Motherbucker!

Wow, how long has it been since I rambled on here? Life seems to whir by, taken up with day to day minutae (not to mention a significant garden renovation that has kept me hopping of late). I view this blog as an opportunity to document my life and experiences, but clearly, a little more discipline is in order or there are gonna big, gaping holes in the story ;^)

Since my last entry, an incredible, long-planned-for adventure to Indonesia was undertaken in late March/early April with a great group of buddies. A slideshow I put together, featuring the highlights of the trip, is here - Indonesia: Monkeys in Paradise. Hopefully, a group effort trip report will materialize sooner or later and I'll link it - the many photographers on the trip returned with bountiful and beautiful imagery.

The Thailand trip, of late 2007 that I blogged here, finally got documented in the form of a photoessay. That hefty epistle can be found here: Thailand Trip Report. You'll need a big cup of java to keep you going through the epic odyssey, which included land stays on Phuket, a liveaboard to the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock, a two day dive adventure to the Phi Phi Islands, and a couple of days in Bangkok.

And finally, while I am proving to myself that I have not been entirely idle these last few months, a short jaunt up to Quadra Island, British Columbia, netted this slideshow: Quadra Island Slideshow.

As for Motherbucker? That is the name my little sis gave the horse she rode last week up at the Flying U Ranch, in central British Columbia.

Our family has a long history of heading up to the U to play cowboy/girl for a few days. The scenery, the freedom of being assigned a horse, handed a hand-drawn map, and an open gate out into 20,000 acres of drop dead gorgeous country sounds an on-going siren call that we just can't ignore.

Sadly, the current owners of the U have had it up for sale for some time, and it seems unlikely that future owners of the land will run a guest ranch - the liabilities, the limited season (the Cariboo region, in Central British Columbia, is as cold as a witch's tit from November to April, so the ranch is only open May to beginning of October), and the cost of upkeep of the charming 100 year old log cabins and extensive herd of horses will likely mean that developers will nab the property and build gaudy vacation homes and/or an RV Park on the site. That will be a crying shame.

This time out I rode Sandy, whom I would nickname "Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly". At the turn of the ride (often 3 hours out), this somewhat reluctant-to-go horse would become a headstrong bitch. Lengthy battles ensued between her and me - she wanted to flatten her ears and scream back to the barn. I wanted her to stay under control (not to mention stay in the saddle ;^) so we could enjoy the return ride with as much enjoyment as the ride out. I am happy to report that I won (barely) and that none of our group had any serious mishaps. The last time up at the U, Mr G took a tumble when his horse spooked at full canter, causing him to fall and break a rib. Injuries are not uncommon in horse riding - the animals are not always predictable, and the terrain can be difficult at times.

My sister, who was a neophyte to the whole experience, was assigned a horse named Phoenix whom she quickly christened "Motherbucker" due to his tendency to donkey kick any horse that came within six feet of his rear end. As a new rider, she did great dealing with the ornery bastard, and she seriously grooved on the fabulous scenery.

A few pix to illustrate the experience: