And here's another fine set owned by an older mare called Smudges. No need to pull her lips apart to get a peek in her mouth! This old girl grins on command!

We were on such a roll we took pictures of cracked hooves, scrapes, bangs, and gashes and a couple of good scars. The medicine chest, feed room, hay pile, and water buckets were also duly documented. Several willing models mucked out, groomed, and trained horses. We even managed to snap the quintessential shot of a heap of healthy manure. What a brilliantly productive day! To see more of our handiwork and how we will squeeze all these photos into a book about vets you'll just have to place an order for the book...

The view from Newcastle Island, looking back toward Nanaimo. Yeah, we live in paradise. I know. Most days I do remember... (The reddish, gnarly trees in the foreground are called madronas or arbutus trees). 

When Dad and I went up-island to pick up Dani after her vaulting clinic, we all spent a couple of nights in Nanaimo, enjoying a mini-vacation. Aren't we doing a good impression of being tourists? In this photo we're on the little boat that shuttles visitors from Nanaimo over to Newcastle Island.

It so happened that we were in town during the Parksville Sandcastle Competition, so of course we had to drive up and have a peek (and, of course, those photos are on the other camera, the one I haven't downloaded yet). The sculptures were amazing - so detailed and intricate. We were there during the final stage of the sculpting (the artists are timed and then all the creations are judged) and it was great to see the sculptors hard at work, shaping their piles of sand into castles, dragons, and complex plumbing.

Other highlights of our time away included Coombs, a tiny town famous because of the goats that live on the roof of the local market. So famous are these goats that the highway information sign just says, "Goats on the Roof."

Dani continues to defy gravity and good sense by flinging herself this way and that while sort of attached to a horse - while wearing slippers! She has that same look in her eyes she used to get when she was in gymnastics and determined to stick a back handspring on the beam (why would anyone want to do such a nutty thing?) or perfect her splits or do some ludicrious release thing on the uneven bars. And, yes, there is a competition looming in her future that is upping the ante and driving her to practice more and more and more... on the living room floor, straddling the back of the couch, hanging from the vaulting horse she brought home from the clinic (not a real horse - more like an oversized saw-horse complete with handles, stirrups, and a soft carpeted back....). . Provincial Vaulting Championships are a coming in September - stay tuned!

Meanwhile, back on the work front... I'm gathering various bits and pieces of information and quotes to add to the Karen Brain biography - none of that is too difficult, but it does take a certain amount of coordination to get emails and phonecalls sorted out and followed up. Meanwhile, the first draft of the Racetrack book is with the editor and designer simultaneously. Now this is an interesting way to do things - usually we finalize the text first and then the designer decides how it will all be arranged on the page. I think because production timelines are tight and there are so many images a rough layout is being worked on that will (I hope) be fairly easy to change when the text is modified. While the Racetrack title is on hold (from my perspective, anyway), and I'm waiting for replies to my Karen questions, it's off to work on the vet book (Behind-the-Scenes With the Equine Vet - same series at the track title). All is going smoothly on that one, though I now have to get serious about arranging some photo shoots. Will post some of the results here, most likely before the end of the week.

Everything would have been just a little further along except last week was hay week and, as the old saying goes, one makes hay while the sun shines. Nearly 400 bales of the stuff, in fact! I was lucky enough to get a fabulous deal on some very nice hay from a farm near Lake Cowichan. The catch was we had to drive up to the farm and pluck the bales out of the fields! We took the truck and horse trailer up several times, loading both until they were literally overflowing with bales. Then, of course, we had to unload the bales and stack them (up into the rafters) in the neighbour's barn (I don't have much storage here at our place!). My shoulders and back are so sore, but my horses (and the goats) are extremely happy. Now, as long as the size of the herd stays more or less the same, we should make it right through until haying starts again next summer. This means I'll be able to avoid paying three (or more!!) times the price for hay when I have to go searching in the dead of winter. I tell you, though, I sure admire anyone who makes a living from the land. The work is brutal and it can all go terribly wrong with a shower on the wrong afternoon or a drought when a little water is needed most.

Dani is developing a serious obsession with BIG horses. Here she is astride a rather hefty specimen owned by the Bickford family. There was a good reason we were taking photos of this beauty - Dad is painting a mural on the side of a tram known as 'The People Mover" at the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society. Subject of said mural is a pair of horses ploughing... and, it turns out, the Bickfords donated the people-mover. So, it only made sense that we were there snapping photos from all angles so Dad would have plenty of good reference material. What doesn't make sense is how one of the photographers suddenly found herself astride! While wearing a short skirt, no less.

Dad and I head up to Nanaimo tomorrow to retrieve the mad vaulter from a week-long clinic she's been attending. We had a frantic call from Dani this evening who said, "Bring the truck!" Apparently she has procured a vaulting barrel, an essential device on which vaulters practice when there's no horse handy. It could have been worse, I suppose. She could have said, "Bring the horse trailer!" 

