Shadow's First Show

She's all smiles in the warm up.

Way back at the beginning of the month, Shadow and April went to their first show. It was the Standardbred National Show at the Horse Park, and I gave her several reasons to go.
1. It would be a good experience for Shadow.
2. She could see what standardbreds are capable of.
3. She could feel less alone in the obstacles she faces with her new horse.
4. It was local to her and cheap to enter.

After some consideration, April entered Shadow in the two-gait green horse division, and I met her at the Horse Park to warm Shadow up and cheer April on.

It turned out to be a long day, consisting of a lot of hurry up and wait (aren't all horse shows like this?), but I'd call it a success. Shadow was pretty chill about being off the farm and surrounded by all the ruckus. I had expected as much. He's a very laid back horse in general. In fact, he was more interested in the lush green grass behind the barns than anything else.

While we were there, I spotted some familiar faces... some adopted from SRF, some not. I got to meet SRF's new trainer and the new adoption coordinator, though I kept my mouth shut and they were none the wiser about who I was. I also pointed out Homer, who I rode when he was awaiting adoption, and who went home with Amanda, the Other Ozzy's adopter. He's an older guy who got a late start to his riding career, and I thought it was important for April to see how well he is doing despite all that. Plus Homer was kind of a jerk, and Shadow isn't, so she has that advantage ;)

Shadow warmed up like a pro. After April took him around the warm up ring a few times, I hopped on him myself. Shadow seemed to really appreciate a bigger arena with 'real' footing, and moved out very nicely at the trot. He was a little distracted by the sights, but remained calm and controllable. At one point, he even offered me the nicest of nice canters. I'm excited to get to that point in his training because he really has a lovely canter when he relaxes and stays balanced.

Since I was already pushing my luck, I decided to take advantage of the lone natural cross rail set up in the warm up area. Shadow made it very clear that he had never, in his fifteen years on the planet, seen anything of the sort. In fact, his ears seemed to say, "And what would you like me to do about it? We clearly need to go around." Despite his initial wiggles, however, Shadow made a valiant effort to get us both safely over the cross rail. April's super supportive Cookie Man of a boyfriend (who reminds me a bit of Mike, actually) even managed to get a photo! I couldn't have asked for a better first attempt. Once again, I'm extremely excited to start Shadow over fences in the near future (especially now that we know he didn't have racing injuries at the track).

Lookin' sharp!

After hours of waiting for our class (highlights included Shadow trying to climb into the gazebo with us so he could get some Cheetos), they finally announced the two gait green horse division. We polished off April's boots, woke Shadow up from his nap on the rail, and sent them into the show ring with 12 other horses. Between the dozen horses gaiting around him, the loudspeakers, the grandstand, and the crowd leaning over the fence, Shadow was a little distracted. He was more forward than usual and even offered April a bit of canter in the corner. We couldn't help laughing since it was the two gait division, but we weren't about to reprimand him for the effort either! It didn't really matter anyway because the judge barely looked at Shadow.

And here's where I'm going to get off on a bit of a tangent. I guess, in hindsight, I should have pressured her to sign up for the rookie horse division, with the baby racehorses straight off the track who are still pacing with their heads up in the air. I thought that would have been a little unfair since Shadow is a much better riding horse than that. But then, four out of the top six horses in the GREEN HORSE DIVISION wound up being horses who have been showing at the Horse Park for years. In fact, some of them go to open shows on a weekly basis... including Princeton Show Jumping! Someone please explain to me how the horse who got Reserve Champion in a handful of classes that day was also eligible to enter (and, obviously, win) the GREEN HORSE TWO-GAIT class. My understanding was that only horses who aren't qualified for three-gait classes can enter the two-gait ones. Then again, I guess we'll do anything for a piece of blue ribbon and some points at SPHO year-end awards (that our husbands pay for, btw). I forgot how political the show world can be.

But all that aside... I was extremely proud of both April and Shadow. They had only been together for a month at that point. Shadow tried his hardest and behaved his best, and April rode like a star, even when Shadow discovered scary monsters at the end of the ring.

I'm sure this is the first of many shows for the two of them, and I'm delighted to be a part of their journey.

Dancer: Before and After

I have so so so much to update on. The short version of the Dancer updates is that he's officially for sale and is turning out to be a jumping machine. He'll get his own entry soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share a bit of before and after.

