Trip to Providence Canyon

Our kids were out of school on spring break this past week, so we took a day trip to beautiful Providence Canyon in Georgia. It is hard to believe this gorge was caused by poor farming practices in the 1800s. The layers of soil in the canyon walls were gorgeous. There were all kinds of colors - red, white, orange, pink, purple, gray...it was so beautiful, but a grand reminder of what poor erosion control can cause.





The trails were basically paths of water that seep out of the canyon. It was was sandy and the water was shallow. It made for fun hiking. B began collecting white balls of clay that had washed out of the canyon walls. He made a large ball of clay, then formed it into a mug!

Taking a rest after climbing the hills!

Before heading to the canyon, we visited a little town called Westville. I didn't post any photos, but basically it is a small town that has been recreated to reflect life and buildings of the 1800's. The mules were used as the part of the tour around the outside of the town. A and I both had to pose with them. (The poor mules needed a good brushing!)



The weather was absolutely gorgeous, perfect for being outside. There were some tired kiddos on the ride home!



I saw this house on the way to Westville, so we took a photo when we were heading back home. I thought it was beautiful, but I sure wouldn't want the job of cleaning it!


We actually had some horse time on Saturday and I'll post some photos and maybe a video or two if I can get blogger to work for me.

Mystery Saddle

This saddle was given to my Mother by my Grandfather many, many years ago. I believe he either bought it somewhere or it came with one of the horses he owned years ago. He always called it a WWII Japanese Calvary Saddle, but I have no idea what it is.

I am guessing the horn is either for a crouper or for a pack or something:

A photo of the underside of the "horn." Not sure what the square keeper is for.

Underside of the saddle. I wonder if it is stuffed with horsehair?

The billets have dry rotted. I am the one who broke them, unfortunately...I actually rode in this saddle a few times until we realized the tree was broken. My poor pony.


Below is one of the stirrups that was on the saddle when my Mom got it. I don't know if these were the original stirrups or ones added later. The detail is very simple, yet very beautiful.

Another photo of the back of the saddle:

This is one of those times I wish I had asked my Grandfather more about the saddle before he passed. I never asked where it came from or when he got it. He just always called it the "Japanese Calvary Saddle" and said it was used in WWII. There is no stamp or anything to even indicate what it is or when it was made.

If any of you know anything about this saddle or have seen one similar, would you please let me know? I've googled it, but haven't been able to come up with any info. yet.

Quick Update

Well, things are okay here, sorry for the last post being so cryptic. I've gone back to work full-time and hubby is pursuing new job interests; therefore, we are putting the barn on hold and other things that we can live without right now. With one child playing soccer and our other two playing baseball, things are really hectic (but fun!) right now.

I spent some time with the ponies this past Sunday, just brushing them and loving on them. I longed Tonto for a little while and he was fantastic. Even though I haven't worked with him in months, he still remembered all the walk, trot, halt commands and was a little super star. I am dying to work with him, especially since spring is approaching. Maybe by next spring he will be home.

Hubby has put lime on the pasture and has done small things to help improve the pasture, so there is a little progress. The longer the new grass has to establish, the better the field will be.

I hope all of you are finding the time to ride and enjoy spring! I am so ready for some warmer temps!

Craziness...

When I'm able to catch my breath, I'll post an update. Horse barn has been put on hold indefinitely, just in case you are wondering....more later.

Hope you are all well!

Checking In - What We've Been Up To

This is our little "orphan Annie" look-alike, so my husband decided we needed to take her to see the play Annie at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Here she is holding the program...sorry, but I believe my Annie is a lot cuter than the one on the program. :)

The photo below was taken before entering the historic Fox Theatre. My Grandparents and parents watched many plays here and attended dances in the ball rooms, so it was neat to see a part of their past. The theatre is absolutely beautiful inside.

Our little Annie didn't quite make it to the grand ending of the play, but she was completely mesmerized up to the point where she fell asleep in my lap.

Annie was one of my very favorite movies when I was a child and I was thrilled to be able to share the experience with my children. Every aspect of the play was awesome. The child that played Annie had a beautiful, strong voice, so it was fun to hear her belt out those wonderful songs of Annie. My boys even enjoyed the performance.

On Sunday, we headed to Stone Mountain which is set up as "Snow Mountain" for the winter. Below is a shot of the snow tubing chutes from the top of Stone Mountain. We had a 2 hour block of time to do the snow tubing...in 2 hours, hubby and I sledded down 3 times and the kids each did it twice. I think I could have tubed all day, but it was so tiring for the kids having to drag their tube up the hill, then zig and zag through all the cattle lines to finally reach the top, only to have a 2 second run down the hill. So, after a little bit of fun, we headed to the Snow Zone to play in the man-made snow.

