On March 1st, 2010, my friend Walter and I set off on an adventure with my Arabian horse, Sojourner. I rode Soj across America and Walter drove our little truck (with no trailer). The trip began in Los Angeles, California and successfully ended in Bath, New Hampshire 8 months and 14 days later. It was a 3,700 mile ride.

We rode in celebration of family and as an outreach to those dealing with divorce-related depression.

This ride tells a tale of love in many forms - through the people we meet along the way, our connection with the horse, with the land, and with each other.

As this blog goes on it gets more and more in depth with tons of photos and experiences. Snuggle in with a cup of tea and read this like a book. I have switched the blog around so it reads start to finish so you don't have to read backward (except the first entry).

Here is our story...

The reception and the wood.

12/2/10



The final decent down the hill to the Bath Center where we met up with family and friends to celebrate the end of the ride.
Welcome home, Linny. Are you so happy now? Yes.





Before we got there, Nancy made a "Welcome Home" sign for us. The "e" of "house" and "home" had to be shared. Pretty cute little sign. :)
Family on the stairs.

We played cards all evening. The games were Pig, Texas Hold 'Em, and Apples to Apples.

Poker face.


We had a pretty perfect last ride to home. It was a beautiful full moon. Walter rode beside Soj and I in the truck and friends and family piled into the back of the truck. Sojourner was feeling his oats and moved at a fast canter down the road to home. He was hopped up on all of the pears, carrots, apples, and apple cider he got at the reception.


After the reception a bunch of us went to see my dad play the drums. He was fantastic as always.

Walter and his sister, Meaghan, had warmed up our ears earlier in the evening...


And then the work began....


HG Wood gave us such an incredibly generous donation of 4,000 feet of siding and 10 bags of shavings. Now we can build Soj the stall he deserves. BUT....how to get the wood there?

We don't have anything long enough to load 16 ft boards of wood onto. Well, a bus would do it. So my dad got us a bus.

I called the receptionist at HG Wood.
"How are you getting the wood?" she asked.
"Well, we're going to put it on a school bus and take it", I said back.
"That's an awful lot of wood to hand load."

And it was.
I asked the guy who helped us if this was the first time someone had come with a school bus to load the wood.

"Yup, that's a first", he said with a big smile.

We have to go back tomorrow and get the second load of wood. We transported this first load a couple of days ago. The thing is, we have a long driveway and a brook runs through the property. The bus was too wide to get over the bridge so we had to unload it on the other side and then take multiple loads in the pick-up truck.

Is there any chance we can get it over???

Nope. Too narrow.

We would put as much wood as was possible in the truck and then my mom and I would walk behind holding up the other ends of the planks that hung way out while Walter drove slowly. It was a workout and a half!

So we ended up going to the lumber yard with a school bus, hand loading one of the wood piles into the bus, unloaded it out of the bus on the road side of the brook, and then slowly re-loaded it into the truck to unload it once again over by where the stall is to be built.

Needless to say, I'm not looking overly forward to it again tomorrow, but then at least it will be here and done. Plus, in it's way it was kind of fun...very much only in it's way, but none the less...a way.

My pop...always ready to help.

My mom was like a workhorse. I wish we had her to help us tomorrow!!

I will continue to write about Soj and our time here in NH this winter, but the blog will take a bit of a turn and focus more on our art.

Walter and I are entering the next step in our lives. Usually we would probably just up and go somewhere (I really want to go to Costa Rica for a while), but now we have this big, white, furry, hungry creature in the back there that grabbed both of our hearts and will make us stay put for at least a little while...

"Well, we've got a horse, why don't we just go ahead and get a puppy?" has been the recent talk.
We'll see though...it is still easier to only have one animal (plus Porter the cat...but cats are easy) than it would be if we added a dog as well. (but I really want a goldendoodle).

6 comments:

  1. i LOVE your story! I actually heard you on Kiss 108 last week (im a boston girl!) and was so amazed by it so I searched for your blog...amazing amazing amazing..i envy you!

    looks like you had a blast and looks like your horse kept up with you well :)

    welcome home!!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad to hear you're going to keep blogging! I just love your story, I found you somewhere around West Virginia but I've been going back and reading your blog like a novel. I'm living vicariously through you. Such a dream you've been living!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ....I love Goldendoodles! They are soooo sweet. Loved the story these pictures tell.. the one with the wood in the bus is too cool.. and the one of Walter and you from above is priceless!

    Can't wait to see what you have in store with your art! You are one talented girl...and I know that whatever you do, even while staying put, will be a great adventure!

    RIDE ON!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Manufacturer & Exporter of equestrian product,equestrian leather products from India - YAAR EQUESTRIAN - Visit through online business catalog for equestrian product manufacturers,equestrian product exporters

    equestrian leather product

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so glad that you will continue to blog even if it is about your art. I have had the best time following your blog and every day I would look for the next post to be put up. I got a laugh out of you loading the school bus and then having to unload and do it all over again the next day, I just couldn't help but think that is pure love for what you are doing. You are so talented and I will be looking forward to the continuation of your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Young and Fabulous!! I was just walking down Newbury Street 3 days ago...did a little window shopping and grabbed some ideas from Anthropologie. Thanks for the welcome home, fellow East Coaster!

    Marissa-thanks for the message! Yeah-I'll keep it going. Who knows what is around the corner!! ;)

    Megan-me too. I really want to get a pup. I'm just scared of further commitment (story of my life).

    Nice stuff, Jaipuria Brothers.

    mamgof4-the loading, unloading, loading, unloading fiasco was the absolute craziest way we ever could have gotten that wood to where it is now. Goodness gracious. My mom even carried some planks by hand-3 at a time-back and forth. Finally I had to say, "Ma...this would take us a year doing it like this..." She liked the workout anyway, though. Always a circus here!

    ReplyDelete