California friends

Even though I grew up here, there was a long period of time when I didn't have any friends in the Los Angeles area. Thanks to the model horse hobby, that is no longer the case. The last couple days have been filled with fun visits with other hobbyists.

On Wednesday, Seth, Piper and I drove to nearby Alhambra to have ice cream and conversation with Tara Reich and Julia Turner.

The next morning, I toured the Rose Bowl Riders facility in La Cañada with Katy Niles.

This is a place where I used to ride many, many years ago. It's changed a lot since then, and I really enjoyed both the tour and the company.

Later that day, we headed back to Alhambra for a park visit with Tara, Corina and Corina's dogs, Winnie and Koda.

This is my second hobby dog meet up in as many weeks. So fun!

After Corina headed home, we adjourned to Tara's apartment,

where we met her cats...

and ogled her collection.

It's so nice having California friends again. Thank you, Tara, Julia, Katy and Corina for making this week so much more fun than it would have been otherwise. I can't wait to see you again!

Dancing in the street

Mom has a long list of things that need fixing, so Seth has made several trips to the local hardware store. Yesterday, Piper and I went with him.

Instead of coming straight home, I asked him to drive past some of the places where I used to ride since we were (sort of) in the neighborhood.

This led to visiting the street where the camp horses had lived...

and a pilgrimage to the Altadena Crest trailhead.

We decided to get out and walk a little. On the way back to the car, I spotted a horse and rider in the distance.

They were heading our way, so I kind of slow walked my way up the trail until this happened.

Of course, I had to get my phone out and take some pictures.

"I used to ride here when I was a kid," I explained.

"You like horses!" the rider exclaimed. "Let me show you what this one can do."

And just like that, his horse started dancing.

It was as unexpected as it was impressive.

"I hope you get to ride again, senorita," the rider called over his shoulder.

Then he and his horse rode off into the distance.

Welcome to Altadena, California, where the horses are dancing in the street!

Almost wordless Wednesday, dog beach

Seth is a Kansas boy, so every time we visit my mom, he wants to see the ocean. Piper is a Colorado dog, so she wanted to see it, too. Yesterday all three of us went to Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach, California. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Almost wordless Wednesday, donkeys

Seth and I were travelling down  I-15, just east of the California/Nevada border when he announced, "Horses!"

I looked up from my phone and saw a pair of donkeys standing between the highway and the fence.

"Oooh," I said. "Those aren't horses, they're donkeys, and I bet they're wild."

"Do we need to go back and see them?" Seth asked.

"Yes, please," I responded. "I always brake for donkeys."

And so we did.