Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - Another Fabulous Ride in Otter Creek

After doing some chores in the morning, Hubby and I hit the trail about 1:00, heading north this time. Out Blue Jog, north on Confusion Flats, then Chase Creek Trail to the south entrance to High Banks Trail, which we took. Stopped at the scenic area by the river for lunch, horses had their oats and we had ours (dry Cheerios as a snack!) before heading out again. Came across a dead pine across the trail with no really easy way around it, so we dismounted and managed to push it off the trail. It was right next to a cliff so we were able to get gravity to work in our favor, and since the tree had broken in several places it was pretty easy to clear. Didn’t even need to get my camp saw out! Trail was unbelievably dry considering the storms the other day. Really beautiful, up and down, lots of woods, occasional fields, and two bridges along the way. Came back along the "Ponds Trails", Evie’s Pond Trail, Gumdrop Pond Trail, Hinching Pond Trail, finally picking up Cow Trail, then Homebound Trail, till we circled back to Confusion Flats and Blue Jog. Five full hours, getting back at 6:00. Footing was better than Monday, so no boots were necessary (thank goodness), though we did carry them with us just in case. Hubby wore a back brace today, he’s been having some pain in his lower back, but the brace seemed to help tremendously. I think his muscles just got a little weak with lack of use during our three week hiatus, as did mine and the horses’! He just doesn’t want to become dependent of having to take painkillers just to take a ride. Took a much needed shower, relaxed with the TV, then headed to a freshly-linened bed for a great night sleep!




Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tuesday, August, 30, 2011 - Errand and Blog Catchup Day

Hubby ran errands while I got caught up on my blog and other office duties today. Looking forward to our ride tomorrow!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Monday, August, 29, 2011 - Short Ride Day

Took a short ride after breakfast, exploring the Shady and Independence River Trails. We were delighted and surprised to discover that there is an RV dump behind the bathhouse on the road leaving the campground! What a relief that is, knowing I don’t have to start searching for a place to stop on what promises to be an already long day of driving next week. The trail turned out to be much rockier than we expected, and unfortunately we had gotten so spoiled with the great footing around here that we didn’t have the horse boots with us, so we just had to plow through it all. Very interesting trail, though, narrower and bit more challenging than any we’ve been on thus far. Nowhere near as muddy as one would expect considering the all-day rain yesterday. Not surprisingly, the Independence River was running fast and furious after the rain, but since we’d never been there before we couldn’t really compare it to what would be "usual." Only out about two hours or so, just enough the get the horses stretched out. They seemed more reluctant than on previous rides here, I don’t know if that was because of the rocks or because they haven’t been ridden four times in a week in a long, LONG time. Glad it was only a short ride, tomorrow they’ll have off again, perhaps by Wednesday they’ll be ready for another long ride. Great day, though! "No hour is ever wasted on the back of a horse," Ronald Reagan, borrowed from Winston Churchill.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011 - "Hurricane" Day

After much ado about the hurricane coming in (Ranger, "It’s the size of Europe!"), it started to drizzle around 6:15 this morning. No noticeable wind, just a light drizzle that kept up all day and evening. A few trees swayed in the middle of the afternoon, but less than if it had been a decent thunderstorm. No limbs down, I think I saw a couple of leaves go by with one gust. Other than that, just a nice rainy Sunday. Sorry for all the folks who lost their electricity and had damage, but by the time it got here it was gentle as a lamb, and glad for it. Horses had a nice day off, and so did we, watching movies most of the day, after I got some paperwork and logistical stuff done in preparation for the upcoming busy month of September. Needed a rainy day like this anyway!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Saturday, August 27, 2011 - Lunch and Hurricane Irene Prep Day

