Hi Babe,
Once again, we got an early start today, though Jeff dragged his feet a little this morning and we were about 15 minutes later than I wanted, but you know me, I built a little extra time into it anyway. We headed straight for the Cypress Creek parking lot, which was going to be the starting point for Jeff and the two ladies we met last night, and for me, though I was headed in the other direction so that I could once again get out before the riders. A few had already left, but they had to stop at Riverbend to check in and listen to the riders meeting, so I jumped out in front of them, taking down some orange markers and checking on the pink. The weather was absolutely perfect today, partly cloudy, low 70’s, a little breeze, just fabulous! Most of the markers were in pretty good shape, except one entire section from Cypress Creek to the cow pastures, where every darn marker had disappeared, and I didn’t really have enough to replace them all, so I had to make the markings a lot farther apart, which caused a problem for a couple of people, but they managed to get on track again. That’s the problem with marking so much earlier, some stuff goes missing! If it were up to me, I’d just mark the trails a few hours ahead of the group, and have a drag team take them down again, it would be much more efficient, because an awful lot of time and energy is spent doing it beforehand, not to mention we probably lost 50 plus markers that I needed to replace over the three days. I thought I would catch up to Jeff et al earlier than I did, but they had a good head start, so it was only a couple of miles before the end when I finally did meet up with them. I got slowed down a couple of times because someone had come out after I marked the trails in JD earlier this week and added a few turn markers on the left side of the trail, even though the turn was to the right, so they were in the wrong place and were really confusing, so I had to pull them down. Later at the pavilion I met the woman who did it, she’s one of the original founders of the OTL, and I explained what I did, and she seemed to understand, she had just never heard of that before. Anyway, the four of us arrived at the pavilion, grabbed some beer and burritos and chatted for a long time. My truck and trailer arrived, but we soon had to unhook it and have another truck take it into an area that needed 4WD to rescue a horse that pulled a ligament or something. The next group that came in was a long time later, and the Sunday group was a lot smaller than I remember from last year, though the numbers were better on Friday and Saturday evidently. Anyway, we ended up getting drawn into a long conversation with the organizers, which was fairly enlightening, and finally packed up to leave. We had arranged to meet the ladies Jeff had ridden with at Uncle Micks for rib Sunday, and we all left about the same time. Service there was really slow again, and they were out of all but a half rack of ribs, which we let the ladies have since they’re from out of town and Jeff and I can go anytime. I didn’t really need any more food, but it was good company, and we were there for more than two hours before we finally left, getting home around 8:00. Got the horses settled in pretty quick, took my shower, and now I’m more than ready for bed! Good night, my love!

Hello my love!
Well, miracle of all miracles, brother Jeff was up and almost ready to go at 7:00 this morning, as planned! He’s been working so hard on his van, he really needed a break, so I persuaded him to volunteer today as our ambulance driver, but I was a bit concerned he might not make it in time (you know, Jeff time :-), but we made it! We managed to get all the way down to Camp I just after 8:00, and again, I was on the trail by 8:30 adding markers and generally scoping out the trail in advance of the rest of the riders. There was still a lot of water on the trail, and there’s one section that really has a swamp feel to it, lots of mangrove trees very close together, it felt like being in the bayou! Flash and I had a great time, though, and we passed the halfway point on the Beeline crossing where Jeff was supposed to be before he actually got there, though I heard he got there a few minutes later. I arrived at the stable where we ended the ride in good time. There were a number of riders that rode on Friday but decided to rest on Saturday, so they moved their rigs in the morning and were waiting at the stables. I think that’s a better way of doing it, truly. Anyway, I ended up chatting with a couple of ladies at one trailer, where they lent me a halter and let me tie up to their trailer, and then sat with them for a while. Eventually a couple of riders came in, but it was a long time before the rest arrived, I guess they were really taking their time today. They took one wrong turn (because they started to follow a pink marker, which they had been warned about during the riders meeting, what can you do!), but it was only for a tiny loop near the end, so it didn’t really matter. They figured it out and ended up in camp anyway. Fortunately, they had enough volunteers so I didn’t have to take a truckful of passengers back to Corbett, and when Jeff finally arrived, before the last group came in, we ended up chatting with the ladies again, Maggie and Bev (aka Pistol). Turns out they weren’t sure if they were going to ride on Sunday, they were worried about it being too long, so I suggested they skip the Riverbend portion and start from the Cypress Creek parking lot, which is precisely what Jeff wanted to do on Apollo. I was a bit worried about Jeff being out there on his own, not knowing how stubborn Apollo might get, so it was the perfect solution! Anyway, we worked out the logistics for the morning, and went on back to the house, got my chores done, and was quite ready to hit the hay early. Another great day!

