Horse Show

I participated in my first horse show (since my 4-H days) over the weekend. It was a two-day show sponsored by the barn I ride at and took place at some fairgrounds about a half hour from our house. We trucked 8 horses over on Friday, and the show was Saturday and Sunday. I rode Ariel (registered name: "Dance at My Party"), who's a Quarter Horse owned by the farm. She and I did very well, despite the 90-degree weather both days. On Sunday we even managed reserve champion in both divisions we were showing in, and weekend reserve champion for the lower division. It was a really good time, and I learned a lot. Here are a few shots Braden took from Saturday...

Ariel and I at the show.

Walking around...

Trotting around...

Cantering around...

Going over a crossrail.

Ribbons...

Fishy Heaven

Sadly, I was informed by my parents this week that Sherbet the goldfish had gone to fishy heaven, also known as the Francis Creek sewage pond. She was about six years old, and died either from old age or the chronic results of a tragic cleaning accident several months ago. (Moral of the story--never get between my mother's scrubbing pad and a dirty glass tank.) I got Sherbet at the beginning of my junior year of college, from my sophomore-year roommate who loved fish and was done using Sherbet (the 19-cent fish) to balance the pH of new tank water for her real fish. Sherbet lived in Chadbourne for two years and then the shady Frances St. apartment. Instead of moving to Syracuse, she moved in with my brother (and his questionable tank-cleaning abilities) and finally wound up receiving the good care of my parents for the last several years. Sherbet was preceeded in death by five small fish, "The Sprinkles," who were her indistinguishable tankmates.

RIP, Sherbet.