the first of many....

The very first load of hay heading into our new barn!!!


















Onto the new elevator.....








Up into the loft!!!


Enough of all this "picture stuff" lets get this job moving!!!

IF I had any worries about room in this barn.... you're looking at 77 bales in this pile...

I think there will be enough room for hay.....

A pony for Naomi

Actually, it wasn't a "pony".. but a miniature horse, and it "wasn't for" Naomi, but for her birthday party... either way, Mocha was a big hit with all the children there.

I can't believe that my little niece is two already, though I am sure my sister can, as they enter the wonderful world of "two year olds!!!" Sometimes, I do miss that stage of my life, but more than not, I am happy to sit on the side and smile.... they are fun days to remember, and I am happy to remember them!!!!

As I had thought, some of the children at the party could hardly wait for a turn on Mocha, others talked "big" until it was their turn to ride, and some we managed to talk into a ride, once they had the chance to sit on her for a little bit.

Naomi didn't want that much to do with Mocha or having a birthday ride, and it took a couple of tries just to get her on. (I will need to change that in the future!!!!) We actually got her to try after giving "Jimmy" (her favorite little doll) a ride around the yard. Here, Naomi is watching and telling "Jimmy" to hold on tight while Auntie Sue and Mocha take him for a little ride. After she saw that "Jimmy" didn't fall off and had such a nice ride, she decided it would be safe enough to try!!!

Mocha is amazing with children!!! she has a real interest in them and is so very gentle. A couple of the kids were pretty uncertain on her, and I would find her stepping so carefully when they were on. With the braver children she would step right out.

Before we went to the party, I had her out here at home, and a lady stopped by and asked if I did therapy work with her, and would I be interested in taking her to a senior home. I am thinking "why not" and if I can find a day or two, I will call them as ask if they would like a visit. She only requires a couple of carrots and lots of pats as her fee....

just things...

I felt bad for the trash men on Wednesday... this is what they had to deal with when arriving at our house!!! the "left overs" of the great basement clean out. "Sadly" I fear that our trash pile over the summer will look more like this and less like normal. Usually I have just one or two bags waiting out there for them, but, weeding out is a good thing and I guess they are the ones that get stuck with it!!! If I ever see them, I will have to say thank you.

It's kind of fun all this sorting out business, as I had thought, I am finding things that I had wondered what happened to them. I am also organizing as I go along so I won't loose things again. Ed always said (when he owned the moving company) that everyone should move every six years or so... I thought he was just drumming up business, but, I would think you wouldn't have so much "stuff" if you moved around often!!!

I debated about setting up "Titus's pond" this summer, and finally decided that I would. It doesn't take much to get it running, and I really enjoyed the sight and sound of it last year. Titus also enjoyed his afternoons out there, though the big tank he is in now does offer him plenty of swimming space. When we get to the new house, I would like to plan a turtle garden and put his pond in there. That won't happen for awhile, but it's fun to think about it. I will have to get Deb to help me with it, she is a real gardener (I need to get some shots of her gardens and show them to you) and I bet she could come up with some wonderful designs and ideas... and easy plants to keep, since I am certainly not blessed with a green thumb!!!!

Mocha has been invited to my niece's birthday party. So, after my riding lesson with Tonka on Thursday, I brought Mocha home with me. She was in dire need of a bath and good brush out. And, after all that work, I didn't want her returning to the paddock to roll around in the dust!!!! She cleans up well, and after being such a good girl for her bath, a bit of green grass was in order. She's put some weight on over the winter, and I only hope that her little saddle will fit. I don't know how many of the children will actually get on her, but, the little saddle does help them sit better. Guess we'll see this afternoon!!!
We found out yesterday afternoon that the hay will be in today... so, after the birthday party, I will be racing to Acton and help Ed get the hay in... we have 400 bales coming in. Thankfully, we got our hay elevator this week (thanks Dave).... it came in just in the nick of time!!!

So, it's off for a busy day.. this Friday the 13th...... and there will be plenty of blogging to do at a later date.....

summer begins....