This was Dancer when I first laid eyes on him:

This is Dancer on Thursday, being ridden by Christine:

Same moment in the stride. Both taken during his warm up trot. Both on a light contact. I didn't realize how much Dancer has improved until I saw the photos side by side though.

Check out the change in his stride. Check out the way he carries himself. Check out the neck, butt, and shoulder muscles. Check out the lack of tension through his topline, mouth, and flanks. He's looking less like a racehorse and more like a riding horse :)

There's no magic trick to this. Just slow, steady work without shortcuts. No gadgets, no cutting corners. Now imagine if I hadn't broken my leg!

I'm going to take a moment to be proud of my big ole OTTB.

Saturday Snaps: Mostly Puppies

River, my current favorite.

Carvel already got a home.

April's Blog

Shadow's owner, April, has joined us here on the blogosphere. I'm sure she'd love readers along on her journey with her new addition, a standardbred after my own heart. Click here to see her blog.

WW: Maryland with Ozzy

Did a surprise 25 miles in Maryland with Ozzy. It was brilliant. Details when I have time.
(Photo ©Brenda Hall, used with purchase and permission.)

Friday Fotos: Deer

Adoptable Puppies

Almost a month since my last puppy spam, but they just keep coming (and going).

Donut being licked by one of the pit mix puppies that I posted last time. Donut, for those who don't remember, was one of the four chow-mix pups we had in the spring. Unfortunately, he has a neurological disorder, and it is likely to get worse over time. Mostly, he's happy, but sometimes he gets stuck when he tries to get up, or he bunny hops for a few steps, or his bark catches in his throat. He also looks like a coyote because of the way his muscles have formed to compensate for his ailing body. He is not in pain, nor is he suffering. He is technically still available for adoption, but he is most likely going to live his life out at the farm until his disorder gets the best of him.

West Virginia Vacation: Days 3&4

On Sunday morning, after another restful night's sleep, we headed over to Liz's BO's house for the breakfast to end all breakfasts. Apparently, D frequently does culinary experiments. In this case, the experiment was French toast casserole. Now, I don't know D and this is the only experiment I've been privy to, but the woman can COOK.  There was more food than you could shake a fork at, and the gorgeous house was full of smiling faces and good people. We stuffed ourselves with bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy, and, of course, the casserole.

Once Mike and I had sufficient food babies in our bellies, the whole slew of us walked over to the barn for a morning of horse play. D's niece and her friend were there for the day and wanted to ride. Jeanna, who I'd heard good things about and whose half-gypsy filly I adore, shipped her horse, Murphy, in too. Liz fetched her own horses while I officially met D's four year old Kentucky mountain horse, Oliver, and 19 year old Arabian gelding, Saja.

Murphy

Jeanna and I got to chatting a little bit about Murphy. He was quite a handful when she got him, and he remains a one-woman kind of horse. Over the years, she has built quite a relationship with him and they've had great success together. He even totes her young daughter around safely.

Recently, Jeanna has taken an interest in the English side of things. When she mentioned the idea, people started telling her that she'd have to get a different horse. I rolled my eyes.

After Jeanna warmed Murphy up, she started asking me some questions about contact and collection.

At first, I thought I could get on Murphy and explain some of the concepts. Murphy, however, was super insulted that I, a complete stranger, dared to get on his back. He voiced his displeasure almost immediately. I probably could have pushed him through it, but there was really no point. Jeanna is more than capable of riding her own horse and I had nothing to prove by sitting on him.

Instead, we wound up doing an impromptu lesson. Jeanna grasped the concepts almost immediately. Before long, she and Murphy were circling the ring and looking quite different than when they started. She even worked him up to the canter. Can't be an English horse my left butt cheek!

2'6" with Q

From there, I got on Q. Liz had already warmed her up so after a quick w/t/c in each direction, we started hopping some fences. Next thing I knew, we had raised the bar to 2'6". Q sailed over each fence with ease, although she did have to pause and look at the vertical the first time we put up two poles. I just cannot get over how athletic and versatile this mare is. The word 'quit' does not seem to be in her vocabulary, and she is so honest and willing. Liz has done a fantastic job with her. She's a mare I would own in a heartbeat.

