Alan and Jerry's picnic at Fancy Gap - 2014

When that classy invitation comes in the mail in June I start counting down. Second Saturday in July is a big event for me. It's so beautiful up in the Virginia mountains, and the I've grown to love the people that attend. This year was really special because after last year's picnic a lot of people from out of town became my facebook friends. Yvonne designs the invitations and helped set out the tables with lovely center pieces. There are so many people that work behind the scenes, and of course I don't have all the names. Led by Alan and Jerry they do a wonderful job.
I think one of the things I love most are the little children, some of them are so grown up now, and it's fun to see tiny babies grow from year to year. It's the perfect place for the kids to play, they collect green apples which they usually feed to the donkeys, I didn't see the donkeys this year. They also get balloons the ribbons get tied to an apple so they are anchored. Eden did lose two balloons which made her very sad, we watched them disappear. Here are some of the children.

I love this picture taken on Friday evening. Sydney, Eden. Shirleen and Becket the lone cowboy.

Sophie posing in her shades.

Sophie's baby brother Charlie.  

Sophie collecting apples.

Sydney demonstrating the hula hoop.

Loved this one, Eden doing surveillance on the cows?

Lauren and Eden with a balloon.

Allen and Jerry had loads of balloons and thankfully a helium tank. I hate to think how it would be to blow them up by mouth.The kids loved them. The big kids did too, they were the naughty ones that made water balloons. I will not name names in order to protect the innocent. I actually do remember their names.
While all of this was going on, we were entertained by 4 beautiful young ladies - The Loose Strings band. They played gospel and blue grass. I had a hard time not dancing to Rocky Top. Good old mountain music.

The grownups just had the best time visiting. There were at least a 120 people there so I may have missed a few. I'm sure Yvonne has more pictures than me. No I didn't run out of film, but my battery died.

Dwight, Amelia, Dacia and Mary Anne.

Gathering at the main house front porch.

Karen, Sophie and Martha..

Al and Yvonne my balloonist friends. Look Yvonne I actually got a good copy.

Dwight and Mary Anne. Yea! DRF

I'm embarrassed.....    may I just say Howard is on the right.
next year I am taking notes on names.  I could say two friends
with lovely legs!

Randall is such a sweet grandpa.

baby Charlie woke up for this one. Great pic of
Nina and Susan.

Nina with her great grand children. Sweet little Sophie kissing her baby brother Charlie.



           The Grand Finale - a balloon launch, I wonder if anyone reported UFOs.

                       Our favors by Yvonne, she really is a creative genius.

I will treasure mine forever.

Arizona 2000

I guess I'll start writing as usual I am having trouble with posting pictures. I know my scribbles are nothing without photos.
I retired in 1999 at what now seems the young age of 65. Karen was in AZ and I was about to embark on the longest drive of my life. If you read my last blog you will know that I detoured to NM to visit my dear friend Dee. Something about the West really gets me. I loved NM and Arizona. It was a wonderful 3 months

 Dee and I used to "hang out" in a chat room. We called it Seniors Only, just a bunch of us sharing friendship, and woe betide High School Seniors that thought it was a room for them. It was Senior Citizens. We had arranged to meet each other off line, and arranged a meeting in Mesa, Arizona. Dee came up from NM and we had a great time. It was really fun getting together with everyone for the first time, we felt like we already knew each other. I don't have any pictures from that time, I think what happened in Mesa stayed 

in Mesa.

Soon after that Dee and I anxious to see each other again, met in Tucson. We had a blast wandering around the university town. We passed one street corner and a student was smoking a joint. We walked past very slowly, and we are both proud to say, "We went to Tucson and we inhaled."  Now if I just tip my head back it has the same effect as inhaling. It's not something I enjoy, but at least it doesn't give me the munchies.

This was my handpainted rock a memento of Tucson. The figurine is one Dee told me the history  of the tribal legend of the storyteller. She would sit and tell stories and the children would gather all around her. 

Karen is always a great host, and will take guests to all the tourist spots, no matter how many times she has already been there. Our first excursion was to Sedona, the same beautiful red rock formations that I saw again when I went to visit Karen in Colorado. That reminds me of something my Mum once said to me, "Don't ever feel bad about moving away, if you hadn't, I wouldn't have seen all the places I've been to." I guess I could say the same to my kids.

Me with my Kokopelli he's everywhere!                                                  Not sure who Karen is with?