Hello My Sweet!
What a day! Up before the crack of dawn, had breakfast since it’s going to be such a long day, and had Flash loaded up and ready to go by the time Anita’s boyfriend Scott arrived at about 7:10. We got out about 7:30 (he was admiring one of the boats brother Jeff has stored in his yard), and we were at Dupuis by shortly after 8:00. I got Flash ready to go, and by 8:30 I was on my way out in front of the pack. When my head started to get wet from a light drizzle in the air, I realized I forgot my hel-hat so I had to come back, though I hadn’t gone far, thank goodness. A nice turnout, something like 35 riders, which I’m told was a good number for the Friday ride, especially since it was a bit cool and windy as a front was just finishing going through. Glad to say most of the markers were still there, though I did have to add or replace a few just to make it to my standards :-). The rain quit before long, and though it stayed mostly overcast, I didn’t mind. I remember last year it was sunny and hot and when I went through the southern section where there wasn’t much shade, it was pretty uncomfortable, so it was actually better this way. Besides, I had my slicker on, so I didn’t get very wet, at least not until I got to Corbett, where the water was still high and there was a lot of splashing going on! There was NO activity along the canal, we were worried because they had huge machinery out there a couple of weeks ago, and at the last minute, one of the sub-contractors was going to STOP US from going along the canal because of insurance liability (good Lord, insurance will be the death of this country! Forced to raise wimps!), but we got a reprieve at the last moment, and there was no activity anyway, so it was all a storm in a teacup. Anyway, it was a great ride, especially since I didn’t have the stress of getting lost, and I received many accolades from the other riders as they came in, no one got lost. There was one group from Miami, however, who had a leader who claimed to know Dupuis really well, and he took his group on a different route (supposedly a shortcut, which added 6-7 miles to the day), and we had volunteers waiting for an extra two plus hours for them to come in after everyone else. Of course, his horse lost a shoe and they had to walk the last 5-6 miles, which slowed things down even more. Sigh. Some of the folks had just come from the Cracker Ride, and they were telling me how they move the trailers in the morning and shuttle them back to their horses, which is the same thing the Michigan Shore-to-Shore folks do, so I’m going to suggest that for next year. Makes more sense, since everyone will be arriving at their own rig at different times, and we won’t have to make anyone wait for enough drivers and a volunteer to shuttle them. Just means they have to start a little later in the day. All the delay also meant that my truck didn’t get to me until well after all the riders but that one group came in, so I had to borrow a halter and lead rope to tie Flash to someone’s trailer for awhile. He did brilliantly, by the way. Unlike last year, he didn’t get any swelling or limping at all, so he was in great shape. I took a group back to Dupuis (over an hour!), then got home after dark, got Flash settled in, and I’m not going to be long out of bed, I’ve got another early call tomorrow morning! Good night, my love!

