Skymont: TURTLE AWARD! To Finish is To Win...

My awards for completing and coming in last place

I have to preface this story with the idea that there is no such thing as over-packing for a camping trip on a mountain top in November... I had everything from shorts to wool heavy sweaters and lots of in between for layering! No the fanged fluffy bunnies did not go with though ;)

So, the trip begins with the obligatory check engine light leading the way like a beacon to the fun times ahead! Just being on as a symbol of hope  is not dramatic enough to mark this auspicious occasion, about every 5-10 minutes it must flash at me to show it’s enthusiasm!

 

Whoot hoot! You know, this particular road trip was not supposed to happen at all, but it did, and here is why….

We had no intention of competing in any more endurance rides until next season… just too many things going against us! This summer we had SO much rain that there were literally 3 months straight where the lovely steeds did not have a single DAY that their foot was dry. This meant that most of the horses in our area had flat, soft, white line feet (for non-horsey people, think if you were walking barefoot on hot coals that have giant shards of glass sticking out, and in endurance we don’t walk!). Top that off with me going 7 months unemployed before my new awesome job, and you can bet confidently on how poor my finances were running. So we were going to take it easy and wait till things dried out, shored up, and cooled off, and just condition the heck through the winter for a strong comeback in the spring. Well, then Angie McGhee tells everyone that the most beautiful ride in the SE region may not happen again after this fall… so I had to rethink my very solid, responsible, and respectable plan.Well, what is one extra month in debt compared to the memories of the mountaintop in FULL and absolutely stunning fall colors, camp fires perfect weather, and the company of my endurance friends? Well, another safe bet on what irresponsible decision was made ;)

Marco sez, I know what this means!!

Off we went lead by my brave check engine light, that for some reason only comes on when I am actually leaving town, not when I put 500 miles on it locally, or when I bring it in 100 times to the mechanic to find out why it is coming on… but I digress. I will now consider it the “we are heading out far from home and I shall lead the way light” assuming that “check engine” simply fit better on the dashboard. We met Caitlin at the gas station nearest the mutual interstate exit to fuel up on cheap petrol, caffeine, junk food... and in my case air in all 8 tires and an oil check 'just in case' that is what my brave light was trying to tell me. The weather early was incredibly foggy, but cleared up pretty quickly in favor of brilliantly blue skies and sunshine. For a very realistic view of what it is like to head out with me on a fall day in a caravan on top of a mountain...here ya go! It was actually the trip back home, so the check engine light went off as soon as we started up to leave camp :/

 Our journey to Skymont was amazingly uneventfully (aside from our brave light), and we found what looked like a perfect spot. 

The camp site was close to the vet check AND had a port-o-pottie right at the corner. Yes, I know, most people do not consider being close to a portolet as a positive attribute for a camp site; however think about the amount of water or other hydrating beverages most folks will partake in when they are about to go 50 miles in a race, and you will realize how WONDERFUL having a close potty is at 3am in 30 degree weather! One issue though, what are the pink flags in front of my parked rig for? Is this a saved spot? Up comes someone to answer my question in an unexpected way… ground hornet’s nest :/. Well, they don’t seem too upset with our noisy entrance, aaaand actually they seem quite content to stay in their little flagged nest area. A conference is held, ok, it was me and Caitlin, and we decide to risk it for the primo site. Throughout the day they would land on us and our stuff, never with a hostile gesture or action. I think at one point I had seven on my upper torso and Caitlin was counting into the teens as to how many were on her gear she needed to work with to feed her pony... I kept thinking of my friend Cindy who is terrified of bees, much less these mean and hostile looking creatures :-D. Not a sting was had by us all weekend, but I hear our neighbors much farther away from the nest were not so lucky ;). Susan was nice enough to step in and be the ride photographers on Friday and had a great picture of the campground up on Skymont, so I stole it! This is what it looks like at the Skymont camp grounds folks, this is a ride I hope will continue to happen as it truly is one of my favorites!

 A lot of folks ask about my camping in the trailer so I took some pics this time. It takes me about 15 minutes to set it up IF the trailer was clean before I left... more like 45 minutes to clean out the mangers and stuff this ride, but usually less than thirty minutes and I have a super cozy home away from home :)

Home away from home!

Cumfy

Curtains and ride clothes!

