A nice day...horses, dogs, cat, eating, friends

I'm trying to fully enjoy every last moment I have off of work, because I have a new project starting in the next few days...my freedom will be gone. I am so grateful I have been able to ride everyday.

The reservoir

The dam up the river from the ranch

The San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California are a part of a great barrier that separates the Mojave Desert from the coastlands. They are a transverse range, meaning that they run east west as opposed to the more usual north-south configuration. While James Marshall is credited with the discovery of gold in California on the American River in 1847, it was in the San Gabriel Mountains where the actual first discovery took place. The ranch where my horses live are located in the southern San Gabriel Mountains at the border to Angeles National Forest. Just found that interesting tidbit while searching for why the river that surrounds half of the ranch has been dry the past couple of months. I couldn't find the answer, but I am happy that the river is running again. I love the sound and it is beautiful.

I took Mazzy on a little trail walk to get to the bottom ring. She enjoyed the scenery.
There is Buddhist Monastery across the river from the ranch. Usually there is nothing going on here, but once a year...then the gongs echo through the canyons and and incense fills the air. There are bus loads full of people bouncing down the dirt road where the horses do not think buses should be traveling. The horses aren't too happy on that day.


On the way to pick up Topaz from being spayed we stopped for lunch at The Boiling Crab, a Cajun/Creole restaurant. It was good! The wait is usually absolutely ridiculous (2-3 hrs), but we just happened to get there as they were opening at 3 and got in. Since we had never been there before it was just luck that we avoided the usual crowd, but by the time we left there was a line out the door.
We ordered 1 lb of shrimp and a pound of crawfish, an order of fried oysters and Chad had a cup of Gumbo. Crawfish is a lot of work for very little meat, but they are tasty. The shrimp was delicious. You have no eating utensils (you use your hands) and no plates. Your table cloth is a piece of white butcher paper, and your napkins are a roll of Paper towel. Luckily they give you a plastic bib, which is very much needed. I was covered in garlic and spices. The steamed items arrive in a plastic bag slathered in garlicky red Cajun sauce. We got the 'whole shebang' (cajun seasonings, butter, garlic, and lemon pepper), and you can order it as mild or spicy as you like. The service was attentive and they do swing by around often to check on things. It was a fun, though messy eating experience.


When we got home Topaz was pretty sleepy from her operation, but she was stitched up with disposable stitches and then "glued", so lucky for her she doesn't have to wear one of those cones around her neck.

After we got home, we sat outside and let the dogs entertain us while we tried to figure out how we are going to "remodel" our backyard...

Kora loves her deflated soccer ball!

Then finished off the evening over our friend's house for a glass of wine and some good company. I am packing as much in to everyday day as possible!

It was a beautiful night out. I took this out the car window on the way over.

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