Some chairs to sit a spell by the Inn at Longshore.
A catamaran sail reflected in the water
And some yummy cupcakes for an afternoon treat. Yum.
Clare made some friends at Longshore today.
Waking up to a glorious summer day seems so much more like a gift especially after the disappointingly cold and rainy spring. Spending at least part of it down by the water makes me feel like I’m on vacation every day. Having a reason to spend a few hours by the water makes it even more so.
Today Longshore Park was filled with painters and Clare was intrigued. We walked around and stopped to look at each artist as they painted and admire their work.
Then Clare found a spot of her own, set up her own paints and embraced her inner artist.
Today is my wedding anniversary. Just dinner out and a quiet acknowledgement of our 19 years of wedded bliss.
We took Luath to Longshore with us today. He’s had too many days spent home alone and I think he’s just plain bored. In his mind, he should be accompanying us on all our adventures and I pretty sure he can’t come up with a reason that he should be left at home. The downside of bringing him is that I’m not comfortable with the idea of taking him in a kayak, so no boating for me. Luckily there are plenty of other things to do at Longshore, so I don’t really mind. Besides, kayaking every day is an expensive habit so maybe every other day will have to suffice.
No matter what we do, I always find something worthy of photographing. This is a beginner sailing class. Aren’t the little sailboats cute and the little sailors adorable? My son Nick started sailing later than many and found himself in his very first class, a teen surrounded by much shorter, much younger classmates. I have pictures of him right in the middle of things, towering over the rest of the class. He made the best of it, as he always manages to do, and now he’s in his intermediate class where the others more closely match his age and some, even his height. By the end of this summer, he’ll have his boating certificate and be fit to sail.
When I am taking pictures at Longshore, I wish I had a longer, fancier lens than I have now. Nick’s 300mm zoom is broken and needs repair but it isn’t that great a lens. I’d love to get some of those great wildlife shots that I see in National Geographic but for right now, my 18 to 200mm zoom will have to suffice. Maybe tomorrow I’ll grab my tele-extender and see if that gets me a better view. Someday I’ll be able to justify a purchase of a 500mm fixed lens but until then, I’ll make do. Besides, I don’t think I’m doing all that badly with what I’ve got.
It’s that time again, folks! Nick’s sailing lessons have begun and it’s time for mom to get to hang out down at Longshore Park (maybe even go kayaking for an hour or so.) Can you tell I took this picture from my kayak?
Clare hasn’t started camp yet and so she is with me until the end of this month. It’s nice having company along for the ride, although she isn’t the best at paddling quite yet. She gives up way too quickly for my tastes and I end up paddling for most of the trip. She’s gonna have to learn how though. Why should I have all the fun?
We kayaked up Gray’s Inlet to see what kind of birds we could find and check to see how the Ospreys were doing. I like to start my kayaking up the Inlet way. It’s usually the easiest trip and I can get my sealegs (and arms) back without having to deal with much current or wind. There are always lots of egrets, large and small, along the water’s edge. Sometimes we even catch a heron or two (also of the large and small variety) but they are quicker and much more camera shy.
Here’s my first glimpse of one of the pair sitting on a tree in the middle of the inlet, looking for lunch.
And here’s the other on the nest. If you look very closely you might be able to see a much smaller head to the right and just below the parent osprey’s head. When I started taking pictures of them last year, I didn’t see the babies until I looked at the photos I had taken. Last year there were 3 babies in the nest.
Clare and I headed back down the inlet and back towards the sound. The tide was getting low and the inlet was getting very shallow. I paddled towards a small island in the middle of the cove, it has a name but I’m having a senior moment and can’t remember what it is. Bikini Island? Maybe, not sure. At low tide, it’s a great place to kayak to and hang out and explore. As we landed, we came upon a flock of ducks who, upon closer inspection, weren’t any that I had ever seen before. What joy! I love to find new birds, photograph them and look them up when I get home.
