ColliesHorsesArtLove

The Big Trip

My trip to Kentucky/Tennessee/Georgia then back thru Tennesse to Kentucky is still in progress. I love laptops because blogging is available to me practically anywhere...though I don't think I'd be doing it off of the back of a horse......except maybe one of these gaited horses that Lori has..........omg..............like I said way back when Tirzah & I went to Southland 4 years ago and I wanted to bring home "Lavenger"....now I want to bring home "Trusty"....I just want them to have Arabian heads.....the gaited horses truly are amazing rides!!!

First thing we did is get up early to ride. It was suppose to be incredibly hot the first day I was in Kentucky, but I waited and waited......I don't know what's wrong with me because not only did I like the heat, I liked the humidity. Weird, I suppose. I also had to tan because of the big wedding....

Here we trailed around the corner from Lori's house. Trusty has the pink & green tack. He has a pretty nice head for a Tennessee Walker. I think Lori gives me the prettier ones to ride so I am happy and want to come back.

Walking down to the fields to ride.

 

Trying to take a video while riding is hard. But I have to say it's easier sitting on a gaited horse. I was having a little trouble keeping Trusty in his gait, but he was VERY nice and easy to ride and once he was consistent he FLEW thru these fields. Lori has had him for about a year and when she got him the owner was terrified to take him out of the stall. He was an AWFUL animal. He bit, kicked, charged, & knocked people over. In fact Lori said he was probably the most dangerous and aggressive horse she's ever trained. The problem was that he thought he was the boss AND he was still a stallion, which adds even a stronger, more aggressive component to his way of being. Anyway, when she got the horse she decided to name him Trusty because she knew he would be once she was done beating the crap out of him. Ok, she really said...giving him an "attitude adjustment". I had absolutely no problems jumping on him and he was a great horse to ride. Lori is an excellent horse trainer AND she gets these horses to gait barefoot ~ something so many people told her was not possible (??).

Lori needed a dress as she's kinda like me, she just wears riding pants all the time, so we went off to Bowling Green to shop. After we found her a dress, it was off to Walmart.

I don't know what possessed me to think I would buy a bottle of wine.......it was Sunday!!!! There are some really strange laws in certain parts of the country but no alcohol buying on Sunday is R E T A R D E D ! ! ! ! ! ! !  I don't even know what kind of analogy is good to describe this. But, I survived. I drank a lot of sweet tea. Now that is a beautiful drink of the South!!

Later on after dinner we drove around her 50 acres looking for fly masks that the horses took off. This must be a national past time of horse owners with more than a few acres because Tony & I just did it last week. Except I did not find my one, and she found 3 or 4 underneath a grove of trees. So funny!

Her newest puppy is a great dane named Sparticus. He's not quite 4 months old and about as tall as Sage and equally destructive. Lori rescued a pregnant dane bitch from someone and was able to place everyone and Sparty stayed. Such a sweet puppy! Omgosh! About now, I'm really missing my collies! He's so cute with his lavendar bunny. After dinner I walked around her house and took iPhone photos of all my artwork she has.

Here is a portrait I painted of Lana's great-great-grandmother, Ikoa. She was such a pretty bitch in the face and head and Helga Kane gave her her class in CO CCA years ago, in the Open White bitch class. Anyway, Lori's husband Michael had me paint Ikoa for a Christmas present. Lori used to call all her art in her house "Early Diana". I love you Lori!

On Monday morning, we left early to drive to Georgia to go to Chantal's wedding.

It was about 5 1/2 hours away, but by the time we made 900 turns on 900 small country roads we got there just in time to be 7 minutes early for the wedding and then wait in the hot Georgia sun for another 1 1/2 hours...................tanning......getting a headache, feeling hungry.....

So I sent Chantal a text & picture.....I never heard from her. She must have been busy.

Waiting.......waiting.....waiting...........

Here is Pierre's brother Kirk......waiting, waiting, waiting.....he & Sherry were making fun of Lori & I wearing nylons....at least we didn't have to wear a tie. Nevertheless, he is very handsome. He looks a lot like his dad. A very handsome Bain.

