The drive to the barn...as seen on a summer morning.

Martine over at Tails From Provence blog did a little photo essay of her drive to the barn and asked others to share their barn trek. I thought it would be fun, although the little camera kept firing off the dang flash in the early morning light. So here goes...my eight mile jaunt to the barn.

6:30 on a sultry summer morning--leave the house and drive down Brattle Street, clutching coffee in my right hand, until I have to shift ( the advantage to automatic transmission).

Approaching the town's ball fields, this meadow is home to meadowlarks and red-winged blackbirds.

Pass a hay field--this one was partially cut before "monsoon season" hit. I love the smell of fresh cut hay, first thing in the morning, well, just after coffee! This is a great place to see deer at dawn and dusk.

Descending Great Hill Road--a killer climb on the bike, but a great ride down. The pitch is kind of lost in this photo.

Cross the Great Works River. Right now, it's running high with all the rain we've had. It's been known to flood the bridge a few times!

  

At the intersection of Rodier, Great Hill and Thurrell Rd. I'm almost there and I start getting happy horse thoughts like a ten year old going to Disneyland--only better. Yes, I'm going to see the horses, oh boy!
This route is part of the Eastern Trail Greenway bike route which travels the east coast. I've cycled the section in Maine that runs between Kittery and Saco.  I tell people to follow the ET signs for directions to the barn.

Here's the point where I start looking for the horses--where are they and what other critters are out there with them. Usually I spot some turkeys and crows, and at dusk, maybe some deer.

Pete's dog, Belle, comes out to see what's up. She's a little intimidated by the horses, but they like to give her a good sniff which sends her scurrying away.

Hungry ponies digging into breakfast. As usual, Rolex is trying to share with Harley. Whenever he goes to crib on the fence, she sticks her nose in his bucket.

This morning, a little visitor was waiting by the water tank. Yesterday, this guy was in one of the grain buckets. Today, he/she sat on the fence while Harley rubbed his head on it, wiggling the board back and forth.

Tree frogs have sticky little pads on their feet. With his feet tucked up, they are hard to see. Given his squinting eyes, he must have just woke up! 

















Rolex and Ruffy were too busy slurping up fresh water to notice the little frog overhead. Rolex decided to slurp on the tank too!

 

Ruffy checked to see if I had any carrots and then left. So, I had the horses fed, turned out, and stalls done by 8:15. Someday I hop to eliminate the drive and just walk out the door in my jammies and mudboots to feed. But until that day comes, I'll let the anticipation build with each mile, around each bend,  until I see my ponies, waiting in the field.

Thanks to Martine for the Liebster Award. I must admit, I don't think I can come up with 11 other blogs that haven't already won this award! There are a few blogs I follow, aside from Martine's, and those are listed below. Most are fellow OTTB owners--I like to know what other folks are up to with their ex-racehorses. A some are fellow adventurers, out exploring the world on horseback, and carrying a camera, like Martine and Collen (Bay State Brumby). And a few are ex-racehorse rehab/rehoming folks. I discovered the last one on the list while reading about the 2013 Retired Racehorse Makeover trainer pages. Here's an example of the Thoroughbred's versatility that's not seen much--ranch work! Check out what these people are up to in the equine blogging community.
http://allhorsestuff.blogspot.com/
http://baystatebrumby.blogspot.com/
http://www.honeysucklefaire.com/
http://spottyhorse.blogspot.com/
http://sweethorsesbreath.blogspot.com/
http://www.gatetogreat.com/un-tracked-mind-blog/