I have not ridden for years but when I was younger I used to ride all the time at a place called, Randrup’s Ramunda; in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. My friends and I went there so often they would let us saddle the horses and take them out on our own. It was a blast.
This time Bobbi did the saddling and I mounted the horse - almost as easily as I used to when I was younger. Before our ride, I imagined myself flying across the sand, wind in my hair, the horse at a steady gate under my thighs. You see the last time this exciting sensation happened to me was in 1988.
My friend Mary and I were in Egypt. I had met a guy from Qatar, who was on vacation there, and he took us riding a couple of times. One night, in a hot pink dress, with HUGE shoulder pads - purchased just for the occasion - I rode across the Sahara desert at midnight. No I did not purchase the dress to go riding. I purchased the dress to go out for dinner, as Mary and I had not packed things to “dress up” in. So after dinner, Khalifa (that was his name) asked if I wanted to go smoke a hookah with his friends in the desert. Of course I said yes. For those of you who do not know, a hookah is a tall pipe, very common in the mid-east, with twisted tubes that the tobacco (yes, tobacco) travels through to enhance the flavor.
Next thing I know we are in a barn of sorts, at the base of the pyramids, smoking a hookah with a few locals. It turns out these were the same guys that we had rented the horses from on our previous daytime rides. Well one thing led to another and soon I am cantering across the desert, under a full moon in a hot pink dress that is hiked up around my hips, with my shoulder pads flapping in the wind. Now that is a memory that will stick with me forever!! I would guess Khalifa’s memory of it would be him and his friend chasing after me on their horses, screaming at me to stop. I did not know that the sands often shift on the desert floor and they were afraid the horse may fall into a hole. Their worries were not really for me, but the poor horse, I am sure!
So now I have a chance to relive this sensation...and I did!!...kind of. The difference was this time I felt anxious!! Bobbi, was as patient as can be, and told me I had just not “found my stride” yet. So we would walk the horses and talk and then take off for a good run and I would say...."whoooo” and pull back on the reins much sooner than I would have 20 years ago. My knees started hurting and my legs were shaking slightly. Maybe if I would have smoked a hookah first...
Anyway, I still LOVED IT!! Bubba was a great horse and I know we will go again. Next time she wants to take a lunch and go further. I may need a few more practice runs before I head up into the mountains for the 5 hour ride she has in mind. In the meantime I love my life!!! YEEHA!!! I am now a Mexican cowgirl!!!
Now for Maurice’s “first”. He has been watching and speaking with the local fisherman for a long time. He has been trying to perfect a technique they use to catch their bait. What they do is wade into the surf and just as it recedes they look for a specific movement in the sand that indicates there is a certain type of crab there. I saw one and it looks kind of like a multi-legged, white flea, which is about the size of your fingernail. If you are lucky enough to catch one you can put it on your pole as bait.
Yesterday Maurice was lucky enough to catch one. After he was soaking wet from the effort he put it on the end of his home made lure. He twisted metal, like the locals do, to create a hook of sorts and put this crab thing on the end. After 4 casts he caught a fish!! He was so excited. Retro and I went to see him on the beach but at that time he was still trying to catch a piece of bait. When he was walking back with the biggest grin on his face I knew he got lucky.
He cleaned and gutted the fish. We did not eat it then cause we went to Bobbi and Mike’s for dinner. So now the guy is wrapped in our refrigerator. I will grill him for Maurice tomorrow. He was so happy with his success!!
I did not get any pictures of me riding, but here is my dear husband with his first fish. He tells me it is 22 inches and about 64 pounds. Of course Retro is helping him. YEHAA!! Maurice is now a Mexican fisherman!!
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