Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - Work Day

Day Two of our Training Camp.

Monday, August 13, 2012 - Work Day

Day One of our Training Camp.

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - Rest Day

Our new backyard

Woke up early, at least relative to local time, not fully rested but with too much on my mind to go back to sleep. Once Hubby woke up, we showered and dressed and went to the Corner Bakery for a better than expected breakfast. A quick trip into Ralphs and CVS for a few supplies, then headed back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon. Spent a few minutes setting up our work room for tomorrow, then relaxed for the rest of the day, napping and watching TV, getting rested up for our busy next two days.



Catalina Island in the background

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - Fly to Los Angeles

Slept fairly late today, at least for a travel day, as we didn’t have to leave until about noon. Had a full breakfast, then packed everything (something that gets easier with practice, and we’ve certainly had a lot of THAT lately :-) for our flight from Boston to LAX. Gave the horses (well, Apollo, anyway) some apples before we left, spoke to Angela about last minute details, then headed out for Logan. Traffic was probably good considering it’s Boston, only had a few slowdowns. Stopped once for coffee at a Dunkin Donuts, then found our way to a very organized off-site parking lot that had shuttles to the airport every five minutes. We parked right away, and there was already a shuttle waiting to take us over, very efficient. Arrived in plenty of time, had a nice leisurely lunch at a brewhouse in the airport before heading down to the gate shortly before boarding. First time I think I’ve ever taken a coast to coast flight non-stop! Hubby says he has once before, but that was before we met, so it was ages ago. We started out with seats in different rows, but a nice Aussie fellow was kind enough to switch seats with me so I ended up next to Hubby for the trip. And it was even in an exit row, so we had lots of leg room! Used the flight to get caught up on my blog (which has slid to more than a month behind! How does that happen???), until my battery almost ran out, then read the rest of the way. Arrived ahead of schedule, grabbed the Thrifty shuttle to the rental car office, and even though I had booked a mid-size car (usually I only get a compact, but it was only a dollar a day more so I thought I would splurge), but when we got out to the parking lot with instructions to choose any car in the M section, we discovered one Dodge and three Ford Crown Victorias! Definitely bigger than a mid-size, but that’s one of the perks of showing up so late! Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, we settled on a gray Crown Victoria, packed up and drove the 40 minutes to the Wyndham Hotel in Irvine. A very nice ride! Exhausted by the time we got there, we skipped going to the store, and just had a nosh and a drink in the bar before collapsing into bed! VERY long day!!

Friday, August 10, 2012 - Excellent Day at Costco Hearing Aid Center

Slept as late as we could, though rain woke us up a few times during the night. Got some work done on the computer before we had to drive to an appointment at Costco in Dedham (an hour’s drive), in our continuing efforts to solve Hubby’s hearing aid problem. Made one short stop at a Chinese tailor to drop off a suit is too big for Hubby since he lost weight, but the woman there said they could alter it, so we’ll have another suit to take with us for future events. Fabulous, beats the heck out of hanging in the van never to be used again! One more side trip for ice cream at a little parlor in the mess they call downtown Dedham before we headed to Costco. We arrived about an hour early, but apparently all of the previous customers had done the same, so our provider, Rick, was able to take us right away. What a difference! Though we had a few problems to resolve at first (they neglected to tell me they only take American Express or checks, and I didn’t bring my checkbook!), and that we had to be members just for the hearing aid test (a contradiction to what I had been told on the phone), we eventually got everything sorted out, and Hubby had a fantastic set of tests, much more thorough than anything he’d ever had before. Furthermore, the kind of hearing aid he wanted was less than half the price of what that silly woman quoted us at Miracle Ear. Plus we have the advantage of being able to get it adjusted at any Costco, giving us the flexibility of a national chain that we wanted. The best part was that not only did Rick have samples of the kind we wanted, he put some in Hubby’s ears and took us around the store to show us how they worked! Fabulous! Needless to say, we ordered a pair, and we’ve already set an appointment up for next Friday to pick them up and get them programmed. That will give him a few days to get used to them before we fly to Tampa. He was crushed when he had to take them out, but he learned a valuable lesson, like how much I have to raise my voice in order to talk to him, and how frustrated I get when he interrupts a conversation I’m having with someone else, because he’s oblivious that we’re talking. Anyway, despite the long drive, it was well worth it! It looks like we’ll FINALLY be able to solve a long-standing problem, and we couldn’t be happier. Headed back to a Walmart pharmacy where we had dropped off a prescription earlier, a quick stop at Staples for some office supplies I needed, then finally arriving back at the ranch just after dark, where the pups were happy as clams to see us. Fed everyone, including ourselves, before heading to bed. Another busy day in the books!

Thursday, August 9, 2012 - Drive to Jocks Horse Farm, Cranston, RI

Got up early with the alarm, finished packing, ran by the dump, and were on the road before 8:30. Made a quick stop for breakfast and fuel, then ran straight down to Angela’s place in Cranston. This is the same place we stayed last year, so it will make it easy for everyone. Angela met us at the barn as we were filling up with water (the only drawback to this place, no water at the outbuilding where we park), got the horses settled in (Angela was nice enough to agree to let Apollo run with the mares, last year he got into some weeds in the gelding pasture and acquired a cough that lasted for months), though we’ll need to keep an eye on them, as the pasture is full of clover. Apparently unlike the rest of the country that’s suffering from drought, Rhode Island has had so much rain that the horses can barely keep up with the speed at which the grass and clover are growing! They’ll enjoy it, though, it just might be hard to get them back on hay later! Got everything settled in easily enough, experience makes it a piece of cake! Hubby even got the satellite dish out, and we crashed in front of the TV for the evening, a much needed few hours of rest!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 - Another Ride Day at Lake Luzerne

Another excellent night sleep, love these cooler nighttime temps!! Took the horses for another ride today, figuring we better do it while we could, since the rest of this month is going to be incredibly busy. Took all the remaining trails we could find, including one that wasn’t even on the map (one with white blazes), mostly linear that ended at private property, usually a stable that rented horses. We’ve passed several groups out here. A good workout for the horses, though Apollo was getting a little frustrated at the rocks and just walking. Once we got back to camp, though, we cantered across the field, just so they could stretch their legs. A nice ride, but we’ve just about explored every trail in the place, and not gone more than a few miles. Just as well, though, we don’t need to be exhausting ourselves with 4-5 hour rides! Got back and did some packing, as we’re leaving tomorrow, again!