Below is a photo of Stone Mountain. The Snow activities were set up close to the base of it, so every time you looked up, you got a great view of the mountain. We also had a great view of the infamous carving of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis on the side of the mountain.

The kids had the most fun playing in the snow at the "Snow Zone." The snow was made by a snow-blower that would shoot snow (or ice from what it felt like) every few minutes.

Here is D getting pelted by the "snow."

He is wearing his Aunt S's favorite sweatshirt. :)

Here's a photo of B skiing down the hill without skis....this turned into sledding on their bellies.

A and her little snow buddy: (they kind of look alike!)

Hubby took a photo of us posing with a little snowman someone else built:

(I'm wearing a lovely pink poncho because it was drizzling rain...it was SO cold! The kids didn't seem to even notice the cold.)

Here we are on the top of Stone Mountain. We rode the tram up to the top, got out and went exploring. I only thought I was cold in the snow zone at the base of the mountain...up here the wind was whipping at a million miles an hour!

Notice our daughter in the yellow poncho about to run off the top of Stone Mountain...

These are just a few of the many photos I snapped on our trip. We had a great time getting away and trying something different for a change. The kids sure enjoyed it!

I haven't had any horse time in the last couple of weeks aside from brushing the ponies. My oldest son and I did make it to the Alabama Horse Fair this past weekend and enjoyed watching the stallion showcase and clinics by Tommie Turvey and his fabulous horses and dogs. It got me itching to ride again.

We had torrential rain last week, too, and my husband noticed the pipe on the upper terrace is getting washed out, thus water is blowing out of the bottom of the upper terrace. I'm not sure what it is going to take to get that problem fixed....we will definitely have to look into digging a ditch along our neighbor's property where the water is coming from. We've already talked to them about the problem and they are all for finding a solution. It washes their dirt driveway away as well, so maybe if we work together we can remedy the problem.

Hubby worked a little on the barn last weekend, but it was his birthday weekend, so I didn't force him to work. :) Hopefully he and his buddy can work on it some this weekend...spring is coming and I am getting antsy again! :)

Here is a video of the kids playing in the Snow Zone at Snow Mountain...you never know what you get when you video. For instance, check out the guy on the right side of the screen. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "snow blowing..."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY OLD FRIEND!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday to one of my oldest and dearest friends!!!!!

This gal has been through it all with me - since December 1983. She turned 35 today and at least got to celebrate it with my brother and his wife yesterday! I am so jealous! :)

Hope you have a wonderful day, my dear - and many, many more. Sure wish I could have been there to share it with you in person. Maybe next year??

With much love....Red

Breyer Collection

Yes, I know it is completely ridiculous. I say it is an addiction; my hubby says it is an illness.

From the photos, you can see that I don't only collect junk, but I collect Breyer Model Horses. I don't know a lot about them and I just purchase the ones that I like. My particular favs are pintos/paints; ponies and warmblood types. I think I have over 300 or so...

The horses pictured below reside in our basement:

(Cool side note: Some of these are signed by Peter Stone. I went to Pony Club Championships in 1989 in Lexington, KY. It just happened to be at the same time as the very first BreyerFest. My Mom heard that Peter Stone would be there to sign models, so I packed a bunch in a suitcase and took them with me. As he and I unwrapped each one, he told me what mold it was and the year. He patiently signed about 12 models for me! They are all dated 8-9-89. Then he let my Dad take a photo of us together! Once I locate it, I'll post it. )

I am in the process of compiling a list of all of my models and which ones are signed. I'll have to post that sometime, too, if I ever get it completed!

Since I dusted them today, I don't feel too bad about showing the photos:

Most of these photos are redundant; I'm trying to get a closer view of some of the horses.

See the POA on the far right, missing her leg?

The photo below shows the custom my husband had painted for me a few years ago:

(it is the second from the right)

The horses below are tucked away in the shelves in the living room among photos of my family:

I'm not sure if this one is the Western Horse or the Western Pony...

This new Stablemate mold is one of my favorites...

I have a couple of Schlech's too..

One of my favorites of the Sham mold (a JC Penney Special Run, I believe):

Some I haven't opened yet, bought many years ago...

My one and only Peter Stone model. My Mother gave it to me for Christmas in 2001, the year my beloved pony Buck had to be put down. It is signed by Peter Stone:

This is a terrible photo, but you get the gist:

So anyway, besides loving real horses, I love the Breyers, too. After finding links to really neat Breyer blogs lately, I am getting the itch to find out more about my models. I wonder if any are worth anything?