Visit with Wayne 11-24-2020

Wayne came to Texas for Thanksgiving. He and Kelley planned to meet with his kids at Trinity Park in Fort Worth on Thanksgiving Day. Mom joined them.

We had Thanksgiving here with Keannon, Vanessa and kids for lunch then went to Keannon's mom's after.

On Wednesday November 24th Wayne came to Mineral Wells and we had lunch with him.

I had Kennedy take this picture for us.

These are the cookies that Vanessa brought for Thanksgiving. She has a friend who sells these. Not only are they pieces of art they are delicious too!

Have a good one!

Another Great Ride 11-23-2020

On November 23rd I took Kennedy to ride at our State Park. Kennedy has ridden at the park with me before but on our old horse Clyde. This was her first time to ride Fancy by herself at the park. 

It was nice while the sun was out but when it went behind the clouds it got a bit chilly. (Aunt Kay, can you see that I have your old shirt jacket on?)

Diamond and I lead at the beginning of the trail.

The sun was hit and miss.

Fancy didn't think Diamond was walking fast enough so Kennedy took lead.

My only concern with Kennedy being lead is that Fancy tends to sidestep when something startles her. She doesn't do that so much when she is following.

Fancy did do that a couple of times but Kennedy stayed with her!

It still makes me sad that the trees had to be cut down. They were huge!

Almost back to the trailhead.

I still have trouble figuring out where to look! 

We successfully completed 8 miles! It took us about 2 hours.

I always have made it a practice to walk the horses on foot back to the trailer as the horses feet tend to slip on the pavement. It feels better on our legs too after riding that distance!

Striking a pose before we load up to go home.

Kennedy did admit to me she thought the ride was just a bit too long. 

Have a good one!

Kennedy Serves 11-21-2020

Kennedy serving.

To see a short clip of Kennedy's team volleying click here.

Have a good one!

So Close

 It is December 5th as I write this blog. I have been meaning to blog for several weeks to update on the kids house. Much progress has been made ....still much to be done.... its so close and yet not quite.

Our hope is that they can be in their home by Kennedy's birthday which is December 18th. It's cutting it close to be in by Christmas.

These pictures were taken on Nov 10th.

What you are looking at is the dog wash. You can see the dog door to the right. There will be a kennel along the wall and a counter on the top. The washer dryer will be to the left of the dog wash.

This is the guest bathroom.

The kitchen and dining area. The cabinets to the right is where the fireplace used to be.

Built-ins in the new living area that is to the left of the picture above. It is back of the house.

this is a different view of the above room. I LOVE the windows!

this is a view of that room from the outside.

This will be the office which is in the same space it was before but now has built-ins.

The kiddos bathroom.

The tub/shower area of the kiddos bathroom.

These pictures were taken Thanksgiving Day Nov 26th.

The flooring is in. The front door of the house is to the left of this photo.

The front door from the inside.

Korin's room looking at built-ins in her closet.

This opening that Vanessa and Doyle are standing in will be doors to the patio that I'm standing on.

This is the covered patio and the room above is to the left of this photo.

It is going to be so nice when it is finished!

Have a good one!

Texas Frontier Trails Heritage Park 11.11.20

It was too pretty a day to be inside. I didn't have enough time to ride so I decided to walk the trails at a local park close to Keannon and Vanessa's house. 

This property belongs to the city of Mineral Wells and was once a park but it wasn't maintained and with the lean years it became abandoned, overgrown and a place for illegal activity.

Several years ago a group called Texas Frontier Trails formed to help preserve and maintain the history of Palo Pinto County. This group leased the land with the good faith to improve it which they have. The idea was to create an amphitheater having live dramas telling the stories of the Goodnight-Loving cattle drives that took place in our region. That is still the dream but there hasn't been enough funding to create the vision just yet. In the meantime some walking and biking trails have been created to keep the park visible to the public.

There are some wooden benches that were hand made and donated by supporters of Texas Frontier Trails that are along the trails for people to sit.

There is a rock stairway that is so cool.

My walk back to the parking area. I had a great time.

Have a good one!

Solo Fall Ride 11.09.20

I had made plans for Kennedy and I to ride again but she got into a little trouble with her mom. I however wasn't going to let not having a riding buddy stop me from enjoying a good ride!

The State Park trails were open! I was much happier. I absolutely love these trails.

You may recognize this picture as my new profile picture on Facebook. 

This is one of my favorite sections of the trail. (I actually have several 😉)

Here's another favorite spot. I did see some deer and we startled some feral hogs. I didn't know that's what it was until I spotted one. 

I'm glad Diamond didn't see it. It was off trail. Feral hogs are a big problem in our area.

I almost started too late in the afternoon and Diamond is a slower walker especially when there's not another horse. We got back to the trailhead just before dark! It was still fun but with shorter daylight I'll have to make sure I get started sooner!

Have a good one!

Fall Ride 11.03.2020

It was a very pretty fall day here in North Central Texas. Perfect riding weather. Kennedy and I rode the "Rails to Trails" from the State Park. I wasn't my first choice but the trails in the park were closed. 

This was Kennedy's first solo ride outside the pasture on Fancy. She is a little more "horse" than Clyde. She is younger and has a little more spunk.

Kennedy did really well.

Kennedy taking a selfie. This just shows how comfortable she was.

We had a great ride. Looking forward to doing it again soon!

Have a good one!