Heat for 30 degree evenings once we leave the fire

Ride day: STUNNING is not the word, but I don’t think there is one that can describe the beauty we were in awe of all day. I have been in this area for almost 20 years and can say that the colors and the exquisiteness was beyond any other year. I felt like I was in a Batman comic coming around every corner “BLAM” “POW”... now I understand the comic book logic. We came around one corner and the yellows were so bright I really thought I was getting corneal damage! There were just enough leaves off of the trees to see the magnificent bluffs, but enough on the trees, and in so many vivid colors, that it was as though looking through a kaleidoscope at the vibrantly dyed cotton balls on the neighboring mountains. POW, come around another corner to some sort of incandescent light/lime green moss (?) on the rocks and fusia leaves peppering them while simultaneously falling on my helmet. POW, another corner and every single red, orange, brown, green, and yellow in existence is in a row on the trees in front of us with a nice trail to take us through them in the perfect order, making sure anyone who made it this far gets a glimpse at every one. BLAM, the trail turns so narrow on a bluff that you can look down literally less than  a foot from your horse’s foot fall and see the colors on the trees that spiral down about 20 stories to the rock floor… may I mention here how HAPPY I WAS to be on trusted trail pony and not green new to the trail mare that likes to leap sideways for no apparent reason? Yes, some days I do make excellent decisions. 

Photo credit: Susan Franklin

The first loop was great, and quite frankly I was beginning to wonder on several occasions if we were off course as we did the first and second loop with only seeing one other competitor on each; but the trail markings were so great that I would only wonder for a moment before a confidence ribbon marked the trail. The most awesome quality time with my Mostoved Marco was had for 25 miles of breathtaking views! It was great too as Marco actually seemed to forget we were competing and was stretching and moving out nicely on a loose rein. I will say though, by the end of round two I was definitely feeling how out of shape we both were. I was purposely staying as far off my horse's back as possible, and consciously thinking about my balance and being light in the saddle as I ride in a treeless and I was very tired. Marco was certainly not a bottle rocket anymore, and it was actually quite a nice relaxing ride... which means he was very tired! Because of his tender tootsies I had him shod and padded all around, and I sure was glad as I had forgotten that this ride is not just on a mountaintop, but on top of a rock mountaintop ;). So while we were not really conditioned for the ride after a miserable summer, at a conservative pace we were still set up to succeed.

Photo Credit: Susan Franklin

About half way through loop three we met up with a nice gentleman named Gordon on a pretty mustang. We chatted for a while and we both seemed to have the same objective... TURTLE AWARD! Fyi for non-endurance folks, it is what is sounds like, an award for coming in last place... to finish is to WIN! At one point we were cantering along a wide dirt portion of the trail that had the front runners coming from the other direction back out on the trail. None of us slowed down and just gave each other high fives as we passed at a gallop, it was really quite nice. Our camp neighbor Becky Bunnell was one of the front runners and she cheered us on as we swept by, love my endurance peeps, such camaraderie! As Gordon had won the Turtle Award several times in the past while I had had the award ripped from the jaws of victory at the last moment at several rides (thanks Caitlin!), he was happy to oblige my fancy and let me win it in the end ;).We did the last loop and a half together and both our horses vetted in great :) Marco actually vetted in better than the last several rides, probably because he was perfectly fine with slowing down and doing things my way... yes, I am a woman, I must point out that I have been right this whole time!

Photo Credit: Susan Franklin

All and all, an awesome weekend with friends, camp fires, and views to die for... quite literally if you were not careful! Marco's vet card sez... even without any conditioning all summer long, he is still fit enough to do a slow 50 mile mountainous ride and be happier after the ride than before it! That is my tough little Paso Fino!

Summer Slam in Sylvester Georgia 2013

Well, we had an offer to split the cost of going to the Summer Slam, which is a good 4 1/2 hours from us, with the lovely Molly and her beautiful endurance boy Gentry... So we did! Awesome time with the carpooling, and the ride. This was a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts, and was a "bare bones" ride, which means no frills, or no extras that you get at a bunch of rides. This is what I LOVE, as I don't generally eat the dinners at the ride anyway, and I really just want water, hay, well marked trails, and horsey extras if you can... oh, and a nice place to camp out :) and that was exactly what we got at this ride, there was even mashes to go with the hay they provided at the vet out areas and at all the water areas for the horses :) PERFECT!

