Today when I woke up I was already recording the equestrian event of the Olympics for today. It is dressage. Which is near and dear to my heart and I love but to most people is about as exciting as watching grass grow. I liken it to watching a golf game and it’s subtleties. I used to watch golf with my Dad on tv and he could tell me where the golfer was going to hit the ball based upon how he was standing and holding his club. It was fascinating to me. Dressage is not as exciting as jumping but it is actually the basis of all horsemanship. Even in the cowboy arenas they are now having classes called Western Dressage.
I digress. I went about my day of walking dogs and caring for cats. In the neighborhood where I walk the dog some young boys were selling lemonade at one of the street corners. I wasn’t able to stop going into the neighborhood but I made sure to on my way out. A farmer had pulled his tractor over and was getting some lemonade and cookies when I was driving by the first time. I love living in a rural area. I stopped on my way out and was treated to great conversation and surprisingly good lemonade. The boys and their mother told me they were going fishing and crabbing later on in the day and were excited people were stopping by their stand. The one young boy no older than nine very sincerely wished me a great day. I drove away in a wonderful mood that carried me through my day.
The top picture is of me and two dogs I care for on a regular basis. I was mortified last week to find my picture with a friend on the front page of our local newspaper looking at art at a local art festival. I am a very private person and was embarrassed when people acknowledged it was me in the paper. I was talking with a friend who I shared how I admired how she was always pictured in a blog that people comment on and many people read. I told her I felt vulnerable being pictured in the paper. but she gave me words of wisdom. Don’t let ego in, ignore the camera and don’t take it personally. So I decided to take a leap and post a picture a friend sent of me and the dogs doing one of the things I love.
The bottom picture I put in just because I love sunflowers and the color yellow. It is growing in my Mom’s garden.
I am looking forward to next week off from my night job. I hope to have some fun. I’m looking forward to this weekend and cooking up some great food I got from the farm stand, farmers market and Amish market. Has anyone ever grilled peaches before? Is it hard? I was thinking of giving it a shot next week. Anyone have any good corn or tomato recipes that they would be willing to share? Let me know. Have a great weekend!
becca's event horizon 
Thanks for posting about the Olympic’s dressage! I hope it is still on. We heard that the Queen’s granddaughter was to be in it and is this the event that has Ann Romney’s horse is in as well? Her horse is beautiful! We are from the west and used to love to watch “cutting” where the horses work with sheep!!…And about recipes: Last summer we had an abundance of tomatoes and so my daughter cut them up in sections and placed on a cookie sheet sprinkled with a bit of olive oil, salt and garlic and I think basil ( or Italian seasonings) like you would use in spagetti….she roasted them slowly and served some on toasted french bread with a bit of parmesan and froze the rest to be used as spagetti sauce or added to sauce…the flavor was to die for!
Thanks for responding with the fantastic recipe. I hope to try it out on Sunday. I have lots of tomatoes. The recipe sounds wonderful. I love to cook.
I think the Queen’s granddaughter took part in the three-day eventing which already took place. I believe she was part of the medal winning team for Great Britian. I just can’t remember if they won gold, silver or bronze. I enjoy eventing too. I used to compete in low level eventing. I am not too much for the higher jumps as there was too much hang time in the air for me to feel comfortable with. I like little jumps. Ann Romney’s horse is competing in dressage and did fairly well yesterday. I am not sure how they decide who moves on to the next phase of the competition.
I have always wanted to try and ride a cutting horse but I always had visions of me flying off as the horse would cut left and I would go right. I am in awe of the horses and the people who ride them. It is amazing to watch.
Thanks for sharing the receipe!
Grilled peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits ! I cut them in half , remove the pit of course & I fill the center with Balsamic Vinegar- optional and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I place them cut side down on a medium high grill for about 10 minutes (I like them to stay a bit firm , to long and they get mushy). I also do the same with Nectarines. The balsamic seems to heighten the flavors but they are great without also. I love them when I am grilling pork , the flavors go very well together. My Grandkids love them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream over a slice of pound cake. I hope you try them & I hope you enjoy.
Wow that sounds great! I never thought about trying it with nectarines. Nor had I considered putting balsamic vinegar on them. Thank you for sharing it. I really appreciate it and I hope to try it out this week!
Sorry no recipies to share, cooking is definitely not my strong point!
We are having our county fair here in Loveland this weekend, so we’ll be heading out for the free pancake breakfast and hot air balloon launch! One of our favorite events at the fair is the Splash dogs competition! Enjoy your weekend and time off!
Love sunflowers too, always seem so cheerful!
I enjoy the county fairs. Hot air balloon launches are always pretty and impressive. And you can’t beat free pancakes!
What is a Splash dog competition?
I am looking forward to my time off and hope to cook to try out some of the recipes I have received. I hope to read too.
Enjoy the fair!
Splash dogs is a competition open to anyone to have their dogs jump into a large pool after a float toy and see how far they can go. It can be so fun to watch! One dog would not jump off the “dock” but still wanted that toy so he ran down the stairs, around the pool, and up the small exit stairs! And he got the toy and lots of applause!
Thanks for explaining Splash Dogs to me. It sounds like the one dog who did not want to go in the water is a smart dog! I take care of a few dogs who would be happy to jump into the water but I’m not sure many would figure out to go around to get the toy. I would have loved to have seen that!
The photographer must have thought ya’ll were an enhancement to the art. Give me a horse show to watch and I be happy.
Thanks! I’m not sure we enhanced the art but it was a lot of fun to go to the festival and wander all around.