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The three amigos (can you see all three?): Annie, Braveheart and Honey. 05-24-08
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Stan and Annie greet guests to the Barn Blessing - February 25, 2007
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The finished run-in, with sides painted. Wood enclosure with tin roof, to give the horses additional shade and shelter.
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Run-in, pre-paint.
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Everyone pitched in to get the run-in built.
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Boys hard at work.
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Beams going up!
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Even Annie gives her input.
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Working on the roof.
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Hi Honey!
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Coming together!
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A brief reprieve... Stan and I hit Orlando for our anniversary. This is the Animal Kingdom's new Mount Everest...
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And the tree of life.
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Putting in the 12' corner posts on the arena - heavy work!
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10-28-06 - Stan and John working hard on the arena.
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Stan and John.
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Surveying their work - Grandpa John.
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Riding arena is started. Laying down a mixture of clay and sand to give the right balance of firmness and shock absorption.
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The arena is roughly 60' by 120'.
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Going through the round pen with clay to the arena. Adding clay to the round pen, because the sand there is too deep.
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Round pen fence completed - but the sand is too deep. Now we need to dig and add clay. Didn't Stan, Jonathan and Cole do a good job?!! :)
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Inside the big round pen.
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Rails going up on the round pen. Stan, Jonathan and Cole are working hard. 09-09-06
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Round pen 09-09-06
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The round pen will be where we do our ground work and where learning to ride will begin for Grandma Edie, Grandpa John, Jeff, etc. This round pen is big enough to use for all kinds of work.
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While working, Cole spies a gopher tortoise and Jonathan gently picks it up. These are a protected species, and we're glad to share the land with him/her.
"That toroise is SO cool! ..."
View Comments...
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Gopher tortoise. We have a few gopher tortoise mounds on the property, carefully undisturbed.
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Jet checks out the gopher tortoise as he/she makes its departure.
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Stan's homemade round pen gate.
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Round Pen Gate from the inside of the round pen.
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The horses try out the developing round pen. 09-04-06
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All posts are up - 09-04-06 - Happy Labor Day!
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Fence posts go up, in cement.
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Leveling begins for the round pen.
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Getting ready to ride, under the shade of the wash bay.
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Jonathan brushing down his girl, Honey, and getting her ready for saddling.
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Braveheart saddled, and Jonathan almost there. Don't worry, Annie and I were right behind them. We've been trailriding every day :).
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It may be my strange sense of humor, but I found this to be a very funny site on laundry rounds - and a telling indication of how tired we've been lately. Stan's boots are attached to his jeans. :)
"YOu've worked Stan so hard..."
View Comments...
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The barn construction is completed (7-18-06). We still need to stain the wood on the stalls and building, and put stuff up on and in the tack room, but here's our barn - from all views and angles.
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Barn Construction completed 7-18-06
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Closeup of tack room and wash bay.
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Side view.
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Back view.
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Straight back view.
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Run through in the middle - a corral will go in and through the run-in, and a paddock fence will be built around the entire structure and beyond.
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Back of stables.
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A couple pictures of the homestead, too. It's also a work in progress. :)
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Notice that the barn colors coordinate with our house? Think the horses care? ;)
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One or two more days, and the barn will be finished!! 7-17-06
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Pouring the concrete for the tack room and wash bay.
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Concrete pouring...
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Future tack room.
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Stables (next to the stables will be a 2-stable run-in).
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Barn Construction continues...
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It's coming along!
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The Monster Grill.
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The barn is going up!
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View from the back deck.
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Barn under construction. Still need the tack room, concrete poured, and the metal panels... but it's looking good!
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Barn Construction.
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Stall door.
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Roof beams.
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Back of stall.
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Rear view of barn... putting up the metal trim.
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Driveway 7-17-06
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Driveway.
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These two piles will be the barn driveway. (Really.) 06-28-06
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Putting in the driveway.
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Driveway action.
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More equipment in the yard. Moving the last few trees (that are in the way of the driveway), and spreading the rock/concrete material.
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And this indescript pile will actually be part of our new barn. 06-28-06
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Landscaping is in there, too. Plants for the front, including this pretty mixed vine.
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Painted Lady Hibiscus. Eventually this will need to be re-transplanted (it has a mature height of 6 feet).
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Jane Cowel Hibiscus. One of the great things about living in Florida is that Hibiscus does so well. Pretty, huh?
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Landscaping - the first little stretch.
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Stan and Don, hard at work.
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Hi Don!
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Braveheart gets nosey.
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Keystone Cowboy.
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Exhausted
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06-17-06: Pasture #1 is almost complete. Stan's putting up the gait, and the last bit of wire fence is being run.
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On Sunday (06-18-06) the horses should be in the first pasture :).
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12 foot corner post... someday soon this will hold one side of a 16 foot gate.
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The first paddock fence line - it will eventually be 800' of fence.
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T-bars...
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Various materials, including corral panels, hay ring, and wood for the round pen.
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Stan putting in the T-bars
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It takes muscle. :)
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The growing fence line - Stan's hard work. Notice that it's getting dark?
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June 4, 2006 - land clearing done, other than a couple trees that still need to be removed, fences are next!!
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immediate left side (of back fence) 06-04-06
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Back left 06-04-06
The first paddock will go up this week, so we can bring the horses in. Barn will go up mid-July :)
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straight back 06-04-06
We'll be building a run-in shelter to give the horses additional cover and protection.
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back right 06-04-06
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A bit more right...
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Stan on the tractor, clearing debris and leveling the playing field for the barn driveway
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Stan 06-04-06
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And cleaning and leveling the rest of the acreage - quite a job!!! Stan 06-04-06
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Between working on the land, horse hunting, and getting ready to fence, there was time to shop for saddles at Ruff's. Three handmade saddles decorate the living room ;).
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The close of Day 7 and it doesn't look like the same place!
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We still have grading and clean-up to do, but we also have new open spaces :).
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Not finished, but looking like a different place!
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The stone drive will come up this way...
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No explanation necessary ;)
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As exciting as all the new projects are - it's stressful, too (especially on the finances!!). To burn off a little steam, and to help reduce the stress, Stan and Jonathan put up the new tramp.
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Crazy boys!!
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And Jonathan gives it a go!! Nice bounce!
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And Cole gives it a go! He's happy.
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And even Mom gets in the action. (Wondering where Stan is - he wouldn't let me take his picture!! ;)).
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What gives a mother grey hair.
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And keeps L'Oreal in the hair coloring business. Nice form!
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Bounce, bounce, bounce...
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Day 6 - and still a lot to clear. Compare this picture to the next (Day 1 - before clearing began) to see the progress.
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The morning just before clearing begins (May 15, 2006), and a last complete view of the treeline. So much work ahead: clearing trees, putting up fences, building a barn, landscaping the yard...
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So many trees...
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And the backhoe comes in...
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Clearing a path...
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Pulling up roots...
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Burying trees...
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New open spaces.
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It will all be rough terrain, until the leveling can begin.
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The sunlight comes in...
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Someday in the very near future, this will be a beautiful paddock.
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More spaces...
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And more sunlight, with the larger trees staying.
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Backhoe... parked and ready. Day 4
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It's starting to get clear! Day 4
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More open spaces. Day 4
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Cowboy surveys the land... Day 4
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Still more trees... Day 4
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Lots more work ahead. Day 4
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