Finally, the minister came back and told us all to go back upstairs to get out of the boiling sun and they would feed us. What a good idea....I hope we can have some wine soon....

Chantal's oldest daughter Stephanie is on the right. She is a little clone of her mother. The girl on the left is her husband's daughter....one of 4 children. I don't know her name. Chantal's youngest daughter I saw from a far. All beautiful girls and their dresses were so pretty!

Chantal and Rick ~ she was so beautiful!!

Kristina & Stephanie. The bridesmaids were also gorgeous!!!

Some of her music ~

The minister who rescued us from waiting in the heat also was the cordinator of the music at the reception. The venue was very pretty, food was great and Lori & I danced to several songs. We had to dodge children & grandmothers (shoulda brought my helmet), but when in doubt, take a iPhone movie.

 

Surprisingly, Lori looks drunk (and she doesn't drink), I guess I look drunk too, but the weird Georgia wine I had wore off way too soon but we always have fun dancing together! Between her wedding & two of mine & several other events where we NEVER sat down, we've had our share of FUN!! I'm sure there was one or two people who thought Lori was my GIRLFRIEND, but somehow we both didn't care. We had a lot of fun getting there and getting back and one thing I love about Lori is she laughs at EVERYTHING I say. We have the same sense of humor and that's probably why she's my best friend AND she'd drive all the way to GA with me to go to a wedding where she doesn't know hardly anyone. You gotta love best friends Forever.

Happy Birthday Pierre!!

So, you all may think that my wishing Pierre Happy Birthday is soooo weird but even weirder is that he is a co-breeder with me on Sage Brush!! How cool is that! So much can happen after you die.....

When Tirzah had her first litter Julie & I went thru the ol' AKC leasing doo doo, as Julie was not an owner, but she was while Tirzah was pregnant with her first litter. Then, the ownership reverted back to Pierre & I after the puppies were weaned. When I bred Tirzah to Black Market, I didn't think to do a lease of Licky from Pierre, as I figured I could just show a death certificate, but that did not work. AKC said I needed to do a lease prior to the breeding, and he would be listed as a breeder. Actually I find it rather amusing and he is probably laughing from the other side. So, here's your baby Pierre!!

Oxoxox!!!

6 Years.............

Sooner to seeing you again My Darling Pierre ~

I love and miss you ~ Diana

You Are Forever In My Heart

Happy Anniversary Pierre ~ I love you ~ Diana

To My Friends........

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments on this blog, private emails, phone calls and seeing you in person regarding Ali'i & my Tevis completion. This was such a long and personal journey to ride this race with the horse I love more than life itself and to be able to share it with you has made it even more special. And that is what friends are for. To be a part of each others glory and disappointments in life.

I remember the first time I heard about Tevis. I was living in Agua Dulce in a single wide trailer with no electricity. I had my answering machine hooked up to a car battery and food in a cooler. It was bliss. I had horses finally, my "Lambie Pie", chickens, ducks & 3 collies. I picked up a horse magazine one day at the feed store and there was this Arabian going over Cougar Rock. The horse's name was RT Muffin. It was around 1986. I read about Muffin and this 100 mile race and I was hooked before I even finished the article. I could feel that this Tevis Cup was huge and to be a part of it was already ingrained my soul, even though it took some 25 years to get there. It is a weird and wonderful disease and I was a groupie for all of the 25 years. Until Saturday.

I had an big rose grey Arabian gelding named Asil who was out of the Polish Stallion Elimar and he was a HANDFUL. He had bitten me, kicked me in the face and I was terrified of him. In the right hands he probably would have made an incredible Tevis horse but I had to finally sell him because I couldn't get over the fear. And it was of dying in his presence. But in my innocent mind he was my first "prospect". I could see me tailing him up the canyons in that race.

