the kitchen table, then when he heard us coming he leaped to the ground, probably slipping on the way down and landing wrong. At least that’s what I hope it is. Doc prescribed several drugs, pain killers, an anti-inflammatory and an anti-spasmodic. We left with instructions to try to keep him quiet for awhile, which shouldn’t be too hard since he’s in so much pain he’s barely moving right now. Keeping our fingers crossed he’ll be okay! Meanwhile, we had doctor’s appointments of our own. Hubby’s been experiencing some back problems, and I’m still having some problems with my shoulder, so we figured as long as we were going to be here for awhile, we should try to get them straightened out. Made appointments at the Pittsford Chiropractic Clinic, and we both got an adjustment and a few other treatments there. Left feeling a bit better, and with continuing appointments while we’re in the area.

Spent the day working on the computer, getting caught up on future logistics for jobs and ongoing horse camping.

Not surprisingly, we felt a bit more tired today, though still have more energy than we thought possible. Shared another great breakfast with Mary and her family (though they’ve been more like brunch considering how late we’ve been getting up!), then packed up the horses in the trailer and headed out with Mary and my other reunion friend Donna who joined us, out to Mendon Ponds Park to go riding. I took them each for about an hour ride, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. Donna went first, as she had to head out for home in Cleveland right afterward, then Mary and I had a spin around the park. We used to hang out at a local stable together, which is where I learned just about everything I know about horses. She was sure she was going to fall off, but I told her it was like riding a bicycle, and before we knew it, she was trotting away, and I even got a little canter in. It was fabulous. Trails were great, though a bit sunnier and thereby hotter than we normally like, but the footing was all grass and dirt, so no worries there. A good time was had by all! Then we headed back to Mary’s, finished packing up the RV, then headed out for our next landing zone in Marion, a stable owned by a quarter horse breeder. They’re only about a half hour away, and we’ll be staying with them for several weeks, so I expect we’ll see some of our local friends over that time. Our new landlord Jody welcomed us warmly, and we had the horses out in their paddock and the RV settled in in no time. During the evening, we gradually came down from our adrenaline high from the past few days, and crashed into bed exhausted.

Once again slept as late as we could, barely enough, the late nights are starting to catch up to us. Mary and her family had gone off to church but left an email that they’d be back to have breakfast with us by 10:30 or so, which they were, another fabulous meal (she’s a great cook!). Before long we were back on the road toward Sue’s cottage, where we spent the whole day chatting and eating (I actually lost weight this morning, if that gives you any idea about the meal last night : – ), but today I’m splurging. My old friend Barney is a former chef, and he went all out on cooking and preparation for the day, with fantastic gluten-free cheesecakes both white and chocolate, and more food than you could possibly feed an army with. Ate more than I needed, and took home some more food besides, but we’ll start our next diet phase tomorrow! Stayed until nearly 11:00 before driving the half hour back to Mary’s, satisfied that we had made old connections new again, and thrilled at the entire weekend. It really couldn’t have been much better. Sue and I are already planning on making next year’s reunion bigger and better, even if it’s only for our group. Straight to bed, we have a busy day tomorrow!

Well, the day has finally arrived. Other than work days, this is the last day on our schedule we had actually planned to be somewhere. Mary and her hubby took us to a nice little diner where we had a fabulous breakfast, then we headed out to the Stuart Horse Trials nearby for their cross country event. We had to take a detour to pick up our mail in Canandaigua (which hadn’t been there yesterday, supposedly, but had magically appeared today, even though it really should have arrived on Thursday, but some younger postal workers are unfamiliar with the concept of General Delivery), but arrived in time to see the last 8 or 10 horses jump. Seems they had a lot of scratches so the event went much shorter than usual. Then we went to an ice cream shop for a cone (it was hot enough, and that was to be lunch) before heading home to take a nap so that we would be in decent shape for the evening. Hubby and I both slept for more than an hour, which was the perfect power nap. Then we showered and got ready to go, arriving at the reunion dinner right at the appointed hour of 7:00. Didn’t recognize many people, and was glad my my friends started arriving. The dinner was actual several “food stations,” which is not my favorite kind of dinner unless there are a lot of other activities, like a band and dancing going on, which there wasn’t. Wine was late in coming, we had our first glass of alcohol since we quit on New Year’s, smelled oddly strong to my unaccustomed nose, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Spent some time talking to other people, but can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I did last night, which I figured would be the case, that was hard to top. Anyway, after the dinner, we got shuttled out of the rented room into the main bar area around 10:30, where we were joined by more of our cross-class friends, but unfortunately, the nice little combo they had playing was already packing up, as the restaurant was slated to close at 11:00, so any dreams of dancing that I had were demolished. It was closer to 11:30 by the time we were being pushed into the parking lot, and it was obvious most people wished the evening could last longer (not sure why this particular restaurant had been chosen, you’d have thought this was predictable). Anyway, we again all drifted to the same pub where we ended the previous night, and were there for a couple more hours, finally shoving off after 1:00, fading fast. We made plans to all gather again tomorrow at another good friend Sue’s cottage on Honeoye Lake for the day. Can’t wait! This is way too much fun!