So I needed to get to Molly's place by 6am, just how I like it, get in early and relax in the afternoon :) But it was 35 minutes to the barn, plus another 35 minutes to Molly's... so it was a REALLY early am ;) I was so happy on the way there though, excited about the weekend of fun, and it was a giant full moon with nobody on the roads... perfect again :) So by around 6:30 we were loaded up in her rig and headed out for the Summer Slam! While this location normally has a February ride, they were doing this fund raiser in the summer, which meant we also had the benefit of a pool at the vet out area for the crew to hang out during their breaks... crew... what is that? Anyway, nice ride for those with fam that might want to come join as there is fun for the whole family :)

We get in, vet in, and I am happy... Most Loved Marco had an awesome vet in, all As... and a 36 heart rate again :)

So I had decided to listen to... well, almost everyone, about letting Marco go a little instead of holding him back the whole ride. This was a flat non-rocky ride, so I decided to just do it, and it was a BLAST! He literally cantered the entire first 40 miles :) We were apparently somewhere close to the top ten for most of the ride, and had a group behind us who Marco was happily pulling along, his self motivation is a rarity, especially for long periods of flat boring trails/roads, so I am pretty sure he was much appreciated by those who got to use him as motivation for their own horses :) Nothing like a fast moving horse up front to get your pony going no matter how lazy, or what mood they are in! Competition gets everyone's blood boiling ;) I think he was called "the rabbit" by somebody, I like that nickname ;) My favorite part was when he was getting really frustrated with two horses that were in front of him, but he was a good boy and stayed back from them and did not try and do anything silly. He kept getting annoyed because they would slow down for EVERY single little thing like mud puddles. Finally they separated for a BIG ASS mud puddle and he went for it! As they each went for their perspective bank, he bolted full canter through the middle of the mud splashing EVERYONE, including me, with a ton of mud. I mean he really went whole hog so to speak :-D Well, after the first lap, which was 25 miles, he was one happy camper! He got to do his favorite thing for a really long time... canter :)

 

So at that vet check we had all As (except for gut sounds) and after the 50 minute hold went on to canter the entire 2nd loop too! Another 15 miles of happy cantering pony! He was still happy as could be, but was finally slowing down though by the end of THAT loop. He actually got some A minuses, add that to his slowing down, the heat getting to around 90 degrees with full sun and high humidity, and I decided the big brain was going to take over... no more cantering for Mr. Marco. I actually held him for an extra 10 minutes to get some extra grub that he was heartily still eating when our out time was up at our hold, probably costing us the top ten status. It was a fun ride so far, but time to take care of the pony and make him slow down whether he wanted to or not. There were three horses who already had to be treated, and I did NOT want Most Loved Marco to be the next one. It also did not help that the last loop was all dirt roads in the sun, so that really cinched it for me, slow going for the last 9 miles it was.

Well, we ended up in 13th place with a time of 5 hours and 34 minutes, that 13th spot we are getting used to ;) I was THRILLED with the entire ride, with how well my awesome Paso Fino did up against a bunch of Arabians on dirt with the heat coming in mid-day... pretty impressive for a breed meant for the mountains, and who actually lives in the mountains too, not bred for the desert that this ride was more closely resembling ;) While we did get some Bs at the end of the ride, I was slap happy and so was Mostloved Marco. He ate like crazy (he loved Molly's slop for Gentry! especially when Molly made it instead of me (butthead)), drank like a fish, and flirted with all the other horses, while of course giving me snotty faces :) Lol, par for the course, he may be the Most Loved, but that does not mean I am ;)

This ride was GREAT, if you get lost on these trails, you are legally blind! You should not have driven there much less ridden there! Nice camp site, great ride management, and everyone was happy as could be, and so was I and Mostloved Marco.

Once all was said and done, we all slept really well, and then packed up on Monday (Memorial Day) to head home. No more of the Spanish Moss, back to the mountains we headed. Lovely to change things up a bit and challenge ourselves with whatever we are confronted with. The people in endurance are top notch, non-complaining, happy and adaptable folk. You can't lose with a weekend in that kind of atmosphere, even if you are just there hanging out. I hope some of my non-horsey friends will find that out soon... as I REALLY need a crew for some rides ;) Hasta mañana!

New Season... Red Barn Run!!

