Sushi and Horse Shows

In other news, Matthew and I have been taking it pretty easy around the house.  We had a game night last weekend but I forgot to take any photos again.  During the week last week we decided to try making our own sushi.  I went to Publix to buy the ingredients and their sushi chef even gave me some tips!  Here Matthew is spreading sushi rice onto the nori for his roll.

 

Then we flipped the nori over and added the fillings along one edge.  We made avocado, cucumber, and cream cheese rolls this time.  Here Matthew is attempting to roll the nori into a log before slicing.  His had a few too many fillings so it didn't hold together very well!

 

Once sliced, my roll almost looked like what you eat at a restaurant!  It all tasted just as delicious.

 

The only project we have worked on since I've been home is finishing up one section of the tack room.  After all of the boards were up for one third of one wall we were able to add hooks for halters and bridles and a PVC pipe as a whip holder.  I could use a few more hooks eventually, but these will really help keep me organized!

 

This weekend was filled with various sports and no work.  We spent Saturday morning at a local farm where I showed Mow in a couple of beginner classes.  He was well behaved and Matthew was a great "show husband"!

 

 

Mow and I with our ribbons.

 

The horse show only lasted a couple of hours so then Matthew went off to play tennis with a friend.  Yesterday he played golf in the morning to practice up for the annual Great Dane benefit golf tournament going on today.  We spent yesterday evening at the benefit dinner at an old plantation where we bought some silent auction items and enjoyed delicious barbecue.

Rest of TN Trip

Our internet has been on the fritz the last week or so but now that it is fixed (new router) I can catch up on my posts.

 

In addition to the endurance ride, I spent my vacation in Tennessee riding with my mom, canning vegetables, and helping build my parents' barn.

 

We were able to ride at a new park this visit and the views there are spectacular.  Here Mom and I are at one of the overlooks.

 

 

 

My mom's new horse, Santana.

 

 

Mow got a few days off after the endurance ride so Rabi had to fill in for him.

 

A few more overlook photos.

 

 

It has been very wet in Tennessee this year so we saw lots of different kinds of mushrooms in the woods.  This kind is my favorite, huge and bright red! (that is Mow's foot for reference)

 

After our daily ride we worked on some other projects.  Mom and I canned 33 pints of green beans (from her garden) and 10 pints of spaghetti sauce.  Here I am cutting up beans while the sauce is cooking.

 

Mom did most of the canning using her pressure cooker.

 

 

Here's the haul of food I brought back, including jalapeno peppers, canned venison, and potatoes (in white bag).  Thanks Mom!

 

 

Later in the week I helped my parents put up some steel on their 50' x 50' barn.  We put up 20' long pieces over what will become their equipment shed and my dad's workshop.

BSF Endurance Ride

On Friday Mow and I competed in our second endurance ride.  I came up to Tennessee to visit my parents last week and stayed for the ride at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.  We took Mow over to the park on Thursday to check in and go through the vet-in, which means that one of the ride vets checked him all over (heart, lungs, back, gut sounds, etc.) and then watched him trot out and back.


The vet check.  Can you see the rain drops?  It started raining right as we pulled in.


















Trotting Mow out.  He passed the vet check with all A's.


















Since my parents live so close to the park, we did not camp at the ride.  Instead, we got up at 5:30 am on Friday to trailer over and be ready for the 8:00 am start.



















I waited for the 24 other riders to leave before mounting up and heading out on the ride myself.  Mow was quite well-behaved and we walked out of camp to start the ride.

























Here is a professional photo (by Becky Pearman Photography) taken out on the trail shortly after the start.

























Here Mow and I are coming back into camp after our first 16 mile loop.  Behind us is Robin, our new riding buddy whom rode with us for the entire ride.


















Once we completed the first loop, I un-tacked Mow and went over to have his heart rate measured.  Once his heart rate was below 64 bpm, the clock started on our mandatory 50 minute hold time before starting the second half of the ride.


















After the heart rate check, we headed over to the vet again for a recheck of all the same things as the original vet in.  If Mow was off in any way we would have been pulled from the ride.  Fortunately, all was well and he passed again with mostly A's.


















The trot-out during this vet check.

















After passing the vet exam, Mow and I had what was left of our 50 minute hold to rest, eat, drink, and cool off.  Here I am sponging him down to help keep him cool.

























Then I got to sit for a few minutes and snack while Mow ate more hay.  My mom (photographer) and dad, along with our friends Louise and John, helped "pit crew" for me during the vet check.

















Soon it was time to head out for our second 16 mile loop.

























When we returned from our second loop we went through the same vet check.  Here we are at the heart rate check.  As soon as Mow's heart rate was below 60 bpm the clock stopped on our ride (not when we crossed the finish line, as it would be on a longer ride).

























Mow passed the last vet check as "fit to continue" (mostly A's again) so we successfully completed our second endurance ride!  We finished the 32.5 mountainous miles in 6:18 and placed 22nd out of 25.  I am very proud of both of us! 

Labor Day Party

We spent Saturday this weekend at the annual Dersty Holiday hosted by our friends.  We brought the miniatures again and had a great time.

 

Before sitting down to a potluck lunch we had to get a group shot. (Thanks to Jamie for a lot of these photos!)

 

All of the food was delicious as usual!

 

There were only a couple of kids this year but one of the girls especially loved the horses and spent just about every second with them.

 

Our friend Christa drove Spice while I drove Peanut to give cart rides.

 

While I was with the horses, Matthew played volleyball and ping pong with some of the guys.

Master Closets

Over the past month or so, Matthew and I have been working on the last two rooms in our house - the master closets!

 

I forgot to take a "before" shot of my closet, but here is what our room looked like once I cleared it out.

 

While re-organizing, I went through my Breyer model horse collection.  Good thing we put up lots of shelves in the closet to make room for all of them!

 

Here is a "before" shot of Matthew's closet.  Most of the shelves had already fallen down before we moved in.

 

It's hard to get a good photo, but here are the "after" shots.  I patched and repainted all of the walls, trim, and doors before Matthew put up twice as many shelves and clothes rods as before. It feels great to finally have everything organized and to finish the last rooms in the house!

 

Tack Room and Clothes Line

With the heat and rain of the past weeks we have not been working too hard around the house.  We did, however, start working on the tack room walls a little in the mornings.  First Matthew covered the outside of the tack room with drywall so that we could insulate the walls.

 

Then we measured out the sanded boards from the pallets to fit between the studs.

 

Not all of the pallet wood is usable but this is how far we got with three pallets. It may not be the quickest way to cover walls but it is inexpensive, helps reuse wood, and looks pretty nice (in a rustic way)!

 

We  also installed a small improvement around the house to help save some money and energy.  I bought a retractable clothesline and we put it up around the carport.

 

The line goes along the front and side of the truck and fits about one load of laundry.  The fact that it is in the shade should help keep the clothes from fading too much and the added cover might come in handy during a pop up rain shower!