Barn Buddies & Birthdays

A few more pictures around the barn and my friend, Kathy's birthday.

Look how gooey and YUMMY this cake is!!  I added way more extra "German Chocolate Goo" (coconut milk, pecans, dried unsweetened coconut) between the layers, on top of a layer of the Chocolate Frosting (!!), so it was extra-heavy on frosting.  This cake was warm when I quickly frosted it and drove 40 minutes to the stable, around winding turns and up the steep hill to Hayward Hills Equestrian Center -- and the layers SLIPPED a bit to one side ~~ I would have been HORRIFIED if this had been a cake for a customer.  Fortunately, the cake was for my dear sweet friend, Kathy -- and she loved how gooey and extra-yummy it was!  She has a bulldog, Buster, who looks like the dog on the birthday card I got her - that's why she has it posed next to her cake.

JoEllen is a trainer, who took a break (with one of her clients), to have a piece of cake a la mode (Chocolate Cherry So Delicious, which is vegan, just in case you don't know, is available at Trader Joe's - and Kathy, the BD girl, works at Trader Joe's!)

Here I am, "Franken-face", in my braces that I got as a result of my big horse-crash 11 months ago, just a few feet away in the indoor arena, from where I'm serving up cake n'ice "cream".

Here she is - the BD girl herself - Kathy!  (Look how quickly the cake is going!)

Bursting with energy (the good, slow-burning kind), I join Reichel (who designed this website) in some good tack-cleaning.  Reichel was great, giving me pointers, making sure that I did a thorough job.

Meanwhile, in the arena, our friend, Gean, rides her horse, Wrangler.

FINALLY, I pay attention to my horse, Baghdad!  He watched from his stall and couldn't understand why I didn't spend all my time with him, as I usually do.

"This is more like it!" he says, as he enjoys grazing on green ice cream, I mean, green grass.

He never even comes up for air!

After I dragged his head up, he gazes out at the view of the San Francisco Bay below.

Now I crank his head around to the camera.

His ears are back back because he doesn't want to be led away from the fresh grass.

Can you tell he is pouting?

Now he looks better; Kathy is closer with the camera and he's interested.

He loves peppermints, and he's just eaten a couple.  Here, he's checking to see if I have any more in my hands.

Richard, a good friend, and his horse, Odin, who is, yes, HUGE.

Miekai sits nonchalantly on Ginger.