I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Oh, I had a WONDERFUL time!

I got off the trolley bus at Water Slide World, and went across the street to the druggist's to buy a one-time use camera (my 35mm camera was stolen in 2005)...they had buy one get one free, so I have a second disposible camera for cow shots, in case I ever get invited to the farm again.

Then, I went across the street from the drug store and had the lunch special at Howard Johnson's--cup of soup and a turkey salad sandwich for $4, then grabbed another trolley for Wild West Ranch.

My horse's name was Bailey and he was fantastic. We never went faster than a jog (a slow ambling semi-trot, only slightly faster than a walk)...my horse had the loveliest jog, it was like barely moving...mostly we just walked though. The weather couldn't have been any better: mostly sunny, no humidity, and neither too warm nor too cool.

We road down a dirt road between pine trees, and then through some pine forests. I took lots of photos...don't know what will come out, though.

It's not exactly easy taking pictures from the back of a moving horse, even at a walk, tho' I've done it before. The world as seen through a horse's ears.

There was this gorgeous quarter horse in a paddock, standing along the fence--he looked just like John Wayne's horse! (One he rode in some of his later westerns, in the 60's.)

I took pics of the scenery around the "ranch," and of the children's theme park across the road, Magic Forest, which has some giant fiberglass figures of Uncle Sam, Santa, and a lumberjack. I also took a pic or two of Lake George at the pier.

After my ride, a cowgirl came along, leading a twee bay pony on a leadline...the pony was wearing a hot pink halter (head collar), and wearing a bareback (riding) pad..and sitting on the pad was an equally twee Jack Russel Terrier, going for a ride! I got loads of shots of them. They were adorable!

I don't know when I'll be able to get the pics developed--I spent $35 dollars today, which is a good $15 to $20 more than my usual weekly allowence. So, it'll have to wait a week or two, before I can post any pictures that came out.

After riding, I caught another trolley bus back to the pier, and treated myself one last time--to a soft ice cream cone. And...here I am.

I think what pleased me more than anything, is that I haven't forgotten how to ride!

OK, well, my legs are a bit trembly...not as sore as when I was taking lessons, and had to work--and I do mean, work, without using the stirrups...let me tell you, trying to trot standing up or posting without stirrup, whether riding hunter seat or western, HURTS. I mean, you do develop a better seat that way, but..ouch.

Riding is great exercise, by the way...you use almost all the muscles of your body...especially your legs. Most of your weight goes down your body into your legs/feet, so your legs can get a bit weak and trembly, after a ride.

But, I loved my horse--"Bailey," a chestnut colour gelding. He was very gentle and had lovely gaits. I'd love owning a horse like that, he'd be such a pleasure to go out riding with.

One of the trails is right on the old military road from Lake George to Albany, that was used for both the French and Indian (Queen Anne's) War, and the Revolutionary War. The story Last of the Mohicans took place here, as well.

The only downside of the whole day, is that the deer flies were out, and I forgot to buy repellant, so I've got some really nasty, itchy good-sized welts on my arms. I normally wear a long-sleeved shirt while riding--but normally I would be riding for 1 to 2 hours, so I figured a 30 min. ride, I wouldn't need to dress special for. Guess I was quite wrong there, ey?

Deer flies are rotten. They don't give up; I've actually had them follow me, while I was hiking in the woods--I've had to run under low hanging branches to brush them off. They suck your blood, and leave huge red welts, that both hurt and itch. Damn things, I hate 'em!

At $20 (not counting tip for the guide), I reckon I can save up my money and go again, come August, maybe.

Playwrite27 is one very happy camper, today. This is the best day I've had in months!

Guess who is going horseback riding, today? ME!!!

Ouch though. They've raised their prices!!! . Normally, a horseback trail ride costs around $25 an hour, and that's what they were charging last month. Now, they are charging $20 30 min, and $38 for just under 60 min. YIKES.

But, a half-hour is better than no riding at all, so I'll take it. Back when I was a teenager in the late 70's, it only used to cost me $5 for a 30 min. western (stock seat) or english (hunter-jumper seat) riding lesson. Wow, talk about inflation!

Here in the Adirondacks, I used to ride at Bailey's Horses, which is a trail riding place by the roadside of NY Route 9-N, across the road from the Painted Pony Rodeo, run by a genuine horseman--well cared for and very well-trained horses, with the best tack (saddles) and mature responsible guides. Many of these roadside horse hire places use teenagers and cheap tack and equally cheap horses.

