Hiya Darlin',
Slept a bit better, but still woke up too early, considering my alarm was already set for 6:30, but I got up with the alarm, had a quick breakfast, got all my chores done, then headed out to my first crossing guard job, at what is known as the Big Rock, a rather large abutment next to the road which creates a bit of a blind corner, so I helped cross a bunch of horses there for an hour. Then I had a couple of hours off, where I helped settle and walk a neighbor's poodle. The owner, Gayla, had to go to the hospital after falling from her horse at the mounting block yesterday, so everyone's been pitching in to look after her dog and her horse. My afternoon job was another crossing guard duty at the SE Lagoon crossing, that was for most of the afternoon, and I stayed an extra 15 minutes until the last riders went through. Got back to camp, Art came by and took Lola for a walk while Steve walked Enzo and I walked Lola, all in different places. I stayed around for Gayla's parents, who came to get her dog, then headed up to dinner at the main tent. They do it a little oddly here, where they do the awards ceremony before serving dinner, so it was a lot later than I would normally eat, and of course, it was heavy on the carbs (pasta, garlic rolls, cookies and salad), so now I'm pretty stuffed and it will likely affect my sleep pattern tonight, but oh, well! At least I didn't have to do any cooking and cleaning! Got back to camp after 8:20, fed Gayla's horse, let Lola out, where she promptly started grazing, which I know means she'll be throwing up later, hopefully before I let her back in. Settled down with my Sleepytime tea while the water for my shower gets heated, and in bed shortly thereafter, as my first job tomorrow starts at 7:15, which means a very early morning for me! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Third and Final Ride Day at Biltmore, 18 Mile Orange Trail Done
Hey Sweetie,
Didn't sleep as well last night, not sure why, but was up and around getting on with my chores when Art showed up, having arrived from Canada last night. He went on to a meeting after a few minutes, and I finished up my chores and breakfast, giving Flash a bute with breakfast so he wouldn't have any pain on this final ride. I also put boots on him when I saddled him up later, and between the two things, he was much more comfortable today. As I was leaving camp, I ran into several people I knew and had to chat with, so it was a later departure than I had planned, but nevertheless, we did the full 18 miles in slightly less time than yesterday, so our pace was much better. He was slow for about the first mile or so, until he figured out that he wasn't hurting, then he picked up speed and was his normal self for the rest of the ride, and even finishing up with some nice speed runs on the way back to camp. Some of the trail was a repeat of the other trails we had already done, but some of it I hadn't done since last year, and hadn't been affected by the hurricane, so it was really pretty and nice. Was very glad Flash was back to his old self, and also that he will have several days off, though it's forecast to get quite a lot cooler, so it'll be back to blankets at night in a few days! Art was at the tent next to my trailer with Steve and some other folks chatting, so I joined them once I put Flash away. One of our neighbors had fallen off her horse when it moved while she was on the mounting block, and was dizzy and vomiting, so it was decided to call the paramedics, since she hit her head and it sounded like a concussion. Steve and Art stayed behind to look after her animals while I went ahead to the volunteer meeting to learn what my jobs for the next few days were to be, then ended up following around a van full of volunteers (they couldn't fit us all in) to show us where our respective job sites were. When I got back, Art had collected some dinner from the vet/meeting tent, though it was cold, so I offered to heat them up in the microwave and to eat together. Of course, my generator decided not to start, even though it had enough battery juice for a change. Opened up a new propane tank, that didn't help, so I knew it had to be low oil, so I opened that up, and though it didn't look too bad, it took nearly half a quart of oil. Then it finally started, so I closed up that new propane tank (since the other tank wasn't really empty), and heated up dinner for us. We chatted until about 8:30 when he left, now I have to finish my evening routine (no time for TV!), take my shower and get to bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Second Ride Day at Biltmore, 15 Mile Red Trail Done
Hiya Babe,
