A couple weekends ago, Trip and I made the long traverse over to the bustling Nation's Capital to visit his cousin Justin and future cousin-in-law, Natalie. I had never been the DC before, so everything was shiny and new to me. We went out at this REALLY tasty place called "Kitchen" some number, and, as Natalie described it; "has a similar atmosphere like that of a shore side Alabama restaurant." She was about right on the money, too. I had a delicious chicken macaroni and cheese dish partnered with some Yuenglings and a shot of Patron for dinner. Unfortunately I didn't see the President, or I would have bought him a beer. Maybe next time.
We toured the National Mall, which is all the famous monuments in DC. It was really rainy that day, but we braved it to see all kinds of stuff! I borrowed a few shots from Natalie's FB to prove that Trip and I really did grace the place with our existence.
After spending most of the day in the cold rain, we retired to have a pajama pants party where we drank more Yuenglings, cooked a delicious vegetarian meal, and watched a LOT of the TV show Weeds. I had never seen it before, so I had to catch up on quite a bit. The whole weekend kind of felt like having roommates; everyone just sitting around and hanging out on rainy days and not caring to do much productive stuff. It was great to hang out with good company and discuss subjects such as renter's insurance and student loan debts. Adult talk made fun with Justin and Natalie! They should have a talk show. Trip and I thank them (and their cat Foxy) many times over for the hospitality, and we hope it can be returned to the same standard when they make the visit over yonder.
Aside from visiting DC, we've been keepin' it pretty real over here. The job situation for me has taken a favorable turn. The boss sent me an email last week advising me to apply for the full-time job he listed on Virginia Tech's website by the 26th. When you apply for a full-time job, obviously you have to go through everything like they've never met you before. I did such right away, and now it's off the website after the week it was posted. I hope I hear something from him soon... :D
With the weather being so delicious and delightful, we've been spending more time outside. I've been jogging more,
Trip's been working his magic on the grill (delish venison kababs),
the chickens have been chillin' in the out-of-doors area,
and I've even been bringing Woodford to work with me. He loves it, except the being tied up outside part. What a chump! I tie him to a tree outside my office window where I can check on him often.
At lunch I head outside for some sun with my yumz, and Woodford romps, naps and sniffs around the hayfields we are surrounded by. It's a fun time had by all.
One day I just couldn't resist the urge to be propelled forward by a force of life other than my own, and headed over for a midday horseback ride at lunch. It was just too good outside. I've been riding a different horse at Greg's, she's a very nervous and semi-spooky Tennessee Walker mare. They say she won't go out on her own, but I've gotten her to do it several times now. What I think she needs is a very quiet, calm, and confident handler to optimize her capabilities. She's not usually very relaxed, but I can get her to be by exercising said qualities very carefully. In fact, I can even bridle her from my knees consistently. Cool, huh?
Just yesterday Trip and I jumped in the loaded truck and trailer to head down to Patrick Springs, VA. Trip was going on his first day long southern cowboy ride! That's the same place I went on my first wagon ride, with some of the same people. It's really close to the North Carolina border in the foothills of the Appalachians, and a really gorgeous area. Greg was taking his three year old filly down to be made rider-friendly by his brother-in-law; that's Bobby. He's a really hilarious and kindhearted guy, and happens to be the first black cowboy I've ever met. Plus he carries the exact same gun I want; a Smith and Wesson .22 revolver. He let me hold it, loves it! Apparently he doesn't ride without a gun anymore because a friend of his was out a few months ago and their horse was ruthlessly attacked by four pit bulls. Through a series of related events, the horse had to be put down. You don't know know what you're going to run into down there, although most everyone is notably friendly. I sure wouldn't think twice about shackin' up down there.
I had the opportunity to ride Greg's one horse that lives at Bobby's house (keep in mind, Greg used to live down the street from Bobby). Dream horse: found! He's everything I've ever, EVER wanted. He's five, grulla buckskin, faster than the wind in November, stout as an aged Irish porter, genuinely willing to please, fat on pasture (easy keeping), trots as smooth as a baby's ass-end, and completely, utterly fearless. Unfortunately, he's for sale with a price tag higher than I could dream of paying within the reasonable future. I figured him out alright during our six or so hour ride. He's extremely sensitive in his mouth, but very rusty in leg cues, so he needs a little work there, but is impeccably flawless otherwise. I'm unreasonably in love.
Look how beautiful he is!
Ride-ready and rock-steady.
Anyway, we rode all over the country, down some busy highways, and ate lunch/rested at a gas station. There were about eight horsemen/women, so this was likely an interesting site. However, probably not too unusual down there.
Trip proved to be a marvelous horseman! We had to go through brush, pretty high streams, up and down some steep drops, and even got some quick bits in there. Plus, the mare he was astride (my old mount) can be quite sassy at times, and he bossed her right into shape. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of Trip riding because I don't have any saddle bags for my saddle, so this will just have to do. What a hunk!
Everything I've ever wanted is right here in this photo. One big, happy family.
sunponylove.
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