Got up a bit earlier today to go for that longer ride we were planning. Discovered that a bunch of people were packing up to leave because of the impending "hurricane" that was headed our way. As a veteran of several hurricanes and many frenzied-forecaster false alarms, I was much more inclined to downplay it. Even the local forecasters here were calling for winds around 25 mph with gusts of maybe upper 30’s, along with the usual rain. Having easily survived 60-70 mph winds in Colorado, we’re not worried. The ranger came around though, with all kinds of dire warnings. Apparently all the state parks in the Catskills and Adirondacks were being evacuated, but since this isn’t a state park they can’t make us move. He warned that if electricity went out there would be no water and no telling when it would be turned back on. He said we probably wouldn’t be able to get to Providence, even after Labor Day, because of all the roads and bridges that were going to be washed out by the hurricane, or blocked by trees falling down. He told stories of what happened when a microburst of winds came through back in 1999 and all the devastation it caused. Even our friends decided to leave early, worried that it might get bad, and the trails would be too muddy to ride on anyway (even though we had been earlier regaled at how well the trails dry up here after a rain!). I made it clear that we weren’t worried, we could handle ourselves, though we appreciated his need to warn others for their safety. He ended up telling me where the nearest access to the river was, in case we needed to bucket water in. Anyway, after all that, we saddled up and headed out for our much anticipated Saturday ride, enjoying the fabulous weather, mostly sunny around 70 degrees (calm before the storm?) We headed out the much used Blue Jog Trail, turned south on Confusion Flats, the east of Florence Pond until we picked up Florence Trail heading southeast. From there we took Crooked Creek Trail, where we were delighted to find not just one but TWO water crossings, which was so funny because earlier in the ride I had commented to Hubby how we hadn’t done a water crossing in a LONG time. They were good ones, too, belly-high and about 6-8 lengths wide. I had to draw my feet up to keep my new sheepskin saddle cover (which reaches all the way down to the stirrups) dry.




Friday, August 26, 2011

Friday, August 26, 2011 - Another Fabulous Ride Day

Finally had a good night sleep, slept until 9:30, thank goodness! Even had a few hours of really deep sleep, which I desperately needed. I feel more rested than I have in weeks. After a leisurely breakfast and a few chores, we saddled up and headed out about 1:30. There are so many trails here, the combinations are practically endless. We headed south on Twin Ponds, then Glendale, then Hiawatha, then Florence Pond, then I can’t remember where, but everywhere we went was wonderful! The only part that got a bit too muddy was along Icicle Trail, but while I was riding my brother called to wish me a belated birthday, so I hardly noticed it, Apollo just kept trudging along like the trooper he is! Along Aspen Trail we found a gorgeous pond with a hitching rail where we stopped for a short break. We’ve been doing a lot of trotting and cantering, as the trails really allow us to, and the horses seemed quite willing after their long hiatus. Another ten miles or so today, getting us back around 4:45. Finally had a relaxing evening, watching a PVR movie before calling it a night. Plans are to get up early and ride to a trailside restaurant south of the wilderness area. We’ve been told it will take about four hours of riding total, plus the break for lunch, so we want to get an early start.



Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011 - Rainy Work Day

Spent the day really trying to get caught up, though the morning was wasted trying to help Hubby get a satellite signal, which he did even as it rained outside. He keeps getting a reading about the switch not working, but he finally gave up around noon, then headed out to do some running around, including getting our own adapter for the silly water spigot. While he was gone I got LOTS of work done (amazing how that happens : -)! which made me feel better after I was able to know out a couple of major projects done that had been bugging me. Finally managed to feel a bit more relaxed. Even though the campground is very crowded, it’s still quiet enough for me to start feeling more relaxed, though I’m still not sleeping as well as I usually do. Hoping to do better tonight, now that I have a few less things on my mind! Though it rained in the morning, it cleared up late in the day, and the weather forecast is for a couple of beautiful days ahead. There’s a hurricane (Irene) sliding up the east coast, but we’re so far inland, and on the far side of the mountains, that I don’t see it being much of an event here. Maybe a bit of rain on Sunday, but that’s about it. That’s good, because the horses will need a day off by then!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - Birthday and Fabulous Ride Day

