Hiya Babe,
Woke up to the generator next door being turned on just after 7:00 (sigh), eventually got up and started my day, looking forward to when it finally quieted down here. I did a couple of loads of laundry and hung them out to dry, though I was a bit concerned about how much dust was getting stirred up every time someone drove in or out. I was happy to see my neighbors packing up, but then they saddled up and the whole family saddled up and rode off, leaving their generator on! I don't understand why anyone would leave a generator on when they're not even in camp. It was a few hours before they finally came back and eventually finished packing up and leaving, and I had an afternoon of quiet bliss. Didn't do much else today, just wasn't in the mood, so I mostly just read, and tracked down some hay. I didn't even do much packing up, other than filling up all my water tanks including the truck tank, so that I could put all the hoses away, since I'm only moving from one side of the campground to another. Shouldn't take me too long in the morning. Not much else to report! good night, darlin'! Love you!
Saturday, November 23, 2025 – Poker Run Day
Hey Darlin',
Up at the crack of dawn, got everyone fed, then met up with Ray, albeit 15 minutes after the appointed time, to head off onto the trails and put up the "markers," which were just paper plates with arrows and Dealer #'s on them. It took just about an hour, so gratefully, we were done well in advance of when the riders were released at 10:00, which I ended up doing because there was some confusion about who was supposed to do that. I hung around the pavilion with the other volunteers until the riders started coming back, though there was again some confusion about who was supposed to man the dealer post in camp at the end, which got sorted out just in time. Once a good portion of the riders were back in camp, I decided to saddle up Flash and take the signs down, which we managed to do in a short 45 minutes, working up a nice sweat along the way, as he gaited and cantered almost the entire way, which was slightly less than five miles. The raffle was still going on by the time we got back! I rinsed him down and put him away, helped clean up the pavilion, chatted with the ladies for a bit, then settled down for the night. I binged on some Bones, and my usual routine. It was a beautiful day, glad to feel productive and appreciated! Sorry I had to listen to the generator next door all day, but am grateful they turned it off before 9:00 this evening. Whew! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Friday, November 22, 2025 – Day of Waiting in Camp
Hiya Sweetie,
Got up a little earlier today, but ended up doing very little today, mostly waiting on others. I was invited to take a ride with a couple of the other gals here, but I didn't know when my volunteering job was going to start, so I declined. Turned out I could have gone and had hours left over. Was told the volunteers would be gathering at 2:00, but then the first organizer didn't show up until after 3:30, and the second organizer didn't arrive until nearly 5:00, too late to do much of anything, with the exception of marking arrows on paper plates for the trail markers tomorrow, and setting up tables and chairs in the pavilion. I arranged to mark the trails tomorrow with camp host Ray on his park Gator starting at 8:00, but other than that, not much else was accomplished, except I managed to finish reading my latest book. Settled down for the evening, listening to my new neighbor's generator all day and evening, and was beginning to think it would be on all night as well, but it was finally turned off around 9:15, thank goodness! Heading to bed soon, as I have an early wake up call in the morning! Good night, babe! Love you!
Thursday, November 20, 2025 – Lazy Day in Camp
Hi Babe,
Had to put my earplugs in last night because of the ongoing generator in the motorhome across from me. I have to say, I'm hoping their leaving tomorrow, and can't wait to enjoy the peace and quiet of this lovely preserve again! I had a quiet day in camp, about the only thing I did was waterproof my orange windbreaker, which, last time I wore it, got pretty soaked through. Not surprising, really, I've had that jacket for decades! Hope the Scotchguard will improve it! Mostly read outside, it was a beautiful day. Met a couple more of the folks that will be involved this weekend, but still haven't met the key players, so I'm not sure what it is I'll be helping with, other than checking the trails, which I've already done. I'm hoping to help mark them, but we'll see. Was thrilled when the motorhome finally pulled out after 1:00, with their generator STILL running, even as they drove off! Crazy! Heading to shower and bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – Another Lovely Ride at River Rise
Hey Darlin',
Sorry to report that there's a motorhome here that runs it's generator all day and all night, though it was quiet enough (or I was tired enough) to be able to sleep through it. Not quite sure why people need to make so much noise in such a peaceful and quiet environment, and ruin it for the rest of us without any thought of wrongdoing. Sigh... Anyway, did manage a decent night sleep despite that, and had another wonderful ride on Flash, though he wasn't exactly a speed demon today. I think he may have strained himself a bit more than he realized with all the deep sand here, it's definitely tougher to get through than what we've been dealing with this summer. While yesterday he was moving very quickly as we did the perimeter trails, today we focussed on doing the interior trails, and he was much more reserved. It was only about eight miles anyway, so it didn't matter that we were going slower, it was still a lovely ride. We saw deer and squirrels, and at one point an armadillo crossed the trail right in front of us, and Flash completely ignored it! He's such a good boy! Another gorgeous day, though I'm glad it's shady here, because the temps are reaching the 80's now, and sunshine would definitely make it more uncomfortable. Settled down to my usual evening! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 – Lovely First Ride at River Rise
Hi Sweetie,
Slept well, woke up to another beautiful, sunny morning, did all my chores and breakfast, then saddled up Flash for our first recon ride here at River Rise. We took the red trail first, which is the prettiest one here, in my opinion, then continued along the perimeter on the green and white trails. It was only just over nine miles, and it went quickly, since after the first couple of miles of warmup, he wanted to take off again, as usual. We gaited and galloped and cantered, and gaited some more, it was another great ride on this fantastic animal! We saw lots of deer, a flock of turkeys, and a bunch of squirrels that may have been fox squirrels. We had a black race snake parallel with us, almost like he WAS actually racing us, when we were gaiting at seven mph, and it was neck in neck! A gorgeous day! I rinsed him off and put him back on the highline, where he rolled immediately, of course! Settled down for the rest of the day, chatted with my neighbor Karen (not the same Karen that's running the Poker Run this weekend), then had a visit from the camp host, Ray, and learned his dog had almost the same exact experience as Lola did when she was victim to a surprise attack, and his dog's response has been almost the same, getting more aggressive with other dogs that show him aggression. He is also widowed, a veteran, and travels a lot, camphosting when he can, and like me, doesn't have a house. Had a nice supper, my usual evening routine, just waiting for the water to heat up for my shower, then off to bed! Good night, babe! Love you!