Years went on, horses came and went, but my obsession with riding this race never left me. I found my farrier Ed and the highlight of him coming to shoe my horses was that I could talk Tevis with him for 6 hours straight every 6-8 weeks. I never tired of his visits. He was my personal link to the race I ached to ride. He glowed and more so when he spoke of Tevis.

There were so many obstacles that got in the way of training for this event. I got married, had horses that were supposed to work out but didn't. I got divorced and rode my first 50 miler with Sabi and placed 19th at the Sunland Ride in 1999. The next year I rode Tahoe at the Hog Wild Ride 50 starting the race with Ed. Tahoe ran away with me for 4 miles at the start, and I thought for sure I was going to die. My hands were bloody from trying to hold that horse back. It was Asil all over again. I finished that race with Tahoe in 31st place in 112 degree weather for 12 grueling hours of riding. I couldn't walk for a week and didn't ride him for 6 months. He was NOT the Cadillac Ride that Sabi was. But, I still wanted to do Tevis. Just not on him.

Sabi came up lame at a race that my ex-husband took him to the next year and later on he was diagnosed with ringbone and declared to not be able to do anything except trail ride. Because of his diagnosis, I learned about barefoot and healing my horse. During this time I was with Pierre and we were so busy with our lives and raising his daughters that the horses were put on the back burner. They were ridden mainly by his daughters. Had I known what I know now about ringbone and other hoof and leg issues, I should have continued to condition Sabi as I believe he would have been sound. He's 20 now and a wonderful pasture pet and fairly reliable trail horse. He was my first "official" Tevis prospect and I think would have been a wonderful horse to do that race. He was sensible, comfortable and has a very low heart rate.

In 1998 I had foaled my first Arabian, the parents being a Khemosabi daughter to a Khemosabi son. The resulting colt was my beautiful Khemali'i. I wanted a pretty horse, with a brain and my goal was to train him for endurance and ultimately Tevis. Ali'i was played with, had Alicia on his back, had saddles on him, bits in his mouth but I still took my time with training him. I was so busy with my life with Pierre I really didn't do much with the horses for 3 or 4 years. Tevis was the furthest from my mind during this period of my life. I also was dealing with boot issues because I didn't want to shoe anymore and to find a reliable boot that would actually stay on was next to impossible. I used to say if I had to shoe, then endurance wasn't for me.

When Pierre was killed the life I knew was gone in an instant. That Saturday after he died I received a phone call from my cousin Cheryl who is also passed now. I wasn't taking phone calls from anyone with the exception of our Sheriff, and our CA Governor but I took Cheryl's call. Lori told me she had to speak to me. I got on the phone and she said "Diana I don't know what this means but I need to tell you. I was ironing and heard a voice that said 'Diana, ride the horse.' Do you know what it means?" It was such a weird phone call because I rarely spoke to Cheryl and she knew very little about my life. I told her that it meant that I had had a horrible fall (Pierre's death) and that I needed to get back on the horse. And, that I needed to break Ali'i. It was something I never forgot and Ali'i went into training that June. My loved ones on the other side knew how great this little horse was and I need to train him. He really was my saving grace. What a great little Arabian.

I think the saddest thing for a person is to not have a passion in life. It doesn't have to be riding 100 miles on cliffy trails in mountain lion country. That certainly takes a certain type of insane person to want to do that. But to me, having passion for my life and for being involved in something that is really bigger than me and my horse is what makes my life worth being here. That is bliss.

When we talk about emotion, how can someone not feel something as great as their greatest accomplishment? We are emotional beings and whatever causes that spirit to rise and exude from ourselves is what being alive is about. We all have those dreams to accomplish whatever they might be and to be true to ourselves is our duty. Anything less is death of our souls. This is what I believe. So thank you all in feeling with me. It's special.

Good Bye My Little House

T & I made a bonsai run to my house in So. Calif. last weekend. It was a little too fast for me, but I got most of what I wanted. We also brought back pipe corrals for the horses so I can feed them somewhere under shelter for the winter. We had to take 2 vehicles, T pulling a flat bed for the 24' pipe corrals and me, picking up a U-Haul cargo trailer down south.

