A long day, but a good one. Began with me walking Tinni around the loop. When I got back, Fran and Sarah were up (they slept in my cabin) and were up in the cabin – Pete had made pancakes and set the table. We then made the day’s plans, sort of.

We tried one of Fran’s saddles out on Tyra – an Icelandic saddle. It did not fit. Too narrow in the shoulder. Too bad – would have been nice had it worked out. We then opted to go for a ride – I rode Tyra and Fran rode Hrimmi. Hrimmi stopped often with Fran on her. I am thinking there are two reasons for this. Hrimmi is a creature of routine, and she feels most comfortable with Pete or me riding her. She also is Centered Riding trained and gets concerned when she does not get those directives. The solution to this problem is, of course, to continue to have others ride her.

Tyra did wonderfully. Later Fran remarked that she wonders what things would have been like had Tyra been my first riding horse and Raudi been my second riding horse. I think I would have gotten discouraged with Raudi pretty quickly. Though she has an attitude, Raudi is an excellent trail horse, so I have the best of all worlds. Most importantly, I feel as though I am now over the hump in terms of horse training. The worst is over. I now have four horses that are cooperative and reliable riding horses. There will be no backsliding.

Done riding, we went on a road trip – first stopping at Sutton to show them the library, then we headed in the direction of the Matanuska Glacier. We had a real picnic with an honest to God table cloth. And we ate mostly local produce. Then we went for a hike, and my friends, who are botanists, pointed out the various types of plants, English and Latin names.

At the Matanuska glacier entrance Pete caught sight of Kelly, a horse friend – and went to talk to her. She phoned the main office and got us a discount, so we were able to get in to walk around the glacier.

It wasn’t what I thought – that we’d walk up to an ice wall and that would be it. Rather, we walked on the glacier surface, which preceded a few walls of ice. It was oozy, rocky, icy, cold, and littered with small crevasses. The glacier area actually had a good feel about it – a quiet energy. Pete had brought along an extra coat, which blocked the slight wind. I took a lot of photos – of many things including Sarah taking

photos. Now that could be a photographic essay – people taking photos of people taking photos.

Afterwards, we went to Sheep Mountain for dinner – the place did not have an extensive menu, but we were hungry, so it did not matter.

All the day, the talk was interesting and of interest. Fran and Sarah are leading remarkable lives. Fran is a woodcarver, wood painter, and photographer, and Sarah is a photographer who also does polymer clay art.

A great day. They are leaving tomorrow a.m. I am going to be sorry to see them go.

Next: 223. 7/16/17: Goodbye Summer