And, of course, I had to have a go on Oliver. I had never ridden a Kentucky mountain horse, so I crossed that off my bucket list as well. I seem to constantly get talked into riding the gaited things. Haha. Oliver is so well broke for a four year old and has some pretty good 'buttons' installed. He canters just like a pacer, too. Adorable.

Soon we were all horsed out. We excused ourselves from the barn and headed out for the afternoon. This time, Liz really took us to the middle of nowhere, to her family's cabin. We drove well past the end of civilization and kept right on going. Cell reception was left in the literal dust. At one point, we had to slow down for cows in the road, which is when I realized we were actually driving through grazing pastures. Liz continued to wow me with her knowledge of the area, and discussed the vast amounts of rain we've had this year, and how they've changed the seasonal geography of the local waterways. The Dry Fork creek, for example, was far from dry.

Would do a lot to see this smile.

We arrived at the cabin which, with its lack of electricity and running water, is like a trip back in time and exactly the type of place that makes Mike and me contemplate disappearing into the wilderness. We were introduced to some of Liz's family, mostly cousins, all of whom are also outdoorsy and a wealth of knowledge on a variety of topics. They are also pretty much the nicest people you could hope to meet. Then again, that seemed to be the pattern while in West Virginia. Everyone we met was friendly, kind, and open to sharing their world with us outsiders.

When we first arrived, the guys were out back shooting skeet. I mentioned that I had never shot a gun, and everyone took steps to immediately remedy that situation. And so I crossed another item off my bucket list. Sixteen gauge shot gun. Go me! Not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous (and a bad shot). The kick back wasn't as bad as I had expected, but my hands were shaking when I was done anyway. What a rush!

Once I was done wasting ammo, Mike took his turn. He later told me that he was nervous about making an ass of himself. He hasn't shot a gun in quite a while, and said he was going to be rusty. Ha! It turns out he's a pretty damn good shot and he didn't need to waste his time worrying about it.

By the time we had settled on the deck with drinks and snacks, the skies had opened up. It proceeded to rain for most of the afternoon. The timing actually worked out since it was the one part of the trip when we were technically indoors.

In between rain showers, Liz and her cousins took us over to the Sinks of Gandy so I could have my first trip into a real cave. I'm sure the wonder of the Sinks has worn off for them by now, but I'm grateful they humored me because I was beyond excited.

I've done some internet reading on the subject since we got home and it appears that people regularly go out exploring to find the cave out there. I'm not sure how anybody finds it without a local to guide them. We wound our way through cow pastures and over hills to get there, but even once we were right on top of the entrance, it was hard to spot without knowing where it was. The only giveaway was the river that disappeared into the hillside.

Because of the high water levels, it was impossible to go through the entire cave, but I got my fill just from wandering to the main room and back. Once in the main room, we turned off our flashlights and head lamps and just sat for a few minutes, appreciating true darkness. The things that really stood out to me, as a first time cave goer, were how slick the floor was (I did NOT have appropriate footwear) and how the water droplets on all the rock surfaces glimmered. It's not something I can adequately describe, and I don't think photos could ever do it justice.

We took a detour on our way out of the cave to see the river from the inside, and I quickly gained an appreciation for how easy it would be to get lost while caving. This was a pretty straight forward in and out situation, but I'm not sure I could have found my way out unassisted without at least a few moments of panic.

We took the long way back to the cabin, which took us across rolling landscape that was very different from everywhere else we'd been that weekend. It looked like something out of Lord of the Rings. Hills dotted with rocks and grazing animals and views that went on for miles. West Virginia seems to have an endless variety of 'scapes. It's a photographer's paradise. I'll admit I spent a lot of the trip being too busy gawking to take photos.

Panorama, worth viewing full size.

Once we were back at the cabin, we enjoyed more delicious food. I stuffed and stuffed my face and was nursing another food baby before long.

We got a brief tour of the cabin and the land around it, which included seeing the Dr. Seuss Tree and a stop at the double seater out house. Synchronized peeing with Mike wasn't technically on my bucket list, but I scribbled it in there and crossed it off the list anyway.