Monday, November 17, 2025 – Travel Day to River Rise, High Springs, FL
Hey Darlin',
Got moving around 8:00, was leaving camp just before 10:00 (it's great when the horse containment is someone else's paddock so I had nothing to deconstruct!), and had an uneventful drive to River Rise. With a stop at O'Leno State Park to get my permit and gate code and a short drive to the Preserve, I was finished parking in my site by noon and fully set up within 90 minutes or less. Got involved with a conversation with a rider, which delayed me a bit, but I then took a quick drive down to Alachua to drop off the UPS package of my Amazon return (the circuit board I didn't need for my furnace) and was going to make a Walmart stop, only to discover there is no Walmart here, that the nearest one was another 15 minutes farther south in Gainesville. Since I didn't have much to get, I opted to go to the nearby Publix instead. Got back to camp around 3:00, put everything way, and was sitting down enjoying the afternoon when I got involved with another conversation with some guy who just stopped by my site and started talking (I guess I must just look like a good listener, though I wasn't trying :-)), and eventually settled down for the evening. Despite them having a barn here, I put my horses on their highline, which is more convenient for me, and because I'm worried that a stall would limit their movement, especially Apollo, and he'd get too stiff. At least on a highline, they have to move back and forth between the water in the middle and the hay bags on each end. I've half decided to just stay here two weeks, though I'll have to move sites, so that I minimize the amount of driving. I don't really have to go down to Green Swamp yet, since that's my destination in January anyway, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to get there any earlier. It keeps me going in the right direction, anyway, southward, until it's time to come back north! Besides, I rather like this "back yard," though I can't get very much sun here for my solar panel, but it's very woodsy and feels like old Florida, and I'm close enough to a water spigot (at least this week) for my hose to reach. It will be a different story next week, but if I fill up everything before I move, it should hold be for the week, and if I need more, I can always get some at the barn in my truck tank. Nothing I haven't done many times before! Headed for bed soon, my love! Good night!
Sunday, November 16, 2025 – Lots More Laundry, Packing Day
Hiya Babe,
Another beautiful sunny day, warmer temps, gorgeous morning! Woke up to find my side table had somehow come loose and fallen to the floor, so job one was to screw that back in with bigger, better screws. Did more laundry all day, flushed out the black water tank, did some cleaning on the exterior of the trailer that still has some traces of oil from the recent mishap, vacuumed, and did a bunch of other small chores while packing up in between in preparation of our departure tomorrow. A busy, productive day, but I still had time to read and have my usual dinner and movie routine. Mundane but necessary activities! Heading to bed soon, of course. Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Saturday, November 15, 2025 – Lots of Laundry, Nice Ride and Obstacle Course on Apollo
Hey Sweetie,
Was up earlier than usual, so I got a lot of little things done, some housework, did a good clean of my leather recliner and throughout the day, did a lot of laundry. Not knowing the next time I'll have access to both water and electric, I did all my "occasional" laundry, like blankets and jackets and blaze orange vests, and recliner cover etc., just to get ahead of it. Around midday, I saddled up Apollo and Lola and I took him for a ride, doing about 3.5 miles, including a stop at the obstacle course they have here. He had no trouble with the tunnel, the little log steps, or the various strips of plastic, but it took some time to get him onto the teeter totter, but he eventually did it once, but wouldn't do it again. No worries, I was proud of him for engaging his brain, which I think isn't being done enough. Got back to camp by 2:00, rinsed him off and put him away, and went back to doing more laundry. They must have been doing some plumbing work, because they shut the water off for awhile, but luckily I had plenty in my tank, so I carried on with the wash. Eventually settled down to my usual evening routine. Another lovely day in the Sunshine State, warm enough now not to have to put blankets on the horses. Almost thought I'd need to put the A/C on today! Weird, since I had the fireplace on this morning. Love it when the seasons are changing! Anyway, won't be long out of bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Friday, November 14, 2025 – Second Work Day and a Fabulous Ride on Flash!
Hiya Darlin'!
Another beautiful day in here, cool in the morning, mid-70's in the middle of the day. Was out on the trail by just after 9:00 with the same team, marking the orange trail, which was a lot easier because it hadn't been marked before, so we were able to pick and choose our trees. We also didn't make as many marks, we felt there were too many on the other trails, so I measured .15 miles between markers, and that seems to work out just fine. We were actually done just after 11:00, so we headed back to camp, where I promptly saddled up Flash and headed off for our first and overdue ride here. He was ready! We headed out on the blue trail, which I knew would turn out to be the trail along the river, probably the nicest trail out here, and after a nice mile or so of warm up walking, he decided he was in a seven mph mood today, and started gaiting. We went for miles doing that, with occasional canters and walks to balance it off. He was perfect! What a fantastic ride! We ended up doing about 12 miles, and he worked up a lovely sweat. I rinsed him off and put him back in the paddock, where, unsurprisingly, he immediately rolled and covered himself with dirt and sand. Fortunately, it all comes off him pretty quickly, and by the time I fed them their dinner hay and put their blankets on (it's going down to 39 degrees tonight), he was relatively clean again. Settled down for the evening to supper and TV, won't be long out of bed! Good night, baby! Love you!