Errr... Dani, what the heck are you doing up there? Dad took this photo of Dani during a vaulting workshop up in Parksville on the weekend. Dani has finally found her dream sport - imagine being able to combine gymnastics and horses in the same activity! She's only been vaulting for just a little over a month, but already there are plans afoot to compete in the provincial championships this fall. The horse won't be standing still, either - Dani has plans to compete in the canter division! (just what a mother wants to hear... note there are no helmets to be seen in this crazy activity!) Given Dani's obsession with throwing herself through the air, twisting and twirling as she goes, I have little doubt that she will actually accomplish her goal! 

Remember when I mentioned the pot-bellied pig soon to become the newest member of the menagerie? Well, here's Mike Harcourt (Mikey for short)! He's been living behind an empty house for the past six years where various people popped by each day to feed him. To excess. His wee arthritic legs have trouble supporting all his weight so, with the guidance of some pig rehab experts, Mikey is on a diet. 

Yes, piggies are hefty creatures, but a well-proportioned porker (hmm... that's probably a rude word in pet pig circles) should be able to get around quite nicely under his own steam. It's pretty clear from this photo that Mikey's little legs just aren't designed to go jogging with that body! 

Mikey in his favourite position - reclining. One of several very good suggestions from the pig experts was to get Mikey up and moving, even a little bit. Everyone knows activity is a key component to any fitness regime! Well, have you ever tried to convince a reluctant pig to get up and go for a stroll? Do you have any idea how LOUD they are when unhappy? I do, and so do all the neighbours! And, Mikey is unhappy when he is doing anything else but sleeping. The only thing that has actually inspired Mikey to stand is a full bladder and the temptation of a bit of watermelon. Actually taking a step or two? Forget it. 

And on a lighter note... here I am winning a costume class at the fun horse show at Bodicea Farms. I really shouldn't have won with 'Hagrid's Secret' (Molly in her baby dragon costume) because she is certainly not a horse, but I think the judge felt sorry for us melting in the sun in our very hot outfits. 

Look at this guy go! This is one of dozens of photos taken at the local harness racing track in Sidney, just north of Victoria (Sandown Raceway). This is a pacer (both legs on the same side of the body move at the same time, as opposed to a trotter when diagonal legs move together). I'm flipping back and forth between the track book and the Karen biography these days. The first draft of the racetrack book is nearly done, so at the moment I'm going through hundreds of photos, looking for cover possibilities as well as the last images to include in the interior of the book. Several adopters of ex-racehorses have sent me their stories and once I've written those up, the manuscript will go off to the editor, Ann Featherstone. I've known Ann for years and am totally delighted that finally, finally we will get to work together on a book.  

Lest you think life is just one happy horseback ride after another, rest assured that plenty of progress is being made on actual work projects. But a photo of my messy desk just doesn't compare to a horse on a beach! A quick update on what's going on around here...

The month of June began with a bang with the Victoria Children's Literature 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Tea, a rather elegant affair featuring 25 children's authors and illustrators gathering at a local historical landmark, Point Ellice House.

Many of the authors came dressed in period costume (as did many of the audience members!). Penny Chamberlain (author of The Olden Days Locket and Chasing the Moon) was the picture of elegance in her black ensemble.



Dr. Ron Jobe (our Master of Ceremonies and the father of Roundtables in Canada) was dapper in top hat and cape. And I was very... pink. To be truthful, I felt a bit like a cupcake in my glossy dress!


Susan Musgrave was our featured speaker and she, in turn, introduced our many guest authors and their newest books. The guest list included Kit Pearson, Polly Horvath, Sarah Ellis, John Wilson, Sylvia Olsen, Lyn Hancock, Pamela Porter, Sheryl McFarlane, Storma Sire, Dan Bar-el, Kristin Butcher, Diane Leger, Diane Haynes, Sarah Harvey, Jeff Rud, Jacquie Pearce, Colin Williams, Dayle Gaetz, Julie Lawson, Troy Wilson, and Laura Langston - a testament to how many of Canada's finest writers for children find themselves living on the west coast. A good time (and better food!) was had by all.

This event was just the start to an exceptionally busy month. Sylvia Olsen, Penny Chamberlain, Diane Morriss and I enjoyed another fine Sono Nis author dinner at the Med Grill restaurant - excellent conversation and tasty, tasty food! The Roundtable steering committee met for the final time this year- congratulations to Sheryl McFarlane who returns to the helm as Chair (I'm moving over to the position of newsletter editor). Wearing my 'SNP Publicist' hat, started work organizing the amazing launch of Yetsa's Sweater (Sylvia Olsen's new book) and Chasing the Moon (Penny Chamberlain) to be held at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, BC. Said launch will last almost a full week and involve sessions both for the general public and for students from half a dozen area schools. More on this in a future post - it should be a really cool event!

A trip to the local track (Sandown Racetrack) produced a number of photographs that will be included in Behind the Scenes at the Racetrack.

And speaking of BTSAT Racetrack, the first (rough) draft was in Toronto on the editor's desk by June 22nd - a miraculous delivery THREE WEEKS EARLY!! That never happens, trust me.

