RAMBLE ON

Goodbye Grasslands

I know life is supposed to be about changes but I personally hate them.  I know what you’re thinking.  I should be used to this by now.  I have gone through so many changes in the last five years, I feel like I’m constantly spinning in circles.  Hmmm, maybe that's why some people think I'm a little dizzy.  And no, I’m not used to it, thank you very much.  I hate change.  And stop saying what you resist persists because I hate that too.

So here’s my latest upheaval.  The stable where I've been riding the past three years made some  changes which prompted a lot of boarders, including me, to leave. I will always have beautiful memories of this place high in the Escondido hills.  We rode trails with sweeping airplane level views and I found kindred spirits and friendships here.  I was introduced and fell in love with the Paso Fino breed which prompted me to buy my wonderful horse, Scotchelo. 

How you doin?

Take me home, country road

This is also where I discovered my beloved Cordiano Winery, which became a second home to me.  I couldn’t think of a more perfect day than going for a great ride, then watching the sunset with a glass of wine at Cordiano.

Like I said, I didn’t want to leave, but change was underfoot.  Again. Time to ramble on...

I chose Bandy Canyon Ranch as my horse’s new home.  

View of the front gate from the back of the horse carriage. I scored a free ride.

 This place is a resort.  I'm not kidding.  There are amenities here that we could only have dreamed of.

Ready for your bath, Scotch?

Tack rooms have porches to sit and contemplate life, your naval, or a glass of wine. Your pick.

We found a creek with a waterfall in back of the property

A covered bridge (it's an old train car) leads to a round pen for the horses.

Where's that confounded bridge?

Bandy Canyon has the oldest adobe building in San Diego.  It's a gorgeous Spanish style hacienda with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, comfy sitting areas and an outdoor patio; soon to become a nice restaurant.

Palm trees shade a Koi filled creek, making it feel like a tropical paradise

Am I in Hawaii?

 Large grassy lawns contain hammocks just in case you get tired or lazy.  

Kyle wants this to be his bed

Weddings are performed here every weekend, as I discovered when I was riding towards the arena with Led Zeppelin blasting on my iPhone.  As I rounded the corner, I saw a wedding party sitting sedately in chairs on the grass and a bride and groom making their way down a makeshift aisle. Soft (boring) music played in the background and all eyes turned toward me as I fumbled to turn off Zeppelin.  Guess they didn't think "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was an appropriate wedding song.  Some people's tastes are just hard for me to understand.

GILLY?!

A large, very sweet white draft horse named Gilly pulls guests around the property in a carriage. I laugh every time I hear her name because it reminds me of Kristin Wiig's character on SNL.  I seem to be the only person at Bandy Canyon who knows that skit, so I laugh alone.

There's a shaded enclosure where friendly goats, bunnies, guinea pigs and chickens live.You can sit in there and pet their soft fur.  It's very calming and peaceful.

This place has such a nice vibe, you can't help but feel relaxed when you are here.  Even the workers agree with this statement. I know because they told me so.

Goats herding an employee back into the tack room. Sometimes they think they own the place.

Even these two crazy kids enjoyed spending a recent afternoon there with me.

I feel like a kid again. Wait. I still am.

Chester&Chelsea love it here too

It seems significant that Bandy Canyon was also affected by the Witch Creek Fire. It means we have something in common.   I'm not sure which buildings burned, because it's all been refurbished and is so beautiful.  There are cabins to rent and a pool with a bar. 

Jump in. The water's fine.

Pour me the usual, bartender

Vineyards are flourishing and a tasting room is being planned.  Can't wait!  

Yup, this seems like my kind of place. 

Scotch is now settled into Bandy Canyon.  The adjustment was a lot easier than I thought it would be. 

Scotch is on a roll

I still hate change, and I miss all my old friends, but have to admit, this change definitely worked out for the better. 

Scotch agrees

SPRINGTIME IN BIG BEAR

Don't you love spontaneous trips?  Please tell me I'm not the only disorganized one who throws a last minute vacation together???

In a curious déjà vu moment, I asked my son if he would like to go to Big Bear for a day of snow boarding during Easter Break.  I had this same conversation with him last year and his response was identical:  bored, non committal.   “Just us?” he'd asked, making me feel like chopped liver.  Then at the very last minute, he decided it might be fun and we scrambled a trip together. 

This year?  Same conversation, same result.  I found myself rushing around at 2 in the afternoon, frantically searching for a cabin to rent, and "packing" (opening the car door and throwing in a pile of clothes and some food in a frenzied rush). 