What I found is no matter how many questions you ask some people, and verify what they said, they never give you the whole story. When I went to pick up my U-Haul trailer, a cost of under $100 to rent this trailer was all of a sudden well over $300. Was I going to blow a head gasket? All over DICK I was, who originally took my reservation. I was so mad I could have punched him. But he was an older man and really that wouldn't have made me feel good in the long run. After I left with no trailer and screamed and cried on the phone to T, I ended up going to another U-Haul place and getting the same thing. But I felt better because now I knew how much it REALLY was going to cost me and I could just suck it up internally. DICK, unfortunately is getting a bad write-up online. This guy tried to convince me the U-Haul trailer I was taking to Auburn (one-way) had to be picked up and returned to his yard in So. Calif. and that's why my bill was so high (I had to pay for 3 days regardless if I returned it in 24 hours). Funny. Same price, same trailer and same company at the second location and my cargo trailer had a license plate from Georgia. I wonder when those people from that state are going to come and get their trailer. I wonder if they know now they have to drive up to Auburn because when they get to So. Calif. it will be gone. FokKingAssWipes. I don't have patience for people who don't give you all of the information especially when you ask for it numerous times and even have it written down. It makes me madder than I really want to be. But onward and upward.

Even though there was a little bit of a delay because of the U-Haul lying, T & I were able to pack everything up, and leave right away and get 3 hours from home the same day we left. We finally stopped at a motel (the one where they leave the light on for you) and with 7 (um) dogs in a tiny room, that made for an interesting night. Thank God for a couple of soft crates, a fan I brought and a slicker to rake up shedding hair from the floor. But, I really probably could have driven another 3 hours to not deal with that. It was still hot and T was cranky. Leaving the light on for us was a good thing though, because T was sure he'd find his truck broken into and all the pipe panels missing off of the trailer. In the neighborhood we were in, we saw an individual riding his bike with a TV on his handlebars. And it wasn't a flat screen so he was quite talented. Like he did it regularly. But all was good in the morning.

 

Then there is the believing what your man tells you regardless of how dumb he sounds.....When we got home we unloaded all of the panels. Since we had the flatbed, I told T we should go pick up some old panels down on the other side of the property and bring them up and put them around our waszoo expensive septic sand system that we have to pay $400 or so EVERY year to have inspected. Since the horses aren't suppose to be walking on it and I'm not saying they did.......we wanted to put up these panels to keep them out of the area. T didn't want to hook up the flat bed again and said he'd just drag the panels behind his quad. I really thought he was an idiot. He couldn't have been dumber. But, I swear he did it. He pulled 5 long panels & one shorter one with one little tie-down behind the quad some 1200' down the paved road and across our pasture. He was lauging at me and I had to tell him "Yes I thought you were dumber than dirt". He just told me again he was raised on a 600 acre cattle ranch. I guess I forgot. I suck. Stand by your man Diana. 

My house is gone. I am sad. And, I am happy. I took a once over around the property and besides all the sadness and pain of leaving a place that I loved so much and held so many incredible memories, I had to leave the graves of Moku & Tiiu. Like I could do anything else. I don't bury dogs normally, and I will never again, if I can help it. Where they were buried I had planted a pine tree each, then put rocks in a circle around their graves. While I had one renter there, he didn't water the trees and the pine trees died, so all that was left were the rocks. It really broke me up. I know my collies aren't there anymore, but there is something so personal about leaving that for an owner who will probably take a bulldozer to their spot. Besides being pets, (though I just typed "pests" hahaha....Julie no laughing) ~  both the dogs were famous in their own right. Moku was HIT at the '93 CCA in obedience. Tiiu had so many spots on TV & in print ads. At least they were put right next to each other. Regardless of them being pests or pets and famous or not famous, I sobbed my heart out when I left them. It was so hard.

