Annual Kayaking Day

 It's not that we plan an annual kayaking trip. In fact, I'd prefer we kayaked a lot more frequently. But once a year seems to be the average right now. 

October is Sandy's birthday month and she generally plans some shenanigans for the group to celebrate. In fact, I think the last time we went kayaking was for Sandy's birthday last year. 

This year, Sandy chose paddling down the Delaware River up north for her birthday outing. 

The initial plan was to do an eight mile float. I'll admit I was skeptical. After polling the audience, Sandy came to the conclusion that it was best to start a little later and cut the float in half. We wound up having a lovely time.

Approaching the Water Gap with the fall colors just starting to pop.

Borrowing Ponies

 Max may have been out for two weeks with an abscess, but we have crammed in some serious adventures this month anyway. Max is back in full swing now so I am once again behind on blogging. It's a good problem to have. 

Meanwhile, Hannah let me borrow all her ponies. 

We had a big ride at Ringwood two weekends ago which will have its own post. 

Plus we've been driving Usidore. Hannah was cart shopping which led to a non-horsey adventure on a random Tuesday. We found a killer deal on another cart which we hope to test drive this afternoon. 

All of this is to say that things have been super busy around here! I'm going to save some time and space by dumping some of the shorter rides into one post.

Nothing to see here.

Around the Farm

 With Max temporarily out of commission, I took the camera to the barn one evening. I wound up capturing some of the peaceful moments I experience daily now. It is such a relief to be able to enjoy barn time again. 

Remember when I thought this saintly creature was ugly? I was wrong.

Wordless Wednesday: Merrill Creek

 Does anybody remember Wordless Wednesday? I'm bringing it back! 

Mike and I took advantage of a beautiful October day and took Bonnie for a little walk at MCR. After a lovely lunch at Cafe 57, we were feeling lazy so we just walked down to the bird watch area and back. It was still glorious.

Nothing exciting to report, but enough photos to warrant a separate post. Enjoy!

A happy girl and the very start of fall colors.

Two More Field Trips

 

Love in the Adirondacks

 In which we get away to the Adirondacks for a few days...

Nockamixon with Terra

 September 12, 2026
Lake Nockamixon, PA
9.96 miles
3h8m

Max Goes Camping

 September 4-7, 2026
Fair Hill, MD

Adventure at the Assunpink 2026

 On August 30th, Taylor hosted the annual Assunpink CMO ride. This year, I was just there to assist. The day was a great success!

Bonnie supervises registration.

Finalizing the Course

 August 29, 2026
Assunpink WMA
10.06 miles
4h42m

In which we complete our 100 miles of walking.

Taylor with their hand painted dragon banner!

Max Photo Dump

 When I first got Max, Mike brought his camera to the barn and got some pictures of our first formal ride together. I knew these would be a "before" series some day.

A "good" moment from July 10th.

About six weeks later, I had Mike come back out for some progress photos. Unfortunately, I remembered the photographer, but not my bridle. Whoops! Luckily, Max is a good boy so I was comfortable bebopping around in just a rope halter. I decided to have Mike snap some pictures anyway. 

I'm glad I did! Even without a bridle, the difference in Max's body, way of going, and expression surprised me when I saw them on the screen. We were about 90 miles into our 100 mile trail walking challenge, and the miles were definitely making a difference!

August 28th. 

Max has been home almost three months. It will be interesting to get some updated photos in the near future. We have a lot to work on, but I think we're moving in the right direction. 

Photo dump to follow.

Max Goes To Round Valley

 August 25, 2026
Round Valley Reservoir
3.88 miles
1h12m

Double Digits

 August 23, 2026
Assunpink WMA
10.16 miles
4h42m

September 2026

I cannot believe it is October already! I was almost caught up on August blogging. 

I mostly just have to write about the 2026 Assunpink NACMO ride. This year, Taylor hosted while I assisted in the background. The ride was a great success. In the process, Max did his first double digit rides and broke 100 miles of walking!

Which brings us to September!

I need to blog about:

• Max's first trip to Round Valley
  
• Max's first camping trip at Fair Hill (featuring bareback night rides, galloping in wide open fields, and solo trail rides galore)
• Riding at Nockamixon with Terra
• A trip to the Adirondacks for our 10 year anniversary/ Andrew & Amy's wedding
• Ponying Chip at Deer Path (again)

In the meantime, here are all the September tidbits that didn't warrant their own posts:

Maxwell's first waterfall.