Here they are after I tried to get a wee bit too close and they retreated into the water. I looked them up when I got home and couldn’t figure out what they were. Thanks to the help of a poster on Flickr and two on whatbird.com, I learned they are Long-tail Ducks and they are having a brief visit to Long Island Sound on their way north to their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic. Hope they have a good trip! Here’s a link to a site about them: Long-Tail Ducks
Nick’s class was over way too soon and we headed home to clean up and make dinner. I’ll be at Longshore every day for at least the next month and a week. Who knows what discoveries will be made in that time? Stay tuned.
I wish I had some lovely fireworks pictures to share with all of you but I don’t. We didn’t make it to see any of the area fireworks for various reasons that I won’t go into here. We had a couple of quiet days spent doing not very much and evenings at home watching movies. No big deal.
Today was the kind of summer day I wait for all fall, winter and spring. Sunshiney, not too hot or humid, blue skies with just the right amount of white puffy clouds. And today we got to spend the day with friends on Sprite Island, a little piece of heaven off the Norwalk coast.
Sprite has it’s fireworks event on 3 July every year and last year we were lucky enough to be invited to attend. But despite the fact that there were no fireworks today, the island was just as festive and I was just as happy to be there.
We arrived at the island by boat, found a picnic table to set all our stuff on and settled in for a day of fun. The teens took off in one direction and the younger crowd headed for the beach.
All I can say is, “What a day!” We ate, we drank, we explored the island and then we just sat and enjoyed the view, the sun and the salt air.
We had a lovely barbecue for dinner with toasted marshmallows for desert. How lucky we are to have friends who are willing to share their special place with us.
All too soon, it was time to head back to shore and home. After a day like this I could almost forget what a disappointing spring we had. Maybe things are looking up for the summer ahead. Wouldn’t that be nice?
I’m cheating again. I took this picture awhile ago, but like I said, I’m not getting much photo time at the barn. This is Jorrit, one of the Friesians. At least, I’m pretty sure it is Jorrit. I don’t know the Friesians all that well and it’s hard for me to tell them all apart. I’m sorry, not a lot of distinguishing markings on an all black horse that I can see. I hope none of them take any offense at that but for right now, all those Friesians look alike.
When Clare and I entered the world of horses and riding, it was because of the rave reviews of a fellow homeschooler for a vaulting class that her daughter was taking. Back then, I thought that Clare would benefit from the class and it never even entered my mind that I would begin riding as well, let alone give vaulting a try. But I watched her long enough to know I had to do it for myself (the riding part, that is) and eventually, I even made a half-hearted attempt at a vaulting class. There wasn’t a separate adult class at the time but another mom and I thought we’d give it a go, so they brought in a larger horse and we got to have our turns.
However, the kids’ class was growing and the instructor was getting ready to have a baby. The barn owner said we could come ready for vaulting any time we wanted but it just never seemed to happen. I think the other mom and I were hesitant to take any time or attention away from the girl’s so I hadn’t vaulted except for that one time.
Clare’s instructor had her baby in March and now is back to teaching and riding herself. She and a couple of the other girls who work at the barn wanted to get more vaulting time in and so the adult class was formed. Another chance to get on a horse? How could I turn down the opportunity?
So despite the fact that I wanted to talk myself out of it, I headed down to the barn for my first official adult vaulting class. I keep telling Clare not to be afraid to stand on the back of that horse and now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is and get on myself.
There are two things that make me nervous when I think about vaulting. No, it’s not falling off cause I know there are spotters there to watch my back (my head? my butt?) when I ride. The first thing is mounting a moving horse without a mounting block or stirrups. The second is being up so high, standing barefoot on the back of a horse.
We began the class just like the girl’s by practicing on the barrel. When Aurora, our instructor, asked who wanted to go first, there was a pause while everyone looked at each other. Well, I’ve been watching Clare and her class vault for long enough that I knew the drill so I stepped up to the plate. Just so you know, I’m not usually a “I’ll go first” kind of person. And there it was. Mounting. Jump three times and throw your inside leg back and over the horse (or barrel.) And I did it. First time! Yippee. My first hurdle mounted (literally.)
