Vacation

September has been full of sifts to routines and spending six days a week in the store. I love the space, the atmosphere and the emotional high it gives me, but it is time to take a step back and catch up with other parts of life.  Today, Sunday, was not only my usual day off, it was the start of vacation.

Julia and I went out to breakfast at a little café in what passes for a strip-mall in the next town. It was full of folks who carried too much weight and not enough teeth. It’s the kind of place we walk in dressed in our boots and britches and no one is offended. The were eggs just right, toast with too much butter and great home-fried potatoes with lots of onions. My theory is the later in the morning you go out to breakfast, the better the home-fries since they have time to brown and crisp.

The barn was busier than I have seen it in weeks. Then again, I haven’t been there much lately. As the temperatures climbed, we headed out to the big field for a final bit of cross-country jumping, probably the last of the season. I rode Julia’s Thoroughbred then took up my camera to capture Amanda on my mare, Night and Julia on her horse – Boots. It was a perfect day for riding and shooting photos of girls and their ponies.

The best shots came later when the crowd around the pear tree was kibitzing and sharing their riding adventures as the horses grazed loose on the lawn.

After several hours of intense housework, (Julia and I attacked bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms and the living room) I sat to write. Alice was insistent  and I remembered I had promised a walk to the ledges on our newly cleared road. Every week brings different views; the changing leaves make each walk memorable.

For the next few days I will take time to enjoy the fall. If I miss a day of writing, I hope you will forgive me and catch up with me when I return…