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In West Virginia, we have a song, lovingly called, "The Rhododendron Song." The lyrics to the first verse are as follows: I want to wake up in the morning Where the rhododendrons grow Where the sun comes a-peeping Into where I'm a-sleeping And the songbirds say "Hello" I want to wander through the wildwood Where the fragrant breezes blow And drift back to the mountains Where the rhododendrons grow Nearly every child that grew up in or around my hometown learns this song as a song to sing about the state of West Virginia. The older I get the more I appreciate this wildflower. It is hearty, very strong, sticks together, can sometimes be a pain to deal with, yet beautiful - if that doesn't describe a West Virginian, I don't know what would? All that said, when the Bitty Gang and I rode through Green Brier County last November, (EJ'S STABLES) we knew we had to come back. Riding through blooming Rhododendron would feel like something out of Narnia. So, we booked with EJ before we left. Before I knew it, the ride was here! I truly packed this summer full of activities (like any good first-year teacher should...Summers are the best perk of teaching), but I felt a little rushed getting ready for this one. I had just finished working a second job, then a summer camp, that led right in to tossing Jean-Luc in the trailer and heading out Pocahontas County (about a 2-hour trailer ride from the barn). It goes without saying, EJ's is one of my favorite places to ride. The photo above is where we stayed last November. He calls it "The White House." Our ride planner, Bitty 2, informed us that EJ had since moved into The White House, though, and that we would be staying in "The Bunk House". "Oh my," I was thinking. "The Bunk House . . . sounds like a hostel." We were going to be riding hard. Hostels are great and all, and I don't really care, but I was going to miss having a cushy home for the weekend for sure. Especially after 8 hours in the saddle for several days, however, que sera sera, right? As we rolled up, EJ and his college-age granddaughter Haley, still putting the wood paneling on the side of a small shack next to his work garage that didn't even exist six months ago. "Oh, my," Bitty 1 said to me from inside the truck. "Watch that be where we're staying," I joked with her. "Yeaaaa," she said. Bitty 1 has more experience in these kinds of things - that's why she's Bitty 1. She knew exactly the situation. EJ greeted us and told us where to park. In true EJ fashion, he made plenty of jokes, all the while never truly knowing if they were jokes or if was serious. His sense of humor is like that - country, rough, yet jovial. I've met plenty of men like him, just very few out of the state. You never know if they like you or are just tolerating you because that's the polite thing to do. Regardless, I like him.u While EJ and Haley removed the scaffolding . . . yes, scaffolding from around the building we got our boys settled in the paddocks outside. For a quick trip, it's really nice to have paddocks with some grass as opposed to keeping the guys locked up in stalls all weekend (though he has that option, too). After the boys were unloaded, EJ encouraged us to go inside The Bunk House. "Oh my," I thought, "this really is where we're staying." In true judgmental fashion, I begrudgingly hopped from the truck and took a deep breath. "Here we go." Yup. I was a jerk. This place was awesome! The entire cottage was decked in wood from floor to ceiling - just like EJ likes it. It was immaculate. The entire place could not have been cleaner. After several hours in the saddle, it was exactly what everyone needed.
We were ready to ride . . . [tbc].
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AuthorMy name is Chelsey. HorseGenerator's Cuevo Gold, or as he's known around this barn, "Jean-Luc Ponycard", was foaled in 2004 from Generator's Hurricane & Cheyenne's Little Bit. Top 10 Blog Favs.Archives
January 2019
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