Letting go of my house has been such a process. Had Pierre not left the way he did ~ in the midst of our lives we were living it might have been different. But, the rawness of his exit has taken so much to get over. Every time I went down south, I could see him and even all the smells of the house, the smells of that desert property & his shop, could bring me back to him and our life in an instant. But that life will never exist again. I hate that. More than I can fathom sometimes. Someone (who knew) told me a while back I needed to break up with him. That is the weirdest thing to say knowing he's not here anymore, but she was right. It's a safe spot to go to and not always a good spot to be in this current life. So, with my house gone it is good. It finalizes so many things and leaves room for so much more. Close one door and another one opens. Aaahhhhhh.

This Gigantic Chapter Of My Life Is Closing

I put my house up for sale down south a while back. Between Dec & now and a lot of tweaking of details, it is now in escrow. Omg. I actually am very happy. But, I dread having to go thru the stuff that was left there. Mainly stuff that I apparently don't want or need, but still feel a need to go thru. Black widow infested stuff, THAT I know. My trip was planned fairly quickly and because I was going to be gone for a while, I felt the need to take some loved ones to buffer the pain. Tirzah, SeaB & Cardiff AND Ali'i. 

At the market I get some basic food items.

I don't think Tony knew how long I was going to be gone, but I wasn't going to ask him. I'm sure the subject will come up.

Pierre's parents were first on the trip. I haven't seen them in almost 2 years, so that is tragic. I got my Christmas present from 2 years ago, and Germaine kept telling me she needed to give it to me in person. Without showing you all the cell phone pictures I sent Donna, I'll show you one.

Is this adorable???? There were so many other things she gave me, one being a 7 & 7 kitchen towel she put stitching on. It's pretty hysterical. It has 3 glasses for us, including a Seagrams bottle. 

I love the desert so much and especially in the summer because it's brutally hot but the thunder clouds form so you get hot weather with a cloud cover and beautiful, spectacular cloud formations. We get that where I live now, but it's different because there isn't as much sage to be found.

On the way down I stopped in a rest stop that is one of my favorites. Probably really waited a little too long because Ali'i had to pee bad. He's like a dog, he doesn't like to pee in the trailer. He also was thirsty but wouldn't drink. 2 more hours to go, then we'd be done driving for a few days.

Orville and I first set up Ali in his pen. Then I let the punkies run and Tirzah didn't listen to me worth SHIT. She was soooooooo bad. I think she was giving me the finger because they haven't had a good run in several months. Cardiff and SeaB listen very well. They're more Punky-like.

Chickens & Roosters to bark at.

These are children of the banties that Pierre and I gave his parents. I am SOOO HAPPY to finally have chickens again.

The next thing we did was have 12 7&7's each. My in-laws haven't had whisky in a long time so I guess they were saving it all up for our visit. I don't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. But, what I also love about visiting here is they go to bed early, so we did that, except it was sooooo hot in the RV, even with the air & a fan on. SeaB didn't care about that. He slept smashed next to me all night.

The next morning the neighbors came over to see my very cute little horsey. Then we saddled up and went for a ride. I've always wanted to do that. Just go visit friends, then take your horse for a ride. Ali'i was a chargy little arabian, having re-arranged his pen in numerous different configurations, so when we went out he had a lot of gunk to blow off.

Up the road, around the aqueduct, then another route home.

Along the hwy. Wwwwwhhhoooooooossssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! That's the sound of big trucks.

A little snack along the hwy. Ali'i isn't afraid of the big trucks, at least if I'm on the ground with him.  

Back home, we had a snack, then another favorite in-law thing to do even though we had a big breakfast....

"You probably should take a nap when we're done having our snack." says my mother-in-law. Ok. I will do that. Snacks and naps go hand in hand.

Licky, didn't you hear it was nap time not SNACK time!!???

Niffness, there's no room.......and no snacks. 

The next night was very stormy and windy, though hot. I moved the punkies to the porch for a while to get some of the breeze. Don't they look happy in that x-pen? Ok, it was only for an hour.

Another favorite toy. Have Toy Will Travel. 