We went through the basics on the barrel. Easy peasy, even the standing part. After all, the barrel is not shaped like the back of a horse with that little dip and it’s not moving. Each of us got a chance to do some barrel practice before getting on Jorrit.
Then it was horse time. “Let’s go in the same order as on the barrel,”says Aurora. Oh. Great. So I walk up to the longe line and wait to be invited to walk over to the horse. Here’s where I wimp out and ask if I can mount in a halt. Walk, jump and mount? I can only do 2 things at a time for right now. And despite the fact that Jorrit is at least 3 or 4 inches higher than the barrel and I’m pretty sure I’m standing in a hole, I manage to get on him. He begins to walk around in a circle and I go into basic seat. No biggie. I even manage to kneel and get into part of flag position for a bit (didn’t get the extended arm yet, next time.) I wimp out again and ask to stand in a halt. I get pretty close to a stand while he walks but still not letting go. Now I know how Clare feels. I’m just less willing to give in the fear and plan on working through this by the next class.
I slip down to a seated position and then dismount, making darn sure my feet are facing forward as I land (did I mention we were barefoot?) I breath a big sigh and realize I did pretty good for only my second try at vaulting.
The others each had a turn on Jorritt and some did better than I did and were more sure of their balance (after all, that’s what it’s all about.) Then we all had a second chance to ride and do a few basics while in a trot and then, a canter. In my riding lessons, I’m trotting every lesson. But mostly, I’m doing a posting trot which allows the rider to rise and sit with the motion of the horse. I have done a sitting trot and at times, even well. But sitting a trot is bouncy stuff and not always that comfortable for both ride and horse. In vaulting, not only are you sitting the trot but you are kneeling and standing as well. It’s not easy. I haven’t started to canter yet in my riding lessons. I need to get my balance in the trot first and while I’m making progress, I’m not there yet. But since in vaulting, there is always someone else in control of the horse, you can progress to a canter much faster. So I sat and cantered around a few times. Not ready to let go of the surcingle (the large leather strap with handles that is fastened around the horse in vaulting) just yet, but getting used to the feel of the gait. So much more flowing and gentle than a trot. I can see why most vaulting techniques are eventually performed in a canter.
The other riders, all who have been riding much longer than I, were able to let go in a canter and even clap a rhythm while riding. I’ll get there, I know. But for now, I’m just pleased as punch and proud as heck that I did it.
I left the barn feeling high as a kite and wishing that next week didn’t feel so far away. Pretty good for an old broad, don’t you think?
Usually there are at least a few days in June that are hot enough, sometimes even just warm enough to warrant a visit to the lake for a swim. Even though the beach isn’t officially open for the season and the walk from the small parking lot at the entrance to the park is a bit of a hike, we pack up our suits and towels and head for the water. Most of the time there are a few others enjoying what has to be one of our town’s most lovely resource but usually, it’s quiet enough that we can bring the dogs, something we can’t do once the beach season begins.
This year June’s been too rainy and too chilly to even think about lake activities. Today Clare and I were so hot and sweaty after our ride and the pool at the barn looked so inviting, we knew we had to head over to the lake for a swim. We got home, had some lunch and even though it started to get cloudy, we were determined to get in a little lake time and officially mark the beginning of the summer. Can it really be summer if we haven’t been to the lake?
The weather was on the iffy side by the time we arrived but Clare wasn’t letting anything deter her from heading for the water. I was content to set up a chair on the sand and pull out my knitting, a book and my ipod. I like to swim but it needs to be warmer for me to hit the water. Besides, I could see the clouds forming on the other side of the lake and it didn’t look good for our swimming time.
Sure enough, the heavens opened and the rain came. My first reaction was to gather our stuff, get Clare out of the water and head for the car but there was enough cover from the trees to keep me dry for the time being and getting Clare out of the water was not going to be easy (I’m already wet, what’s the fuss?) No thunder or lightening, no big deal. As long as I was staying dry sitting at the picnic bench under the trees and the life guard wasn’t calling everyone to get out of the water, no biggie. Besides, I would have gotten much wetter making a mad dash to the car.
