Closing of July and the beginning of August

Well, it seems that even though I have had a lot of time off, I have not made time for sitting here and writing down all our cool stuff!

1. Lover's Camp was awesome! I had a great time camping with my besties: dogs, horses, people. The weather was great, the trails fantastic, and although the road was tricky and stressful, I think it was a wonderful experience overall.

2. We are having an early fire season. The people who know about these things say that although it is just the full first week of August, the fuel in the forest is at September's dryness level. Not good. Southern Oregon was hit really hard by lightning and there are many fires just over our border to the north. To our east, the horrendous Carr fire is still raging and only at 49% contained because of the tricky winds in that area. To our south, the Mendocino fire is now the second worst of California's history. There is also a smaller, but still large, fire threatening to join up with it. Not good. We might need to buy a big ferry boat so we can put all our animals, family members, and whatever else we want to keep and set sail on the bay!

Actually, we have been lucky. Lynn and I rode every Saturday in July. We missed a few Sundays because the smoke was creeping over the mountains to our east and there has been smoke coming down the ridgeline from the north, but we still managed at least one day every weekend. Gotta count our blessings.

3. August has started off cooler in temperature for us. We rode both days last weekend and it was in the low 50s when we started out. The horses felt good and we rode at a good clip all day. We had two very tired dogs at the end. Jupes found another gear to hit--and it was fast! As long as he doesn't kick his heels up for joy and I stay centered and seated, we're good. Ziggy was also good for a hard trot and canter. Going downhill, his favorite, I heard Lynn yell, "Stop it! You are not going to buck!" I saw his head swivel in 360 degrees circle and his hind end was swiveling the opposite way. Yep, he was feeling good.

Side note: when I find my camera cord/cable, I will upload the downed tree in our turnout parking place. Yep. The snag fell and broke up all over our spot. I have a picture of Logger Lynn carrying a huge chunk of it. :) It was really dead and light. I brought home a bunch to use as fire starter.

So, although we are hurting and praying for our sister counties and the forests that surround both them and us, we are doing well and planning our next riding adventures.