riding in the snow with Belle Meade

A rare winter storm brought 3 inches of snow to Thomson, Georgia. The same storm apparently crippled Atlanta but here, at Belle Meade, it just brought out the"hottie" handwarmers and the hot buttered rum! We did miss the Aiken hunt in the Hitchcock woods, which I had very much enjoyed last year, due to the fear of driving on southern untreated roads.  As this was the reason for Atlanta's plight I think we did wise to cancel that one, but we did hunt yesterday at Epp Wilson's beautiful farm. He is Honorary Huntsman and Master here and the day's hunt in the snow covered pines of his lovely Foxboro Farm was a treat. The footing was soft pine needles under the snow, which did pack slightly in hooves but knocked loose quickly, which was good because no one was prepared for snow. Scenting is difficult in snow but the coyotes had been around and we had several short runs. It was a lovely day and happily we were in front of the roaring fire before dark and sharing tall tales again! Temperatures are supposed to rise by Friday and the sight of snow in Georgia will be gone soon, so it was a fun adventure for all of us.

Back in Belle Meade country

Watching the snow disappear as I drove south on Sunday was delightful. Riding in a simple hacking jacket on Monday was wonderful. We had a great hunt, several short, fast runs. The hounds seemed to have a tough time hanging onto scent but it was fun to be riding with my southern friends again. The beer party wagon met us at the end of hunt again tho' we did make it back before dark. The bonfire was waiting for us at Boots Hall, the Belle Meade clubhouse, as we lined up in the  traditional "gauntlet" style double row to thank the huntsman and staff at day's end. A lovely shrimp and grits dinner awaited. It is good to be back.

Our "Downton Abbey" dinner ...going south.

My friend Isabel hosted a wonderful "Downton Abbey" dinner party with a very traditional 5 course British menu from poached salmon to Beef Wellington with Paula's delicious bread pudding to top it off!! Yum! and I must say, our gentleman looked pretty yummy too!. Dashing and debonair in their tuxes one and all. It was a really fun evening and Christy even found her grandmother's designer dresses from 1910. Wearing one beautiful gown, she displayed the other for us to see. They are all period museum quality, so it was fun to see what they actually wore. Christy kept saying there were no zippers then, so she was reluctant to sit for fear the fragile material might tear as it was form fitting!!
I left the next morning for my hunting vacation in Georgia. After getting stuck on some ice in my own driveway at 6am, after my wonderful husband trudged 1/2 mile down the drive, in the dark, to hold two confused horses that I had to unload, I managed to get on the road. After a 10 hr drive I was so happy to unload in Georgia, taking off down jackets, sweaters, and horse blankets, to enjoy some 50 degree weather.  Great to see my Belle Meade friends, though this morning they may be accusing these Marylanders of bringing the snow south!! It is supposed to snow here tomorrow, with freezing rain! Hopefully it will be short-lived. Our hosts may be upset but 1" of snow and 20 degrees is a piece of cake after the polar freezes in Maryland.  I am off this morning to ride in a T-shirt!!

January sunrise over snow

When I can get past the cold it is really beautiful in the woods with the snow. I rode yesterday and it was lovely and quiet. I love checking out all the animal tracks and listening to the silence of the snow covered landscape. It has been cold for so many days that 15 degrees felt like riding weather! Walking to and from the barn in the early dawn reminds me that one of the sounds of winter is the crunch of snow. I walked down the hill fence line to check if the 'Gator could get through yet (it couldn't) and thought how perfect was the unmarked snow. The brushstrokes of a wingtip and a few tiny prints mark where an owl perhaps touched down when hunting. The fox leave a straight line of tracks with the occasionally hole where they pounced. There are many, many deer in the woods. And the beaver "lake" was frozen over. The horses are managing, double blanketed, with heaters in the troughs. So when it is 95 degrees this summer I will remember this cold and shiver once, in the heat!
 Here is another picture of my beautiful daughter who has landed her first commercial! A regional ad spot in California for a big chain store. Something about Twinkies and a jingle- but so exciting for her!

dealing with the cold....

I can write about the cold snap now because it has broken! and it is now about 27 degrees!! The past few days were brutal. I am from Canada, have lived in Valdez, Alaska, but Maryland at -10 degrees is the worst! My face actually hurt walking to and from the barn. All the horses were brought in, doubled up in some stalls and the barn shut as tight as possible. I have never done that before in 30 years in Maryland unless it was a blizzard, which is as rare as the cold of the past few days. Thank God all the horses behaved, only one casualty. One mare kicked a back board, putting her foot through the board! At least she didn't kick her stall buddy. I think they appreciated the barn that night. Mucking out nine stalls, with doubled up horses was a bitch tho'!  One way to stay fit. I think I should offer fitness opportunities for free, " Come for natural fitness!!"  Only the other peeps trying to empty frozen water buckets, throwing hay bales and mucking will understand that.
The snow is gone now, but the ground is still frozen. No hunting until there is a little thawing. My upcoming trip to Belle Meade Hunt in Georgia can't come soon enough. And I have accepted an invitation to go hunting in the Santa Barbara area of California. A joint meet with SantaYnez Hounds, Los Altos Hounds and Red Rock Hounds from Reno, Nevada with members of 6 other California hunt members invited. This should be epic and this Eastern foxhunter is going west to join them. I am meeting foxhunting friends who moved to Long Beach and San Diego last year and this should be interesting. I have never hunted in California before but I hear the country is beautiful. Santa Ynez say they hunt coyote, boar and hare!!! Must be those giant jackrabbits with antlers!!! Can't wait.