I don't know how this new "Colonial Stables" at the Wild West Ranch (a theme park that hosts a wild west show, free petting zoo and riding) will shape up, but the woman sounded very plesant and professional on the telephone, so hopefully I will have a nice time. I'm going to have a bite to eat and buy a camera, before I leave though. I've not had my picture taken on a horse in about 10 or 15 years...well, I had my pic taken in Egypt on a horse, but it was dark outside and the pic didn't come out--more's the pity, as it was one of the most memoriable nights of my life.

I'll leave my cowboy hat at home though (it's an inexpensive one, and doesn't fit well), and wear my ball cap with the happy horsey on it.

Yeee-haa! Whoo-hoo! Giddy-up Playwrite27!!!

This is almost as exciting, as getting to sit in Dr Who's car...well, sort of.

I've read where good old Casey Kasem has just retired. About the time I hit my pre-teens--with my ear virtually glued to our family's old Montgomery Ward "Airline" AM radio---Casey Kasem came along, with a radio show called, "American Top 40." It was a weekly countdown (in our area, on early Sunday afternoon), of all the top pop chart hits.

Kasem stayed on the air from the early 70's to just about a week or so ago...and America's Top 40's is still around, under a different DJ (one probably born after AT40 first aired), and, they still play repeats of the old 70's programmes sometimes, as well.

One of the first hits I remember from AT40, was "American Woman," by the Guess Who.

My sister and I loved this song--but, we loved the 45 record even more. That's because, unknown to anyone, the ending of this song was censored--but, not on the recording.

The REAL ending of the song, is cut off. On the 45 though, it ends, "...goodbye American woman---goodbye American bitch."

To two 9 and 10 year old girls, who very much were not allowed to swear--or even to be around swearing, this was a rather delightful discovery...one we became quite careful of hiding from our mum!

The song is actually a commentary on America's involvement in the Vietnam War, and the draft.

Personally speaking, I'm not all that crazy about blistering hot weather--and any kind of humid weather isn't exactly my cup of tea. So, that we're having a cool, somewhat wet summer, is fine by me!

Unfortunately, many others in my area, cannot say the same.

The farmers in my region are not thrilled. June was a misery to them. First, we had unusually late frosts, then wet weather, then a few days in the 80's F, then back to chilly weather....very bad for our planting season here...which is late May to late June.

Normally, in July here, we have quite a few upper 80 to 90-degree F days...July is typically the month for our hottest weather. So far, this July, we've had all of ONE day in the 80's F...and that was around 82 F.

All this week, the weather is supposed to range from the upper 50's F at night, to the mid-70's F, during the day. The weird weather pattern isn't putting farmers in crisis, not by any means, but, it has been making them quite worried and shaking their heads. It's been hard for dairy and other farmers, and horsemen alike, to get in hay crops...wet hay is dangerous, because 1. it can develop molds that make it inedible to livestock, and 2. wet hay that's been compressed into round or square bales, can overheat and cause spontainious combustion--setting fire to barns...even those huge round bales sitting out in the field, have been known to just burst into flame, because the wet compressed centre overheated.

Also, cool wet weather is bad for the corn crop--because corn needs a period of warm weather, to really grow properly.

All in all, farming can be a very discouraging and worrying profession, because you are at the mercy of something no one can control.

Also, tourism is severely affected by cool wet weather--already thousands of Americans--as well as Canadians and foregin tourists-- have opted not to go on holiday this year, or not to go very far from home, at any rate. So, our visitor numbers locally, are down, worse than they've been for the last 50 years, so I've been told.

Last night we had some really bad thunderstorms--some of which hit local campgrounds dead-on, thankfully no one's reported any injuries. In the past, people have been killed in local campgrounds, from falling trees and lightning strikes.

Wow, did it come down in buckets out there, tonight. It had been quite ominous all afternoon, and around 5pm, it opened up, three or four storms back to back. One would move out, another move in--blimey! I couldn't get to the bus stop! I left one shop as the rain let up, only to have the rain come down again...the lightning was bad, as well, quite a few direct hits--tho' for some miraculous reason, we didn't lose any power, for a change, which was nice.