Hiya Sweetie,
Started off the day by giving Flash a short ride, just to keep him in shape for the big weekend. I didn’t want to take a long ride, but I did want to limber him up a bit and not leave him too many days without a ride, so we just went around the neighborhood for a little over six miles. We were actually about to head home when I saw a couple of ladies in a horse-drawn buggy, so I decided to see how Flash would react to walking near a buggy, so I caught up to them to chat for a bit. They were just as interested in seeing how their Haflinger would react, and fortunately, nobody got excited about anything, and all went well! I ended up taking them around the block just to see how things went, and learned they boarded a few blocks west, but came out occasionally with the buggy. Once I got home, I gave Flash a nice bath, hoping to make him look nice for the weekend (as if he wouldn’t roll himself dirty again, but maybe it will brush off easier!), then showered and dressed and departed for euchre. I did well today (were you watching over me today?), got some very good cards and made the most of them. Then Lola and I went shopping up in Port St. Lucie, and then went to an educational seminar that was supposed to be mostly about Social Security, but turned out to be more about retirement planning, which was fine, since I obviously am going to need help in that area now. This particular firm is actually in Jupiter anyway, so I made an appointment for Tuesday to learn more about the various options, including some that seem too good to be true, so I’ll be doing a lot more research between now and then. That went until nearly 8:00, so it was close to 9:00 by the time I got home. Fortunately, Jeff had already taken care of the horses, which I had asked him to do earlier in the day, so I only had to unload the groceries, pour a glass of wine and settle down for the evening. I was happy to receive word that Michelle is planning to come to the Celebration next month, I hadn’t expected her to travel from Tennessee, but she’s making it into a little vacation, extending her time to go down to Key Largo. It will be nice to see her, considering she’s the only person I know that knew you before I did! And of course, she’s offered to help me prepare for the day. Donna is coming down from Cleveland, too, so I should have plenty of help. Anyway, I’m headed to bed, I have a busy day tomorrow, getting the truck and trailer ready for the weekend of riding and volunteer work, so off I go! Good night, darling! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
As usual, I spent the morning working on the computer and making phone calls, then I spent some time trimming both of the horses hooves, which took some time in the heat. We’ve been having very warm temps here lately, so I was sweating pretty good by the time I was finished. In the afternoon I needed to send a letter, so I decided to take the opportunity to continue conditioning Flash, and rode him down to the mailbox down in the Publix shopping center in front of the NAPA. It meant we had to cross Indiantown Rd. again, but he did it so well the other day, I was confident he could do it again, and there was no problem.. We came back on one of the canals, and averaged 5.6 mph for the whole trip, so we made it in good time. Once we got back, I gave him a nice bath again. I know you’ll understand when I say that I really appreciate the luxury of having time to do things like bathe the horses. I never seemed to have time before, but I’m glad now I do. You know I bought some special shampoo for white horses (though, oddly, it sprays out purple!), and I’ve used it the last couple of times, and now Flash is really starting to shine. I was glad that he didn’t run right out and roll in the dirt, but I imagine he will by tomorrow! It was so warm after that that I decided to take a quick swim, so I changed into my bathing suit and took a quick dip. The pool was cool after so many cold nights last week, but it’s been warm the last few days and nights, so it felt good to me. I took some time clearing out the pool using the net, and reconnected the vacuum, so it looked better, and will hopefully stay that way for a bit, though I’m going to start keeping the filters clean more often since Lola is carrying so much sand into the pool. We fetched for quite awhile today, too, so hopefully she’ll sleep well tonight. Took my shower early, and finally settled down for the evening. Ready for bed now, though! Good night, love!

Hi Darlin’,
Got kind of a late start today, first working on some computer stuff for OTL, finalizing the GPS files and an outgoing email summarizing everything the riders need to know, then just as I was getting ready to leave to mark some more trails, I got a call from Dolly. You remember her, it was her house where we got married, we knew her through the theatre where we met. Anyway, I had written her a letter to let her know about what happened, and we had a long chat. Funny, she didn’t recognize the name on the letter at first, but she said when she touched the letter she got an image of Alex in her mind, which got me thinking about an afterlife, and if your two spirits are meeting somewhere. In any event, she can’t make it to your Celebration of Life, but we’re planning on getting together sometime soon to get caught up. She said she’d be interested in seeing some of the videos of your performances. She working a lot at Delray Beach Playhouse, and runs some kind of acting class. Kind of wish we had hooked up with her earlier, I know you would have liked to be involved in something like that, when you were up to it. Anyway, we finally hung up and I got on the trail with Flash, stopping by Anita’s to pick up some more trail markers, then down to Riverbend to finish off the few sections of trail that weren’t done yet. Hoping it doesn’t create a problem, but I ran into one of the neighbors who started to make a fuss about it being a private road, and what kind of damage a bunch of horses might make, etc., etc., etc. Hope that doesn’t force us to change routes, though it wouldn’t really be a big deal, we’d just need to go all the way to the canal and then south on the main road for about a block. I just would prefer to stay off the sidewalk. We’ll see. Flash got a bit agitated toward the end with all the stopping and starting, but we did something today we’d never done before, cross Indiantown Road right by the Publix, in order to get into Cypress Creek without going all the way around the east end of Riverbend. There was a lot of traffic, but I managed to hit the crosswalk button, and we got across okay. Then I let him go as fast as he wanted the rest of the way home, he cantered for awhile, then largoed for a long time after that, and finally came down to a walk about three miles later. We did almost 18 miles in total again today, because I haven’t had as much time to get him in shape like I did last year, so I’m kind of trying to make up for it now. With less than two weeks to go, I need to do everything I can to condition him before the big event. Gave him a quick rinse off, threw the frisbee for Lola for a bit, then settled down for the evening. Time now for my shower and bed. Good night, my love!