Last night I had some Sleepytime tea for the first time in a long time, and I slept like a baby! Of course, that might have had something to do with the 22 miles Flash and I rode yesterday! After chores, I got him saddled up for our assignment of the day, the 15 mile red trail. No surprisingly, he was a lot slower today. I got the impression it wasn't muscular, but rather his feet were sore, and I'm pretty sure that was my fault for not putting on his boots. There's a lot more gravel roads being used for trails on the other side, and though I didn't find any visible stone bruising this morning, I'm pretty sure that is was his feet that were the issue. I didn't figure it out until we were well out of camp, so we carried on, just taking our time, which ended up being over five hours. I also went slower because I did quite a bit more trimming and trail clearing, which also slowed us down, but it was a beautiful day, partly cloudy, upper 60's, just perfect! We had no reason to be in a hurry. My pictures today focussed on all the spring flowering trees and brambles, the perfume in the woods at the moment is absolutely gorgeous! Blackberry vines, mountain laurel, and much more all contributed to the heady scent in the woods today. Heavenly! Got back to camp before 4:00, and I was just getting Flash untacked when Louis showed up. We got him backed in and in sync with the neighbors, then I took Flash over to the washrack and got him cleaned up and put away. We chatted for a bit, filled his water tanks, topped off mine while we were at it, and settled down for the night. He offered me dinner but I had already thawed out some chicken, and starting tomorrow, they'll be feeding us volunteers, and I didn't want it to go to waste. Couldn't quite get a good enough signal for TV tonight for some reason, so I just read a bit, and once I'm finished posting and drinking my Sleepytime tea, I'll be off to bed! Good night, darlin'! Love you!
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 – First Ride Day at Biltmore, Doubled!
Hi Darlin',
Slept pretty well, though woke up around 4:00 when it started raining heavily. That lasted until almost 9:00, which is when I finally got up and did my morning chores. After breakfast, I put on my rainsuit and saddled up Flash, and we headed out to do our assigned trail for today, the Lime trail. Thankfully it didn't rain, though there was still of a lot dampness around, and I had no trouble clearing out some of the branches and limbs that were in the way. When I got back to the arena area, they were putting up the vet tents, and the organizers were there. I let them know the condition of the trail, and Flash wouldn't sit still, so Stagg asked me if I wanted to help with something else, and I asked, "What do you have in mind?" Turns out they hadn't fully checked the blue trail over on the west side, the side that's NEVER open except on ride day, and he wanted to know if I would do it. OF COURSE!! Flash had been doing well all day, the weather had turned sunny, he seemed to have plenty of energy, and I would never turn down the chance to see the other side, which is where the vineyards and cattle and the rest of the working farm is. I met them at the bridge, which they opened for me, then staged themselves along the route to help me in some of the areas where the trail wasn't open yet. What an honor! I feel like I really earned my stripes today! In the end, we did over about 22 miles, which was more than I had bargained for on the first day, and I hope it doesn't take away from the two more days of riding we have left to do, but we'll see. Saw lots of wildlife today: deer, turkey, Canadian geese with lots of baby goslings. Not like the Serengeti, of course, but still, nice viewing today! Got back to find that one camper that had come in earlier had spread her paddock in such a way as to take up about three spaces, and her friends had come in and were about to park in the space I had hoped to have my friend Louis across from me, so there was a bit of awkwardness as we tried to straighten that out. They really cut back on our camping sites this year for volunteers, so it's definitely going to be crowded in this little space. I put out a couple of orange cones next to me, I'm hoping they'll still be there when Louis arrives. Anyway, it was a lovely day of riding, I just LOVE MY HORSE SO MUCH! Flash was brilliant, we cantered and gaited for miles, and had the best time! Hope he'll be as enthusiastic tomorrow! Finally settled down for the evening, looking forward to an early nice and another lovely ride tomorrow. Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Monday, April 27, 2026 – Travel Day to Biltmore, Another Tire Issue
Hiya Sweetie,
