Horseback Riding in Idaho

My step-sister, Kathy Snyder, is an accomplished horse-rider.  She recently completed a five-day, 100-mile Chief Joseph Trail Ride on her Appaloosa.  She also has a stable of beautiful horses, most of them bred and born under her supervision.

Rusty and I drove to Pocatello, Idaho, to spend time with Kathy and learn about horses.

Meet Silver Cloud, the gentlest Appaloosa/Arabian you could know.

Kathy spent time showing us the basics.

Rusty brushes Silver Cloud as Mom watches.

Kathy said it was important to brush the horse before putting on the saddle so that dirt, burrs, etc. didn't irritate the horse.  She carefully explained each step, beginning with how to properly put on the halter and then tie up the horse.  After Kathy demonstrated, then she reversed the process and had each of us try it on our own.

Kathy explains the finer points of blanket placement and cinching the saddle.

Again, Kathy made us each take a turn at saddling the horse.  It's not quite as easy as it looks in the movies!

Silver Cloud is patient while Rusty practices.

The scary part for me was sticking my fingers into Silver's mouth in order to insert the bit and then complete the tacking up.

Kathy took us to a neighbor's barn where she gave us riding lessons.

This is fun!

The next day we traveled to Harriman State Park.
Harriman State Park lies within an 11,000-acre wildlife refuge in the greater Yellowsone Ecosystem.  Moose, Elk, and Sandhill Cranes are common, as is North America's largest waterfowl, the Trumperter Swan.  Known as one of the best fly-fishing streams in the nation, the Henrys Fork meanders for eight miles through Harriman.  Over 20 miles of trails are available for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing.

Saddled up and ready to ride the trails.

Shortly into the ride, Rusty spotted two cow elk not far from the trail.  Then we saw trumpeter swans and deer.

Can you see the deer hiding in this picture?

Harriman is a beautiful place!

Silver Lake

Our trail ride took us on many switchbacks as we climbed to the upper edge of the caldera.  The horses were breathing hard; Rusty and I were glad we didn't have to go up the trail on foot.

When we reached the top, Lewis tied up the horses to give them a rest.

View from the top of the caldera.

So pretty up here!

Lewis (our guide), Di and Rusty

Rusty, Di and Kathy

As we descended the ridge and returned to the lowland, we spotted several Sandhill Cranes.  They made quite a bit of noise.  It was strange to see them somewhere other than Nebraska.

After our horse ride, we went to Riverside Campground where we ate dinner and spent the night.

Rusty cooked some yummy steaks!

Mom enjoyed her first camping experience.

Kathy and Mom cooked the taters.

Many, many thanks to Kathy who patiently shared some of her horse expertise with Rusty and me.  It was great to spend a couple days with Mom too!

As we left the park, we drove the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway and made a brief stop at the falls.

Our trip home involved a big rock on the windshield, most likely requiring a new windshield. $$$
Near Grand Island, NE we drove through a violent storm on the Interstate.  Visibility was poor so most drivers slowed way down; I was afraid we might get rear-ended.  Thankfully, we made it home safely.



Once home, I was anxious to check my garden.  Even though neighbors had picked tomatoes as I had hoped, I still picked fifteen pounds of ripe tomatoes!

We have thousands of grasshoppers, so it's a battle to get produce before they do.

Rusty's Knockout Rose is looking good.

We've had lots of fresh herbs: mint, parsley, basil, onion chives and rosemary.

Welcome to our front porch!

My Fabulous Birthday Week in New York

Lake Luzerne is a town of 3200 people, located on the banks of the Hudson River in the southern edge of the Adirondack Mountains, settled in 1770.  Logging white pines, a tannery, and a place with clean air where the sick could get well were its first attractions.  Ever since President Grant came here to relax following the Civil War, it has been a place that attracts many visitors.

Lake Luzerne is only a short drive from Saratoga Springs, NY where the Philadelphia Orchestra plays each summer.

Warming up at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Olivia, Pierce, Reece and Chad waiting for the performance to begin.

Felicia, Ruby, Rusty and I waiting also.

My favorite part of the evening was hearing Sam do the clarinet solo for Rhapsody in Blue!