Kyle is hoping to get his driver’s license soon, so he wanted to drive part of the way, which I let him do from Redlands to Yukaipa.  He’s a good driver, careful and calm. Sitting in the passenger seat, I really had no need for the white knuckles and  tightly coiled fists clutching the door handle.  (How silly.  What was I going to do, bail out?  Hmmm...) 

 

Internet photo. Not really us.

Of course, I was a tad alarmed by the unplanned off roading incident which landed us in a planter in the Yukaipa Rite Aid parking lot. We silently changed places after that.  

Internet photo. Again, not really us. Kind of looked like this though.

We made it to Big Bear before dark (yay) in one piece (yay again) and checked into our usual cabin, Smoky Bear's Den.  I love this place because it is light and airy and cheerful, with sweeping views of Bear Mountain off the balcony.  We spend most of our time upstairs where the kitchen, living room, fireplace, and aforementioned balcony are.  Our parrot feels right at home here.  She uses the stair railing as her perch, and seems quite blissful most of the time.   

"Namaste"

Our dogs love it too, sunning themselves in the large, fenced yard.

We settled in, built a fire in the fireplace,  and ate homemade pizza for dinner.  Very relaxing.  

Awwww, nice warm fire

Chester is VERY relaxed

Why does Chelsea have devil eyes???

The next day we headed into town for ski equipment and then to Snow Summit.  We usually rent our equipment at the slope, but decided it would be cheaper to take care of this in town.  Plus, we had a coupon! (Spoiler alert: this decision could have disastrous consequences.)  

On the slope, the sun was shining so it was not too cold. We usually start on the bunny hill, then work our way up.  I’m always nervous on the longer chair lift ride.  What if the hill's too steep for me?  What if I do a face plant getting off the lift???  What if I fall off the lift on the way up? 

Yikes! What if? What if???

  

Kyle is definitely not worried

Putting on a brave face

My heart is always in my mouth the first couple trips up, then, when everything goes alright, I stop worrying so much and enjoy the view.  

Can you see the lake?

I actually felt like I was a bit improved from last year.  At least I didn’t have to take my skis off and do the walk of shame down the hill.  No, I skied all the way down, making my creaky snowplow turns with relative un-ease. Haha.   Kyle really looked like a pro.  He is a self taught snow boarder and flew down the hills much faster than me.  (which isn’t saying much, but he really is good.)  

Later, Dude

 After a couple runs, he got tired of waiting for me and jumped back on the lift  before I made my way down, forcing me to wait for him at the cocktail bar.  Oh darn.  The torture I put myself through for my kids.  It’s a really fun bar where you can enjoy the sunshine, watch all the skiers and listen to great music.  (a lot of Led Zeppelin!  Made me think I was a teenager again.)  

Sunshine and a nearby bar can greatly enhance your skiing experience

We skied until the slope closed at 4 PM, then left feeling exhilarated and happy.  We returned our ski equipment and started discussing what we’d do the rest of the afternoon, until the ski equipment person interrupted us, saying there was a problem.  Kyle had returned the wrong board. 

WHAAAAAAT??????

Somehow he had swapped their rental board with one belonging to Snow Summit.  Panic rose in me as I rasped hoarsely, “What do we do?”

My sadistic mind immediately conjured up this imaginary conversation:
Ski shop person, speaking in a harsh German accent, "You must pay for ze missing board, Fraulein."
Me, sobbing uncontrollably: "But I have no money!"
German Nazi Guy: "Zen you must go to jail! I'm calling ze Polizei!"
Tragic, dramatic music begins to play as the Polizei arrive to handcuff and drag me screaming and crying from the shop.  Switch to a closeup shot of Kyle. He is yawning.

OK, enough of that. Here's what really happened:
We were instructed to return the board to Snow Summit and see if we could find the one belonging to them, so we piled back in the car and screeched out of the parking lot, racing back to the mountain.  I glanced nervously in the rear view mirror to see if the police were on my tail ... oh, never mind, sorry.  Luckily Snow Summit had our rental board and everything turned out OK.  WHEW!
There always has to be a bit of drama, right?

We returned to our cabin and started preparing a gourmet dinner.  Kyle grilled burgers for us and I have to say, no restaurant can compare.  Mine was just the way I like it, nice and rare and juicy. 

While grilling, a little canine assistance is always necessary

Master Chef Kyle

After dinner, we chillaxed in our cozy cabin, watching some old Get Smart episodes we’d brought with us and I was happy to know that the same show that made me laugh as a kid was still funny to my teenager. 

Sure is purty here. Bye Big Bear. See you next time.