What a lovely puppy. I kiss her all the time.

That evening was exciting with the skies and moisture in the air. The Sierras are always exciting to me, as they can change in a hour from zero clouds to raining or snowing. 

I was off to my house the next day. I set up the RV which was INTERESTING. Mainly because there is only one way into my property and it's not easy to turn around unless you go into the horse paddock. I first tried to drive in then back up, but that was ugly. I finally backed down the drive a little ways, then up to the horse pen to turn around. I unhooked the trailer in the upper part of the property, then parked the RV. Perfect spot. But I was slightly stressed. This keeps my life interesting.

I don't have the keys yet to ANYTHING and have a minor meltdown. In fact I'm going to cry. So, I called Tony and cry to him. I told him I might do that, but thought it would be related to the RV & horse trailer backing. Finally my real estate lady comes to help me and I'm ok again. I don't have the energy to go thru the shop yet. I'll do that later. Blackwidowland. I'm SO not looking forward to that. 

The next day I want to set off toxic bombs in the shop, but notice 2 cats that live there. I don't know if they are kitties that we originally had or they came from somewhere else. Cats are very expendable in the desert. One cat looked rather ancient, so I decide I can weather the black widows with a stick. Which I do. They are all over, but I am strong. And brave. 

On Monday I need shake off the black widows doo doo and ride.

Just a look-see at my town. I love this place. I will forever have the memories of 20 some-odd years etched in my soul. They quite possibly are the best memories of my life.

 

On to the Pacific Crest Trail. I've always wanted to hike this whole trail....from Mexico to Canada, but maybe now, I'd rather do it on Ali'i.

  

This is on the backside of the little mountain behind my house. I love trotting this trail. We're going way thru the upper middle of the picture, then taking a trail off to the left and then up to the top of the mountain. It's a long, narrow, cliffy trail. I want to say it makes a climb of 2000' but I'm not sure. I believe it's close to 5,000' at the top.

We stop at the little white box and I leave a special note, then put the little plastic dinosaur on top. 

We're about 2/3 of the way up. That trail below is a small portion of what we just rode. Trotting & walking.

At the top. PCT goes off to the right and then down into Bouquet Canyon. I can see all the way to the Antelope Valley when I turn that way.

This direction looks all the way to the Newhall Pass.

Coming back down. I like this branch.

I got off and walked all the way down the cliffy part of this mountain. Ali'i was way too happy to go home and I needed the exercise. It's a long way down and no one really knows where I am. Like if I got tossed it might be a while before someone found me.

More snacking.

Narrow....

Because I can....

Back at the ranch I was tired and then I ate Cap'n Crunch.......

Ali'i was in the horse pen originally and thought it was HELL in there, so I let him out near the house & the RV.

 

He checks in on a regular basis. Niffness is looking at him.

I then continued on with the work. What work. The black widow webs were so thick and if I wasn't looking where I was going, I'd get caught up in them. I didn't get a shipment of water, so the tank just seems to have enough to give Ali'i water and take a couple of showers. There's no pump on the well that's working, and because there's not enough water for pressure, the flow is minimal. My showers have been probably under 4 gallons. I'm trying not to use the RV until I really need to, so between the heat, black widow webs and the massive amount of dust & dirt, I am feeling pretty filthy. Backpacking in the high country for a week is easier to do.

Jody has come by a few times to help. She's been an amazing friend and I know she can think of a whole bunch of things to do instead of helping me move a bunch of gross boxes. I love you Jody.

The miscellaneous stuff. Luckily I boxed up a bunch of my things years ago. Those were easier to move, though HEAVY. I have 6 or 8 boxes of LP's from my Elton John days and seriously I don't know what to do with them. I wished I could just have a bonfire for all my crap but unfortunately I have to bring them up north for that. I don't think this town allows for control burn piles.

Between black widow smashing, I look at the sky. It's been like this most of the time I've been here. Those big, puffy thunder clouds. Hot wind, but it brings back memories from every year I've been born. I love them. I love the weather. I love this property. I am happy and sad.

