The Maryland Horse Expo was a lot of fun. It was one of the coldest days Maryland has had this year when we attended. It was the biggest crowd I had ever seen at the Expo. Jenn and I stopped at the first building housing the expo. We wandered the booths and exhibits before stopping to watch a demonstration. It was a cowboy teaching a great thing-patience. He had obvious knowledge, love and respect for the horses. The demo riders at first struggled to achieve the goals he had set up for them but by the end of the demo both riders achieved their goals with relaxed and happy horses. The cowboy used humor, his knowledge and a bit of quiet coaxing from the horses to help the riders achieve the goals. I would be interested in watching him teach some more. The stands were filled watching him teach.

Jenn and I then wandered to the main building named the Cow Palace. The expo takes place at the state fairgrounds. The Cow Palace is a huge building. Jenn and I started to our trek to our left and were met by row after of vendors, breed associations and a few food booths thrown on for good measure. I love looking at the artwork. We wandered up and down the aisles and came upon an imposing and impressive booth set up for Paso Finos. At first were a little reluctant to venture inside. It was set up like a large room with couches, drapes, flowers and a tv. Lots of info on the paso fino was out. Both Jenn and I started reading and a woman came up to chat with us. I asked if the man riding the paso fino while doing falconry was from the Eastern Shore. The magazine article they had open intrigued me. The woman said hold on and I’ll ask him to come over. He came over and we asked if he on the Shore. He said yes and Jenn and I explained we live on the Shore. Before we finished chatting the man invited us to come ride at his farm. He gave us directions and told us to stop by anytime. We are definitely going to take him up on his offer. He spent twenty minutes chatting with us. Both Jenn and I were very glad we stopped and chatted!

We then explored the rest of the expo. Took some pictures of the horses there, bought some artwork and checked out some trailers for Jenn to transport her horse. After the expo we drove to Annapolis and had dinner before driving home. It was a fun day. I look forward to the expo every year. It invigorates me to learn something new every year.

We have been having very cold weather like most of the United States. We have a had a little bit of snow which in usual years melts quickly but not so this year. Where I live they do not have enough plows to deal with the snow and they do minimal salting and sanding on the roads which makes for fun travel. They only sand ice spots at intersections or on curves. Yesterday we had snow squalls and it dropped about 3/4 inch of snow in top of everything. Once again driving was treacherous. I was out pet sitting so I could not avoid the driving. For the first time in a long time I slid by a driveway where I needed to be. I have done that since I lived in Massachusetts and we were on a hill. Where I live on the shore it is flat! Flat, flat, flat. But it is rural too so no one was anywhere around to witness my slide or my second attempt at the driveway. I was successful the second time. Yea !!

I love the snow and the starkness it brings to the environment. I like the shadows across the snow and the animal tracks. I love looking for color too. The second picture is my kalanchoe in my bathroom blooming. The contrasts of the pink, blue and white drew me. The bottom picture was taken where I slid past the driveway. I was intrigued by the animal tracks. Every season brings something new to discover and enjoy. Snowy Owls have been seen in DC and surrounding counties. I still hope to see one but I always seem to miss them. Yesterday I was treated to the sight of two bald eagles flying together doing some beautiful duets.

I hope you are able to find a bit of beauty in the cold snap. Stay safe and warm! Happy Sunday!!