leroy and his journey

some of the lovelies while we were waiting to start our trail ride!

fact:  rl is colorblind.

fact:  i believe in naming objects like cars, bikes, and machines.

fact:  i have bad luck with cameras.

in fact, these are all random facts.  but, my life is a series of random, hilarious facts that get jumbled together into my story.  here’s one of them:

i have LOVED horses for as long as i can remember.  i love their silky manes, their gorgeous eyes, their strong, beautiful muscles.  i often talk to them from my car when i pass them on my drive home, and especially try to converse as rl and i ride chili on the backroads.

rl wanted to surprise me with a horse back riding adventure for quite a while.  he knows how i would LOVE to one day own a horsie of my own.  (big dreams equal big dream clouds).

he decided in september to make that come true for me.  a day with horsies (or at least an hour).  he knew it would make my heart soar.

i was a little excited to say the least.

cameras.  i have dropped and broken at least two.  rl has been swimming with a non-water friendly camera. i lost one in chicago.  are you keeping count?  that’s four already, and i am only recalling the last five years.  i have pretty much convinced myself to never buy one that costs more than one week’s worth of pay, because frankly, there is not camera insurance for klutzes.  if there were, i’d be the first to sign up. we got leroy as a promotional gift.  he is tough.  he is red.  he is fierce.  i named him leroy, because i’ve never met a human or dog named leroy that wasn’t legit.

and he takes fabulous pictures.

so he stays safe, i only travel with him when i know i will have both hands available.  i will be safer with leroy than the cameras in the past.

he is my rock and roll camera.  my buddy.  y’all, meet leroy.

before i start getting congrats cards in the mail, for my beautiful baby boy, just know, i dropped my camera off a horse.  he was three days old.

the camera, not the horse.  the horse’s name is bella.  she is a beauty, and also a naughty girl, because she kept trying to eat the greenery while we were on the trail.  i was wearing a loose hoodie, with pliable pockets.  i was upon a horse, and not quite sure of how to “be tough with her” to get her to stop dipping her head, and getting snacks.  leroy was in my pocket.  guess where he ended up?

on the trail. in the brush.  three days old.  poor leroy.  sweet, tough, young blooded leroy didn’t know how awful a life on the trail could be.  neither did i.

we did not realize that i dropped leroy until the ride was over.  let’s just say, to be nice, that the staff was less than helpful in trying to locate said baby boy camera.

we returned a few hours later after the last ride, and were told that we could walk the trail if we wanted.  it was dusk, humid, and i was wearing a cute cowboy inspired outfit.  sure, let’s excercise!

such beauties.

so, it is dusk.  we are in normal, non woods walking clothes (i am wearing my cowboy boots y’all.  it was appropriate).  and rl is colorblind, and also, doesn’t have the best eyesight.  i am distraughtly searching.

but…the staff underestimated our determination.  it would have been lovely if they offered to help us look.  or, let us use a horse to spot leroy (as the height difference would have helped us notice his red shiny body).  this did not happen.

alas, it didn’t matter.  as a mama bird hears her baby’s cry, or a mama bear forages the river for salmon for her cubs, i was DETERMINED to find my leroy.  young, sweet, tough leroy.

beautiful bella girl.

so, as we neared the VERY end of the trail, i spotted him.  and i cried. (remember, i cry about everything good and bad, so this should be no surprise).  there was leroy.  he was alive!  he was not broken!  he was not covered in horse poop!

view of where i found leroy.

i hugged rl, i cradled leroy, and i couldn’t wait to tell the staff (who were so clearly concerned) that i had located leroy.  we walked the final 1/4 mile, and realized that the staff had locked us in.  with the horses.  bella recognized me from our ride.  she literally turned her head to me while i was talking to her and telling her i found leroy.

i laughed.  what an adventure.  besides, if your trail ride doesn’t end with having to swing your legs over the cattle fence while wearing your cowboy boots, cradling a red tough camera, and a new equine friend saying sayonara, you have not been living.

this has been one of thousands of similar “it happened to me, no really, it did!” stories.  hope you enjoyed.  and get out there!  there is adventure to be found!  🙂

have a sweet saturday my friends.

xo,

barbie