This was my studio. That is my very cute horse.

Jody's boyfriend Scott is easily entertained by Ali'i. He gave him his soda and Ali'i grabbed it with his super cute smooshy muzzle and had a drink. Then he flung it on the ground. I have to say Jody & I are easily entertained by this also.

Another day. It's 100 degrees and Licky is smashed next to me in bed. This is why I suspect there are babies in her.

Cardiff dealing with RV living the best she can. She woke up early this am squeaking her green fluffy hamburger. She is so done with this trip.

Then she got fixated on the round pink toy.

While I was here, I had my friend Chris come by to see me with her darling son. What a cutie!! Cardiff thought HE should come home with us so she can have someone to play with and throw her green hamburger. Chris brought me a little snack bag and milk, which I was out of. I love my friends. How sweet is this???? Chris, you are forever in my heart. For so many reasons.

I didn't let a lot of people know I was coming down because I felt I needed to concentrate on BWL Central. I also didn't want people to think I wanted them to help me suffer thru going thru this STUFF. It's a pain and not something I felt I wanted to burden people with (omg, except Jody.....again....I love you Jody...you always suffer thru my stuff with me.....).....

I was off for a final ride to my favorite place, Vasquez Rocks. I leave early again as I have to negotiate riding thru neighborhoods to get to the park. I hate riding Ali'i thru neighborhoods because he's really rather JUMPY, FLINGY & ANIMATED. "Oh my God!! What's THAT!!!". It's a dumpster. It's a dog. It's a I don't know!! So, I practice staying centered and using my legs to remind him to stay straight and not SPIN around to leave. It's exhausting. So, my ride of some 8 miles is almost as long as my ride to the top of the mountain, which was probably more like 15-18 miles. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it, nevertheless. So many homes of people I used to know and many have moved on. The rocks were gorgeous as always. I think the rocks are so magical and my cell phone pictures don't do them justice.

Riding thru the vineyards. I got bucked off near here about 27 years ago and knocked out when the land was just a big huge piece of desert. Now I wear a helmet and look like Alien Baby Head.

Snacking......AGAIN.....

I LOVE it here!!! I always think of Punky because we'd run the dogs here every morning and her favorite thing to do was race all the way up to the top of those rocks and 30 seconds later she'd be back to check in with me, then back up again. She had so much energy. Then when we got home she'd run another 2 hours around my horse yard. 

 PCT again.

Not sure why this photo is larger than the ones above. Same cell phone. Same ride. Weird. Alien Phone. This place is so famous I can't even begin to tell you why. Maybe the cell phone knew that.

See? Same cell phone, same vineyard, same ride, same horsey ears. Someone please explain.

My 3rd night at my favorite Mexican Restaurant was spent with Pierre's partners, wives & kids. First Jon & family picked me up at the house and we hung out with Ali'i. Jon's wife Teri & girls really loved Ali'i and I was afraid they were going to try and take him in their little car. He's enjoyed having people come over and he's quite annoying for petting.

Teri & Jon's girls are always laughing, as are they. Ali'i yawned the whole time they were there. He thought they were very nice to be around. Meanwhile Cardiff is so wanting to be out with us.

She, Tirzah & Biscuit were looking out the window.

Then at dinner, Teri and I both had margaritas and she promptly flung her hand into her second glass and sent it flying across the restaurant. She is so cool. She said she doesn't need to drink to be flingy. That is the truth. I love her nevertheless.

 

Don't you just want to trim the punkies feet????? Omgosh!!

So that's it. My longwinded, blackwidowinfested, miles and miles of riding, playing with the collies, visiting with a couple of friends, hardly drinking (seriously) trip to my house I'm selling. The End.  

"Yeeeeeeeeppppppiiiieeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're going home!!!!!!!!!!!!"