Since I married my Ed in 1981... "camp" has been a big part of our lives. Our children learned the swim in the lake, and every dog that we have owned .. has become swimmers!! so, for me, it isn't officially summer until the docks are back in and the weekends mean packing up and "moving north". When we talked about "retirement" it was sort of a dream of Ed's to come to Acton... but for me, that was a bit of a glitch, because having (and wanting for as long as possible) horses in our lives, I wasn't sure how we could do both... live at camp and keep big animals. Because I currently board our horses, this hasn't been a "problem" in our life, but there isn't any way we could live at camp and keep horses here. So, a number of years ago, we decided to look for land within a certain radius of camp with the idea that we could spend a weekend on the lake and yet be able to care for the animals left at home. It was a complete gift from God when we were able to purchase the piece of land that the barn now sits on, and a complete blessing that all of this would work out so perfectly.... for our new home will be a mere two miles from the lake... and I can't even begin to express my gratitude.

It is always our wish too, to share this beautiful place with our family and friends. I have always felt that camp is way more fun with people around, and try to extend this invite as much as possible. And thanks to all our dear friends, there are always willing hands to help out with "chores".... ie: getting the docks in for the summer season!!! (some how chores at camp don't seem so "chore-like") Yesterday, Dave and Deb, brother Bill, Faye, Cozy, "Wayno" all arrived to help with the docks. The whole job went quite well and with temps in the high 80's ..getting into the water wasn't too much of a hassle!!!! After the docks were all settled in, and everyone enjoyed a nice little swim, we had a grand cookout... and it is now summer on the lake!!!

All our dogs love to swim, but for certain, some like it more than others...and I would have to say our number one swimming dog would be Trevor. He could hardly wait to get into that water!! and just swam and swam!!! The others swim to cool off, but Trev swims because he simply likes to swim!!! Kassy and Nate's Charlie is another "swimming fool"... but this summer finds them in North Carolina (no deployments this year for Nate).. so, Trev has the number one swimming spot!!!

In a couple of hours, it will be time to pack up and head back to York... real life calls, and I have to "get back to being an adult".... but, for a little more time, I am enjoying this "magical" spot....

no time to blog

I knew that all that "wonderful free time" on vacation was to be treasured, because the moment we got home, it was back to "real life"!!! I had dozens of dog calls to return, classes to get back to teaching, dogs coming for boarding.. and the beginnings of packing!!! sorting!!! and weeding out!!!



One thing we were able to do with Kassy and Nate was to go over the "particulars" for the big moves coming up. They will be living here, and we will be heading to Acton. Some things will be changing and other things not so much... I will still have the barn for dog training and such, but I will also have the "big" barn for the horses!!!!

We began the great clean out with a yard sale... so far, it has had some success, but I "fear" that many things will end up in the donate pile. I have collected over the years a number of dog crates, many of which are too small and really are better for cats.. so something like that I can take to the shelter, I am certain they must be in need of small transport crates. I'm not too sure what to do with the DOZENS of beanie babies that the girls have left behind, but I will come up with some idea. I have promised myself that there won't be "this much stuff" in the new house.... it's too mind boggling!!!!

In the meantime, work goes merrily along at the farm. Ken got some of the "odd things" done while we were away... but most exciting to me.. was getting the red on the barn doors!!! I thought that I would like it, but until I actually get to "see" it, I never really know how it will be. Now, ALL we have left is to shingle the front, and stain the sides, and the outside look will be done!!!! Still have three more stalls to finish, and the tack room to tackle... but all in all, the work goes well.

Now, the "other Ken" (who will be building the house) has been in close contact with us, and we think we have the final set of changes to ship back to "Timberpeg"... IF all goes to plan.. I think we will be digging for the foundation within the next few weeks, and the house may be able to come as soon as the middle of July!!!! Course, I have "done" enough building projects to understand well, that a time line.. is just that... a time line NOT a deadline!!!!