After spending several hours unsuccessfully trying to get a satellite signal (the trees are too tall for this latitude), while I tried to make some headway with the business paperwork I needed to get caught up on, we finally headed out on our first ride, my birthday ride. It was lovely! The trail were almost all dirt or sand, very little stone, excellent footing for our barefoot horses, and only a few patches of mud despite the many days of rain they’ve had here lately. A very, very nice ride. Did some of the nearer loops, went maybe ten miles all told, didn’t want to overwork the horses considering they’ve pretty much been sitting around for almost three weeks now. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Got back and joined our friends for cocktail hour, then they invited us to join them for dinner, apparently they had spearfished some grouper not long before in Florida and had brought some with them. Delicious! In fact, they let me take leftovers, which I was happy to have, saves me cooking tomorrow night! A very nice day overall, but still exhausted from the past month. Not getting the sleep I need for some reason, keep waking up, probably because I’ve gotten so far behind with all the activities we’ve been doing and the jobs we’ve been getting that it’s bothering me. Just need to get caught up I guess! One of these days...



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - Travel day to Otter Creek, NY

Got up pretty early, knowing we had a long day ahead of us. The actual drive was only about three hours, but we had a bunch of stops to make so we knew it would take a lot longer. First stop was a campground near Wolcott so that we could dump, then we were set to go to a propane place I had found, but was told the only guy who could fill our tanks was out for the week, but she recommended a place call the 104 Store (after the route it was on). Turns out they had a dinere, so we had a nice breakfast with what tasted like real range fed eggs, maybe even locally produced bacon (one nice thing about this area I had forgotten about was how much everyone supported local farmers, everyone has a farm stand here). They also had the cheapest price I’ve seen on diesel in weeks, so I filled up the truck as well. Topped off both propane tanks, too, so in less than an hour we got just about everything accomplished. Our last stop was at the Target north of Syracuse. Hubby had bought a Kindle at a Target on our way home from the airport the other day, but we bought the Wi-Fi only version. After having some trouble hooking up to a nearby wi-fi, he decided it would be better to get the upgraded wi-fi-3G version, which we did at the Target. We also did some more shopping, and finally walked next door to a Price Chopper to get the last of our groceries before we carried on to horse camp at Otter Creek, which we had heard about from so many people we had high expectations. The folks we met at Six Nations in July were going to be here as well, and we ran into them as we came into camp. There are three different camping areas nearby each other, and as there wasn’t really room for us in the one they were in, we moved to the next one that backed up to their’s and found someone just leaving from a perfect spot in a corner. Covered horse stalls were spread out around the camping area, and a pile of sand as bedding was deposited nearby. We found a water spigot at the back of the stalls, plenty close enough for us to reach with our shorter hoses, but unfortunately it had a stupid spigot on it that didn’t fit a hose, rather it was threaded on the inside. Fortunately, one of the other campers here had an adapter he let us borrow so that we could fill up our water tank. We got the horses settled in, got ourselves settled in, spent a little time socializing with our friends (I even had a glass or two of wine!), before heading off to bed after a long exhausting day.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Monday, August 22, 2011 - Four Compass Points... Done!

Our last item on our checklist for our trip here was to finish off getting the horses’ feet wet in the four water borders of the USA. Having done the Atlantic on Assateague Island in Oct. 2009, the Pacific in several places along the Oregon and California beaches during 2010, and the Gulf of Mexico on Padre Island near Corpus Christi, TX in December 2010, we finally finished off it off by taking the horses out to Chimney Bluffs along Lake Ontario. It’s changed a lot since I grew up here, much of the original parking area has been swept away by the waves, and the bluffs have eroded dramatically over the years, leaving a much less dramatic landscape than I remember as a kid. They’ve made it into a State Park, so naturally they’ve civilized it, with stairs up the trail and a fence along the edge where we used to climb, with warning signs about NOT climbing. Government sure knows how to take the fun out of everything for the guise of "safety." Regardless, we did take the horses along the beach, though we couldn’t go very far, as the rocks and downed trees made it difficult to get around. The wind was strong so the lake was pretty rough, which didn’t make the horses very happy, but it wasn’t as bad as some of the seas we’ve seen, and they eventually settled down. They’ve been cooped up in a paddock for so long, I think they were just glad to be out somewhere, anywhere! Point is, we rode along the beach, finished off our goal of going to all four borders, and now we can check that one off the bucket list! On the way back, we stopped at a Perry’s Dairy Store (they make fantastic ice cream!) and got ourselves a cone on the way back. Did a few more chores in preparation for tomorrow, and hit the hay early, with the alarm on.






Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011 - Prep Day

As we figured, the day was busy getting ready to leave, getting the RV clean, picking fleas off the dogs, hooking up the horse trailer to the van and everything else that needed doing. This has been a great stay, but we’ve been here too long, our gypsy ways are too strong and we’re desperate to get into a horse camp and go riding. Seems like forever since we’ve gone riding!  Here's a couple of pix of what our "backyard" has been for the last five weeks.  Nice folks, been great the whole time despite our crazy schedule, hope to see them again next year!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Saturday, August 20, 2011 - Day with Friends

Slept late, though still somewhat fitfully. Travelled down to Cayuga Lake to visit with one of my high school friends and her husband at their cottage for the day. Chatted all day, then lit a fire of dried (sort of) seaweed on their little beach for a bit of a bonfire. Got home around 10:00, having had a great time. To bed right away, though, wishing for a day off but knowing it will be busy tomorrow as we plan for our departure on Tuesday.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday, August 19, 2011 - Travel Day

First half of our travel was uneventful, but then we sat on the tarmac at National for about 90 minutes, just under the mandatory "return to gate" rule, waiting for weather along the route to clear. Apparently since the passenger Bill of Rights passed in Congress, airlines have to pay a $75,000 per passenger fine if they go over a certain amount of time on the tarmac. Anyway, we got in just under the wire, so we still managed to get home just before dark, with a stop for ice cream, of course! Glad to be back, but ready to move on next week!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Work with Client

Another so so night sleep,then headed off to work with the client again today, again made great progress. Powers that be have big things in mind in the future, trying to work up to the task. Finished a bit earlier because of other obligations, so we headed out to another ice cream place for our "dinner" before heading back to the hotel. Still feel tired, looking forward to getting back to our old routine!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - Work with Client

Had a so so night’s sleep, got up at 7:00, had breakfast and headed out to meet our client. Worked straight through from 9:00-5:00, with just a brief sandwich break. Client came a long way, worked hard and applied everything. Love it when they soak it up like a sponge! Found a little ice cream place downtown before heading sraight back to the hotel to try to rest for the evening, feel like we haven’t had a break in such a long time!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 - Travel Day

Woke up early as we readied ourselves for the day. Brothers (and niece) arrived right on time (ten minutes early), but I had gotten a bit behind printing boarding passes (both ours and my brother’s, who called while driving here to see if I could do that for him), Last night, our seats hadn’t been assigned yet, but this morning they had, Row 3 next to each other, thank goodness. At last, the front of the plane! The rest of the flights are further back, but what can you expect when you book less than a week in advance! Thankfully, the rest of the flight was uneventful, even with a stopover at Reagan National. Not surprised, considering it wasn’t Delta! Flew USAir this time, and had no problems. Arrived right on scheduled, picked up a rental car, which the gentleman at the counter was nice enough to upgrade to a Nissan for free, but when we got into I immediately realized that despite numerous stickers to the contrary, the car had been smoked in. Sorry, but as an ex-smoker, I really couldn’t take that, so we changed cars, getting a cute little Ford Focus hatchback that had really jazzy lines to it. Got a little lost on the way to the hotel, but stumbled upon a grocery store where we were able to get everything we needed for the duration. Stayed at the Hampton Inn in Southside, which was about the closest hotel to where we would be working, plus we like the free breakfast : -). Room was comfy and we were ready for an early night.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Monday, August 15, 2011 - Travel Prep/Paperwork Day