Liz also showed me the family's log book for visits to the cabin. I was totally fascinated. It is so cool to have the history of a place documented in such detail. I was too intimidated to write an entry of my own (it felt like I would be intruding on something personal and sacred) but I did compose a poem, and with some liquor in my system, even recited it for everyone.

My poem:
West Virginia
Food.
Food and beer.
Food and beer and guns.
Food and beer and guns and caves.
I RODE A FRIESIAN STALLION

What can I say? I'm a literary artist.

After dinner, we settled around the fire, which was burning heartily despite the earlier downfalls. We had just about given up on the weather clearing when some rays of sun broke through the clouds. Liz had mentioned trying to see the sunset from Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, and I halfheartedly brought it up. We only had a short bit of time before darkness fell, but Liz decided to try to get us up there anyway. She drove like a bat out of hell down narrow, winding dirt and gravel roads. Had anybody else been at the wheel, I probably would have peed myself, but I had faith in Liz despite the lack of guard rails.



We made it to the top just in time to see the sun go down, and it was worth every second of the hair raising ride up. The rain had formed swirls of mist in the valleys below and the light was perfect. It was like a piece of heaven on earth. We rushed to the outlook and made it just in time (my leg still won't hold up to running). I breathed out a silent, "Wow," when we reached the edge. I was torn between taking a million photos and just gazing in awe at the landscape around us. I just kept shooting until my battery died, then stared out into the beauty of the world until darkness fell.

We hiked back at a more leisurely pace, and I marveled some more at how different the landscape was here than in the valley below. The plants looked like something out of Alaska, not the east coast.

After a slower drive back to the cabin, we sat around the fire for a little longer before saying our goodbyes and driving back to the apartment.

But West Virginia wasn't done showing off for us. On our way down another winding back road, we saw the reflections of two pairs of eyes in the headlights. At first I thought they were rabbits. Then I thought maybe cats. It seemed awfully far out in the woods for cats, so I reasoned that they might be foxes. I had just enough time to figure out that they were bobcat kits before they scampered into the woods. We spent some time parked in the middle of the empty road to get more glimpses at them. Very cool.

That night we drank local beer, played Cards Against Humanity, and just generally relaxed. It was late by the time we finally went to bed, and Liz was kind enough to let us sleep in on Monday morning.

Originally we were going to grab breakfast at Bob Evans, but the holiday crowds formed a line that I had no interest in standing in.

Instead, Liz took us for one last WV experience. We drove to the top of a steep gravel driveway, past a pack of bear hunting dogs, and met a man named Hoot. Hoot took us inside his garage where we bought three bottles of legit moonshine, bottled in juice containers. We went with peach, butterscotch, and cinnamon. The latter two are 110 proof, but all three taste so delicious that you'd never know. It's a good way to get into trouble. Haha.

Our final stop was at a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant where we scored good, cheap food without the crowds. I think I put on 15 pounds over the course of our trip...

Mike and I ate, packed our stuff, wrangled the dogs, and started the long drive home. This time, I knew which way to go and we made good time. We did hit a massive thunderstorm that sent people onto the shoulder to wait it out, but we were home with enough time to catch up on the internet before bed.

The trip was exactly what we needed. It gave me a break from the chaos of my life without breaking the bank. I can't imagine a better tour guide than Liz and all the people we met were completely delightful. I don't know what we'd do for work, but I could totally see Mike and myself settling down to live there. And nobody would ever hear from me again. Liz's life is something straight out of an adventure magazine and I'm not sure how she ever finds the time to blog about it. We only got a brief glimpse at the state, but I am totally 100% hooked.

Thank you, Liz, for putting up with us and our maniac dogs. It was the best thing we've done all year.

West Virginia Vacation: Day 2

The Saturday of our trip was jam packed with activity. Liz is really good at cramming all the good stuff into a short period of time. I was thoroughly impressed and I promise my head was only spinning a little bit at the end of it.

My first Friesian ride.

On Friday night, Liz asked me how I would feel about riding a Friesian stallion. As you can probably imagine, she didn't exactly have to twist my arm about it. Despite the fact that I have met many Friesians, I have never ridden one. I'll admit that I'm more into Friesians from a photography standpoint than a riding one, but it was a bucket list item nonetheless. I don't buy into all the fan girl hype about the breed, but I do see why people like them, and they do move very differently from most other breeds. Liz pulled some strings and arranged for my Friesian debut first thing Saturday morning.

