East Corinth, 2009!!!!!!!

So, once again I am a bad blogger...bloggers are supposed to be updating constantly and eagerly rushing from their life experiences to document them, because otherwise it wouldn't seem like it happened... Fortunately for me, I am too busy living life to be writing about it and I would think that all of you out there reading would appreciate that about me.

I am way, way, behind and I am not sure where I left off so I will start at the last place I can remember... I had been super excited to get ready to go to East Corinth - to Mr. John Buik's land for the annual Fall Foliage Trail Ride... In preperation, Lisa offered to drop her trailer for me for the week so I could camp with a little more luxury than years' past... So, I spent the day before I left cleaning out her dressing room, vacuuming and cleaning out old items.... setting up my den for the week!

Our jouney there wasn't as smooth as one could have hoped. First, it was raining which was bad enough but Lisa's truck was having "issues" with the windshield wipers working, so the highway became tretcherous... The good news was that if you are going to have car trouble it doesn't hurt to be having it while driving through one's hometown when one's mechanic of a dad happens to be at his friend's garage! So, we stopped in and my dear old dad spent about an hour doing some jimmy-rigging to get them to work. We were back on our way, albeit losing daylight, but when it started to rain again we were grateful.

We made it into camp as the last of dusk was disappearing and lucky for us the clould had cleared and there was a full moon shining. Lisa helped me set up an enclosure for Sky - right infront of the the two apples trees which mark my "spot" each year. As I finished getting myself settled enough to curl into my sleeping bag with a horse book, thinking about how blessed I was to be there and how lovely it was to be alone with the moon, I turned the corner of the back of the trailer to see Karl there. Whoa.... While he explained about how he knew I would be alone and how he had come as a friend to keep me company all I could think of was my ruined night of solitude and how innapropriate it was for my soon-to-be ex husband to show up on my one week away from my day to day life. But he was there and I couldn't stand to hurt his feelings by getting angry and after all, he brought a grill and burgers... So, I allowed him to stay and we hung out for an hour or two and then he left with a promise that he wouldn't come back despite wanting to on Saturday for the parade.

The next day I waited for Beth and Marcia to arrive, I mosied around camp looking for people I knew... I bumped into Cathy and Leon and was invited to ride with them and I took them up on it because it was pushing eleven and there was no sign of my camp-mates... Sure enough they pulled in as our group was heading down the road! Oh well.... We went on about a three-hour ride, most of which Sky was wound like a two-dollar pistol - having jumped down a driveway after a Mack Truck blew it's air brakes at us and trying to jig me down the trails! She settled down after about two and a half hours, figuring out it was much easier to just walk than fight to get "somewhere" faster.

By the time we pulled into camp, she was much calmer and we came into the backside of the field only to see Bet's four-year-old Canadian having a grand old time in the other field, bucking and running like a wild animal! Poor Beth has the hardest time keeping this filly inside her fencing and despite having bought her a solid aluminum system Rhea was out again and having and introducing herself to the camp!

I greeted my good friends and gave Sky a short break before we headed out with them for a ride (hey, I figured if Sky had that much get-up-and-go to act up, she could go again). We went across the road, up a few hills, and for a two-hour ride.

The rest of the week was wonderful. It did rain on us a little bit on the trail on Thursday but we were almost back and it wasn't as awful as it could have been. Sky was well settled after her first day and although she did a little "must catch up to the group" on me, she was for the most part exceptionally well behaved.

Friday we had an amazing ride, up to Wright's Mountain and over to Tucker Mountain, basking in the sunshine that had eluded everyone all week long. I got some great photos that day and after a five and a half hour ride, was happy to be sitting in my camp chair that night with a cold hard cider and the laughter of my once-a-year friends around me!

Saturday brought nothing but rain and even though it was supposed to be the day for the big ride and the parade I think we were all a little glad to be off the horses for a respite. Sky and hte others were warm and dry under turnout blankets and Frank had come for the day to visit. (His wife had sugery recently so he didn't ride all week) We went to town where I FINALLY got to check my voicemails and texts and was so very happy to have lots from everyone wishing me a good week and telling me they missed me.

We got back into camp and found Karl sitting with Marcia, who had stayed behind. Damn it. Anyway, he didn't stay long but I was pretty upset he had broken his promise to me that he wouldn't come back.

By the time Sunday came I was ready to head home but the week had been amazing. I promise to put photos in here soon, as I do have them.

Now I am home and Sky is good. Betsy and I have ridden some and I am dreading cold weather although I am looking forward to getting out on the snowmobiles this year.

I got a new job - a temporary one - that starts on Monday. I am nervous and unsure and only hoping that bigger and better things are behind this opportunity for me. I have a lot of options running through my brain and a lot of hope that what is meant to be will happen. I am still sad, as Karl and I managed to actually file for divorce but that is more because it is the end of an era than anything else.

Talk to you later, blog readers.

C