Last week, a new client had contacted us about coming to Jacksonville, FL to work with him, and we finally settled on this week, flying Tuesday, working Wed/Thurs, flying back Friday. It meant missing spending more time with the family, but we can’t turn work down, and we had sort of planned on leaving here midweek anyway, so it didn’t really matter. They’ve been taking great care of the horses and dogs while we’ve been here, so we figured it was best to just fly out of Rochester again. Spend the day finalizing the travel plans and getting ready to leave. We also discovered that despite our putting dogs on flea and heartworm treatment, the fleas had run rampant again, so we had to again wash the dogs and vacuum the carpet. Everything’s so damp, we’ve had a lot of rain lately, and we’re listing slightly to one side, so there’s a bit of water sneaking in around the slide-outs in the RV, which is making everything seem damper than usual. Anyway, we finally got done around 7:00, mostly packed and ready to go except the last minute things. My oldest brother is flying out tomorrow too, so we’ve arranged to have him come down to the farm at 8:00 in the morning, and ride with us the rest of the way, which will save my youngest brother from having to drive an extra 40 minutes each way. Finally got to bed around 11:00, after watching an old Randolph Scott western, which is always a good thing!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sunday, August 14, 2011 - Family Reunion Day

Well, today is the big day to meet all the first cousins we haven’t seen or heard from since 1963 and other relatives we’ve never met. Turns out I had so many mosquito bites from wearing Capri pants Friday night that I looked like I had measles or something, so we ran over to Kohl’s to grab some long pants. I wanted white jeans or cotton pants, something that wasn’t blue jeans. We managed to find a pair of light pastel green jeans that looked great, and also found another pair one size smaller in a pretty lilac/lavender color that Hubby liked, and miraculously they fit beautifully, even though it’s a smaller size than I thought I could fit into! Losing weight is a great excuse for buying new clothes, and I love it when it goes to another size smaller! We also discovered that Hubby’s shirt had some kind of coffee stain on it, so we had to buy him another one real quick as well. Anyway, fully decked out, we headed across the street to North Ponds Park where the reunion was being held. We quickly met up with our first cousins (four sisters that were my mother’s nieces), with all the physical characteristics of her side of the family (barely five feet!) Met the young man who started it all by searching for his lost family (when his grandfather died a few years back, they thought he was an only child, turns out he had two sisters, my mother and our aunt.) Anyway, there was enough food for an army, and the barbecue grill keep churning out more stuff, even through a rainstorm that chased us all indoors. It was an interesting and pleasant day, with a few stories we hadn’t heard before, and a few memories rekindled that we had forgotten. We stayed until about 5:00 before it started to break up, and stopped to get frozen custart at Abbott’s (a local delicacy) on the way back. After dropping off Hubby, I eventually went out to the cottage, since one of my goals was to play some Euchre (a card game that is best played with two teams of two, for the uninitiated) with my brothers. Hubby didn’t have any reason to sit around, and it left me open to carouse in the way only my family can. I arrived about 7:00, and after getting my Florida brother out of bed (napping), we played cards until about midnight, when the same brother turned another year older (so I gave him a card I had picked up earlier), and we had a good laugh over that. Then I headed out, finding Hubby in bed with the light on, a perfect welcome at the end of a long day!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011 - Ride Plan Scrapped Again

All the best laid plans... We had intended to take the horses out to the beach today, having scouted it out yesterday on our way out to the cottage, but once again we were thwarted. During breakfast, I received a call from the vet saying one of the blood tests on the dogs had come back positive for the presence of Lyme disease activity. Apparently that doesn’t necessary mean it’s still present, just that it had been in the past, and the only thing to be done is to either have an expensive test done, or run a course of antibiotics as a prophylactic. Either way it meant a trip to the vet, 35 minutes away. So I packed up Marina, whom they told me was the one with the problem, left Hubby to transfer hay from the horse trailer to the pickup (a necessary chore that had been planned for the day, as we needed to clear out the hay in order to use the trailer), and headed out to the vet’s. Once I arrived, the lab tech took Marina away to draw blood. Several minutes later, the doctor came out, and informed me that the file had been mislabeled, and it wasn’t Marina that needed the test, it was Billy! Great! I had to pack up Marina, drive all the way back to the farm, pick up Billy (though I brought Marina along again, just in case), and drive all the way back into town again, a full hour out and back. So Billy got his test, but by the time I got back it was 4:00, and way too late to consider riding anywhere. Hubby had managed to transfer all the hay from the horse trailer to the pickup, so at least that job got done. We decided we needed to have a night off anyway, we haven’t had a day off in a while, and weren’t likely to get one for a while either.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday, August 12, 2011 - Work and Clambake

