Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - Laptop Day

Spent most of the day online, still trying to find just the right laptop, and was assured by a woman at Best Buy's 800 line that there was an HP computer at the store we went to yesterday that had a non-glare screen. Based on that info, we drove down again, only to discover that information was, again, wrong, that every laptop on their shelves had bright, hi-def screens that all glared like crazy. Interestingly, many desktop models had matte screens, just like we were looking for! At one point, Hubby left me and went to over to a group of sales guys and asked, "Who has all the answers?" They all pointed to one guy, who, reluctantly came to him (just want you want in a sales guy, reluctance to help). Hubby pointed at one screen and asked, "What's the difference between this screen and that screen?" Pointing to one matte and one shiny. The answer was, "None, they're the same." Hubby argued, pointing out the difference between the reflection on the glare and the matte screen. The man with all the answers appeared dumb-founded, as if he had never noticed that before! We were equally dumb-founded that he didn't know the difference. Needless to say, we left without a laptop, and no further along in our search other than what I had discovered online. We then made a few calls, and found there was a CompUSA nearby, so we headed there. At least there the sales guy, Ramel, was VERY helpful. I had read a review online for the Lenovo ThinkPad, which bragged on the keyboard as being one of the best key actions, and I hadn't yet seen one until we went there. Sure enough, their keyboard is raised AND TAPERED, with a slight dip on the top of each key for your fingers to rest in, just like the old IBM electric typewriters, giving a perfect touch experience for a speedy typist like myself. I was thrilled! The ThinkPad also has a matte screen, specifically designed to be an anti-glare surface. I finally started to feel like we were making progress. Unfortunately, the smallest one I could get with those features was 14", which is the absolute largest I wanted to go (I would have preferred about 12", but all those are netbooks without a CD-ROM, which is an essential for me), but everything else seemed perfect. Alas, CompUSA didn't have the exact one I wanted, but I decided I had narrowed it down enough to find something online. So Hubby and I went over the a nearby Starbucks to see what I could find out, and discovered that I could actually have one made to order direct from Lenovo! As I struggled to complete the process (because the glare on my Dell was so bad I could hardly see it while sitting outside), I had a very nice chat with a sales rep who walked me through the entire process. By the time we were done, with the discounts, it cost me less than $800 (a little more than what I had anticipated, but well worth it to get exactly what I wanted), and now I can't wait to get it to try it out! I'm even reluctant to keep working with this Dell, just because it's become even more annoying knowing all the things that have been bugging me haven't been my fault, but the silly computer's. Like I used to sit outside to work, and in fact, wrote most of my book outside, but I haven't been able to since I've had this computer, which means I've missed out on scores of lovely days in fresh air. Looking forward to improving on that!

Monday, March 28, 2011 - Runaround Day

Being on his own and self-employed, my brother has been having some trouble keeping up with everything both business and personal, so I offered to help him try to simplify some things. He overpays for his insurance (he uses four different insurance companies, one of which raises his insurance thousands every year), so I offered to help him get new quotes. He doesn't balance his checkbook so he's having problems knowing how much money he has in the bank, complicated by the fact that he only uses a debit card which recently started to put a hold on much more than what he actually purchases (new rules, thanks to Congress' recent financial legislation), and a plethora of other problems. He doesn't have a computer, which is one reason he has no idea what's in his bank account, so I offered to find him a laptop. Anyway, today was spent requesting insurance quotes and researching laptops. About halfway through the day I realized that the best solution would be to give him my old laptop (the Dell I bought last year about this time) and buy a new one for myself. There are a lot of things about this Dell that I truly dislike. The keys are too wide and flat, so my fingernails keep getting stuck in between, I hated switching from XP to Windows 7 at the time, but now I've upgraded everything so that doesn't matter anymore. The worst part is the screen. It glares like crazy, practically a mirror, reflecting everything so that I can't sit in bright lights, or outdoors, or in the van, or even in my RV with a window behind me without creating enormous eye strain. Anyway, none of these things will really matter to my brother, but to me, it's the whole computer experience. Unfortunately, computer manufacturers don't seem to take these things into account when you're trying to research them. I spent HOURS just trying to put a name to a matte, anti-glare screen, and a raised keyboard, then more hours realizing that these aren't things that manufacturers list as something you can easily find. I mean, if I wanted a computer with a particular amount of memory, or screen size, or RAM or other hardware features, no problem, but find to find the bits that actually comes in contact with the user? Almost impossible! Anyway, we went out in the afternoon trying to look at laptops, becoming more and more frustrated at not being able to find what I wanted. By the end of the day we were no further along, except to eliminate a bunch of stores and a number of laptop brands. Busy, but unproductive, day.

