Parting shots

Almost a year has passed since I bought my new camera.  In that time I've taken nearly ten thousand photos.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Pony club

The kids rode Trillium today.  

Despite temperatures in the upper fifties, the footing in the field was snowy and a wee bit slick.

For safety's sake, we decided to limit ourselves to walking lessons on the lunge line.

Fortunately, that's not as boring as it sounds.  We practiced stopping, starting, steering, stretching,

and even a little bit of posting!

The kids did great, both in the saddle...

and behind the camera lens.

It goes without saying that Trillium was her usual angelic self.

A good time was had by all and hopefully we can do it again soon, preferably on a less windy day!

Homework

Ryan's only homework assignment this Christmas break is to read the book War Horse.

Naturally, he's interested in seeing the movie.  I'm on the fence.  Ryan is almost twelve, James is almost ten and the movie is rated PG-13.  Has anyone seen it?  What do you think--ok for kids or too intense?

2011 model year in review

As far as the model horse hobby goes, 2011 was sort of a strange year. 

It started normally enough.  In January, I welcomed Gimme S'more into my collection.

He was followed by Mabel, 

Tuscalero,

Jennibray,

Frank,

Khompounded Interest,

the Springamaconga,

and Dunkirk Leeds.

I also added a few amazing tack sets to my collection including this one by Shannon Granger,

the Hummingbird saddle by Erin Corbett,

and the incredible six year costume by Abby Marston.

I also attended four shows, three as an exhibitor and one as a judge.

I also sent ten models to NAN with my friend, Teresa.

Sounds like a fun, busy, model-filled year, right?

Well, yes and no.  

If you look carefully at the provided links, you might notice that the first half of 2011 is far better represented than the second.  In fact, I've had no shows or new models since the middle of July.  It's been a quiet five months, and surprisingly, that's been fine by me.  

Will the New Year bring renewed busy-ness or will the quiet continue?  Only time will tell!

Merry Christmas!

There were no gift wrapped ponies under my tree...

but it was still a good day!

Rat drama

If it's not one thing it's the next, and if it's not the next it's...  the rats.

Ryan's brand new rat Holly has been sneezing.  She's been sneezing a lot, and her sneezes are getting juicier and juicier.  That's not good.

She's still under warranty, so I called PetSmart.  It turns out that Holly can be returned or exchanged,  but she's not eligible for free health care.

Great.

Does this look like a child who wants to return his rat?

So, today we boxed her up and took her to the vet.  

Yup, the vet.

With any luck, Holly will be fully recovered within the week.  I wish I could say the same for my checking account!

Will this be the next saddle rat?

She darn well better be.  She owes me that much.

Friday Favorites

Earlier this year, I had the great pleasure of meeting one of my all time favorite tackmakers, Susan Bensema Young, at the Springamathing live show in Golden, Colorado.  Sue wasn't showing, but she brought several tack items to share, including the beginnings of what has turned into the most magnificent model sized parade set I have ever seen.

On her website, Sue refers to this as her "Big Saddle."  It combines all her signature elements--braiding, design, silverwork and tooling--and took seven months and more than two hundred and twenty four hours to complete.

The set includes one first--a corona pad made with the help of Melody Snow's new how-to book.  If anyone would like to send me a last minute Christmas gift, that would be a good one!

Here's a better look at the bridle and breastcollar.  I really appreciate the true parade style of this set.  This is not modern competition tack with extra decorations.  It's the real thing, just in 1:9 scale. 

Amazing work, Sue!  This truly is your masterpiece.

Snowed in

We are officially snowed in.   I made a halfhearted attempt to run some errands earlier in the day but mine is a fair weather car.  It got stuck on the street right in front of the house, and I took that as a sign.  Everyone stays home today.

Being snowbound makes kids and dogs crazy.

Fortunately, we had visitors.

My friend Carol has a four wheel drive vehicle so she braved the roads for a kids and pups playdate.

As you can see... 

the pups had a big time...

in the big snow!

This is my favorite picture of the day.  Doesn't it look like she's running through a wave? 

Thanks for the visit, Carol!