Archives for March 2011

Friday, March 18, 2011 – Hubby’s Birthday

Ran out to do some errands in the afternoon, then went looking for a restaurant to have a nice birthday dinner. We discovered an Indian Restaurant right next to the Jupiter Theatre, but arrived just as they were closing for the afternoon. Then we found a Thai restaurant, but arrived just as they were closing for the afternoon. Then we found a Chinese restaurant, but decided we weren’t in the mood, and didn’t really want to spoil our diet by eating out anyway (we’ve both lost over 16 pounds since the first of the year), so we decided on one indulgence just to consider it a special day, so we went into the Palm Beach Ice Cream Shop and split a two-scoop bowl of sugar-free chocolate ice cream, which went down just perfectly on this quite warm day. We then headed home for our regular diet dinner of soup, and settled down for the evening.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 – Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Spent the day out in the sun for a change, reading and relaxing, almost as if we were on vacation! What a change!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 – Oops! Day

Packed up everything (which all look shiny and new after all our hard work!), and that took most of the morning. We finally headed out about 1:00, arriving in Dupuis about a half hour later, only to discover there is a turkey hunt going on this weekend, and the park is closed to all but hunters. We debated whether we wanted to ride this afternoon anyway, then head back afterward, or stay overnight, but the campground host said they would be clearing out the campground by noon, so it didn’t seem worth the effort to unpack only to have to pack again in the morning. All said and done, we decided to just dump the RV (which we would have had to do today anyway) and head back home, and just ride around the neighborhood when the mood strikes us. There’s another hunt the following weekend as well, so it looks like it will be April before we get back to Dupuis to camp, though I guess we can always drive out and ride during the week if the mood strikes us and gas prices don’t go any higher. So we let Brother know we were heading back, and set up exactly where we were before. One thing we did do was to get our electrical short fixed. We’ve been running the generator because after our first night here, something caused the circuit breaker to break and we hadn’t been able to figure out what, so Hubby and I spent some time this afternoon to track down the short. It turned out to be loose wires and mis-wiring in the water heater, so once we fixed those, we were able to hook up to electricity again. What a relief! No noise, no refueling, no more gas expense, no buzzing from the inverter overnight when I want to record programs on the DVR, no having to go out at night to turn it off! Now we’re finally ready to actually relax and enjoy the beautiful weather outside!

Tuesday March 15, 2011 – Change of Plans and Catch Up Day

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written, primarily because we’ve been doing so many “non-equestrian” things. Mostly we’ve been working our tails off, washing and waxing and polishing and Windexing and changing oil and fixing tires and doing repairs, barely noticing the perfect weather around us, though without it we wouldn’t be able to do all these things. Essentially, we’ve worked ourselves to near exhaustion, and yet there are still things on the list to be done. Originally we had only planned to stay here for a week to ten days, but now it’s been over two weeks. If we stay much longer, it will be too late to get to our job in DC in April, but that was essentially going to be a logistical challenge as well. We were going to board the horses at a place in Maryland, do the job in VA, then drive home with just one vehicle and do some necessary work and doctors’ appointments there, leaving the horses behind, then when we got back, heading further north after an undetermined amount of time. I suspect we’d end up being at home even longer than we hoped, simply because it always takes longer to do everything than we think, so we’d be away from the horses for too long. Anyway, all that changed today. We decided, with my Brother’s permission, to just stay here through April, fly to DC for the job, leaving him to look after all the critters, then upon our return, traveling at a more leisurely pace back home with the family intact. Then we can get everything done without any pressure of being separated from the horses (not to mention paying board in MD all the while), and leaving when we’re ready. Then we can simply enjoy the summer at our own pace, like most of last year. Logistically, a much more sensible and affordable option (especially the recent rise in fuel prices due to the various Libyan and other Middle East uprisings), not to mention the fact that the weather here continues to be perfect, though getting a bit warmer than we like, but better that than the freezing weather they’re still having in most of the country! With the decision made, we finished off a few more chores today, making preparations to go out to Dupuis tomorrow for the remainder of the week and weekend.