Sunday, March 27, 2011 - Ride Day with Brother at Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Brother and I decided to ride at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound today, hauling the horses out only took about half an hour. We left fairly early because the weather has been unseasonably hot, though there was a little breeze that promised to help. No one else was there at the equestrian trailhead, though a couple of bikes came by and chatted about horses with us while we were saddling up. Hit the trail about 11:00 or so, took the red trail, this time clockwise (last time with Hubby we went counterclockwise, plus added the middle section of the blue trail just to make the ride longer). We also added the spur part of the blue trail just for variety, as I hadn't been on that one before. I had hoped there would be a picnic table or clearing or something at the end, but there wasn't anything. We actually went a bit off the trail and ended up along the edge of a small canal, where we stopped to rest and water the horses, which had to be done by me climbing down to the canal (it was too steep for the horses), and filling the portable bucket with a plastic bottle. They drank heartily, and it took several buckets to satisfy them. After a while, we headed back, even getting some trots and canters in. Brother's starting the get the hang of it again, it's been 10 years since he's ridden, and even then it was untrained riding, but he's listening to my advice and it's helping. Clio is having no trouble going into a canter anymore, now that's she's learned that's what we want her to do, so it was a productive and enjoyable day all around!

Saturday, March 26, 2011 - Farmstead Days

Every year the town of Jupiter holds a Farmstead Days event a Riverbend Park where we've been riding. Brother said it if you like old mechanical devices, it's a great way to do so, free. So we arranged to meet him and a couple of his friend over there in the early afternoon, and spent more than an hour wandering among old tractors and engines, some of them steam engines, dating back to the 19th century. Many were designed for specific jobs, like pumping oil from a derrick, squeezing sugar cane for syrup, running an old wringer washer. Almost all were actually running, which made it very interesting, with the sounds a cacophony of sputters and sparks, revs and bursts that sounded like a motorman's symphony. Really fascinating. They also had a small petting zoo for the kids, with lambs and kid goats, bunnies and even a little black piglet, along with pony riders as well. Music was being played throughout the day at the pavilion by local artists and story tellers, and kids were getting free rides on a couple of the antique tractors, some so old they had metal wheels. There was an old Model T Ford "Dixie" edition that apparently was only sold in the south (made six inches wider than normal to avoid wagon ruts), and a portable blacksmith shop with all the tools, including a forge, that a blacksmith would need to build all of the magnificent machines. The highlight of the day, though, was the sawmill demonstration. Permanently on the site is an old sawmill powered by an old belt-driven motor. One younger man and two seasoned seniors (who look like they had been working the sawmill since the CCC days -the 30's- when the sawmill was set up here) worked some raw logs through the machine, brilliantly turning them into a number of long boards, even finishing them with a smooth edge. Fascinating to watch! Well worth spending the time there, it was a very nice day.

Friday, March 25, 2011 - Ride Day with Hubby at Riverbend Park

Picked up our repaired quilt (nice job by Pat!) and headed out to Riverbend again. Wound around most of the early trails about the same as Tuesday, but instead of heading around the golf course, we cross a long bridge over the wide canal (which the horses stared at a long time before brave Clio finally took the lead, which is very unusual for her!) And followed the triangle trail, which turned out to be much shorter than we thought. We then crossed back over the canal on the second bridge, and again Clio took the lead. Brave girl today! It was pretty hot today, and because most of the trails here are in the sun, we decided to head back. We stopped at the same hitching posts where my brother and I had stopped and took a little break there for awhile, as it is a nice shady spot. Wish there was a picnic table or bench there though. Out about two hours or so. Stopped at the Publix on the way back to pick up some diet juice, and headed home for a relaxing evening. Brother didn't get home, so I fed the animals around 9:00 (pigs, cats, and dog, who Brother had left home, unbeknownst to me until I heard her barking inside), then settled into a movie.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - Errand Day

Not much today, just ran some errands, dropped our quilt off to a woman named Pat for a new backing, then got online to start finding trails and horse camps for our summer journey northward!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - Ride Day with Hubby at Riverbend Park

After running some errands in town with the horses in tow, we headed out to Riverbend Park again. This time we ran the whole gamut, following pretty much all of the horse trails, included one"loop" that's really just parallel straightaways mostly along the edge of a golfcourse, so we got a lot of trotting and cantering in. Hubby's mare was much more responsive today, and he had very little trouble getting her to canter, which was a great improvement, so I guess me riding her on Sunday helped a bit, as well as him being a bit more insistent today. Really enjoyed ourselves today, Hubby really liked the trail, even though it's a bit more developed than we usually like. The fact that it's only a few miles from "home" is fantastic, and we'll no doubt be back soon!

