Merry Christmas

Hope everyone is have a good Christmas. I started out the day feeding and mucking my own three horses + a friends horses that is out of town. Then I went on to help my trainer take care of 11 horses that belonged to one of her friends who is out of town.
After 15 horses were done it was time for home, shower and breakfast. Then on to Aunt Jeannie's for Christmas lunch. Next it is to Bobby's Nana and Pa's for Christmas dinner. Boy are we going to be stuffed today.

Merry Christmas to All,
Elicia & Bob
+ Deja Vu, Friendly, Kismet, Jezie, Zydeco and 9 Chickens.

New horse

Well I went up to OR last week and picked up a new horse. Still not sure if I am keeping him but we are having fun getting to know each other. His name was Eddy but we are going to call him Kizmet or Kizmo. Have not decided yet. I will just stick with whatever I call him the most.
His previous owner Shea was a fun person to meet. She is in the process of moving and can only keep one horse. I also took home 9 of her chickens and had the please of meeting her dog and her cat(the attached picture. Not your ordinary cat.

New Pics

Hello again,
Well I am back in Eureka for the winter. I brought my horse Deja Vu with me and plan on finishing his training this winter. I also have one of my boss's horses Friendly. She will be great for me to take lessons on and improve my dressage.
Had a great thanksgiving here at Aunt Jeannies. Rachel came up for dinner and shopping friday morning. Friday afternoon Mom, Dad and I headed with Rachel back to Fort Bragg. I stayed an extra few days working for my boss and just got back home tonight.

The picture is from a all day ride I took out Saturday. My customers were lots of fun and took a few pics of me and Whisper in the sunset.

Who Knows

Well we still don't know when I will be able to leave Turkey. It is so confusing and I feel like a ball that the Air Force is tossing around. At the moment Bob is trying to push the ERD (early return of dependents) through so me, the dogs and the household goods will all return to CA. I am hoping that we will learn something in around a week but who knows.

Snake Castle

Well this past Sunday Bob and I went with some friends to Snake Castle. It is about a 30min drive west of here. You pay 4 YTL to park and then hike up to the castle. Bob and I decided to take our dogs and when the Cook family girls saw our dogs there had to come too. So all together it was 3 big black labs, little Jezie, 2 five year old girls and 7 adults. Quite a large party. It was entertaining to see how the Turkish people reacted to us. Almost all of them are very scared of the big dogs. They think that Jezie is so cute though and try to make friends with her. She just looks at them like what are you doing. Mind your own business and then she follows mom. There were lots of American there this weekend. Our power was turned off from 7am to 5pm so everyone wanted to leave base.

Trip to Kizkalesi

This past weekend Bob and I went to Kizkalesi for the weekend. It is between Silifke and Mersin about 2 hours from home. We went with another family, the Henry's and a Turkish lady Shani who is engaged to one of our old neighbors. We stayed at Shani's beach house and spent our days laying on the beach.



The first picture is of The Castle by the Sea. It is about a half a mile from the beach.

The second picture is of the shoreline while standing in the castle. We took a paddle boat out to the castle to explore. Next is Bob jumping off the drawbridge. Yes he is crazy. Then I included a picture of the crowed beach. I guess it is much worse when it is actually tourist season. At the end is all of us laying on our beach chairs which you can rent for 5 YTL per day. About $4 but we got a deal and got 5 chairs for 15 YTL. In the photo from left to right is Brandon, Beth, Shani me and Bob.

Friendly

Just thought I would post a few more photos.

Endurance Race

So I am finally riding in my next endurance race. Lari, Nick, Masha, Rebecca and I are leaving in the morning for Orick CA to ride in the Redwood Ride Endurance Race. We will be riding in a 50 mile race with Rebecca crewing for us. Also it will be a great chance to see family. Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa are all coming to camp with us for the race.
Wish me luck!!

4th of July

Sorry I have not published anything in so long. Just very busy working and riding horses. Here is a photo of Friendly in the Parade.

Pics from Belgium

Here is a few pics of my favorite horse in Belgium. His name is Prianik and he is a 8yr old Akhal-Teke stallion.