Sunday, March 6, 2011 – Ride Day at J.W. Corbett WMA

Decided to take Brother out to ride at nearby JW Corbett WMA, a place where he ordinarily visits in a swamp buggy, but it’s been so dry this year there’s not much swamp out there at the moment. We followed the map I downloaded to Camp area C, got saddled up and headed out. It was a late start, as Brother had some chores to do in the morning, so it was mid-afternoon by the time we got on the trail. Well, “trail” is a bit of a misnomer. Apparently the trail that the map showed was actually the main multi-use road that the swamp buggies and ATVs used, and it was very wide and very deep sugar sand that had obviously had a lot of tire use. We skirted along the side for a while until we saw a less used, unmarked road off to the left. It seems that there are many, many trails back here, none of which are marked or on the map, and are just simply tracks left behind by more adventurous motorized vehicles. Not having a marked trail to follow always causes me more worries, always having to be aware of which direction we were going and how to get back as the trails meandered, crossed other trails, and generally wandered with no real destination in mind. I generally kept us going south from the main trail and east toward the main road so that those were our boundaries, knowing that when we got ready to turn around (I had given up any hope of following the original loop trail I had planned from the map that morning), we would be able to find our way back. Brother is not really an equestrian, though he’s owned horses in the past, more for his ex-wife and stepdaughter than himself, though he likes to ride. Doesn’t even know how to post, if that gives you any idea. He was sure to bring along an ample supply of beer and other inebriating sundries, so I had to be especially diligent in watching over him and Clio. Fortunately, he’s so out of shape and still somewhat sore from our long ride last Sunday, he was ready to turn around after about an hour and a quarter and a couple of breaks. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, but I found it to be one of the most unattractive rides I’ve ever done. I know for sure Hubby wouldn’t have liked it either, so we can cross this one off the list for future rides. I’ll have to take Brother out to Dupuis and show him what a REAL horse trail is supposed to be like. Anyway, he thoroughly enjoyed himself, which was the important thing anyway. After we got back and loaded up the horses, we discovered a flat tire on the trailer, so we had to get out the generator and the air compressor and fill it up enough to get us home, which took about 10 minutes. It held until we got home, but that gives us another chore to do tomorrow!

Thursday, March 3, 2011 – FABULOUS Ride Day at Dupuis Recreation Area

Set the alarm to try to get an early start, and did manage to be on the road out to Dupuis by 11:00, not exactly early, but good enough, as it’s only about a half hour drive. There were a number of other trailers in the parking area, but it seems they had ridden in the morning and were just socializing over lunch before departing about the time we were saddled up and ready to go. Headed out on the “Teal” trail (what can I say, we’re in Florida, teal is one of their favorite colors :-), which turned out to be absolutely gorgeous for the most part. The first section, going counterclockwise on the loop, was an actual grass and sand trail, rather than a road, and wound through palms and brush in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Then it changed into a broad road and grassy area that followed the powerlines, and then turned off back into a more wooded area. We then took a little detour to the right in search of the pier via the back route (which turned out to be correct, but not where I thought I had turned), and eventually we arrived at a picnic area with a nice canal for the horses to drink from, and a covered picnic shelter where we stopped for lunch. Since we knew it would be a long ride today, we had brought oats for the horses, so they were quite happy. After lunch, we headed up the road away from the pier, regained the Teal trail, then cut right to the yellow trail, which would eventually loop us back to the equestrian, without having to backtrack on some of the Teal trail, which is how that loop works. The Yellow trail was equally gorgeous as the beginning of the Teal trail, but in a different way. This area had obvious had a fire in the last few years (prescribed or accidental, we weren’t sure), though in some areas the brush was even thicker. The Yellow eventually merged with the Red, and soon we were back at the barn. What a great day! About 12 miles including our detour, and never got lost once! The trails were very well marked, with painted spots on the trees every 20-30 yards, whether you needed them or not, and most of the intersections were reasonably well-marked, though you would definitely need a map to find your way around. Fortunately, those were provided at the kiosk in the equestrian center. We’re seriously considered hauling the RV up here for a few days next week to explore some of the many other trails in here. What a great spot! Only possible concern is they are very down on dogs here, but I have had a couple of people tell me that as long as we park well away from the campground host, and keep the dogs under wraps as much as possible, that they might be overlooked or ignored. It’s a chance worth taking, anyway. If they kick us out we can always just go back to Brother’s house and commute if necessary. Anyway, we arrived back at camp more than 4½ hours from when we left, having got in lots of trots and canters, enjoyed perfect weather (warm and a bit windy, but the wind kept the temps from getting too hot), and having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We topped off the day by going into Indiantown to top off our generator gas tank and stopping by a hay provider to see what her hay looked like. The last stuff we bought up in northern Florida wasn’t very good, and frankly, terrible for the price, so I wanted to make sure this stuff was better before we committed to buying any. Turns out to be really excellent coastal, nice and green, for $7 a bale, so we definitely will be back next week to pick some up. Headed home, satisfied Dupuis will likely be in the Top Ten or even Top Five of our favorite places!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 – Finish Taxes Day

Although the original plan had been to go riding today, Hubby woke up having a dizzy spell this morning, so he spent the rest of the day in bed trying to get over feeling light-headed. We suspect it might be a new brand of soda that we’re drinking, that it has too many chemicals of the wrong sort in it. It wouldn’t be the first time we had a reaction to preservatives and the like. The good news is it gave me a chance to finish up on the taxes, now they’re all ready to file. Usually I mail them in, but my TurboTax program has a free IRS submission included, so as soon as I get into an area with a decent Verizon broadband signal, I’ll forward them. I’m really quite surprised that their signal is so weak here at my brother’s house, we’re only a mile off a major road, and a couple of miles from both I-95 and the Florida turnpike. Just happen to be in a weak pocket, I guess. Anyway, the plan is to ride tomorrow, in which case I can transmit them out in Indiantown.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 – Tax Day

Spent the day working on my taxes, wishing the Tea Party could convince those in power to go to a flat tax system! The man hours THAT would save would be incalculable! (Although I imagine the CPA lobby might have something to say about that!)