Photo credit: Unbridled Imagery

Well, it was another successful start to a season! We finished the 50 in style, and Mr. Marco was certainly still happy and ready to go at the end :). We had an awesome time camping out with Marty Head and his horse Mandy (who finished their FIRST 50!), and many many thanks go out to Caitlin for coming out and crewing for us and babysitting Miss Shiloh :).

Miss Shiloh did the 25 on Friday, and was staying in camp Saturday for the first time by herself ;)

First off, I would like everyone to know that if you EVER hear me saying that I am considering doing the first loop with the S-hack... please go ahead and burn my hands with a fiery log... it will give me the same ending in a much shorter time period and with less effort ;) I would also like to say that Marco had a HR of 36 at our vet in! That is the lowest ever!! I even had someone else retake it! The first loop I rode with Marty and Mandy, and I let him go a little, but was trying to keep him back a some as I was worried he was not in good enough shape to do a 50 at that pace (10mph average!). We had a great time with Marty, but Marco was just a bit too competitive with Mandy and we had to split up for the next loop. By the second loop (with the bit!) he was downright pissed at me for holding him back, and was behaving so badly that I finally pulled him aside and let EVERYONE pass us, costing us an entire hour and a half. Once he finally calmed down enough that I didn't feel like I was on a runaway freight train hell bent to kill me, I let him canter, which he did for the second half of the loop. He actually cantered into camp and we went straight to the vet check, and he vetted out right away with a 60 HR and all As except (of course) his gut sounds. I could actually hear his gut while riding him in, so I am beginning to be convinced that his low score on gut sounds (B rather than A... yes I am a perfectionist!) is because he gets nervous being vetted out and kinda shuts down a little bit. So Otis was our vet, and after vetting out I asked him "he is killing me trying to hold him back, with how he looks what do you think I should do?".... He said "LET HIM GO!", he looks great, this is the perfect time to see what he is made of! It is cool, he doesn't look like he has even started yet, let him show you what he's got. So I reluctantly "let him go" the last two loops (the last 25 miles)... he cantered almost the entire time, and was as happy as he could be! I mean he was thrilled! Cantering is his absolute FAVORITE thing to do in the world, so he was on cloud nine! I think it may be his most efficient gait too, as he really stretches out and relaxes in it, and does not do the racking that he does in trots and largos.

We had ridden separately from Marty and Mandy for the 2nd and 3rd loop, but Mandy was losing her get up and go :( When we were in camp before doing the last loop they both looked a little frazzled, and Marty was feeling a bit down. We had almost caught back up to everyone after my hour and a half of pissing Marco off on the second loop, so we were actually only a few minutes behind them for the last loop. About 10 minutes into the last loop Marco got his groove on and was cantering away again, and we were coming up on Marty and Mandy. I yelled "y'all need some motivation???". We galloped past them and boy did she wake up with a quickness! We kept up a good 7mph average pace for the entire last loop and Mandy stayed right with us, without Marty having to push her at all. Turns out she just needs a little competitiveness to keep her happy on the trail ;).
 

While we came in almost last, we came in happy and ready to go. Marco was still perky and vetted in all As except skin tenting with a 54 HR... he actually got an A on gut sounds! And within 10 minutes was an A on skin tenting too ;) . Most awesome beginning to the new ride season for us, and we look forward to a fun adventurous year of happy times on the trails. 

Fixing Problems and the New Ride Season!

Well, we had October, November, and December off this year to recuperate from some strain in the front legs. Thankfully, his ultrasound showed there was NO scarring and nothing was permanent, he just needed some time off :). Turns out, after xrays (from Dr. White), ultrasounds, and palpations from Dr. Ken Marcella, that our problem was in his feet! Note his awesome Coffin bones that we were worried may have been the problem :)

 