In Baltimore

Well I made it to BWI. We got in at about 8:15 local time but it took almost two hours to get our baggage and go through customs. It was funny, because I ride horses and might have foreign soil on my boots, they sanitized them at customs.
Anyway, a friend from Bob's work Tipton traveled with me to Baltimore. We thought about trying to get a hotel room but there was nothing available in the local area. Between the shuttle ride and the cost of a room it was just too much. So now I am just sitting outside the USO and waiting for morning. Tipton had his two pets that are not allowed inside so I am keeping him company. Not sure what exactly I will do tonight but it is after midnight local time so I only have nine hours till my flight.
See everyone soon.

On my way home

So I am officially checked in for the flight back to the states. I should arrive in Cali wed afternoon. I will then head to Fort Bragg to work for the weekend and then up to Eureka for a little while to see family. Can't wait to see everyone. Elicia

Back in Turkey, again.

A picture of the race off of Michele's website. Hopefully I will have more soon.
Well I made it to Turkey arriving late at night on Tue. It is nice to be home again and see Bob and the dogs. I have been enjoying going shopping and cooking us dinner and lots of deserts. It's amazing the things you miss when living somewhere else.
The plan right now is to try and get my paperwork through so I can catch a flight home on the 20th. Hopefully it won't get delayed and I will go straight to work at RRR for memorial day weekend. Depending on how busy it is after that I will try to go spend a week or more up at Eureka visiting family.
Not sure what is going to happen in the future. Because of difficulties with Turkish customs I will have to come back to Turkey in the fall. I might then stay for a while or pack up and move home. It all depends on if Bob gets out of the Air Force or if he reenlists for another four years. Hopefully either way we will get to do more traveling around Europe.

Baggage checked

So I am going to Turkey, again. There is room on the flight so I checked my baggage and am just waiting 1.5hrs for it to board. I should get to Turkey late tonight.
I had a great time with the Austins. Wonderful family and a great contact to have here in Germany. They have a beautiful new house with a very nice guest room. Steve was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and offer to let me stay with them for two nights. Lana has been wonderful cooking great meals and letting me run around with her on errands. The kids are so well behaved and we had a great time last night playing their Wii. Seeing there life here makes me want to live in Germany.

I have a place to stay

New Update: I finally got a hold of my relatives and they are coming to pick me up. They said they would love to have me stay a few nights. Now just to see if I can get on my flight.

Trying to get home

Well I left Belgium this morning and started hopping trains to Germany. It is not a very fun experience especially because I have two regular size suitcases, a carry on and a backpack. Which are all very heavy. Also my legs still hurt from riding 65 miles just two days ago. So after a train, bus, and another train I can to Landstuhl where I had missed my last train by 2-3 minutes. I asked a taxi driver and it was only 12 euro for a ride to the base terminal so off we went.
At the terminal I signed up for the next flight to Turkey leaving on Tuesday. Hopefully there will be room and I can get on it. If not I do not think there is another flight till the end of the month. Not sure what I will do then.
So now I need somewhere to stay for the night but none of the hotels have room for the next two nights. I called off base but it is 60 euro compared to one base which is only $30, half the price. I do have relatives on base so I gave them a call, but they are not home. So now I am just sitting in the terminal not sure what to do.

Endurance in Europe

So my first ride went well. We only went 100km (about 65 miles). I am not in very good shape though so that was enough for me. My legs hurt very bad now. Some things were very interesting. The trip to the race was about 7 hours and we drove very fast. We only stopped for gas twice and they did not offer the horses water or let them out at all. In the morning we vetted in then rode the first 25 miles where we saw the vet once and she just waved us on. After that we had a vet check and a 35 min hold. The next loop was about 40 miles in which there was two vet check with about a 20 min hold each. That loop ended back at camp and I was tired and so was Peter's horse so we stopped there. It was interesting to see how they did things. Michele would meet us along the trail about every 10 miles with a bucket of water for the horses and bottles of water to pour on their necks. We did not carry any saddle bags and there was no need for a breast plate as the trail was all flat. I did not see them give the horses electro lights at all. We did the whole ride standing the trot and when Peter's horse would get tired he would use a tree branch for a crop and just push her faster. At the end we had a final vet check and then they put a electro mag blanket on the horses. Also some kind of cooling mud on their legs. There was only one other rider competing in that long of a ride besides us so I guess we placed first and second. When it came time to leave the next day we had to go find the vet on the trail and have here check the horses before we were allowed to go. It was a very interesting experience and so far I prefer endurance in the states.

I will post picture soon.