On the 18th of February Kim, Philip Michael and Elizabeth came to visit us in Chandler, AZ.

Liz and Philip Michael enjoying Sammi.

The big event for us was the renaissance fair. As we were driving there we went through a dust storm. Common event in AZ but kind of scary the first time you experience it. The kids loved all the excitement except the Indian fire dancers. Liz was scared so Nanny sat outside with her, it was noisy, but so colorful.

We went on a horse and carriage ride, and the kids must have been very naughty they ended up in the stocks.

this was the end of the day, the kids were so tired. Cher when I first looked at this I thought Kim was you?

One of the most interesting news events while I was there, was when they arrested Sammy the Bull Gravano. Sammy was partially responsible for putting away John Gotti in the 90s. In return he was later in the Witness Protection program. He got tired of that, it was too restrictive. He left the program and set his son up with a night club in Phoenix. Once again he was into drug dealing,  mainly Ecstasy. They were selling 30,000 tablets a week and raking in $500,000. In February 2000 he was brought down by informants, plus conversations that recorded his discussions about his drug profits. I was meeting friends for lunch, and when I walked in they were all wondering what all the helicopters were doing. I nonchalantly said, "They must be picking up Sammy the Bull."  It was a surprise that night to see the news and find out that's exactly what was happening. Sometimes I wonder if it's my over active imagination or ESP?

I had my car so I was able to travel around while Karen was working. One of my favorite hangouts was a bookstore/cafe that was called Changing Hands. That was the best bookstore name, until back in Greensboro I found the book store called, "Second Hand Prose."

The last excursion was in March a friend took me to Casa Grande. It was so much fun. I managed to steal a little piece of the rock. He also took pictures for me at Lake Havasu where our beloved London Bridge ended up.

                 

Lizzy looking so tiny in front of the giant Saguaro

New Mexico with Dee, Jim and me.

                                                                              

In 2000 my daughter was living in Arizona, she asked me if I'd like to spend the Winter with her. Who wouldn't? So early on a Wednesday morning in January I set out I was more excited than nervous. In the meantime Dee and I, who had only been friends online at that point, decided a detour to Las Cruces would be in order. I stopped for lunch and thought if I make it to the TN border that will be good. I just kept going and when I stopped around 6:30 pm to find a room for the night. I was in Little Rock AR. I was so tired but happy. I was too tired to check my mileage, the next morning I couldn't believe I'd driven 800 miles! My son was a little disturbed, told me to take it easy, or did I plan on getting my CDL? Called Dee and she said you'll be here by Friday. I told her I wasn't sure as I was going to take my time. On Thursday night, I called her and said, "I'm in New Mexico but I can't say the name of the town. She laughed and said, "It's Tucumcari." I thought it would "two cum carey" phonetically it's "Teh cum keree". What ev.

Dee told me I would be at her place by lunchtime tomorrow. She was right, now remember this was way before I had my GPS, I did have to call Dee to rescue me, I wasn't really lost. Someone told me I didn't get lost going to Arizona because I just had to stay on I-40. Well I should have told them about my detour. I spent a long weekend with Dee and Jim.
On Saturday Dee and I took off and I got to see the beautiful Organ mountains, we were on the way to White Sands National Park. That is a phenomenal place, it's not sand it's gypsum which is white and soft, and almost feels damp if you run your hands through it. The pictures look like we are on the moon. Way back in one of the photos you can see people on horse back.

this was on the road to White Sands - The Organ Mountains

Dee at White Sands.

Me at White Sands

This is so Beautiful, I felt like we were on the moon. In the background to the left - were people on horseback.

I have to confess some of our time together is hazy. I'll write what I remember most.

Someone had told me about a restaurant before I set out on the journey. He said, "Whatever you do go to La Posta restaurant."  I am so glad we did. La Posta dates back to 1800s. It was originally a hotel called The Corn Exchange hotel. After the Civil War, Mesilla emerged as the commercial, transportation and social center for the region. It attracted legends like Kit Carson and Pancho Villa, promoters like Albert Fountain, and gunfighters Sheriff Pat Garrett and outlaw Billy the Kid.

The Entrance to La Posta

Pat, Dee and Jim

Mesilla lost its place in the sun in 1881, when the railroad bypassed the village in favor of nearby Las Cruces. Mesilla became the perfect place for a community of ghosts. We didn't see any, but it was fascinating to know that Billy the Kid spent time in the Court House jail right across the street.