Marco has rather oddly shaped feet and moves a little different, so he needed custom shoes ;). He has a very short wide foot, so even though the regular shoeing looked normal, it was not good for his odd shaped foot and exaggerated movement. He had too much toe, and the regular shoes came too far forward for his unusual conformation. He has a massive amount of roll on his front hooves, to the point that we wore down the front of shoes to nothing within 4 weeks. So, now we are trying the Natural Balance shoes done with a little bit of a twist from the ordinary application. These shoes sit more under the hooves, and allow for his massive roll without interference. They also protect the coffin bone more than regular shoes (so I was told). His shoes have to be custom made, taking a shoe that is much larger than his foot, and cutting it shorter so that it fits both the width and the short length of his foot... this is rather time consuming :/. The farrier then uses an electric grinder on the inside of the shoe that touches the foot and bevels it out to keep the shoe from causing a pressure build up... I think I am saying that right ;). While this is not something for all horses, I think it may be the trick for Mr. Marco and his specific issues. So far, all has been working out pretty well! He has definitely loosened out in his stride, and his back has even come down to a relaxed state rather than the tensed up back that he had before. It looks as though part of that issue (his back always being tense) was from his trying to compensate for the front end issues :(. We have gone back to doing conditioning rides in January, and in February we started really kicking it back up and he did a 21 mile ride at Dry Creek, which is NOT an easy trail. He came out happy, relaxed, and ready to go! No back cinching up, no sore legs or swelling :) So we will try this out for this season starting with Red Barn Run in March! This will not be a big season for us, as we don't want to over do anything and risk the Most Loved Marco in any way :)... and we are also starting out Miss Shiloh. So this should be an awesome, fun, laid back year in endurance for us, we won't be doing anything but enjoying the ride :)

Alabama Yellowhammer 55... Did We Make It?

Let me begin by saying that traveling in this region is really a treat, whether going near or far, the views are always wonderful! The pictures just do not give this view justice.

So we headed out to do the Yellowhammer all by ourselves, Caitlin and Anna had other obligations. No problem, we like to go out solo on occasion and besides, there would be lots of folks there as this is our endurance family :). Marco is looking awesome, the weather is perfect, and we are going to go for the 55 mile ride on Thursday figuring we might have a better chance at some points going early as most other folks are employed ;). We get there, vet in all A's (of coarse ;), and settle in for the night of mid 50 degree weather. Perfection! Woke up early as they are on central and I am used to eastern time, so just fed Marco and relaxed for a bit under the down comforter enjoying the perfect weather and planning my day in the peace and quite of the crickets chirping and the slight breeze going through the forest. It was so wonderfully relaxing and made me feel one with the wilderness... in the safety of the trailer under my warm blanky ;). The out time was 6:30am, so around 5:30 I went ahead back out and got the most loved Marco ready for the ride. He looked excellent and was ready to GO! We warmed up, checked in with Samm, and then he was a good boy and stood patiently grazing while the front runners went out in the first frenzy of the race. We are NOT going for the front of the pack, so I like to let all the silliness go ahead of us and then we go out at a nice medium pace with our zen intact. Off we go at a nice slow largo, probably around 7-8mph, and start the ride as the sun rises over the mountains with the leaves changing colors.This ride is at a great time as we are right at the beginning of fall/autumn colors. So wonderful, just had to smile the whole time looking around in awe of our spectacular surroundings... we are so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful sport! We ended up meeting a new friend (who we had chatted with on facebook a time or two) Sandy, who we rode with most of the ride. She was riding all three days and wanted to take it easy, and we always want to take it easy ;). The first loop was 16 miles and we chatted, stopped to let the horses eat, and admired the beauty of the forest in the early morning hours. An over abundance of purple and yellow bushy flowers were everywhere, coupled with the autumn colors on the trees of burnt orange, reds, greens, and browns made it really awe inspiring. We come to the first vet check and Marco is literally dancing in, even reared up a bit at one point. He vetted in with his HR at 55 just by taking his saddle off and walking him in to the vet check. He looks great! Ready to go, eating like a hog in slop. After about 30 minutes I saddled him back up and at 40 minutes our hold was up so off we went with our new friend Sandy for loop two. Spent the next ten miles doing more of the same, chatting and enjoying the ride! About mile 11 I had one of those slow motion moments though, you know, like when you are heading into a car accident, or in the process of realizing you are flying through the air sans pony?... I watched as my loved horse Marco stepped dead center on a BIG OLE KNUCKLE SHAPED ROCK!... now, for those of you not in the know, we padded at BSF and had major issues that almost got us pulled. So this time I did not pad and what happens? Big ole rock!
While I took this from the internet, this is actually a perfect representation of what he stepped on (it was just one though, not this plethora as I would have been walking had this been on the trail!), and the flowers that surrounded us for that matter!
 