My research assistant finished scanning the last of the Karen Brain photographs and obtained permission to use various unusual photos for the racetrack book. I reviewed several books for the Canadian Book Review Annual and wrote my column for Island Parent Magazine. In my spare time, I picked up 40 bales of hay out of my neighbour's field, loaded them into the truck, and then unloaded and stacked them in the hay barn. Also in June, a quick trip to Vancouver for the Chocolate Lily Book Awards (the winner in the picture book category was Drumheller Dinosaur Dance by Robert Heidbreder). I was delighted to find out that Trouble on Tarragon Island is a 2006-2007 nominee in the novel category, which keeps my streak of nominations intact: I've had at least one book nominated each year since the awards began four or five years ago!

Show season is under way and this means lots of chances to add to the collection of equestrian-themed photographs.

Father's Day did not pass un-celebrated. We hauled Dad, cane, broken hip and all, up to a winery in Cobble Hill for a delicious luncheon in a garden. The ambience included live music, a lovely old dog, and a puppy - and the meal included samples of half a dozen wines. Fantastic food and a great setting combined with a tour of the winery (more samples) made for a wonderful outing.

Dani and I also enjoyed a jumping lesson on Bonny and several more trail rides in June, all with an eye to taking part in several horse shows over the summer (first one is next weekend!!!!). We did squeeze in a fun horse show at Bodicea Farm - a good old-fashioned play day like those I remember from my childhood. Who knew that Bonny would be such a good pole-bending, barrel-racing, keyholing horse? We came home clutching a fistful of ribbons, a new halter and lead rope, and a collection of anti-bacterial horse care products.

Goals for the coming month include finishing the first draft of Double Take: The Olympic Dreams of Karen Brain (sub-title not finalized!), a trip to Hastings Park to fill a few photographic gaps in the track book, and getting a good chunk of the next Behind the Scenes book (with a Horse Vet) finished. And then, there's the pig pen. By the end of the day, we should be pretty well done construction on the new digs for Mikey, a rather rotund pot-bellied pig we are about to adopt from one of the neighbours. More on THAT project in a future post.

All in the name of research... we set off with Bonny and Tony in tow and headed for Devonian Regional Park where, we had read, there was a bridle trail. Said trail was supposed to lead down to a beach...

Indeed, this turned out to the be the case. Dani and I had a great ride on a glorious afternoon, details of which will likely show up in a future StableMates novel. 

A great time was had by all (though Bonny was pretty sure that the big, round boulders in the water were actually lurking cougars ready to eat her)! Note it is nearly impossible to take photos while mounted without catching the tips of Tony's ears!

You really have to love Vancouver Island - here we are on a sunny, warm day in June, a Sunday no less, and just look at the throngs of people on this sandy beach!!!! Not that we minded - we were quite happy to let the horses stretch their legs and race up and down the beach a bit. No worries here about stomping on little kids' sandcastles!

You'd be laughing, too, if you lived in paradise! 

Ok - I can't resist... this is a Proud Mama Moment... Here's my lovely mare Bonny during a riding lesson today. She's being ridden by my lovely daughter, Dani... both being coached by the amazing Karen! 

 

 

Such massive animals, but so gentle and curious!

Working on several horse-themed books and making the most of the good weather to enjoy my own horses, I find I am never bored! This is a good thing, I suppose, as the long grind of writing a book (and training an horse) could drive a person crazy.

To build my stock of equine photos (to be used in various upcoming articles and books), I've been spending lots of time at barns, horse shows, and race tracks - always with a camera close to hand. And speaking of hands, the one in this photo belongs to our friend Julia who came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. 

The photos and interviews collected at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, at Windfields Farm, Woodbine Racetrack, Stampede Park, Equine Guelph, and other such horsey venues are all part of the very cool project I'm working on for Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Each title in this new series will focus on the behind-the-scenes workings of another equine activity. The first two books (Behind-the-Scenes at the Racetrack and Behind-the-Scenes With an Equine Vet) are scheduled to come out in spring of 2007. The Karen Brain Biography (Sono Nis Press) is also slated for a spring 2007 release, so I guess that I'll be spending a whole lot of time thinking about horses during this coming year! How painful is that? NOT!













This handsome fellow is SeeMore, a life-size model used in Equine Guelph's equine education programs.




















And this is Let's Go Golfing, a thoroughbred gelding we followed on race day at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Golfin' was quite talented in the face-making department, but not quite so good in his race - he finished well back and out of the money. The best part of Golfin's day was his bath, a relaxing affair that left him sleek and shiny after a tough race in the mud.

And from Calgary, it was on to Toronto where Dani and I spent several days taking photographs and conducting interviews with various people in the horse business.








We started with a tour of Windfields Farm - one of Canada's finest Thoroughbred breeding establishments. We saw young race horses being trained...

... and even younger foals stretching their legs.

Even the cat at Windfields was well educated in racing matters...