Off we go

We leave tomorrow morning to go 1000 km to Germany for the race. I will be riding Ganesh and Peter Danagul (Blondie) in the 120 km race. That equals out to about 75 miles. Painful!! I am hoping to get through it because Peter will ride very fast. Wish me luck that I don't wimp out.
So Friday is the race, Sat Peter will ride Sugun in the 40 km (25 miles) race. Then Sun we will drive back home. Mon depending on flights I plan on going to Ramstein and hopefully flying back to Turkey right away. From there I will pack a few things, grab the dogs and then back to the states.
Everything from that point on is not for sure yet but I hope to be back in Fort Bragg working for Lari by Memorial Day weekend. It all depends on how quickly I can get flights in and out of Turkey.
I will spend this summer at Ricochet and then the winter in Eureka. Unfortunately Bob had to stay in Turkey but we plan on meeting up in Europe as often as possible. Hopefully he will also be able to come home to Eureka for around a month in the fall or winter.
Will update with new pictures after the race!

Endurance Race

We will be going to our first race of the season this coming weekend. They have not decided on which race yet but provided nothing bad happens we are going somewhere. There are two races to choose from, one in Germany and one in Hungary. Don't know yet if I will be riding or crewing but it should be a fun experience either way.

I have been to Paris!!

Well I spent this past weekend in Paris. Friday we spent at another breeders house a hour or so outside of Paris. Then Sat we drove down and meet up with another Akhal-Teke owner who's house we slept at that night. We saw her horse, got situated at the house then took the train into Paris. It was a quick train ride into the city, only 5 min or so. Michele showed me around a little and then dinner across from the Louvre and off to bed. Sunday they all had a Akhal-Teke conference so I was brave and wondered around Paris by myself. I saw the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame and a few other things. It was raining and I did not have a lot of time, so I will explore more in detail when I go back with Bob.
One of the most interesting things was the way the people drive. It is crazy. I saw a lady trying to parallel park and she hit the car in front and behind her several times. Michele said that if the space is too small the person will just push the cars around to make it bigger. Most of the people were not very friendly unless the wanted to sell you something. In the train stations people pushed and shoved all in such a hurry. It took me awhile to figure out the trains. There is the rer, metz, tram and the bus. The first three are sometimes all in the same building. Very confusing.
We have people playing music in our subways but there they have whole choirs, string brands ect. that are very good. You can go to a concert while taking a train. I was able to but some souvenirs including a oil painting from one of the street vender's that I will hang in my bedroom. Before I go again I will learn more about the art at the Louvre and learn some French.

Paris

I am going to Paris this weekend. So excited!! Michele has a conference there and offered to take me along. I am hoping to meet up with a friend from Ricochet and just do some sightseeing. I will update the slide show when I get back so everyone can see where I have been.

New Experiences

Well I have had many new experiences here in Belgium. I have eaten so many strange foods that I am starting to loose track. So I though I would make a list. Many of these will not seem strange to others but they are all different to me.

Nutella: I love it!! It is a chocolate hazelnut spread that goes on bread. If anyone has heard of it in the states let me know.
German Sourcrout: He combined the sourcrout with apples and cinnamon. So it was kind of like sour applesauce.
Leek: a vege that looks like big green onions
Cigory: or maybe higory. Anyway it kind of looks like a small ear of corn on the outside but the inside it has layers like a onion.
Soft boiled eggs: they are put into little cups and you cut the top off with your knife and eat the inside with a spoon
Ham: it is on a thing that looks like a banana rack and it just sits in the pantry with a towel over it
Home made Mayo
Mayo on french fries, not ketchup
Ketchup on pizza
Mussels
They don't eat potato skins
So many different kinds of cheeses I could not list them all.

Happy Easter

Sorry I know a little late. We were very busy this past weekend. One couple came and bought a wonderful 5yr old mare. And then the next day we had another couple come who are interested in buying as well. It was a white easter for me. It has been snowing for the past week off and on. Today when I woke up it was about a foot deep. I am finally starting to get used to the cold. Bob called yesterday and he made it safely to Italy. He will be there for three weeks doing inspector training. He started to complain about the cold and how it was 7 degrees C. I replied that 7 was nothing it is normally between 0 and 5 degrees C here. He replied that it was about 90 degrees F in Turkey and he was used to that. I am so glad I am not in Turkey right now. I am dreading going back and having to face that heat.