P.S................On the way home I always stop at one gas station because they have a great place to walk the dogs. Since I had Ali'i I wanted to especially stop there because it's a safe place off of the Interstate. I have never stopped with my horse, nor ever seen a horse there, but sure enough the day I was coming home I drove in there and saw a horse trailer. Come to find out, the horse had 4 white socks and a blaze and looked like an Arabian, but was rather tall. It turned out he was a Khemosabi grandson (sire is Khartoon Khlassic) and Bey Shah (grandson, I think & where the height came from). He was pretty much a similar breeding as Khaliq and the woman (& husband) were going up to an endurance ride in Northern California. What a small world!!

Happy Birthday Mom ~ Where Ever You Are ~

My mom would have been 89 years old today. That is so weird to me as she's been gone over 1/2 my life. I know she didn't want to stay around, that she was tired and unhappy with a few things with being on this earth. I just don't think she had the energy to deal with it anymore.

She was so kind and would do anything for anyone. She had a huge heart and great sense of humor. The funny thing about this photo is my dad is goofing off in this. THAT almost never happened in photos (or life). He was a very serious man and everything was serious. I think she had to make up for it by being so lighthearted. I am really laughing too....I loved that dress.

My cousin Karen had just sent me this photo of mom last week. She dressed up like this for Halloween then got in her convertible and drove thru Hollywood to her sister's house (Aunty June) to scare the twins (Karen & Gail). Karen said they didn't know who she was and were quite afraid!! I remember she loved to shock people but her family was on the top of the list to freak out. I think it was some passive-aggressive/raised too sheltered life type of behavior and got over that scenario, but I always enjoyed that about her. She didn't like to hurt people's feelings but at the same time she didn't take stuff personally. She also loved unconditionally.

I took ballet when I was young and at some point we both decided to take tap classes together. So, we went to Capezio's off of Hollywood & Vine to get our tap shoes. Of course they go in the box til you get home right? Not my mom. She wore hers out and tapped down the street singing all the way to the car. But she had to make a detour down Hollywood Blvd before turning around. I was so embarrassed!!!! I was about 16. I do have to say I was unusual for my age as I did think my mom was very cool to hang around and we did a lot of things together. We went to quite a few Elton John concerts (18 for me) and other artists. She was my best friend. I suppose I suspected she was going to die young, so spending time with her was very important. Like Pierre, I had a sense.

Happy Birthday Mom!! I love and miss you so much!!!

Come Visit Me In A Dream My Dear Cousin

My cousin Cheryl passed away today. She had been battling the residue affects of radiation from cancer therapy. She fought hard for a long time and held on probably more than most could. This is the part of life that seems so hard but I know there are lessons for everyone involved in this seemingly unkind process. Lessons that might not make sense now, but will reveal themselves later. Simply, I believe it contributes to our soul growth.

While I was in the market today, my other cousin Karen called me and let me know she was close. With cell phones you can be in the risotto and pasta aisle and talk about the fact that a loved one is close to passing. How weird it that? Or pathetically convenient.

Then I got THE phone call tonight at 6pm. Karen and I talked for a while. We both rejoiced because we think the same about life and death. Cheryl is free of her broken down body and is having the reunion that we both look forward to. The one with all of our loved ones who have passed. Karen has been the link to Cheryl's progress or lack of and I told her tonight she was one incredible woman. She flew back to Cheryl's home to help her on many occasions, something I have not done ~ Karen's heart is huge. 

Because Cheryl lived in the mid-west, I didn't see her much, but had special though infrequent contact with her throughout my adult life. She called me on the Saturday after Pierre died. My friend Lori was screening my phone calls but Lori told me I needed to talk to Cheryl. I got on the phone with her and she said that she had to tell me something. She was ironing and a voice came to her that said "Diana, ride the horse". She had to tell me but didn't know what it meant. So, she asked me and I told her "It means that I have had a horrible fall and I need to get back on my horse. I think it also means that I need to train Ali'i". I will never forget that. Such a simple message and so huge in meaning in my life.

God Bless you Cheryl. Come visit me. Love cousin Diana.

Happy Birthday Pierre

And Tahoe, Adam & Elton.....Cool date.