This was a painting of the original Corn Exchange hotel. In the days of Billy the Kid.

One evening Dee made Jambalaya from scratch. It was so good, it was the first time I'd had it, and I have to say the few times I've eaten since, no one else's has measured up.
Dee would give you the shirt off her back, and in my case the earrings out of her ears. She introduced me to the legendary Kokopelli, and when we were in a restaurant and I spotted her Kokopelli silver earrings. When I admired them she insisted I have them. I still treasure them.
When I left Dee to go on to Chandler, AZ. We decided we would get together again and meet in Tucson. We actually met there twice. I will write about that in my next blog that will be about my stay in Arizona. I can't believe I've not written about it before, after all it was my big retirement adventure.

The horses and me.

This post led me to write this blog. 

When I read it - it reminded me of all the times I've tried to ride. I always thought it looked so beautiful to see, in my imagination, a woman in flowing clothes galloping full speed. My eldest daughter made up for me. From the age of three when she had her picture made on a pony, she was hooked.

We lived in Canada then and when she started school aged five she had a long walk to school. I was pregnant with her brother so she walked alone. She had some riding lessons by then, and somehow she discovered that if she crossed the railroad tracks about another mile and she was at the stables. This I found out much later, she used to take her lunch money once or twice a week and cut school and go to the stables. For 50 cents they let her ride for 15 minutes. 
Up to that point I was not into attempting to ride. Bad enough she wanted to go on a Ferris Wheel and Daddy didn't like heights so there I was very pregnant, and terrified that I would fall out from the top. Later my riding attempts were just as scary.


When we lived in Puerto Rico we had horses of our own. We could afford them because Ray's boss allowed us to leave them in the field where the company buildings were. Cher bought an old grey horse that she literally saved from the glue factory, she groomed that horse for several months and went with a friend up the mountain near where we lived, and traded her for a palomino that was with foal. Steve had a "horse" that was actually part mule. It was smart though he used to lean down and undo Steve's shoe laces.

                                                                          

I tried twice to ride in Puerto Rico, the first time I had my one foot on a wall in front of the house, swung my left leg over the horse, who knew horses could walk sideways? Anyway that's the closest I've coming to doing the splits.
The second time we all went to the pasture and the kids  had another horse for me to ride. 
"Mummy it's so gentle nothing will happen - honest." So they throw a blanket over the horse, no saddle, and got me on to the horse and that's when the bucking started. 
One of the saddest things that happened in Puerto Rico was when Cher's palomino was about due to foal. It was a Sunday we checked on her on the way to the beach, she seemed fine. When we came home she had given birth but this beautiful baby was dead. We were told later that as she was giving birth, and had been spooked by some wild dogs. She fell backwards and broke her baby's neck. We were all devastated. I cried for days.

When we moved to Conover, we tried one more time, Cher brought home a beautiful horse, I can't even remember where it came from? I managed to mount that one, sitting proud in the saddle, and she decided to walk under a tree, after several encounters with low branches, I said enough. That was my last attempt until Spring Break at the Dude ranch in 2010.

Mounting Beau this is blurry but the look of horror on my face was priceless

This was me after I composed myself - looking like an equestrienne

 After a torturous 30 mins I called pax, they had to take me back to the ranch house in a golf cart. A second golf cart for Beau whose nickname was Slow Beau the golf cart driver took his reins and speeded back to the stable. Beau had never moved so fast, his face was about like mine when I first started to ride. Next pic. I call Cher the horse whisperer, I think she told him a joke.

This is Cher and Ed showing how it's done.

One of our Spring Breaks Ed treated Cher and I to the show Cavalia. If anyone loves horses this show is spectacular. It's almost a spiritual experience it's so moving. The most beautiful horses and the riders and the trainers obviously love these animals like family.

This is the huge tent that the show took place in.

 

Waiting on the stage before we took our our front row seats.

The following pictures are of some of the horses and riders. The most breathtaking thing for me was the riders that rode two horses with one foot on one horse and one on the other. They went so fast.

That's all the pictures I have, but if you go to Youtube.com and enter Cavallia in the search they're are lots of videos. I have experience so many problems trying to get the pictures on here, my page view count must include at least 40 views by me, as I tried to get this blog sorted. Cher was a mounted park ranger in Connecticut, but of course I can't find that photo. Thanks to the people who encourage me to continue with my writing, I hope you enjoy this chapter.