We weren’t the only ones riding out the rain. There are scheduled swimming lessons at the lake and most of us who have or are participating are used to the weather in June and early July being questionable. But the lessons must go on even though it may be cool, cloudy and even raining. The only thing that stops a lesson is thunder.
Moms learn to be adaptable and sit on the beach, sometimes in the rain, while their kids learn to swim.
The rain passed, the sun peeked out and Clare kept swimming. I sat with my knitting and browsed through my riding book. Clare found a few kids to pass some time with and I knitted and chatted with some of the moms on the shore.
We left early enough to stop at the farm stand before they closed and pick up a few things for dinner and bread for breakfast.
I love the summer!
I’m cheating here, you’ll have to excuse me. These days when I get to the barn I rarely have the time to take any pictures. This picture is of Oso, the horse I am riding now. I think I took it on the day of my first lesson when I was riding Texas, Oso’s paddock mate and the horse my daughter Clare now rides. Back then, I couldn’t even imagine getting to ride this lovely animal and now I have the priviledge of spending an hour a week with him. He is a lovely horse with a nose like velvet and a long, heavy waterfall of a mane.
Don’t get me wrong, he has his impertinent moments. He likes to put his head down and yank the reins every now and then when I’m riding. It used to catch me off guard but these days I’m usually ready for it and he doesn’t throw me off balance as badly as when I first started riding him. Now I just yank right back and tell him he’s a brat and I won’t stand for that. Come to think of it, he hasn’t pulled that on me in a long time.
Anyway, the reason I’m including this picture is because I had such a disappointing lesson last week and this week’s lesson was so much better that I’m crowing a bit and floating on air. I’m never sure what makes for such a marked difference in a lesson. There are so many factors involved, some of which include Oso himself and what he brings to the mix. Is it where my head is at? Probably. Is it the fact that we were riding in the sand arena and there’s so much more for me to have to think about there with it’s soft and hard spots and much more obvious hills and dips? Or the fact that there’s no fence and the horses are so tantalizingly close to the grass they love to munch on? Most likely it’s a mix of all of the above. I told my instructor, Adriane, that riding in the sand ring for me was like “ok, now I can walk and chew gum, but you want me to do that, too?”
Clare was a little off her game last week as well. She had her first fall in the sand arena and wasn’t so very happy about riding there again. Texas was being a brat and Clare wasn’t handling his obstinence well. Oso just wanted to make sure that Texas wasn’t getting to do anything he couldn’t do. So steering him was a huge pain in the butt because he just wanted to head on over to Tex and check out what he was doing. When Clare dismounted to use the potty, Oso was sure lessons were over and things really went south from there.
Anyway, when I have a lesson like that where everything I try seems to fall to pieces, I have to really psych myself up for the next lesson. I know that so much of riding is in your head. Really, it is and that in itself is an amazing thing. How do you steer a horse? Well, there are aids like your reins and your body but if you aren’t looking where you want the horse to go, the horse just won’t go there. I just got a book by a riding instructor, Susan McBane, called 100 Ways to Improve Your Riding: Common Faults and How to Cure Them. In one section she talks about steering a horse by using a passive body and no aids and just thinking about where you want the horse to go. I wasn’t sure about completely giving up my aids but I thought I’d give the thinking part a go. I focused on the letter I wanted to head towards(if you aren’t a rider, there are letters that divide the sections of a riding arena) and I held it in my mind as we rode. We made all our corners (ok, not the first couple of times around but after that) and stayed close to the fence.
I’m sure that part of the fact that steering was easier was that we weren’t riding in the sand arena, but my goodness, Oso was so much better behaved and responsive. I trotted him off the longe line and didn’t have to worry too much about him focusing on Texas and Clare in the other part of the ring. I know a lot of it is that I’m still such a noob at riding but, gosh, it’s good to come away from a lesson feeling like I can do something right. Adriane said not to think of last week’s lesson as a bad one, because as discombobulated as I felt, I still learned something. I know she’s right but it’s still much more fun if things fall into place just right.
I know that not every lesson will go as well as this one, but I’m taking steps in the right direction. Yay for me!
