Jax Attax

From the moment of my first pony ride, nearly 20 years ago, I have been in love with horses.  I remember the place was some sort of carnival.  I was so excited by the new, fun activity that I had discovered.  I resisted the end of my turn, not wanting to get off, and the wrangler took pity on me and let me stay in the pen.  I got to hold the rope to help guide the pony around in a circle for the other kids.  It is one of those things I wonder about on occasion - one of the few times I ask myself “what if”.  This particular “if” has me contemplating what my life might have been like if I had been raised around horses.  I know such notions can be dangerous, but I’m not looking back at my life with any angst.  I’m merely taking a moment to consider another possibility - like reading a great book that comes so vividly to life in my imagination that I feel like I become the protagonist.  Today I went on a trail ride at Fort McDowell, outside of Phoenix.  My horse, Ernie, was ready to end his day before we even embarked on our hour-and-a-half tour, but he was a great sport.  It was such a gorgeous day and the views on the vast expanse of the ranch were spectacular, especially along the river.  There were many sights worth mentioning, but my favorite was the bald eagle’s nest with two baby bald eagles peering out from the top.  The path we followed was hilly, narrow and rock-laden so there was no galloping.  That is probably for the best, considering I haven’t been on a horse in a few years.  The experience was so peaceful, I could have stayed out there all day.  I pictured myself in an alternate universe, on a farm in the Midwest, keeping horses and living off the land.  A simple daydream that seems amazingly fulfilling.  Overall, today was a great one - all in a day’s work!!

I found out yesterday that I am planning a client appreciation excursion to London this summer.  As the manager of all arrangements and activities for the group,  I will also be required to tag along.  I am extremely excited about the return visit - I haven’t been to Europe in several years.  Also, there are a number of really cool/super fun things I will get to do!  The last working trip I took to London was very stressful, as I was producing a play with my theatre company.  We had no money, of course.  The on-site publicity and promotions were an interesting challenge.  Not to mention the experience of working with local printers on their own lackadaisical schedules and with obscure specifications and submission requirements.  The good news is that now I can, at the very least, play a graphic designer on TV. 

I’m sure the world (or the two people who read this blog) will be interested to know that I actually DID taste rattlesnake tonight!  It was a rattlesnake cake, similar to a crabcake, and it was quite delicious.  However, my favorite dish of the evening was actually the peanut butter stuffed jalepeno - who knew??  The Fort is definitely at the top of our list for possible event sites - between the cuisine, the mountain view and the secluded atmosphere, it really was a singular experience.

I can’t believe how lucky I have been to experience such perfect weather out here in the midst of what I have been told is the 3rd coldest winter EVER. It’s a shame that I have had to spend most of my time in meetings or in the car driving to these various sites for meetings. Doing tastings is great fun, but with the amount of food that I have been eating over the past few days, I am looking forward to going back to NYC tomorrow and spending the weekend walking it off! Tonight I am going to a really cool place called The Fort, which is supposed to offer a “classic Denver” experience. Their menu features a lot of game, but it looks like I’ll have to wait for my next trip this summer to finally try some rattlesnake.