So I cringe, and stay in my two point waiting to see what happens. First step completely lame, will not even put his foot back down. Second step completely lame will not even put his foot down. Third step tries to put his foot down and completely lame. Forth step tries again and is still lame, but puts some pressure on the foot. Fifth step puts a little more pressure on his foot. By about the tenth step he was moving back out like nothing ever happened, back to a big fat long gait putting his weight completely down on the foot... whew, must have just shocked him and he walked it off. So we keep on chugging along at our nice slow pace for another 8 or so miles (this was a 20 mile loop) when Marco starts doing this really strange half gait half trot crap that jars my intestines and spinal column. I keep trying to collect him back up and he does it for a minute, but then he goes back to it again. Then, suddenly, he went totally lame on that front right leg again! What do you mean! No, no, no, no no! You walked it off!

So we come in and get to the vets with Marco obviously unhappy and totally lame. I tell the vet what happened, and he goes on to do a treatment assessment. "Well, his front right fetlock is swollen, and now it looks like his front left one is swelling too". Damn, I am feeling about the size of a pea right now, and feel like I just ruined my lovely pony. I tell the vet "but, he didn't limp at all! Once he walked it off he was sound for 8 miles! Not so much as a stammer or trip!" Dr. Ken says "well, he is a tough one isn't he?!, you can't really fault him for being tough!". But I would not have kept riding him had he been a wimp and let me know he was hurt :.(. On went the ice pack, the banamine shot, soft hoof pack, and then a nice poultice to help with the heat and swelling that evening. He was miserable, I felt miserable, and no completion for this pathetic team today :(. I went to bed in the still awesome weather not nearly as enamored by my surroundings, actually got a bit teary as I went to sleep. Poor little guy, I wish he would have told me he was hurt. Apparently he had bruised his toe, that is his weak spot for sure hence the reason for attempting padding him last ride, and then just tried to fake it by avoiding hitting his toe when he moved out. So for 8 miles he was not moving naturally which of coarse caused issues elsewhere as he tried to compensate. Such a tough guy, he will go to pretty big extremes to keep going it seems. Well, by the next morning he was still a bit swollen, but not lame at all and obviously in better spirits.
 
So off we went to get another check by the wonderful Dr. Ken, where Marco gave him his snotty face. He commented "he just is not very personable is he?". I explained that he has trust issues with strangers and while I don't allow snotty face at the vet checks, when he is not feeling well I am not going to push manners on him ;). The diagnosis was good, probably just strain from compensating, should be fine in a couple of days, does not look or feel like anything permanent. We came home early instead of volunteering in order to get him in his stall instead of pacing all over the place at the ride. By Saturday morning he was running around bucking, looking and feeling like he did before the ride, awesome! So it looks like we may be in the clear, most of the swelling is gone now, and he is actually being a butthead again swinging his head around wanting to run with everyone out in the pasture. Tomorrow I plan on taking him on the trails at the barn bareback just to make sure he is not lame at all before letting him back out to have fun with his pasture mates. Sigh, now to figure out how to pad him without issues as his toes really need protection at these rocky rides. Suggestions are always welcomed :)

LOTS O PHOTOS!

We recently were invited by Linda Toups, a friend who is a professional photographer, to go to her place and have several photographers from the local photography club take pics of us... why yes, we will be right over! So I brought some changes of clothes, gave the Marco a much needed bath once we got there, and then had a bunch of photographers taking pics of us for several hours. Talk about fun! My friend Caitlin came up from Dawsonville as well, so we got some really nice pics of both beautiful ponies as well as some with us frumpy ole people in them ;). For once, the photographer is in some pics too! Since there were so many folks taking pics, Linda got in on the fun too! The farrier even agreed to meet us there as we had an appointment with him that morning and we got some of him and his shoes ;). I am happy to report that Marco did not make me have to pay the bad pony penalty... but Rosie Posie made Caitlin! So here are a whole bunch of pics of me and Marco, Caitlin and Rose, Linda and her two horses Patrick and Dancer, a friends horse that is currently residing at Linda's, and a few of the most awesome farrier Jason and Linda's cats... Enjoy! Some are really professional shots of the equine athletes that we love, some are nice Kodak moments of us with our beloved steeds, and some are just plain silly. We had a GREAT time and really appreciated all those who came out and had fun with us all day.
First, some of the Marco (in lime green of coarse!) shots from Mickey Roundtree

Then some from Linda

Aaand some from M Anderson

And then the pics of everyone else, and these are from all three photographers, starting with M Anderson

Roundtree