So, the summer seems "quite busy" at best... and I have this sad feeling it is going to fly by........

events of the day

So, this last day of May finds us on our last day of vacation.. tomorrow we head for Maine!!! I am ready to be "back" which tells me that this vacation was just right.

We woke this morning to very humid weather, and the TV warned us of thunderstorms thru out the day. We didn't have any "real" plans, so decided to head out and see what we could find.

"What" we found was a train museum!!! and it is hard to tell you exactly how huge this place was, and all the wonderful things that it contained. Ed is a bit of a train buff, so we had a wonderful time exploring!! Across the street from the museum was another one, that offered rides on a steam train thru the Amish countryside.. nothing doing.. we had to get on board!!! It was a beautiful ride (even with the rain drops) and we enjoyed it very much.

After the ride, we began to drive about the country side and "came" across the train as it took another group of passengers out for a ride. Ed got this photo of the train and an Amish farmer working in his field. Because the train was coming to a crossing he had to blow the steam whistle... I was quite impressed that this team of three horses hardly even noticed it was there.

The horses are so amazing to me, I know that they are well trained and deal with all this "modern" stuff on a daily basis, but it is so impressive to see them standing in a row of cars at a traffic light, or trotting along as motor cycles, tractor trailer trucks, and various motor cars pass them by. I would have loved to talk to an "Amish" person and ask about the work they do with their horses, but the opportunity never came up...

Anyways, it has been a wonderful couple of days in this beautiful part of the country ... the blog next has some more pictures we shot over the day... enjoy....

pics of the day

a blog for Dave

DAVE!!!!! where are you when we need you!!!!!

let the pictures talk

The "Amish" country... what words of mine can say what these pictures do.....

last dance

We had another grand day in Colonial Williamsburg yesterday. They are always "changing it" up which is nice for people like Ed and I who visit there as much as possible. This year they are doing "street plays"... which includes all sorts of grand props like.... ladies who can ride side saddle (very impressive!!!) and coaches that carry "Lord Dunmore"as he heads to the Capital to give a speech against the idea of going against Britain and the King!!! It's great fun, and they really get the crowds involved as much as possible.

You can also "buy" extras...(though if you have the one year pass.. many of these extras come "free" with your pass)... things like carriage rides and evening entertain are well worth the doing.

Ed and I usually take a carriage ride. It seems sort of silly to do this, since we have done it so many times... and I have a horse at home that I can drive anytime I wish.... but, there is something magical about riding in that coach thru the streets of Williamsburg. I love hearing the sounds of the hooves on the street, and seeing the people stop and snap a picture as the coach goes by... it's just one of those extras that "makes" the trip.




I saw in the program that the "evening entertainment" for last night was ..." A Ball for Lady Dunmore at the Capital"... it was to have music, entertainments, and dancing... so I signed us up for a time. When we arrived at the Capital, they had the basket lamps burning!!! and the Capital was lit with candle light. When they first brought you in.. the "entertainment" was a puppet show!!! It was really quite funny.. course the "actors" were even better than the puppet show itself. Then they took us to another room, were several gentlemen entertained us with "tavern songs!!!" and talk of "politics of the day" (1774.. that is).. and afterwards, we went down to the court chambers, were the chairs were pushed back to create a ball room.

Here, several couples did dances of the period, and were dress in their absolute finest. However, the evening did not end, until several folks were pulled from the crowd to join in a "country folk jig"... MY Ed being one of them!!! (and this fine lady in the yellow dress was his partner)... I SO wished I could have taken a photo of Ed doing the dance... he was VERY good... but, they do not want you using a flash.. and the room was too dark to get a good shot. So, you will have to "trust" me when I tell you that he had a great time, and the biggest smile on his face. It was a fun way to end a great day!!! (I wished I had been picked... oh well!!!)

Afterwards, we got Moxie and walked the Duke of Glouster Street (the main road) for one last view of the city before heading to bed, and then on the road to the north. So, it is "goodbye" again to dear Williamsburg.. with a promise that we will return on another day....

traveling with "moo"

Moxie is an excellent dog to travel with. (and not because she is ours!!!) but she is quiet, well behaved and just enjoys going!! I think a lot of it has to do with her show days.... she always scored much better in the shows away from home.. she liked staying in hotels, and being on the road.

