Thursday, June 30, 2011

Eponashoes to the Rescue...

Moonlight's front shoe being replaced.
His hooves still break off in chunks, so we're trying to fortify with the glue.

This is a product called "Super Fast".
It dries and then can be filed.

Feet all done, by Eric my farrier friend.
The glue didn't stick very long though.
My hope is that with all his new supplements, good food,
and frequent Eponashoe changes, his feet will grow in strong and healthy.

My beautiful Moonlight.  Ready to ride!

Wonderful girlfriends out in Hollywood.
Went to see "Buck", a movie about Buck Brenamen, horse trainer extraordinaire.
 
Weird window art, Hollywood.

Michael Jackson look alike...

Midnight gets his vet inspection prior to hitting the trail again.

Taking his temperature...

Resting heart rate: 39!  He's an athlete!

Moonlight is on supplements and fat, and is gaining weight slowly.

Maggie and Moonlight - in love!

My sweet friend Erica.

Girls day out for pampering!

The finished product...

Newborn Hatchling Canary.  What a miracle!

Amber in her new bonnet - a gift from Erica.

It's a beautiful morning for making fresh lemonade!

Lemons from Paul and Donna's tree in the back.  Delicious!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Baby Birds, Amber and Naomi

Older babies in the aviary.
Groucho, getting bigger.
It's a beautiful day in Pasadena.  Lots of folks strolling in Old Town, shopping the upscale hood and stopping for drinks in cute sidewalk cafes.  I'm using the net at the Apple Store after picking up my newly repaired MacBook Pro.  I bought a new Iphone yesterday - my main tool on the road!  All is well at Paul and Donna's - Groucho is growing and has new feathers.  Check him out!

Lots of birds means lots of sound!
I love the orange color of this breeding male (I think he's a male...)
A peaceful place to enjoy the canary song.
Or this bench perhaps?  Just lovely...
Amber, my little buddy.  I think she's missing her peeps though.
Naomi the cat.  Ate a rat.  Left the innards for the ants.  Strong work.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Housesitting in Altadena


Paul says there is just enough room for the rest...
Donna loads the last of the supplies.
So much work!  But after days of grueling prep, she still has a smile.
What a gal, and Paul's support was so impressive!
A marriage to be admired.
Gina and Amber say goodbye.
Here's our buddy with the shaved ice again - we caught up with him in Eagle Rock.
This time he was doing a mean business outside Dave's rib shack.

Paul and Donna got off ok on Wednesday, and Gina and I are getting into a rhythm caring for all the animals.  She feeds the dog and cat, and I take care of the birds.  I found new eggs today, and one dead baby bird.  I guess that's the way it goes - they are fragile this small.  I enjoy being in the aviary, a little lite jazz on the radio, the birdsong in the air.

Bessie getting a new windshield.  Gone are all my old park stickers.
Time to get a new set...
Got the windshield on the Chevy replaced today, and made an appt for Sunday at the Apple store to learn about how to build a new webpage and blog.  So stay tuned...

I also made an appointment for Monday to get the Chevy a once over.  Hopefully there aren't any major problems to discover - it seems to be running fine, but I like to be proactive cause I don't want any breakdowns hauling horses through the desert or in the mountains...

This is the boring stuff of waiting to get back on the trail, but it's all part of the lifestyle.  Over the few days, I'll be going through gear, downsizing (again!) and reorganizing to be ready to go the end of June.

Moonlight after another bath.
Owning a white horse is a new experience.
Lots of maintenance.  If anyone has tips, I'm open....

Thanks to everyone for all your kind comments, emails, and encouragement.  Life is a grand adventure.

Looking into these eyes is what it's all about these days.
Can't wait to get back on the trail.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Moonlight


Tonight is the night of a Full Strawberry Moon
Today and tonight, June 15th, there will be a "Full Strawberry Moon", according to the Farmer's Almanac.  It's a fitting day for a naming ceremony, and I hereby announce that the overwhelming choice for our newest herd member is "Moonlight".  Thanks to Paul Foerster for choosing the name.  It goes well with the rest of the herd, and fits his mystical, magical, quiet and cool personality.
Moonlight is ready to go!

So, it's Maggie, Midnight, Moonlight, and Magic from here out.  Thanks to everyone who contributed name options!  They were all good.  Moonlight seems to be the very best fit, and what better name for a white horse on a Full Strawberry Moon night?

My dear friends Paul and Donna

Donna and Paul are at this moment packing up the van with all sorts of things to take with them to Arizona to the Kundalini Conference they will be attending.  Singing bowls, gemstone spheres, malas, brochures, flyers, display cases, etc.  Lots of stuff to support Donna's amazing business in creating customized, prescriptive malas.  Gina and I will be holding down the fort, caring for the birds, the dog, the cat, and the plants.
Gina and I will be housesitting together.
One of our small charges.  Doesn't he resemble Groucho Marx?
Testing out the new Mala Booth.  Donna designed and made the curtains.
Spectacular!
Sewing the curtains for the mala booth.
Support Crew - Gina pins the curtains for sewing.
Donna also dried many pounds of Fruit and put together bags of delicious snacks for her customers.
Figs, Mango, Strawberry, Plum, Apricot, Guava, Apple, Coconut, Almonds, and Cashews.
Yum!  All hand cut and dried by Donna.  Man, that gal is a worker!

Once they get down the road, I will be focusing on getting myself ready for travel when they return.  My list includes a visit to the mechanic for Bessie, my 2002 Chevy Silverado, a windshield replacement, and several days of sorting through my possessions, culling anything that doesn't need to travel with me.  Eventually I will have everything organized to use the truck and trailer again as a support vehicle for my adventures on horseback.  I love my truck!  It's got around 150,000 miles now, and still purrs like a kitten down the highway with almost 6,000 pounds of horses and gear in the trailer behind me.  In the next couple of weeks, I also want to get into the Apple store, and maybe take a photography class at the local camera shop in Pasadena.  Of course there will also be many rides in Eaton Canyon...
Bessie, the truck love of my life.  She gets me where I want to go!

I'm planning to be on the PCT again, but will skip the Mojave section, starting in Lone Pine, a classic old town from the West, known as the set for many a Hollywood Movie.  I will find someplace to leave my horses and pack gear there while I shuttle the truck north to the "take out" point near Mammoth Lakes.

Here is a link to the PCT if you want to see a map of the entire trail:

http://www.fs.fed.us/pct/index.html

Tonight, Gina, Erica, and I plan to visit the town of Eagle Rock.  There is a food truck festival there every Wednesday night, and we're going to go check it out.

Gina strikes a pose by the "A Rocking Ice" truck.
Thom Uber (background) made us up some yummy shaved ice!
A sample of the espresso shaved ice.

Gina tries out the delicious strawberry lemonade.  
Love my new camera lens, a 50 mm gift from my girlfriends in Altadena.
Thom says bigger is always better.  Uff Dah!
This is the biggest sno-cone I have ever seen.
Also, the best tasting!
Notice the beautiful Mala I'm wearing?  One of Donna's creations...

Thom makes a yummy concotion!
We'll be having another one tonight in Eagle Rock.