Shwew...it's been a busy past couple of days... Let's see...
Friday we took an all day ride up to Baldy - the highest peak in the area at about 10,000 feet. We probably spent about 6 hours in the saddle and several more clearing trails. And we had a little time to enjoy the spectacular views. I'm putting pics up on Facebook.
Saturday I slept in a bit, stopped in at the graduation party for our campus director's daughter, went to lunch, raced out of the lunch line to answer a call about a horse who was down (false alarm), ate my lunch, did laundry and played speed with Micki (one of our co-coordinators), cleaned my room, and did a little planning for the week ahead.
Sunday I went to church with Holly and Andrew. They're church threw the coolest baptism celebration I've ever seen. They did the baptism in a neighborhood pool (and it was a little chilly outside!), then had their service outside followed by a catered meal and live music. The pastor says that a public profession of faith through baptism is the biggest decision of a person's life, so they should throw the biggest party too.
Today, I went out to feed and get Jason started on some jobs then spent the rest of the day in the office. I worked on finishing up the horseback Standard Operating Procedure (which I've written about 1/3 of), planning out the next week and developing a training schedule for the people who will be working at the barn. It was a full day of paperwork!
We've had a few new staffers arrive during the last few days too. It's been fun to have some new faces!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Adventures Recap
Here's a recap of a few of my adventures since arriving:
-Santa Fe with Molly and Holly. Quite the cultural experience at the Plaza and the best guacamole of my life. More details here.
- Riding the zipline! 900 feet of flight. I loved it. The second time I went off backwards and hung upside down.
- 1st Trailride up the ridge and down Ruiz Canyon. The ridge was piney woods and we came out on a spectacular view of the campus. The canyon is full of granite rocks and a beautiful creek. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so no pics. But I'll be going back and will get some!
- Second and Third Trail Rides: Ghost Town and another ridge. Ghost town is beautiful! Ruins of an old sawmill and hotel sit in a green valley surrounded by mountains. We ate lunch while the horses grazed. Quite scenic. The ridge we rode boasted a view of mountains as far as 75 miles away. I had fun using Scott's GPS to mark both of these trails. Thanks Scott!
- Santa Fe with Debbie B. Ed and Debbie B. have been visiting us for the past couple days and today Debbie and I ran into Santa Fe for the afternoon. (I got off early because I have to work tomorrow morning when the farrier comes). I took her to the Plaza and was very proud of finding my way around without having to make too many u-turns.
More to come...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Dust and Mud
It was another beautiful, sunny day. I somehow missed breakfast - they must have served it earlier than yesterday. Meal schedules are kind of crazy right now since groups are coming and going and we haven't hit peak season. So, I had a protein bar.
Anyway, I got out to the barn about 8:00 and started organizing the tack room. Throughout the course of the day, I organized all the saddles, hung nails for the bridle rack, made and hung a helmet rack, hung some hooks for the rain coats and bathed six horses.
I also fed the six we have at the barn right now and then found and fed the five that are still in the front pasture. I'm working them back to being fed in the morning instead of the afternoon, so they weren't there waiting on me. I whistled and called, but they didn't come. They've been trained to come at the honking of a horn, so I honked and they still didn't come. Then, I drove through the pasture, honking, whistling and calling. It is a fun but strange feeling to go barreling through an empty pasture honking your horn and yelling out the window. Especially since two of the horses I was yelling for are Nip and Tuck. Hahah!
Anyway, I finally found one and then had to hike to find the rest. They were back by the water treatment plant and evidently couldn't hear me because the came a soon as they saw me.
I also gave Pablo a much needed hair cut. I'm going to post before and after shots as soon as I can get an after one. After my very productive day, I was extremely dirty with an interesting combination of both dust and mud and had to jump through the shower before dinner. So, I didn't have time for the last pic.
Anyway, I got out to the barn about 8:00 and started organizing the tack room. Throughout the course of the day, I organized all the saddles, hung nails for the bridle rack, made and hung a helmet rack, hung some hooks for the rain coats and bathed six horses.
I also fed the six we have at the barn right now and then found and fed the five that are still in the front pasture. I'm working them back to being fed in the morning instead of the afternoon, so they weren't there waiting on me. I whistled and called, but they didn't come. They've been trained to come at the honking of a horn, so I honked and they still didn't come. Then, I drove through the pasture, honking, whistling and calling. It is a fun but strange feeling to go barreling through an empty pasture honking your horn and yelling out the window. Especially since two of the horses I was yelling for are Nip and Tuck. Hahah!
Anyway, I finally found one and then had to hike to find the rest. They were back by the water treatment plant and evidently couldn't hear me because the came a soon as they saw me.
I also gave Pablo a much needed hair cut. I'm going to post before and after shots as soon as I can get an after one. After my very productive day, I was extremely dirty with an interesting combination of both dust and mud and had to jump through the shower before dinner. So, I didn't have time for the last pic.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Santa Fe
Yesterday, Molly, Holly and I went and "did" Santa Fe. It is a very neat town where everything - including Target, Walmart and McDonalds - is adobe. We visited Target to pick up a few things for me, including a hair brush and ties to replace the one I mysteriously lost between check in and move in. Go figure.
Anyway, we ate lunch at an amazing place called Gabriels what is known for its authentic Old Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. I had the Plato de Carnitas which was sort of like pork fajitas on corn tortillas. And we ordered the guacamole appetizer where they come prepare it at your table. I was a little apprehensive since I've never been a fan of the green stuff, but this was amazing!
Then, we toured the Plaza in Santa Fe. It is very interesting with lots of handmade jewelry and other items being sold both in stores and on the street. Bargaining is expected not only on the street but also in some of the stores. I didn't buy anything yesterday, but I plan to in the future and expect that it will be an interesting experience.
There is a big mix of cultures here and at times I feel a little out of place with my light hair and eyes. One of the salesmen/bargainers in a store asked Holly and I if we were from Florida because of our "blonde hair and beautiful eyes." She is blonde and while I've never considered myself blonde, compared to the majority of the population around here, I guess I am - la gringa rubia.
Anyway, we ate lunch at an amazing place called Gabriels what is known for its authentic Old Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. I had the Plato de Carnitas which was sort of like pork fajitas on corn tortillas. And we ordered the guacamole appetizer where they come prepare it at your table. I was a little apprehensive since I've never been a fan of the green stuff, but this was amazing!
Then, we toured the Plaza in Santa Fe. It is very interesting with lots of handmade jewelry and other items being sold both in stores and on the street. Bargaining is expected not only on the street but also in some of the stores. I didn't buy anything yesterday, but I plan to in the future and expect that it will be an interesting experience.
There is a big mix of cultures here and at times I feel a little out of place with my light hair and eyes. One of the salesmen/bargainers in a store asked Holly and I if we were from Florida because of our "blonde hair and beautiful eyes." She is blonde and while I've never considered myself blonde, compared to the majority of the population around here, I guess I am - la gringa rubia.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
We made it!
Well, after 8 more hours in the car yesterday, we finally arrived at our destination in New Mexico. The weather was nice for the most part though we were a little concerned starting out due to severe thunderstorms near by. However, other than a little rain, we were not affected.
Highlights of the last leg of our trip include lunch at The Big Texan, driving by the American Quarter Horse Association HQ and the incredible western landscapes.
I loved the varied scenery crossing western Oklahoma, the smokestack of Texas and on into New Mexico. Western Texas and New Mexico had a variety of landscapes that are the essence of western land to me. So, as you might guess, I have a lot of landscape pictures to share.
By the way, I will be posting my pictures on Facebook so, if you are not on Facebook and would like to see my pics, shoot me an email and I will email you a link to the album.
After we arrived, we met up with Holly (Molly's friend) who was working the front desk. She helped us find the person who showed us around and then we worked on getting settled in my room in staff housing. I'm pleased with the accommodations so far. It's bigger than either of my dorm rooms were. I will have 1 or 2 roommates who will arrive later. I'll try and post some pics of my room later.
That's about all for now...oh, we did walk out to meet "the herd" yesterday and I was impressed with how healthy everyone looked and how friendly they were. I'll try and get some pics of them soon too. I'm sure you will be reading many stories about Paco, Nip & Tuck, Midnight, Rusty and the others.
Highlights of the last leg of our trip include lunch at The Big Texan, driving by the American Quarter Horse Association HQ and the incredible western landscapes.
I loved the varied scenery crossing western Oklahoma, the smokestack of Texas and on into New Mexico. Western Texas and New Mexico had a variety of landscapes that are the essence of western land to me. So, as you might guess, I have a lot of landscape pictures to share.
By the way, I will be posting my pictures on Facebook so, if you are not on Facebook and would like to see my pics, shoot me an email and I will email you a link to the album.
After we arrived, we met up with Holly (Molly's friend) who was working the front desk. She helped us find the person who showed us around and then we worked on getting settled in my room in staff housing. I'm pleased with the accommodations so far. It's bigger than either of my dorm rooms were. I will have 1 or 2 roommates who will arrive later. I'll try and post some pics of my room later.
That's about all for now...oh, we did walk out to meet "the herd" yesterday and I was impressed with how healthy everyone looked and how friendly they were. I'll try and get some pics of them soon too. I'm sure you will be reading many stories about Paco, Nip & Tuck, Midnight, Rusty and the others.
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