Oliver and I are in the midst of a short visit to Colorado to spend time with our friends The Nichols. I met Adele several years ago on a cake decorating forum. We met up at the Oklahoma State Sugar Arts Show in 2006 and then again in 2007 when I entered some sugar orchids.
Since then we’ve been great friends. Adele came out to help us out in 2008 when I was going through chemo. Then we drove out to visit in November 2009 to spend Thanksgiving and then again the following November.
So we’re here again to visit and spend some time with their family. (I’m also here to get a Colorado driver’s license because unlike a CA DL, I’ll be able to exchange it for a French DL without having to take the written and driving test.).
Oliver and I have both been having a great time.
It didn’t take Oliver long to make friends with Alonzo. Luckily he’s a really docile cat, because unlike Ella (our cat) his nails aren’t trimmed!
To get a little relief from the heat (it’s been unseasonably warm), we went down to the spring-fed pond. Oliver wasn’t too sure about swimming in the very chilly water or walking in the mud.
He did seem to find it interesting when a family friend showed up with a bucket of crawdads and some baby carp that he then used as bait to catch some of the trout (or was it bass?) in the pond.
He kept a healthy distance from the crawdads though.
He even got to help reel in this big fish that Brayden is holding.
Nothing like warming up on a warm seat after a chilling dip in the pond!
Wheeeeeeeeee…
The next day after the kids got home from school we went for a ride on the horses. Oliver started out with Brayden on Poco.
Then for most of the ride he was with Adele on Stubby.
Riding through the alfalfa feeds.
Then towards the end he got onto Slick so we could get a photo op.
Unfortunately there wasn’t a whole lotta room in that saddle for both of us!
Then after the saddles were off Oliver got to ride Poco “without a seat”.
And he even got to hold the reins all by himself!
Then he showed the horses some horsey-treat love.
And I showed them some horsey-hay love.
(And then I went in and showered and doctored a couple of, um, saddle sores.)
Frank Notes 