However, as I sort of figured, traveling with a dog is NOT the easiest thing to do. Quite often I feel like a second class citizen "because of the dog". Either "we" are not welcomed (and I quote from one hotel..."if we find that a pet is with you, we will fine you 150.00 per night"!!) or if you are welcomed, they will often put in the "not so nice section" of the hotel OR charge some outrageous price just in case your dog get "a hair" on the carpet!!! So, as we packed "Moo" into the truck for this trip.. I had all of that in mind.

Over all, though I am happy to report that it hasn't been as "bad" as I feared, though we have had a couple of bumps in the road.

I must give MAJOR praise to the Hampton Inn of Jacksonville, NC... and if anyone finds themselves there.. dog or not... please consider them as your place to stay. Here, dogs are more than welcomed... and our King sized, non smoking, no pet deposit, free Internet room.... was wonderful!!! Since we were there for 6 nights, it was so grand to have such a great place to stay in. I, of course, was very careful about Moxie being there... ALWAYS picking up after her...never leaving her in the room alone.... and made a point when we checked out at the front desk.. to tell them how delighted I was with the whole visit, and how much (as a dog owner,) I appreciated them being so pet friendly.

Our stay in Williamsburg was OK.... we have a little hotel that we always stay at (for the last 15 years that we have been going) they are also pet friendly.. with no deposit.. but I have to say that this time, we were in the "not so great" part of the hotel. We also had to pay for Internet, so my blogging was at a minimum (boy did I miss that). And this morning as we got back on the road, both Ed and I have decided that maybe we will look for another place when we visit Williamsburg again.

There was one other "little" problem... a PARKING ticket!!! Now, I will take complete blame for this, and will pay it promptly when we get home... but I am still a bit "ticked" about this....

Yesterday, as we were touring Williamsburg.. the day was reaching the mid 70's... I was nearly panicked about leaving Moo in the truck. So we looked and looked for a parking spot that would remain shady the whole day, and wasn't too far where I could walk back often and check on her. Course, the best spot to be found was in the "two hour/short stay" parking lot.. I knew I was taking a chance leaving the truck there for the day, but since there are no places for dogs.... I took my chances... and got caught. Oh well, the 10.00 that I have to send in was well worth it, as the truck stayed very cool and when I checked on Mox each time, she was happily snoozing.

It would be nice if Colonial Williamsburg could have a "day kennel" near the visitors center... I would have certainly taken advantage of it (even happily would pay!!!) and we can't be the only ones who visit there with a dog!!!! Maybe I will put that down on the questionnaire that is usually sent to us when we visit... I would think it could make them a little money and would be a real sense of well being for all dog owners...

This evening, we are in Lancaster, PA... a beautiful.. pet friendly (free internet) hotel... however, the 50.00 non refundable pet deposit seems a little much to me.... but, Moo is happily sleeping by the AC... so who am I to complain

Hello again....

Even though we were here just last November... my Ed can hardly spend time in the south without stopping by Colonial Williamsburg!!! (possibly his most favorite place in the world).. so, this morning, we bid goodbye to Kas and Nate, and began our trek north, with time to spare so that we could spend some time here. Since we have "no childred" to shoot pictures of... Moxie had to pose in front of the sign for me!!!

The "city" was fairly quiet... there are a number of school groups, as always, but there is plenty of room to move about and see the special programs that goes on.


Today, we had the great pleasure of seeing "General George Washington".... he rode up on his horse to review the troops and encourage them in their fight against the British!!! He seems to think that "we can win this war and become a free nation".... I hope he is right!!!!

The troops look pretty good to us... they are strong in cannon fire and musket fire.... The fife and drum corps sounded very good and they were even able to re-inforce the troops with several volunteers from the crowd that was watching!!! Course those volunteers needed a great amount of work in marching, but I think the drill Sargent will get them into shape!!!