Slept later than we expected, then did some chores to do in the morning before finally heading out to the cottage. Stopped to pick up a few things along the way, then spent some more time socializing. Enjoyed the clam dinner with new potatoes and sweet corn before lounging around the campfire. A neighbor shot off a few fireworks just for fun. Then it was decided that some of the family wanted to go to a local bar and listen to some music, and I got picked to be the designated driver. After promises that we’d only be there for an hour, we headed out to a club a few miles down the road. Not a bad place, with a restaurant, bar, deck, pool and hot tub right on the water, and the band wasn’t bad, but when I suggested to Hubby to appease himself with a coffee and brandy, we discovered they didn’t have coffee or brandy! We listened for awhile before heading back, arriving back after midnight. By then most everyone else had gone to bed our home, and Hubby and I headed back to the ranch.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Thursday, August 11, 2011 - Family Reunion Precursor

It was decided that we would pick up my oldest brother at the airport today, and pick up the clams for the clambake planned for the weekend. He arrived at about noon, we headed to the famous Palmer’s for two bags of clams, then north to drop him off at House of Guitars so that he could look through their vinyl records, looking to add to his collection. Meanwhile, we went to an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor for Hubby. He’s been almost deaf in one ear since our flight to Atlanta last week, because we ended up getting relegated to the back of the plane behind the engines and next to the galley. Turns out that after his examination, the doctor concluded it wasn’t due to fluid on his ears, which was the first conclusion, but that in fact it was due to dehydration and weight loss! Apparently there are fat pads that help keep his Eustachian tubes closed, and because of his recent weight loss, they aren’t fully doing the job. The doctor said he just needed to give it some time to settle in, and to keep drinking fluids. Seems like a strange thing, but it makes sense, and we’ll give it a go! Afterward we picked up big brother and headed out to the cottage another brother has rented on Sodus Bay, stopping at Orbachers for ice cream along the way, as well as stops for groceries, and, of course, beer for the boys. Hung out with the family and their friends for a few hours before coming back home. Clambake tomorrow, expect it to be a long night!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - Vet Day

After getting some paperwork done in the morning, we took the pups to the vet today, to get them tested for heartworm so that we can put them on a medication regime now that the mosquitos are out. Also wanted to get something to get rid of the fleas we’ve been fighting for so long. Finally decided on a once a month pill that is supposed to do both. Stopped at a nearby Friendly’s for our lunch of ice cream before heading back.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 - Flea Day Again!

After sleeping till the ungodly hour of 11:15, I spent most of the day on the computer trying to solve a bunch of problems, then finished off the day trying to get rid of fles which have managed in five short days, to completely reinfest the dogs. Bath for Billy, vacuum for Marina and the carpet, spray for both dogs, and an appointment with the vet tomorrow to get flea pills, as I’ve had enough of this struggle. These Florida fleas just seem to be unstoppable! Relaxed for the evening, though there’s a lot of work still staring me in the face!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Monday, August 8, 2011 - Travel to Rochester Day-I Hate Delta More!