The stallion in question happens to live right across the street from Liz on a sporthorse breeding farm, so we didn't have far to go. His name is Bart. He is five years old, was broke to ride and drive by the Amish, and hadn't been ridden in about five months.

When we arrived, Bart was dancing around and throwing a fit. I had been on the property for about a minute and a half when he whipped around and nailed me in the back of the thigh with a back hoof. It was my fault for coming behind a horse I don't know, and I was close enough that it didn't hurt (even though it left quite a bruise).

"That was rude!" I chastised him, without missing a beat.

His owner, Judy, who is about the nicest person you could ever hope to meet, was mortified, but I promised her it was no big deal.

Bart proceeded to put on quite a show while we got him tacked up. He definitely had breeding on the brain and he was doing his best fire-breathing dragon impression. Spinning, pawing, pushing, pulling, screaming... he did it all. Mike's face paled slightly in the background and I could hear him gnawing his tongue off in an effort to be supportive.

After a bit of wrestling, we got Bart down to the round pen at the bottom of the hill. Part of the problem was that the mares were right in the next pasture, and he had to walk through the teasing area to get to the round pen. I told everyone that I would only get on the stallion if I could get him to stand like a gentleman for me to get on board.

Liz takes her turn.

It took some persistence, but Bart did eventually hold still long enough for me to swing a leg over. Then a funny thing happened. The second I was in the saddle, it was as if Bart said, "Oh!! That's the job we're doing today. My bad. I thought we were breeding." He proceeded to be a complete joy to ride. He was soft and responsive and lots of fun. We did a ton of trotting around, fast and slow. I did ask for a canter at one point, but he wasn't convinced and I wasn't about to push my luck. I will say that my Friesian friends who are always challenging me about the 'huge Friesian trot' need to come try a standardbred racing trot on for size. ;)

Once I was done playing, I offered the reins to Liz, and she took a spin too. I think we were both grinning from ear to ear by the time Bart was tuckered out enough for our liking.

Liz and Jericho

I got back on Bart and rode him outside the round pen for a while, but he got a little prancy as we approached his paddock, and I decided to play it safe. I did discover that fake ground driving him was a lot more effective than attempting to lead him, and we made it up the hill rather peacefully while I proclaimed my expertise at 'dress-idge'.

Once Bart was put away, Judy and her husband were kind enough to show us around the rest of the farm. As I mentioned, they are a sporthorse breeding operation. They produce a lot of half Friesians and have a band of drafty broodmares that I was excited to meet. Normally, I'm pretty skeptical of any place that breeds Friesian mixes, but I have to say that Judy's farm won me over. In fact, I'd love a baby out of their mare, Hershey, for myself! I was extra impressed after I saw some of the babies for myself. They are well put together, nice movers, and nicely socialized. I would have put Jericho in my pocket in a heart beat.

On our way onto the farm that morning, Mike and I had spotted Belgian draft mules in the bottom pasture. I essentially begged to meet them up close and personal. Judy and David obliged and I spent the next half hour squealing over big ears and soft noses. The molly mule, Annie, was my personal favorite. Judy offered to let us have her, and I was sorely tempted. It would have been such an irresponsible decision, but dammit I want a Belgian mule!

Dancer the Donkey

After picking up the dogs, we ran over to Liz's barn to play with Q and Griffin. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot and left my memory card in my laptop at the apartment, so all we had were cell phone photos. I had been excited to ride Q for real, especially after I got to briefly try her bareback when we dropped the jumps off. As I expected, Q was even nicer with real tack on. We kept the ride short since we still had a lot of sight seeing to do, but I jumped Q around some little jumps and found her to be honest, forward, and responsive. Her gaits are lovely and her jump is smooth. As Liz already knows, she has quite an athlete on her hands. Most pleasantly, I don't find her to be the least bit mare-ish.

We stopped for lunch at McDonald's because it was quick, cheap, and close to where I left my memory card. Then we took off for an afternoon of visiting some of the local sights. I have to say that we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide than Liz. Not only is she local, but she also knowledgeable about a lot of history and trivia about the area. I learned a ton on our drives through the mountains that weekend. I probably won't remember half of it, but I am in absolute awe of Liz's wealth of information on her state. I can't claim to know half that much about New Jersey. I'd probably be a terrible tour guide.