I was in a supermarket once, having spent almost an hour shopping, standing in the queue at the till, when the power went out--and of course, these days, the cash registers are all run on electricity, so had to abandon my shopping. That wasn't a happy moment. Meh, but stuff happens.

I saw the doctor earlier this week, and they're talking surgery on my esophogus--in-office, same day stuff, no big deal...they may have to remove some scar tissue, that's all. My bad eye has been bothering me, and I was admonished to wear my clip-on sunglasses more. The bright light didn't used to bother me with the retinitis pigmentosa, but now it is, I guess. I now have built-in UV protection in my new lenses, but the doc says the sunglasses should help tone down the discomfort, a bit. He says discomfort with bright light is normal at my present stage of the disease and it's nothing to worry about. Good to know.

I was a bit shocked when I took the trolley bus to Lake George village late this afternoon. Lake George village is sort of like Blackpool, only it's a lake surrounded by mountains and millions of trees. The Independence Day weekend last week, the village was positively mobbed with people--today, it's practically a ghost town. Which is not normal. It's July, it should still be mobbed--but the hotels almost all had "vacancy" signs hung out, and many of the major attractions seemed to be at half capacity or less. Even the major amusement/water park, Six Flags/Great Escape, looked to be only half-full.

Of course, today the weather was very gloomy, threatening to really crack open a good storm, from mid-afternoon to the deluge at 5pm. We're having a largely cool and often rainy summer, so far. We've not even hit 90F yet! In fact, we've only had a handful of days in the mid-80's F. Not exactly prime weather for hitting the beaches on the various lakes/rivers, or the water parks.

The strip of road, know locally as "the outlets," with 50 or so factory outlet shops (Eddie Bauer, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Reebok, Van Husen, Levis, Big Dog, etc.) seems to be faring a bit better--too wet to go to the amusement or theme parks, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, rodeo, go-karts, hiking, cycling, etc., so people are opting to go to dinner theater, cinemas, dance shows, concerts, comedy clubs, nightclubbing...and, shopping, apparently.

But a lot of the resturants in the touristy areas, that normally are packed on a Saturday night, were empty or nearly so. People seem to be going into the suburbs like Queensbury, NY, or into the city of Glens Falls--or even crossing the county line, and going to the even more affordable (and better, if you ask me) resturants in South Glens Falls...basically the tourists seem to be flocking to where prices are slightly lower, rather than eat in the posh tourist trap places in Lake George...again, not normal behaviour for tourists around here.

The recession and the weather are really messing up the seasonal economy, here.

So, I didn't do a lot after work, just went and got my weekly ice cream cone at Lake George, went to the one-dollar shop and bought three hardcover books that looked interesting: America Back on Track by Senator Edward Kennedy (JFK's younger brother), and two fiction books: Play that thing by Roddy Doyle, and The Geographer's Library by John Fasman. Meh, for $3, I'll give them each a go, see if I like them.

Hmm--mob of police cars just came tearing down the street towards the city centre...maybe a bar fight? An accident? We don't have murders here, as a rule--it's been at least three or four, maybe even five years, since there's been a murder within the city limits. Outside city limits, that's a whole other story.

So, think I'm going to finish tidying the bathroom, then go and read for a while, maybe watch a DVD later. Have a good night, all.

Whilst waiting for a cab, I was checking my e-mails, and got a rather teary missive from a young Dr Who fan who sometimes writes me...she lives somewhere outside of London, and is a massive DT fan.

Anyway, she's all in a lather, cos' she heard from a mate of her sister's, who is allegedly a mate of...someone who I gather either knows Tennant or his future fiance (Peter Davidson's daughter???? Someone else??? I have no clue, I don't follow the man's personal life at all).

Anyway, my young fangirl pal says she heard Tennant's getting married in the next year or so...she was also going on about this big house the man bought in North London--or Glasgow, I can't quite figure out which, 'cos my wee pal was being a bit rambling in her e-mail....whichever.

Really, I don't care about his house, his love life, his salary, what sort of hair gel he uses...sheesh. I may have no life to speak of, but celebrities truly are very much not my bag.

So, you heard it here first, DT fans--I make NO claims as to the accuracy or truth of this information, just passing it on to you.

And on this stormy Saturday here in the Adriondack mountains of northeastern New York, in a tiny little city that's basically the armpit of the northern Hudson Valley (at least if one is one of the working poor), I bid you a good night.