We woke early, had the horses fed, and the pastures cleaned, before the sun rose over the top of the hill.
Next up was a breakfast of eggs, fresh from our chickens, and good strong espresso (for me, Brett isn't a coffee person) while we read the paper.
At 8:30 we were back outside, getting Lucy and Pistol ready to ride. It was already hot -- pushing 90 when we headed into the arena. Neither Pistol nor Lucy were too thrilled with the idea of trotting in the heat. We didn't ride long, maybe 15 minutes, but it was long enough for me to test out my back/sciatic and do some basic stretching at walk and trot with Lucy. I had no pain during my ride and Lucy was too busy trying to negotiate "more walk, less trot" to worry about trolls. When we finished, my back was a bit tight but otherwise fine. I was, however, feeling a bit queasy from the heat so I hightailed it into the house where I downed a big glass of ice water. Lucy was at the water trough, drinking deeply too.
Next, we loaded up the kayaks and headed up to Jenkinson Lake. The lake was quiet when we arrived, but our favorite cove was wall-to-wall boats, kayaks and paddle boards by the time we left. Brett got a little unbalanced getting out of his kayak -- in water that was deeper than anticipated -- and decided to fall in rather than trying to salvage his disembarkment. I have to admit that I was tempted to follow suit -- the lake water was wonderfully cool and the sun incredibly intense.
Back home, we unloaded the kayaks and changed. We ended the day at one of our favorite wineries, sipping Zinfandel (and eating far too much fresh bread).
Even though I'm not a fan of summer, I have to admit it's pretty hard to beat the lifestyle that this area has to offer.
What a perfect day! I'm glad that you back is doing much better and you were able to ride Lucy.
ReplyDeleteSummer has its benefits!!
ReplyDeleteOh, it does sound (and look) so inviting! Summer when it's hot is no longer my favorite season either. There's so much more I'd like to be doing outside, but the heat gets to me. Your day sounds lovely. I'm jealous of your time spent on water! :) Maybe the wine too...
ReplyDeleteYou do live in a wonderful place, even with the spells of very hot weather. I haven't been out to that part of the world in a long time - I had an aunt who lived in Big Sur (not too close to you but same neck of the woods), perhaps it's time for a visit . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, I definitely think its time for a visit. :)
DeleteWow, what a lovely day!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how the two of you have so much energy! ha ha!
It sounds like a great day. I would have opted to fall into the lake and cool off. I'm not a big fan of summer. It's so hot here lately, in the 90's and so humid it takes the starch out of you!
ReplyDelete