The best seat in the house!

At Mark Rashid's recent Horsemanship clinic in Othello, WA I figured I had the best seat in the house. I sat next to the arena in my comfy lawn chair. Camera in my lap, notebook at ready I peered through the rustic rails to watch magic unfold as Mark gently worked with horse and rider.



But these fellows had a better idea. "Hang over the fence Sandy," they said, "You're closer to the action, you can see everything better that way." My goodness, just seeing those classic faces was reward enough. Made me want to grab some clay and start sculpting!



Throughout the day I peered between the rails, taking in the transformations in the arena. Later in the afternoon I glanced at the ground before me and saw the guy with the best seat, albeit dusty, in the house --- Mark's dog "Ring". It seems he'd done this many times before and knew that the real learning started at ground level.

Beauty at the Clinic

A few weeks ago I was very fortunate to audit a Mark Rashid Horsemanship Clinic in Othello, WA. Besides Mark and his gentle way of melding horse and rider, there was beauty to behold!

Meet blond horse, Parker AND blond pony-tailed Paula. How very coordinated you two!



Oh...be still my heart! Feast your eyes on what she's done with her gorgeous deerskin (I'm guessing?) chaps.





Just a little "bling" to say, "There's a lady in this saddle, thank you very much!"





Hey Paula --- I can't wait to see what you do with Parker's beautiful flaxen forelock. No doubt it'll be quite the fashion statement!

"How was your Mother's Day?"

So you ask, "How was your Mother's Day?"

It was quiet, dang quiet. Peaceful, almost serene. Void of noise, bothersome conditions, difficult situations.

Not so in the mountains, though, where hubby and son and a few good friends went 4- wheelin' in the snow and the mud. And the hills and the dales --- and the TREES!



(Pics by hubby and Anita. Rescue crew courtesy of hubby, Rienzo, Michael and assorted hard-core Samurais!)

Morning Light

On my way to work every morning I take a big chance. I climb a steep hill and turn a blind corner to the left. As I round the corner, over my right shoulder is a sweeping view of the countryside. Douglas firs crowd the valley and stretch to the foothills of the Cascades.

I always have to sneak a peek.

Depending on the time of year the view can be a non-view. If it's O-dark-thirty I see only what my headlights allow. Other mornings the view is shrouded in fog --- this is western Washington after all.

But the other morning, with some snow still lingering, the sun peaked above the mountains and lit the place afire. I had a few minutes to spare so stopped to capture the show!



Ahhh, life is good. Just had to share!

Live Long and Prosper!

I've always been an advocate of spaying and neutering cats, all cats. My friend Rienzo has one such cat, Lenny.





Lenny adopted Rienzo (yeah, I think it happened that way, kind of backwards actually) less than a year ago. Both Rienzo and Lenny are free spirits and Lenny lived life casually. As casually as he could until the rest of the tomcats in the neighborhood realized Lenny was all grown up. A big boy.



The tomcat fights started and let's say --- Lenny was not a contender. In stepped me, with information about neutering that Rienzo needed to hear and Lenny needed to participate in. Off Lenny went to the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in Lynnwood, WA for the surgery that could save Lenny's life and Rienzo tons of vet bills.



Stopping by Lenny's place the other day, I could see he didn't hold a grudge. He's still just as lovable, he's still just Lenny. And we're all glad he'll be around a long time to prove it.