A Belgium Tradition

I went to one of the local village traditions on sat. They have a big fire to chase away winter. Then there was fireworks afterwards. There was crapes, sausages (like hot dogs but with sausage), hot wine with fruit in it and lots of beer. It mostly seemed like a excuse for everyone to get together and drink. Everyone except the kids had a beer or wine in their hands at all times. The music is so entertaining. It is old american songs. Things like YMCA and the Titanic song, Michael Jackson ect. I saw lots of family's and many single old men. The people are funny. A song would come on and a few would start dancing a little while they were talking.
I was very entertaining for a few of the men. Michele did not tell them I was married so a few kept trying to buy me drinks. No one spoke much English so I just watched and laughed quietly at everyone.

I'm in Belgium

I am finally here and I love it. I live with and work for a very nice couple Michele and Peter. They have 30 Akhal-Tekes all stallions and mares with another 10 babies on the way. They horses range from yearlings to mid twenties. All different colors including cremellos, buckskins, palaminos, blacks, bays and a few that are pepper colored they call it.
I am currently riding three of their horses everyday and there are three more that they want me to ride in the future. It is mostly trail riding through pastures, woods and on logging trails. They have two horses stabled at the local riding school for training which is where all the arena work is done.
I have already learned so much about Akhal-Teke bloodlines. Michele has contacts all over the world with other breeders. So far in one week there have been two different parties visiting to see her horses. She know both of the other people in the states that I have contacted about seeing their horses. She will be a helpful person to know when I start breeding my own horses someday.
I put a new slide show at the top of the page. All the pictures are from my first morning when I woke up to the snow.

Jezie

Well Jezie has a new boyfriend name Snuggles.
We went out walking yesterday and ran into a neighbor a few streets over that wanted to know if her dog could come out and play. When she brought him out it was love at first sight.

Going to Belgium

Well I am ready to go. The plane flys out on the morning of the 29th (or within 48 hours of that. They like to delay a lot). I will fly to Ramstein Germany and they people I am staying with in Belgium will come and pick me up at the air base there. It is only a two hour drive away to the horse ranch. I will come back to Turkey in around the beginning of May. Not sure yet when I exactly will come to California yet but there is plenty of time for that.
I will not be able to e-mail or talk to people as often while I am in Belgium so if I don't reply back very quick don't take offense. I don't know how easy it will be to get a internet connection there. I guess I will find out the hard way.

We finally have a real house

Well our household goods did finally arrive. They came on Monday the 27th of Jan. A weekend later but at least they came. Our damage was not too bad. About $250 worth of stuff. Nothing that can't be replaced though. It is so nice having our bed back. We have been sleeping on a uncomfortable full size bed for the last three months and now we have our king that you can sink into. It is so nice. It is amazing how much stuff we have gotten in the past three years. I see all these boxes and wonder, why do I have so much junk. I have been living with a suitcase of clothes for three month doing just fine and now I have two clothes full and overspilling. I have not worn some of these things in over a year. I am still having trouble getting rid of things though.

I hate the Air Force

Well first is was not paying us. Some problem from 2004 where at first they thought we owned them money and they took $2000 from us, in only two paychecks, and now they don't know why they took the money yet they have not given it back.
Now it is our household goods. They are 26 days late but are here now and we set up a delivery for today friday. We have waited around all day till 3:30 for them and I got worried so I started making phone calls. First to TMO who manages the shipments. Oh don't worry they have till 5:00 but here is the company number to make you feel better. Well I called the company and they have our stuff but they did not get any paperwork about a delivery. So back to TMO who just gives us the run around. Now Bob is down there fighting with them to make sure we get our stuff. Mean while FMO came and picked up are loner furniture this morning so we don't have any furniture for this weekend. I also just paid the maid to sit around all day and Bob's day off work was for nothing. Not to mention all the hassle with the motercycle and getting it into the country.
Did I mention, I hate the Air Force!

Sucessful Horsemanship Class

Well this weekend was the first basic horsemanship class that I teach. We had four people show up and it went very well. Two of the more experienced riders signed up to take the horsemanship two class next weekend. We are finally getting a reliable group of people going riding. Still trying to find more members to keep the place going as always but making progress.
Bob is doing great. He works a lot during the week, goes to the gym and then we hang out on the weekends. One of our neighbors moved out and sold us their fire pit which Bob love. At least one night on the weekend you will see him out there in the cold building his fire.