Monday, March 21, 2011 - Work Day

Spent the day on the computer, trying to coordinate between Facebook and Twitter, between personal and business. Tough to figure it all out when my internet connection is so bad. It's taking about 10 minutes to upload something that usually take about 10 seconds, and cuts in and out, especially in the evening. I really need to look into some kind of enhancement of the signal, but that takes... AN INTERNET CONNECTION! Anyway, a dull day, with Hubby sitting out in the sun reading for most of the day.

Sunday, March 20, 2011 - Ride Day with Brother at Riverbend Park

I promised to take my brother riding today, and we also discovered there was a local horse show at Jupiter Park, so we dropped off Hubby there so he had something to do, and brother and I went out to Riverbend Park to ride. Both are just a few miles from where we're staying, so it was very convenient. We parked at the equestrian trailhead and headed out about 2:30 or so, once again accompanied by a saddlebag of beer (prohibited by the park, but how am I supposed to stop my big brother?). Since my brother got a little frustrated by not being able to get Hubby's horse to canter last time, I decided to ride Hubby's horse and let brother ride mine, since I'd been working on getting him to do some really nice loping lately. I also wanted to see if I could get Hubby's mare to canter, since he hadn't had much luck with that lately, and I wanted to see if I could solve whatever problem she was having. The trails here are much nicer than at JW Corbett, as they are actually meant for horses, traveling along canals and rivers and around marshes, albeit pretty dry marshes, what with the lack of rain here. After about 45 minutes, brother wanted to take a break (woosie butt, not used to being on a horse yet), though partly because he was out till dawn this morning, after partying all night. I was a bit surprised he was even able to go riding today, he must have had a terrific hangover, but I guess the beer was the hair of the dog for him, and that's pretty much how he lives his life anyway, day after day, so I guess he's used to it. While we were stopped, a woman came by, (initially galloping until she saw our horses, who were jumping around when they saw her coming), and we ended up chatting for a time. Eventually she moved on and we continued around the west loop and the Hammock loop area. I didn't want to go all the way around, because I didn't think my brother could handle it, so we just did a bunch of short loops in the area, repeating ourselves and backtracking just to keep it interesting (I'm not sure he noticed how many times we were on the same trail, but we were RIDING, so what's the difference?) At one point, I found a nice straightaway to canter, so I got Clio going, and managed to get her into a canter without very much problem, though she had to get herself all the way up to a very fast trot before finally switching over. It wasn't a long straightaway, so it didn't last long, but when I got to the end, I looked back and say brother cantering along a ways behind me. He was flustered though, and told me Apollo had tried to buck him off when he went into his canter (not the slow lope I'd hoped for), reminiscent of his old trick of kicking up a time or two during his transition, something he used to do with me until I realized it was because I was holding the reins too tight. At least he managed to stay on, which was the important thing, and now he had a little excitement to add to his day! Got back to the trailhead about 5:00, then headed back to the other park to pick up Hubby, except he wasn't where we left him. In fact, there wasn't anybody at all there anymore. We kept moving, looking for signs of Hubby, until we saw a couple of horse trailers at the second arena (there's a grass arena and a sand arena), and found him reading his book on a bench there. We all headed back home, enjoyed the evening sitting around chatting for awhile in our "porch" (under the awning of the RV) before settling down to TV and bedtime. A pleasant day had by all!

Saturday, March 19, 2011 - Dog Wash Day

Every year, the local no-kill animal shelter has a celebrity Dog Wash Day, which they hold down at Carlin Park. There are festivities all day, bands, vendors, inflatable playgrounds for the kids, and a major concert in the evening. This year, the main event was Grand Funk Railroad. We decided to make this Hubby's birthday gift, so we headed out in the afternoon to spend the rare day just with our dogs. We wandered the vendors, got the dogs washed by some local radio personalities, then settled down in the shade by a lake for a while. Hubby even took a nap, it was such a lovely day. The dogs settled down with us. As usual, Marina, the golden lab mix, took everything in her stride, though little Billy was quite intimidated by all the dogs and activity. He still did his best to make friends with every human he met, but he was doing his best to avoid the dogs. I think that's because my brother's dog and he got off on the wrong foot, getting in a tussle that ended with Billy unhappily on his back (not where he usually ends up, usually he gets even big dogs to back off, but his Napoleon act didn't work this time), so now he's generally skittish around other dogs. Probably a good thing, considering his attitude. After a while he settled down, but he still spent the day pretending he didn't see any other dogs around. Several bands of dubious quality played throughout the afternoon, but GFR was excellent. That drummer sure can play! We listened to all the golden oldies, Locomotion, Closer to Home, We're an American Band, plus some lesser recognizable stuff that was still very enjoyable. Even Hubby liked it, even though he's more from the swing era than the rock era. Anyway, we headed out just before the concert ended at 9:00, have thoroughly enjoyed the day. It's not everyday you can attend a rock concert with your dogs!

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!)