Car arrived right on time (ten minutes early), and we headed straight out to the airport in light traffic. Had breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co. in the Atrium, then headed down to our gate for our final (forever!) Delta flight. Not surprisingly, we encountered yet another challenge on the plane. As we were seated, we started to buckle up, and discovered that there was some kind of black, sticky stuff all over the blade of the seat belt insert. Hubby noticed it first on his, though at first he thought is was grease of some kind, then I found the same thing on mine. Perfect! I was wearing a white dress! We pointed it out to the flight attendant, who handed me a couple of wetnaps so that I could clean them up before putting them on. Turns out it was gum, that had obviously been there quite a long time to get that dirty. Yuck! Doesn’t matter what Delta does, our relationship is cursed, and we’re never flying Delta again! In fact, when we were walking through the Atlanta airport, some young man tried to flag me down to apply for a Delta credit card, and I pointedly said, "After this, I’m never flying Delta again!" Even if it’s the only non-stop flight, I’ve had it with them! Anyway, we arrived safely, which is the most important thing, drove home with one stop for groceries, glad to be back to the critters! Going to bed fairly early, as these travel days always wear us out!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011 - Work Day

Since our classes don’t start until noon, we had breakfast in the hotel (another disappointing meal, but the Corner Bakery across the street was closed on Sunday) before doing or two two-hour workshops back to back. Afterward we went to dinner at a seafood restaurant across the street, Rays in the City. That was much better food, again with Hubby and I sharing a salad and each having a small bowl of soup, both of which were delicious. Glad to finally have a good meal! Wound down from the day before getting a good night sleep. The car service will be here at 9:00, we’re planning on breakfast at the airport.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Saturday, August 6. 2011 - Move to Hyatt Day

Slept fairly late as we always do after a Traning Camp, packed up most of our stuff, then took a walk to find a place for breakfast. A cafe across the street was closed on Saturday, but the clerk in the hotel suggested we go down to Peachtree Center a few blocks up the road. Before we arrived there, we found a place called the Corner Bakery that looked just right, so we headed in there, and did have a very good breakfast at a very reasonable price. If it hadn’t been so hot we would have sat at one of the umbrella-ed tables outside, but this being August and Atlanta, that was just not going to happen. Turns out the Hyatt where we were moving to was just across the street from there. After breakfast we walked over there to see when we could check in, and they went ahead and did it right then. Nice room, but only on the 7th floor. I prefer something higher to get away from the street sounds, but nothing was clean that early. Then we walked back to the W, finished packing, then caught the hotel shuttle to the Hyatt to get settled in. I took one last attempt at changing rooms to a higher floor, and was rewarded with getting the exact room, the exact number, on the 16th floor. Perfect! The rooms seemed so light and airy after the darkness of the W! After we unpacked we wandered around to visit the venue where we would be speaking, introduced ourselves to our host, then relaxed in our room for awhile before walking two blocks in the rain to the nearest Indian restaurant, the Haveli. Reviews on the internet were mixed, mostly on the down side, but it was the only ethnic place within walking distance, so we decided to try it. We were the only ones in the place early on a Saturday night, and the manager did her best to make us feel at home, but the food really was second rate. Everything was a la carte, including rice, so it was pretty pricey as well, but the real disappointment was in the sauces. We ordered an entree to share, and the sauce with thin, runny, an obviously overcooked. Not worth the price, for sure, though the decor was comfortable enough. Okay if you’re desperate for Indian food. Anyway, a short walk back, this time the rain had mostly stopped, and an evening to relax before our big day tomorrow.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011 - Work and Massage Day

Finished off the workshop by about 1:00, so we schedule a massage at the Bliss Spa, which happened to be on the 16th floor of the hotel. My chiropractor had recommended I try a deep tissue massage for my shoulder, and I discovered in their brochure in my room that they offered a sport massage that included deep tissue, so I thought I would give it a try. Hubby’s been suffering some back problems in the mornings, so he opted for a more relaxing massage. It seemed like truly an indulgence at the time, but by the time my therapist Monica was through, I felt that she had accomplished more toward achieving long term relief than any of the chiropractors or physical therapists I had gone to in the last two years combined! A great job! Hubby enjoyed his, too, so it made it a nice treat. We hadn’t gone to a spa since a cruise back in about 2004, so we figured it was time, especially since mine was truly for medical reasons. Anyway, we had a quick dinner at a French restaurant across the street (a lovely seafood bisque), then once again got to bed early, as tomorrow we move hotels and get ready for our second job here in Atlanta.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Thursday, August 4, 2011 - Work Day

Woke up early to the alarm, but despite having put a breakfast room service request on the doorknob last night, no breakfast arrived. I finally had to call down, and it seems they had never received it, so then they had to rush the order, and we had to rush to eat it in order get to work on time. Not the way I like to start a day. In any event, we had a good session. After a long day, we had a quiet evening and an early night, once again to be able to get up early. Fortunately, we found our client was providing breakfast, so we didn’t need to worry about that again!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 - Fly Day to Atlanta-I Hate Delta!