Our first stop was the Olson Firetower, something we had actually passed on our drive down without knowing it. Liz says many locals don't even know about it. Considering it's an unmarked turn off a windy stretch of highway, followed by a few miles of narrow, winding dirt road, I can't say I'm surprised. I am, however, grateful that Liz knew it was there (for more than one reason, ahem). We climbed the million and one stairs to the top (talk about testing my leg!) to take in the view. It was worth the burning in my lungs. Liz had picked the perfect day to show us the view. The weather was clear and we could see for miles. I snapped away with the camera while Liz pointed out landmarks and towns and mountains with names. I was able to pick out one landmark on my own.... wind mills! Liz was not amused.

View from Olson Tower.

While we were in the area, we also stopped at some of the more touristy destinations, namely Blackwater Falls and Lindy Point Overlook. The falls basically consisted of us walking down the stairs, me taking a photo, and us walking back up the stairs. Way too many people for any of us. Lindy Point provided a cool view of the Blackwater Canyon and more cool photo ops.

On our way out of the state park, we stopped at Mountain State Brewing Co. where we had some excellent locally brewed beer. Have I mentioned that this trip featured a lot of day drinking?

From there, Liz took us the super scenic way through the Canaan Valley (not pronounced like I had guessed) where she does ski patrol. I basically ogled in silence (rare) while Herbie rested her head on my shoulder and Julio slept.

We finished our day at Dolly Sods, which seems to be a popular destination despite its super remote location. I felt like we were on dirt and gravel roads for hours to get there, but we passed plenty of parked cars along the way. I'm sure the fact that it was a holiday weekend had a lot to do with it, but I just couldn't get over the fact that so many people knew about such a seemingly secret place. Once again, we had the perfect light for the views. Dolly Sods was a place I could have spent an entire day just wandering, exploring, and taking photos. As it was, we took our time meandering the ridge line as the day faded into glorious golden rays. There is no way my photography could ever do this place justice.

I think this was also the dogs' favorite part of the trip because we were able to let them run around off leash. Herbie was delighted to be adventuring for real, and quickly decided she was now Liz's dog. Julio seemed completely blown away by the fact that something like this could even exist. His eyes seemed to say, "We didn't have anything like this in Trenton..." The two of them bounded joyfully from rock to rock, panting in delight as they darted in and out of sight. At one point, I'm pretty sure Herbie intentionally lost Julio in the huckleberry bushes.

It was growing dark by the time we made our way off the ridgeline, and the back roads of West Virginia seemed even more winding in the night. Liz seems to know the routes like the back of her hand and was able to tell us even more about our surroundings as we drove back to her apartment.

I fell asleep pretty much as soon as we laid down that night. It had been a busy day, and Liz had many more adventures in store for us on Sunday. It had been a hell of a trip already, and I was excited for more...

Have 130 photos...

West Virginia Vacation: Day 1

(Ok, ok... I surrender. This is going to have to be done in multiple parts. I know LJ won't be able to handle entries this long, and I don't think anyone has time to read all the way through the whole thing in one go.)

Mike and I actually got a vacation. It's ok... I'll give you a minute to absorb that.


...


...


Are you ok? Have you recovered from the shock? (I still haven't.)

Originally, we were supposed to move into our new apartment (no, still no spoilers) on the first. It now looks like we won't be moving until the 15th. At first, that was sort of a bummer, but then we realized that this meant we had Labor Day weekend free! It just so happened that Liz over at In Omnia Paratus also had no weekend plans. At the last minute, we threw together a four day getaway to West Virginia. I honestly can't remember the last time Mike and I spent four days in a row together that didn't involve me sitting on the couch with my leg out of commission.

We slept in a little bit on Friday morning, packed up the car and the dogs, ran to the barn to take care of the horses, and hit the road for a six and a half hour drive. I was a little worried about how Julio would handle his first long car trip, but it was a wasted effort. Once Julio realized we were going neither to the barn nor to the House of Fetch, he passed out in the back seat, occasionally snoring for added emphasis. Herbie, of course, was on high alert all the way down to Liz's. It must be exhausting to be so adventure-ready all the time.