After all that "excitement" I was just as happy to find a peaceful spot to enjoy this beautiful place. There was this great flock of sheep enjoying their pasture, and I spent some time watching them and enjoying their company.....

We will be here tomorrow and then on Friday, we will head north again... I think we are hoping to spend a little time in the "Amish country" in PA...This certainly has been one of the best vacations that we have been on... but, I must admit... I am beginning to have pet withdrawal and am missing all the babies at home.....

adventures

On Memorial Day, Kas and Nate took us out to Fort Macon at the end of Emerald Isle on the outer banks. This is a very historical site, and the old fort had been used not only during the civil war, but during the world wars as well... mainly a post for guarding the coast. It was fun walking around the place, and one of the few "sites" that I have ever been too, where they don't guard you off. You have to watch your step and pay attention ... as they stated before you enter... "this fort was built for war, not sight seeing"... as you might be able to tell from the stair case... this is a big wall, and when you are walking around the top of it.. there isn't any sort of "fencing" to keep you from stepping off. It's nice to be able to see such places and see them as they were meant to be.

And this is the view from the top of that wall... as you can see, it gives you a clear sight into the ocean... now, the piece of land you can see in this shot... is Shakleford Banks... where the ponies live!!! Why we couldn't have had a day like this for "pony island"!!! Actually, Ed and the kids said that they would take me back over there, but even from the fort I could see a number of boats on the island, and people walking about... so I have a feeling the ponies might have even been "hiding" on a day like this with all that "traffic" on their island!!!

Another thing that can be found on Emerald Isle is LOTs of places that have things like mini golf, go carts tracks and the like, so nothing doing we had to stop at one of them and let the "kids out to play"... course you might notice

one of the "biggest" kids!!! Ed has such a good time with these sorts of things.. (actually Dave

does too.... we missed having him with us!!!!) Kass, Nate and Ed had a grand time in the bumper boats... I had to take pictures, so I didn't go on them!!! (just as well, I got to stay nice and dry!!!) One thing we did forget, getting off the island on a holiday weekend!!! It was a two hour waiting in traffic ride on the way home... oh well, we really didn't have any place to be!!! (except for Mandi and Patrick's for dessert!!)

Now, aside from all this "tourist stuff" we have been doing, I have found some quiet time for myself... which is always a good thing to find on vacation... and in this quiet time... look at what I have managed to accomplish....

My first hat with a design in it...I bought this pattern at the wool festival that I went to with Linda... and have gotten one done!!!!

I am pretty happy with it, even if I do say so myself.. and have even started on a second one....

I am also very happy to report that Moxie is doing well, and seems to be feeling better.. maybe a little vacation from the others is something she needed for herself.

Tomorrow we begin to head towards the north, I can hardly believe this time has come and gone so quickly.

a blog for BECKY

My sister "complained" that when my parents came to visit, they didn't get enough pictures of Kassy's and Nate's... so, Becky, this blog is for you!!! Here is the outside... Kas and Nate are on the second floor... behind this beautiful tree.. kind of like living in a little "tree house"...

You head up the stairs.. their door is on the left... Kas has her little wreath hanging on the door.....

As you step thru the door, their living room is to your left.... the tree shades her windows and there is usually a breeze blowing thru....

Standing in a corner of the living room and looking towards the back is their dinning area....

their kitchen is to the right of the dinning area.. it's small, but efficient....includes a dishwasher, stove, frig.. etc...

they have a nice screen porch which is "behind" the dinning room. Kas often keeps this door open and with the front windows, the apartment stays fairly cool!!!

Now, if you are standing in the doorway into the apartment...looking straight ahead, there is a little hallway... here you can also see some of the bathroom

to your right (on backside)... is their bedroom...




And to the left is their "extra room" where they keep the computer and various items...

So, there you have it!!! and now you know what her little place looks like!!! (so does everyone else!!)
It's been a wonderful place for them to start out with.. and though I know they are excited about the move back home, I also know that there will be plenty of things (and FRIENDS) that they will dearly miss. They will have great memories of their first home together!!!