Hey Darlin’,
I made arrangements to record a PSA over at Tim’s in-house studio this morning, so I was up early enough to leave by about 10:00, riding Flash down to his house, which is a straight shot down the canal to the first crossover and just a few houses in. Flash stood quietly nuzzling Tim’s horses while I went in and knocked out the :30 PSA, which I now need to figure out how to distribute to local radio stations. After that, I headed toward Riverbend. I wanted to get accurate GPS readings on the incoming and outgoing trails so my final maps would be accurate. I’m going to send downloadable files to one of the OTL guys who is going to put it on the website so others can have them. I wasn’t going to mark the trails today, but I noticed they’d already done some marking, so I decided to finish it off anyway. We may lose a few markers over the next couple of weeks, but I’ll be able to replace them on the day of the ride anyway. Once Flash figured out we were heading home after we crossed under the Indiantown Rd. Bridge, of course, he decided to speed up, and we ended up gaiting fast for the next 5 or 6 miles! I slowed him down the last mile just to cool him off, but he would have been happy to keep going. Anyway, it was a long ride, almost 18.5 miles, so he was good and sweaty. I rinsed him down and let him loose. I made myself a meal and fell asleep watching TV right afterwards, I was so tired, plus I didn’t get a great night sleep last night for some reason. Did some computer work, but now I’m still hot and sweaty (it got to over 85 degrees today, but there’s a cold front moving in overnight), so I’m heading off the shower and bed. Love you, babe. Good night!

Hey Sweetie,
Had another good night sleep, then did a bunch of stuff online before feeding the horses, then getting Flash in the trailer and heading down to the Cypress Creek parking lot across from the Publix. I had a bag of markers I got from Anita, and headed due north up the OTL from there. I thought Anita had told me that another group had marked that part of the trail, but all I ever saw was a couple of markers WAY down near the Hobe Ditch, and they were way apart from each other on the linear trail, nothing at the intersections. Amazing. Anyway, Flash did a great job as we headed all the way through the cow pasture (and the herd was there, with lots of young ones kicking around), under the freeways, and finally through the Ditch. I kept going, too, because there had been reports that a certain section of the trail was going to be hard for horses to get through, where they put a bunch of concrete bags across it for drainage, but frankly, I don’t see why, it looks the same as it did last year. Plenty of room to get around if someone wants. Once we hit that spot we turned around, and that’s when Flash really wanted to kick it up a notch. We cantered and largoed all the way back to the Ditch, and in quite a few other places as well, until we reached the parking lot. Of course, the thought we were done, but not yet! I headed him east toward Riverbend, and marked all of that section, right to the south side of the critter crossing under Indiantown Rd. I must say, it will be hard to get lost this year! Hopefully, no one will mess with the markers, but even if they do, I’ll be out there on the day of to add more if necessary. It took us about 3 hours or so before we drove back. Flash was really dirty so I started giving him a bath, and a few minute later, Jeff came home, with his white van up on a tow truck. He thinks he might have thrown a rod, so you know that’s a major project. I was hoping his only major project for the next few weeks was going to be to move his junky camper over to the fence and out of the front yard, not sure if that’s going to happen now. Sigh… Finished bathing Flash, and hosing down Apollo who was standing there asking for it, then went in to fix some other problems. You know I bought a replacement GPS, but I haven’t been able to get it to work yet. It wouldn’t lock on to any satellites. I was afraid it was broken, but I finally trying reloading the updated software again, and that solved the problem. I think I might have turned it off while it was uploading before and that’s why it didn’t work. So now I do have a satellite-based GPS again, so hopefully that will help decrease my chances of getting lost, and allow me to map my routes beforehand so I can just follow the GPS. Settled down to a mini pizza and some more episodes of Suits for the evening. Took my shower earlier, so now I’m heading to bed. Love you, babe, good night!