View from Bedroom!
Headed out early, stopping at IHOP near the airport for breakfast before arriving at the airport in plenty of time for our flight. After sitting around for over an hour, we finally got ready for boarding, preprinted passes in hand. As we passed, the gate attendant scanned our passes, then suddenly informed us that our seats had been changed. At first we thought that maybe they have found two seats together (we both had window seats, in rows 13 and 16), but as we looked further, we realized by the time we got down the jetway to the plane that they had, in fact, put us further apart, and had moved us way back in the plane, to rows 30 and 34! Both were aisles seats, both way behind the engines (we always try to get in front of the engines whenever we can, because of the noise), and Hubby’s was right next to the galley. I had a mother and child next to me, whose rest of the family was scattered elsewhere on the plane. I couldn’t believe it, that had never happened before, where I had different seats than the ones I had already printed boarding passes for! I HATE DELTA! The only nice thing I can say is that the flight attendant managed to persuade the person sitting next to Hubby to change seats with me, so at least we could sit together, but the noise was so bad I had to put ear plugs in. Hubby didn’t have any, but he has some tinnitus anyway so he usually doesn’t care. Strange, though, by the time we landed he said he couldn’t hear anything out of his left ear (the side the galley was on). Hope that goes away! I had arranged a town car to meet us, so the rest of the trip was fine. We arrived at the W Hotel downtown, which was quite another interesting adventure. The W is obviously set up for those out for what Hubby calls "a dirty weekend." The decorating scheme was dark, dark, dark, and the main feature of the room (after the bed) was a shower with partially clear, partially translucent glass walls that formed the separation between the living area and the bathroom. In other words, you could see inside the shower from the bedroom. They had a collection of snacks and booze on a tray for sale, and also offered several packages of condoms and a bottle with a shot of oxygent in it as well. Everything a sex-crazed couple (or more) could ask for. Odd that it’s right next door to a stuffy sort of office building. Couldn’t help but notice the working girls whenever we entered and exited the hotel. Well, to each his own! Ordered Chinese delivery for dinner, then got to bed fairly early (to sleep) as we have an early and long day ahead of us.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Packing/Last minute Shopping Day

Our plan today was to pick up hay at a nearby farm, pack and rest as much as possible, but alas, Hubby discovered that he had no dress shirts that fit him anymore. We had just bought a few new shirts not too long ago, but they were a larger size, but he didn’t realize that until today, so we had to run out to the Mall again to buy him a few shirts, as well as a couple of other items on our downsized list. Made for a longer and less restful day than we had hoped, but at least we have everything we need. Finished packing and at least got a relatively uneventful evening in.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011 - Dump/Ride/Dr. Day

Woke up to the alarm ready for a busy day. The septic service arrived just after 9:00, but was done in just 10 minutes or so, charging a very reasonable $20 fee for the service. Then we packed up the horses and headed out to Mendon Ponds Park to get our last ride of the week in, reversing our course from the last time Hubby and I came here. It was just as delightful, saw lots of deer, got off the track once or twice but knew our way around enough to get straightened out after a bit. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves again. Really like this park for riding! I had also made another chiropractic appointment in the afternoon, so we timed it perfectly, finishing our ride then heading out the doctor’s office which was less than 15 minutes away. Hubby didn’t want to bother for himself, but patiently waited in the van while I had my treatment. Afterward we stopped off for ice cream (our latest diet variation is ice cream for lunch, which has actually been very effective in keeping us on tract with losing weight, believe it or not!), before we finally made it home just in time to feed the animals. A great, busy day!