We made relatively good time, only hitting a brief patch of traffic in Maryland. We stopped once to get gas, coffee, and beef jerky (and to let the dogs stretch their legs). I think the drive flew by mostly because we knew our way down and had landmarks to look for the entire way. The fact that I didn't have a pounding head ache this time also helped. I felt like we had just been down there.

The view from Liz's porch.

Liz gave us excellent directions from the WalMart in town to her apartment, but our GPS didn't recognize that the WalMart existed, and Liz's address was too new to plug in. Instead, we wound up taking the back way through town, then coming over something called the flood control road. I tried to Google it so you guys could see what it looked like, but no such luck. Let's just say that it's narrow, elevated, and full of ninety degree angles, with a drop down to water. It was one of many times over the course of the weekend that I would muse, "This would be a good place for a guard rail."

When Liz told us how to get to her place, she took special care to mention that we should come through the second gate by the mailbox, not the first gate to the property. After watching the path from the first gate drop into a ravine, I grumbled, "Thanks, Liz, but I probably could have figured that one out on my own."

Liz's apartment is alongside a barn in the middle of a huge horse pasture. You actually have to drive through the horse pasture to get to her yard. It's a pretty sweet set up that pretty much ensures she won't be getting any uninvited guests, but I hope she gets a gate opener before winter! For the weekend, Mike got to be her gate opener.

We let the dogs out to pee and run around and get some of their energy out. Julio did figure out how to get out of the yard, but he didn't wander far and came back when I called. Herbie, thankfully, respected the fence. Kenai is recovering from double knee surgery so he was definitely not allowed to play with my rambunctious duo. We kept the dogs separated all weekend with the help of double and triple baby gates (what can I say, my dogs are muscle bound jerks). I also brought Julio's crate because he's not trustworthy in the house yet (lookin' at you, Mr. Loves to Eat Underwear).

First of many couple shots from the weekend.

Liz didn't have a plan for Friday night. We had had a long drive and she wanted to let us choose the pace, which was very considerate of her. Thankfully, Mike and I already had a tentative idea. On the way down, we had passed a dirt track just outside of town. Mike, who very rarely expresses interest in specific activities, lit up, saying that dirt track racing is a lot of fun to watch and something he wants to get back into seeing. The sign out front advertised weekly Friday night races. I was delighted that Mike actually mentioned something he'd be interested in doing, and I quickly brought it up to Liz.

Liz replied, "I haven't been there since I was like eight years old! All I remember is sitting on a blanket and covering my ears."

Just like that, we had a plan.

On the way to the dirt track, we stocked up on beer and stopped for carry out. Liz introduced us to a Venezuelan place in town. It was a cuisine I'd never tried before and it smelled amazing. I may or may not have sneaked bites of the chicken dish all the way to the track. Om nom nom nom...

Tickets to the races were only ten dollars per person, and we got snazzy pink wristbands with admission. We found seats with a good view of the track and settled down on the bleachers. For the next few hours, we drank beer, ate food, and watched races. Mike excitedly explained how everything worked. I was just happy to see him happy.

All night, the three of us would pick our favorite cars in each race. Liz and I mostly picked based on our favorite colors. I'm sure Mike had actual reasons for picking his cars. For one of the races, I picked the yellow 96 car. He was the slowest driver on the face of the planet and got lapped by the other cars in no time. I joked that his number reflected his age. He did manage to beat another car when it drove off the side of the track and wrecked, proof that slow and steady does pay off in some ways. Haha.

One of the cars I picked wound up winning the main event later in the night. Wooooo! Go me!

After the races, we drove back to Liz's, let the dogs back out, and spent some time chatting and catching up before bed. Mike and I gushed about Liz's new place and its awesome linear floor plan. We also expressed severe envy over cost of rent down there (a quarter of what we're going to pay for a comparable place in Jersey).

Before long, we were ready for bed. Liz set us up on the pull out couch, where I slept better than I do at home.

It was a relaxing start to what was about to be a jam packed weekend.

Friday Film: Julio at Round Valley

I have a big, huge, giant, you're-gonna-need-to-put-some-time-aside-to-read-this-s**t post in the works about our AMAZING four day trip to West Virginia, but it's going to take some time (which I appear to be short on these days).

Instead, have a place holder so you know I'm still alive.