Woke up with my alarm, had breakfast and finished packing, managed to catch the horses without too much trouble, and was out the driveway by about 9:30. Had a relatively uneventful drive to Asheville, stopping once to top off my fuel tanks at Buc-cees, the first time I've ever stopped at one, but they had the cheapest fuel. I didn't go in, but I was impressed with the number of fuel islands they had! So many people have told me I needed to stop at one, so I was happy to do that, and managed to get in and out without too much trouble. Had to add some power steering fluid, I have a leak there, but am handling it. Made it to the Biltmore fine, but as I was coming in, I thought I noticed a problem with one of my tires. Once I reached my camping spot, which is a bit more north than usual, I looked at it, and saw that the sidewall had split on it. The worst thing was that it was my "newest" tire, the one I bought just seven months ago, but was four years old according to the date on it, and the one that I paid over $400 for, which I thought was a ripoff at the time, and now that it's lasted me less than six month, I'm sure of it! So disappointing. So in addition to my usual setup, I had to add putting my spare on, again, and making some calls to find another replacement. Thankfully, there's a Discount Tire in town, the same chain that replaced the last tire, and they were able to look up my last purchase with ease and will hopefully be able to get a replacement before I leave. I even told them that if they can get me three tires, I'd replace them all, so at least I have all the same type. Seems like a waste since all the ones I have are different ages, but it doesn't seem to matter, since the two latest failures were the two "newest" tires, though the one I took off today was over five years old when I first bought it, which, coincidentally, was the last time I came to the Biltmore! Crazy! Anyway, it took me almost three hours to get set up, including changing the tire, so I'm exhausted! A couple of bourbons and a burger later, I'm feeling a bit better, but I have a busy week ahead, which I am looking forward to! Nothing like being on the back of my own horse on the trails to make things right! Planning on an early night, can't wait to get back into the saddle tomorrow! Good night, baby! Love you!
Sunday, April 26, 2026 – First Ride Since Coming Back From Africa, Busier Day of Packing
Hey Babe,
A terrible night sleep, which often happens after a day of too much rest! It was after 3:00 before I nodded off, but got up at 8:30 to get the day started. Started doing a little packing, then after chores and breakfast decided to take Flash for a short ride with Lola. I wanted to make sure I didn't have any more pain as a result of my fall in Africa (thankfully, I didn't!) and to reassure myself that I could, indeed, ride a canter without fear, which, thankfully, I did! We galloped around the entire perimeter of two of Linda's back fields, which, of course, wasn't 10 minutes, but at least I felt very comfortable for the duration. First, though, we went down some other trails, and ended up doing about 3.65 miles out and back, which was just about right, since Lola was along and I didn't want to wear her out. She doesn't often get to come along when I'm riding Flash, so it was a really nice adventure for you. Felt so good to be back in the saddle of a horse I know and trust! Once we got back and he was back out in the pasture, I did a bunch of little chores that have been staring me in the face. I riveted the wheel well that got pulled off with my flat tire the other day, re-hung some pictures that have pulled off the walls, did three loads of laundry, got the truck lined up and the four extra bales of hay moved into it, packed up my lawn chair and table, and generally just got ready for our departure tomorrow. Once that was all done, I sat in my recliner and ended up falling asleep! Finished my evening with the last of the leftovers and a few more episodes of Damages, heading to bed early, need to make up for all the hours lost last night! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Saturday, April 25, 2026 – Super Lazy Day
Hiya Darlin',
Had a very quiet day today, trying to conserve some energy for the busy week I'll have next week, and because there was supposed to be rain today, though we barely had a sprinkle first thing in the morning. Lola and I did take two walks around the pasture, one in the morning and another in the evening, but otherwise spent the day reading, on the computer or bingeing on Damages, which seems to have a great cliffhanger on just about every episode. Tomorrow will be busier getting ready to move out on Monday. Looking forward to getting back on the road again! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Friday, April 24, 2026 – Laundry, Tire Switch and Truck Washing
