I went to the Ladies Trail Ride down in southern SK- the Elford homeland (where my great-grandparents had their homestead). There were about 70 ladies there- a wonderful mix of the old, the very young and everything in between, and a variety of faith backgrounds, too. It was great to hang out with some of my mentors, great to meet a lot of new people, and great to have time with two of my favorite gals- Kathy and Sarina Bell.
The scenery left me gawking on numerous occasions. On Saturday night I thought I might faint due to amazement- talk about a serious revelation in MAJESTY. The sky was a massive bowl of the clearest, most magnificent stars. There are no words, really. Mystery and magnificence...am I EVER going to miss our "land of living skies" when I move to Hong Kong. :(
I slept in a tent for what may have been the second time in my life. And I rode a real horse, not a merry-go-round horse...and I did not get bucked off, and I was not afraid after the first five minutes. It was probably because I had such great chaps and boots, thanks to Grandpa.
So pretty much I galloped through the rolling grassland hills into the golden sunset, my long hair flowing behind me, and the theme song from "The Man from Snowy River" drifting through the soundwaves around me. And I forgot to mention, my cowboy looking so tough and rugged, riding alongside me on his stallion. Haaaaaa haaaaa!!!!
In all seriousness though, I think cowboys, and cowgirls are thoroughly "cool". I was joyfully immersed in the cowboy culture. I didn't sleep very much, and I was really sticky and smelly by the time I got home, and my butt really hurt (riding a horse, while I did feel so genuinely rugged, does not feel very "natural"...yikes), but it was no doubt worth it.
The Three Wranglers- Kathy, Me and Sarina. I just want to be Terri Clark...
A picture from the archives- maybe this was the last time I really rode a horse.1987, with Grandma McMillan.
Feeling confident for sure. Meet my Appaloosa? horse. His name is Feathers. I like brown horses better, but Feathers was a nice guy.
Ropin'...or something.
4 comments:
looks like it was a grand time. wish i could have been there too. i wholeheartedly agree with "The Man From Snowy River" music playing in the background - that is how i would want it to be too.
on that note, i found "Return To Snowy River" on dvd at wal-mart on a 2 for $15 deal. i was pumped, and bought two copies, and have since watched it two times. what a great movie.
killer chaps.
Ha ha, Jill...that's awesome!!! Nothing compares to the cheese of Snowy River...love it!
I wish you could have been there, too!
Wish I could have been there also. I think Sarina and Kathy are pretty cool too. Nice pics.
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