After a rousing "BRAVO" from Ruby, she was too tuckered to watch the second half of the concert.

Most of our days were spent on Lake Luzerne (see red dot), right next to the public beach.

The public beach was literally two steps from our back door.  Every other day a big machine came in to level the sand, making it smooth and clean.  Life guards were on duty and areas were roped off for swimming.  I made good use of the sun and sand!  (Thank goodness no one took pictures.)

We stayed in a large home that had plenty of space; the huge deck and fishing dock were our favorite places to hang out.

Rusty, Pierce, Olivia

Just hangin' out.

Relaxing!

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

Wanna go fishin?

They're really biting today!

Discussing the finer points of a reel.

Good sister time.

It's a fishing frenzy.

Bathing beauties.

With school only days away, Pierce makes lunch choices.

We spent time on fun watercraft.

Room for lots of folks in the rowboat.

GiGi and Pierce, paddling around.

Olivia, enjoying the water. 

The Fishers go canoeing.

Life doesn't get much better than this!

The swimming dock was farther out into the water.  Pierce had no trouble swimming to it.

Parents and kids played on the deck.

"I love you, Mama!"

"What do ya think, Mama?"

"Cast like this, Ruby."

"I love you, CJ!"  (Reece is Chad Junior.)

We had a visiting kitty for the week.

Papaw and others spent a lot of time untangling and baiting.

And there was a lot more fishing to do!

Pierce's fish.

Reece casts for one...

...and reels it in.

Ruby has her own pink fishing rod.

More fun on the deck...

Bubbles, anyone?

This is how it's done!

How about a fun ride on a broom stick?

Ruby wanted to do everything she saw Reece do.

Sam took some time before he went to work to show the kids a little about the clarinet.

showing specific keys on the instrument

...and this is how it sounds!

One morning we went to the Saratoga Springs Race Track, the oldest race track in the U.S.    On August 3, 1863 (one month after the Battle of Gettysburg) John Hunter and William R. Travers decided to create a race track that would be worthy of their Thoroughbreds.  Today it is a very beautiful place.

Much of "Seabiscuit" was shot at this track after the closing of the season.

Ruby, Reece and Pierce pose with the jockey statue.

Our tour of the backstretch began with a pony, as distinguished from a horse.  The rider explained the job of the pony, which is to keep the race horse calm and relaxed.

The kids got to pet the pony and see his teeth.

We watched the trainers work the horses.

We saw where the horses were stabled.

We saw horses practicing getting into the gate.

FACTOID:  In fact, it was the Sanford Stakes in 1913 that added the word, "upset" to the English lexicon, meaning an unexpected defeat of an opponent that's considered to be more formidable. Man O'War went into the race with 21 wins-and lost to a horse named Upset. Ironically, Upset's name now is invoked every time there's a surprise victory-whether that's in horse racing or another sport-even business and politics.



We had brunch in the stands where the horses were doing their final warming up before the races began.

GiGi and the grandkids.

Felicia and Rusty enjoying dinner.

Sam gets a snuggle.

I bought the books listed on Levar Burton's Summer Reads and we all had fun reading.

"The Day The Crayons Quit" was my favorite.

Olivia captures her audience.

We worked on puzzles...

...and watched a movie...

...and ate smores...

...and made silly faces.

On Saturday, my birthday, we went to morning rehearsal with Sam.  It was a Cirque de la Symphonie performance, so we got to watch the circus artists AND hear the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Watching rehearsal.

We had bar-b-que for lunch, followed by a little nap time.  Then the fun began.  We picked teams and loaded up a couple hundred water balloons.  We had the most amazing water balloon fight I've ever seen!  The deck was totally covered in balloon confetti.  (I was in survival mode and had no time for pictures!)

Then we had water races on the rafts!

Olivia and Chad race against each other for the first leg of the relay.

Pierce and Reece give it all they've got.

I'm not sure who won, but we all had a great time!

I asked Reece if he helped put the chocolate frosting on my birthday cake and he said, "No, Piercy did it."
What do you think?

We had Champagne and a yummy dinner , followed by cards and presents.

Getting some candle-blowing help from the experts.

Ruby's book shows how she made my scarf.

Thank you everyone for a fabulous birthday!!!!!!