Hey Sweetie,
Finally had a good night sleep, seemed like I may have slept almost straight through, thank goodness! Woke up more refreshed than I have in awhile. Did my morning ritual here, feeding the horses and walking the perimeter of the pasture with Lola before breakfast for us. I asked Linda's husband Richard about using his floor jack to change out the spare tire for the new one, and he brought it out, but as soon as I saw it was only 3.5 tons, I doubted it would work, and I was correct. I ended up bringing out my little 12-ton bottle jack, and that managed to lift it enough, though it has a bit of a leak, so it kept slipping, but it got the job done. Then Linda helped me put the spare away, so that job is now complete! Glad I decided to do that today, I had thought to do it on Monday on my own by running up on the Jiffy jack, but I'm glad I did it today, because having help made it much easier. Started a load of laundry, had a nice chat with Linda for awhile, who then showed me how to feed her dogs and barn cat, as she's going away for the weekend and I'm helping her out with that. Then I spent some time in the afternoon working on my travel schedule, since I haven't planned anything after Biltmore except the Shake It Up ride in KY the following weekend, but I can't get in until Thursday, so I was looking at options for Monday thru Wednesday, plus where to go after that. After dinner, I decided to wash the truck, it's gotten dirty since my wash and wax at Michelle's earlier this month, and it's supposed to rain over the weekend, so I wanted to get that done. Cleaned off the dashboard a bit, and used Invisible Glass on the windows (BEST STUFF EVER FOR GLASS!), before settling down for the evening. A productive day in the end! Good night, baby! Love you!
Thursday, April 23, 2026 – More Relaxed Day
Hi Babe!
I still can't seem to get on a good sleeping schedule. I woke up again in the middle of the night and had a hard time falling asleep again, then it was almost 8:30 by the time I finally woke up. Fed the horses and took my walk, Lola and I had breakfast, then I did a little housekeeping. Then I sat down in my chair for a minute and ended up dozing off again! Weird! Worked on the Google Earth map of my Tanzania trip, did some other computer work, then did a bit more housework just to top off the day, including putting the screen from the drop down window back up. I never heard back from the screen-making company, and now I've run out of time anyway, so I took the screen from the third window where the toolbox is and put it up front, so at least the horses are protected now. Dinner was leftovers from our lovely lunch the other day, and an evening of Damages. Linda's arranged to go riding tomorrow, so it will be an early morning, relatively-speaking. Hoping to get to bed early! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Busy Day of Shopping and Repairs
Hiya Darlin'!
Today was a day of running around mostly dealing with issues. I loaded up the blown tire into the back of the truck and headed into town (Cleveland, TN), and dropped it off at the tire place where I had ordered a new tire, which they said should be in today. After dropping that off, I decided it was a good time to get the front end of the truck aligned, as it's been pulling to the right and the tires are wearing unevenly, though there is still pretty good tread on them. It took me a couple of tries to find someplace that could do it, since not everyone can do fit a dually on their rack, and not everyone could do it right away. I ended up at a place that Discount Tire had recommended called Top Tech, though they couldn't get me in until about 1:00, so I stopped to get fuel, then went shopping at Walmart, got everything except a few perishables, particularly things they didn't have that I usually like, like my grapefruit juice and the Silk milk, which I picked up later at Food City on the way home. After the alignment, which they appear to have done a good job with, though a bit more expensive than I figured, I headed back to the tire shop. Unsurprisingly, FedEx still hadn't delivered the tire, so I waited around for nearly an hour until it finally arrived, nearly a half hour after the published "delivery window." They mounted it so quickly after it arrived that I was out the driveway at the same time the FedEx truck was! After the grocery stop, I was finally back to the camper around 4:00, where I settled in for the rest of the day, munching on some of the leftovers from the great lunch yesterday and starting the second season of Damages, my current binge-watch. Won't be long out of bed, I was dozing during the last episode! Good night, sweetie! Love you!